Podcast
We Can Do Hard Things
This story, about a tree that is considered useless by a carpenter but actually survives and lives a long life, is mentioned as a real-life example of how being useless can actually be a source of strength. It's compared to the 'Old Survivor' redwood tree, which was deemed useless for timber and therefore survived logging.
When I learned about that, I thought to myself that it sounded like a real life version of the story of the useless tree by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who talks about a similar large gnarled tr...
— Episode: 261. How to Stretch Time with Jenny Odel...
Episode: 261. How to Stretch Time with Jenny Odell
This story, about a tree that is considered useless by a carpenter but actually survives and lives a long life, is mentioned as a real-life example of how being useless can actually be a source of strength. It's compared to the 'Old Survivor' redwood tree, which was deemed useless for timber and therefore survived logging.
When I learned about that, I thought to myself that it sounded like a real life version of the story of the useless tree by the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who talks about a similar large gnarled tree that is seen by a carpenter.
Then the tree appears to him in a dream and basically is like, who are you to call me useless? My uselessness has been very useful for me. Obviously, I'm still alive and you are a mortal man. You will die soon.
I feel like the humor of that story and sort of the irony of Old Survivor, I find very compelling because it's this perfect illustration of how being or appearing useless in one frame it could actually be the thing that rescues you from it.