Life Lessons from a Bonsai Tree

When in Saitama-ken, never miss to visit the underrated Omiya Bonsai Art Museum. The Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is the first public museum in the world which is primarily dedicated to the traditional Japanese art of bonsai. Bonsai trees, aside from being famous for being elegant and resilient, were originally known as dwelling place of deities. Personally, there are many life-lessons that I learned from seeing these miniature trees: 1. Any living art, Bonsai as an easy example, requires patience and rootedness amidst the wavering seasons for it to beautifully grow. Humans as we are, we too are living arts. Thus, in order for us to come out as a masterpiece, we also have to deepen our roots and embrace the changing seasons while being patient with our growth. 2. It takes vision to come up with something great. Any bonsai artist needs to have a plan in mind before the process begins -- from the lines of its branches to the curves of its stems, an artist has to bear in his mind the way how he wants the outcome to be. In the same way, in life, it also makes a difference when we know the direction we want to head in. 3. It takes a high level of commitment and time to cultivate a bonsai tree and see its fullest potential. I even saw an eight-hundred-year-old bonsai tree in the museum! Nonetheless, it still stood strong! So to speak, a bonsai tree can endure so many generations, and its longevity and full potential are highly dependent on the generation being passed on. In the same way, we can learn from a bonsai tree that nothing beautiful happens over night. Things may even have to first endure the test of time to see its beauty unfold in the future. All in all, this trip taught me one striking concept: living life and growing a bonsai -- same difference! We are meant to grow. We are meant to endure life's seasons. Most importantly, we are meant to submit to the Greatest Artist, who knows how to grow, prune, break, and mend our branches in order to create a masterpiece in us.