Human Relations... Papers, Branches, and Roots

We meet dozens of people in our lives, if not hundreds. Yet, only a few leave a clear imprint on our lives. There is a beautiful metaphor about the nature of human relationships; it refers to leaves, branches, and roots. It is a simple metaphor, but it carries a strong and profound meaning: we should not expect from people what they were not created to be.

People who are like leaves come for a period of time, stay with us, add beautiful experiences and moments, and then depart as circumstances change. We call them classmates, colleagues, and friends we met during a specific period. Perhaps their departure was not due to a lack of closeness to us; perhaps they left because their purpose was fulfilled. Some leaves depart with the changing seasons.

Branches are stronger than leaves. People who resemble branches stand by us in many situations, help us, and extend a hand of support. Perhaps not all the pressure they are expected to handle is something they can manage. Not because they are not dear to us, but perhaps because human capacity for endurance and dealing with matters has its limits. Perhaps the pressure placed on the branch exceeded its strength, which is why many branches are affected when pressure and crises occur.

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Roots are rare and more valuable. We do not see roots, yet they form the most solid foundation and stability for the tree. We do not know how many people we can rely on without their constant presence. They are those who are not in constant contact, but who appear during times of crisis, when everyone else has left.

When many abandon us, when only those we need remain. They give us a sense of confidence and comfort, when we feel we did not deserve what we thought we did. They rejoice in our success and are saddened by their inability to understand our situation, even if they are not the source of our problem. In Kuwait, we are known for our social relationships, family ties, strong friendships, gatherings, and diwaniyas, and so on. To some, it may seem that you have many friends, but the truth is that some of these gatherings are not genuine, and many are purely superficial... some are purely superficial. Hard experiences, illness, crises, and losses tell you who is a leaf, who is a branch, and who is a root.

In the age of social media, where everyone has friends, followers, and people who like your posts, you might think you have many friends and see that many people support you, but this is not reality. Reality is seen when your friends and supporters do not like your posts, when your friends do not come to congratulate you, and when you cease to be the reason for gatherings.

We should not cling to people who are not as important to us as we once thought. We must realize that a person’s relationship with us does not always remain the same. We should not be angry or disappointed if a branch is merely a branch. We should respect everyone according to their true nature and understand that a leaf should not be expected to be a root.

And the most important question is: How do others see us? Are we a leaf, a branch, or a root?

The truth is that a beloved person, one who has value, is not necessarily the one who has many acquaintances, but rather the one who has left an imprint—a sincere person. One who will stand by you when the winds of life blow hard, becoming your root, not a leaf or a branch.

Certified Life Coach and Personality and Public Relations Consultant