A great tree begins as a tiny seed. When a new shoot emerges, no one can predict whether it will become a meal for a starving beast or grow into a towering giant with branches reaching to the sky. Some individuals may be destined for greatness from birth, standing at the pinnacle of their cohort, but natural laws will eventually push all once tiny creations toward a greater destiny in the currents of time. With enough patience, perhaps one day every sapling will grow into a being even more magnificent than the mightiest tree we can conceive of. Will that day come? Yes, it will. That's why they bear seeds and allow themselves to decay and return to the soil to nourish their offspring, rather than permanently hoarding all the nutrients they take in. This is not an act of pity, but an act of hope. Now, if we expand this context to the entire ecosystem, rather than confining ourselves to a specific species, what happens? All living things help each other, cultivate the land and the sea, making the entire planet more abundant and creating a better living environment for ourselves and future generations. Yes, the possibility of this outcome is equally present in every last ordinary seed. ... That's what the plan should have been, prior to certain unexpected events.