Why I Love the Thorns Just As Much As the Roses

Everybody has heard the age-old cliche: every rose has its thorns. Many wise people have even thrown in their two bits (aka 25 cents) to say, "Don't be mad that roses have thorns; be grateful that thorns have roses." To me, these rose-colored glasses comments are annoying because neither the roses or the thorns really has the other; it is the rose bush that has both. The blossoms and the thorns are pieces of something greater than themselves, equally important contributors to a whole bush's survival.

There are thousands of lessons to be learned from the relationship between a plant's thorns and its blossoms, of which a rose is. One is defensive, the other is reproductive, both are beautiful. Everyone loves the scent of roses and wants to take that sweet smell with them, but without the presence of the rose the bush cannot seed nor can it grow as well. This is where the thorns come in.

You can't walk up to a rose bush and simply tear the blossom off with your bare hands. Why? Thorns. They hurt. Now think about this, if something walked up to you and wanted to tear off your reproductive organs so that they could carry their unique smell away with them, you'd probably be a little prickly about it too. (Its a disturbing image to imagine, I know, but that's exactly what we do to the rose bush.) The rosebush's thorns protect the otherwise defenseless plant and make us much more hesitant to reach in and steal its most precious parts.

Thorns teach us to respect something that we would otherwise exhaust without thought of consequence. You have to treat a bush tenderly if you ever hope to gain the blossom as your well-scented prize and comely decoration. The same is true of many other plants. Thorns teach us that every living thing has a right to defend itself, its place in the world, and its right to reproduce.

I think there are many good lessons we humans should take a reminder of from the world around us, particularly those of us in the "first world" nations. I hate being pricked by a strong thorn, but I respect the fact that even roses deserve to defend their lives and, in a way, their children the same as you and I do.

What do you think? What lessons have you learned from the world around you? Comment below.