The old koan, If a tree falls in a forest and no one's there to hear it, does it make any sound? Why yes, of course, it's simple physics. The idea that we can or cannot observe the sound it makes, the sound that is a result of an action, is unimportant. The world continues to exist when you close your eyes. This has always been my answer, and I thought it always would be.

But when you look at it from the perspective of the tree, things take a different turn. Forever I have been looking from the point of view of the observer- if I turn around, the tree still rocks the place and makes a big bang in the process. But now, from the perspective of the tree, I can feel myself falling, amid a forest of unfriendly and uncaring faces. There is no one to hear me crash, so does it matter if I do? When I do this, and nobody cares, would it even matter? Does anything I do matter?

I suppose I'm not quite the existentialist I once thought I was. I wonder if it makes a difference if I stand tall or if I crash because of the position I'm in, thrown from the security of the friends I once had in another life. My great accomplishments can no longer be shared with someone I hold close, and my greatest defeats cannot be overcome in the arms of someone I love.

I can see the empty miles that have no one there to hear me. I can feel the distance between myself and anyone that would care to hold me up. I fall into the darkness of the forest, alone, cold, unfeeling. This is where your faith must be reaffirmed. The very thought that you would make a sound will hold you up. The idea that it does make a difference if you stand tall is enough to keep you standing.

From the perspective of the observer, yes, a tree falling in a forest will make a sound, even if there is no one there to hear it.

From the perspective of a tree, a tree falling in a forest with no one there to hear it is dead silent.

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