The Quiet Root of Things

Reflections on nature, resilience, and the enduring spirit inspired by the “Morning Poem” by Mary Oliver and the song “Finitude” by Gabriel Albuquerque.

"Every morning, the world is created." ~ Mary Oliver.

Have you ever noticed how the dew glistens on blades of grass at dawn? It's a simple, unassuming sight that carries quiet meaning. In that moment when the world holds its breath between darkness and day, nature is fully alive. Among the emerald strands, the soul of humanity lies woven into the steady rhythm of the Earth.

The essence of the human spirit stirs gently in the grass, threaded through its blades like the memories we carry but cannot name. Each footstep on the ground recalls the presence of those who came before—ancestors whose hopes are buried in the soil, now rising in stalk and leaf. In the hush of morning light, when dew rests on the grass, a small and sure sign that the world goes on, the land hums with a kind of knowing. It reminds us that we are not above the natural world or apart from it—we are made of it.

There is wisdom in that if we're still enough to listen.

I am continually amazed by the resilience of life, both human and more-than-human. Despite war, famine, and drought—despite what we take and what we break—growth continues. In its quiet persistence, the Earth carries the full cycle of life: it breathes, falls, and begins again. We are not so different. We carry within us the same capacity to bend without breaking, to fall, and still root ourselves again.

But in the noise of the world, we often forget that we are also creators—not just of buildings and systems but of meaning, kindness, and change. Just as the Earth brings forth green from gray, we, too, can bring something good into being—often in places where it's needed most.

In a fractured world, it's tempting to believe that power belongs to those who hold wealth or control. But wealth is a tool, nothing more. What truly sustains is hope. Hope is not loud. It does not clamor. But it endures. It waits. And when given the smallest space, it grows.

Hope, love, and empathy are the true foundations of any future worth living. They are not fragile—they are seeds, deeply rooted like the earth beneath our feet. Empires may rise and fall, but hope remains with us all.