Trails

I love to walk in a forest. Usually, I take a paved trail when I walk and meditate. But at times, I have a tendency to deviate from the main path and walk the small, often unprepared or untrodden, trails. From a paved route, I see the tall trees and all the visible beauty displayed above the ground. But with an intentional detour, I am just surprised at the devastated fallen trees and other remnants of the dead plants. The trees and plants also die. Some trees lay down with roots up. Other trees leaned on the branches of other small trees. Storms, winds, rains, snow, and all kinds of natural forces affect the life of a forest. My ultimate question is philosophical: How can human societies live, as we think about forests?