Bonsai

I used to spend much of my free time cultivating bonsai plants in pots of various shapes and sizes. I used to spend hours bending and twisting the twigs and branches of some plants only to untwist and unbend the following day. My lack of proper training and patience often led to the frustration of not achieving the desired result.

One day, I transferred all my mutilated and deformed plants from their respective pots into my tiny garden to let them grow in a more natural way. I did so after hearing someone comparing the stunted mind of a person with a bonsai plant.

Recently, I visited a bonsai exhibition and took some photographs of those plants to further appreciate their beauty during my free time. While I appreciate the beauty of these plants I am also wondering what each of these plants will look like if they are not forced to grow in shallow pots. I can't help wondering at the same time that if a child is placed under overly regimented training that sometimes go counter to their natural inclination, will he grow up to be a 'bonsai'? Another related thought : When will the dilemma of choosing between producing string of 'A's and providing a more holistic education be resolved. When will leaders, while congratulating the controlled and fully residential schools for producing good academic results, also congratulate and thank the ordinary schools for their sacrifice in accepting and educating those students left out from the doorsteps of those prestigious schools? Moreover, some of these 'left-outs' have grown into even bigger and stronger trees.

In some way, I still like bonsai. While I am 'thinking allowed', I am not thinking aloud. I will leave you to your own imagination, if you bother to, to ponder why I still like bonsai.