To Stand By Ourselves

Out in the woods the other day, I saw a tree that had branches

on only one side.  Evidently, the other trees had grown so near it

that there had been room for it to grow in only the one way, 

and now that it was left to stand alone, its lack of good

development and balance showed plainly.

It was not a beautiful thing. It looked lopsided and freakish and

 unable to stand by itself, being pulled a little over by the weight

of its branches.  It reminded me of a person who has grown all in

one direction; in his work perhaps, knowing how to do only one

thing as those workmen in factories who do a certain thing

to one part of a machine day after day and never learn to

complete the whole, depending on others to finish the job.

Or a woman who is interested in nothing but her housework

and gossip, leaving her life bare of all the beautiful branches of

learning and culture which might have been hers.

Or that person who follows always the same habits of thought,

thinking always along the same lines in the same safe, worn grooves,

distrusting the new ideas that begin to branch out in other directions

leading into new fields of thought where free winds blow.

The Gossip Circle

Les Ray

And so many are dwarfed and crooked because their ignorance on all subjects

 except a very few with the branches of their tree of knowledge all on one side!

Lives never were meant to grow that way, lopsided and crippled!

They should be well-developed and balanced, strong and symmetrical,

like a tree that grows by itself against the storms from whatever 

direction they may come-a thing of beauty and satisfaction.

The choice lies with us as to which we shall resemble.

We may be like the young woman devoted to dress and fancywork,

who, when asked to join a club for the study of current events, replied,

"What! Spend all afternoon studying and talking about such things as that!

Well, I should say not!"

Or, if we prefer, we may be like Mr. and Mrs. A.  

Mr. A is a good farmer;his crops and livestock are of 

  the best and besides he is a leader in farm organizations. 

 Mrs. A is a good housekeeper; her garden is the best in

the neighborhood, and her poultry is the pride of her heart.

As you see, they are very busy people, but they keep informed on

current affairs and, now that the son and daughter are taking charge of

part of the farm work, are having more time for reading and study.

Their lives are branching out more and more in every direction, 

 in every good direction for good to themselves and other people,

for it is a fact that the more we make of our lives the better 

 it is for others as well as ourselves.

You must not understand me to mean that we should selfishly live

to ourselves. We are all better for contact and companionship with

other people. We need such contact to polish off the rough corners

of our minds and our manners, but it is a pitiful thing when anyone

cannot, if necessary, stand by himself sufficient to himself

and in good company even though alone.

"To Stand By Ourselves"

(April 1920)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

(1867-1957)

Prolific American writer 

From the book, 

 "Little House In The Ozarks

A Laura Ingalls Wilder Sampler

The Rediscovered Writings"

By Laura Ingalls Wilder

Edited by Stephen W. Hines

Guideposts Edition

(1991)