I Am The Tree

Vance Larson
3 min readNov 11, 2024

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If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? Ah, the age old question. And the answer is, of course it does. And that got me thinking. If someone is not on social media, does that mean they do not exist? Again, of course they do. But that freaks people out. I have actually heard a group of women {and I’m sure that men would probably have the same conversation}, talk about a dude that one of them met, and he didn’t have any social media. The horrific things that they were saying about him…

I have written about it before. Not everything is for everybody. Some things we should keep for ourselves. And the fact that someone doesn’t use social media, can be a very healthy response to mental health. Just like not watching the news. We need to be careful of what we take in. Because it will definitely have an impact on us.

You know the saying that you will become like the 5 people you spend the most time with? You know why they say it? Because it is fucking true. Pick your people wisely. Surround yourself with people who not only inspire you, but call you on your bullshit in a loving way. We are the quality of our thoughts. And our thoughts are the quality of what we take in, and who we let in.

I admit that I am kind of a social media whore. That said, you would be hard pressed to find anything that I have posted that wasn’t inspirational, or at least mildly amusing. And my feed? Sometimes good people have bad days. But if you’re shit posting on a daily basis, you’re out. It’s not a judgement on you. It’s an affirmation for me. And I don’t want to be that guy that knowingly subjects himself to negativity.

So yes, the tree makes a sound even if no one hears it. Same as the person without any social media. And that sound in many cases is freedom. The freedom to create and shape their own reality, with little to no outside influence. Let me speak on that for a brief moment. I’m an educated man. I am extremely well read. With multiple degrees, some time back I made a conscious decision to get rid of all of my religious books and text. Despite having a degree in Divinity, and once served as a Chaplain, a hug or just sitting in silence was far more effective to the wounded person, than quoting words from a book.

I have a very public life. I have a huge following over social media. And, I am in the news several times a year. People think they know me. But in reality, they have no idea. Because many times I am the tree. And they will never hear the sounds that are reserved for my inner circle and God.

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Vance Larson
Vance Larson

Written by Vance Larson

I am a retired crisis counselor of 20 years. I share my experiences {both personal and professional} about thought provoking subjects. Follow me.

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