The man who cut down the oldest tree in the world
Sometimes when I am working with men, either in spiritual direction work, or in therapy, they will share with me the story of a mistake they have made, and how they are broken by that mistake. On many occasions I have shared with them the story of Donald Currey, the geologist who cut down the oldest tree in the world. Currey didn’t set out to cut down the bristlecone pine who would later be known as Prometheus, but he cut it down all the same.
An Honest Mistake
I share this story for three reasons — first, he didn’t do this intentionally, it was an honest mistake made by a young and earnest researcher.
Second, I share it because of Currey’s reaction of shame. When the press caught wind of this, he was hounded by reporters and people wanting to hear his story, but Currey essentially went into hiding. He didn’t die a hermit, he actually went on to become a well-respected researcher and professor of Geology, but he did refuse, up to the end of his life to ever speak about the incident publicly.
I understand his reluctance, and I also wish that I could have heard his story. That is a TED Talk that I would not want to miss — a story of both fault and redemption.
Why We Run Away
The third reason I share it is because it tracks perfectly with how we, as men, often approach our own mistakes. We will often run from them, not because we want to get away with it, but because we never received the tools (emotions) to handle the discomfort and grief.
Grief is, in fact, the key ingredient to understanding why we, as men, so often fail to show up as whole people. I just heard sin defined as when we fail to show up as fully human.
A Sturdiness That Can Only Come Through Grief
Grief is an emotion and a process that was taken from most of us when we were boys. The absence of an ability to grieve has also robbed us of so much joy. I have realized in my own life a sturdiness that can only come through grief. I started these Men’s Gatherings to address topics like grief head on, in a supportive community. I wrote this poem, Healing the Prometheus Tree with a desire to put into words the opportunity we have as men to heal ourselves and the wounded Patriarchy, of which we are both benefactors and victims.
Originally published at https://danielhope.co on November 1, 2023.