While hiking in the Colorado mountains, I discovered that what looks like a grove of Aspen trees is actually a single, massive organism connected by its roots. This brought to mind "Bani Adam," a 13th-century poem by the Persian poet Saadi Shirazi. He wrote that humanity is like one body, where every person is a limb. Because we share a common origin, when one person suffers, the whole body feels the pain. Saadi concludes that if we aren't moved by the suffering of others, we lose the very essence of being human.
Transliteration Bani Adam in Persian
Bani Aadam `aazaye yek pigarand بنی آدم اعضای یک پیکرند
Keh dar aafarinesh ze yek guharand که در آفرينش ز یک گوهرند
Cho `ozvi be dard aavarad rozigaar چو عضوى به درد آورد روزگار
Degar ozvahaa raa namaanad qaraar دگر عضو ها را نماند قرار
To kaz mehnate digaraan bi ghami تو کز محنت دیگران بی غمی
Nashaayad ke naamat nahand Aadami نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی
