refuse to be owned

strange as it may seem, these are life lessons from a tree i was introduced to, on May 15, 2010. the koompassia exelsa. a lofty white-boled beauty, that is a haven for giant honey bees. tough to cut down [its bark is high in silica and very hard and brittle] and protected/ sacred in some places, you see it standing tall, rising above all beneath [why, you can barely capture all of it in one frame], defying the odds.

almost a metaphor for living life, truly.

unyielding in adversity, upright in gait, shrugging off any mold. as if to say...

... don't let anyone -- anyone at all -- define you*, confine you, restrict you, control you, brand you, or tame you. and, above all -- refuse to allow anyone to ever own you*. allow no one to dictate who you are but your own inner sap. and never let anyone's opinions mold your view of yourself.

for you are always so much more than any one frame...


* in the human context, you is substitutable by your mind, thoughts, feelings.

Koompassia exelsa (also called tualang)

no, this is not the whole tree -- the huge buttresses can not be seen!

taken from a canopy platform ~50m up another tree.

gives you an idea of size -- that's me at the buttress looking up to the koompassia (pun intended) :)
[thanks for clicking this snap, sridhar!]