Segment 1: The Wild Rose
Before cultivation, roses knew what they were.
Five petals. Simple. Fragrant. Connected to everything around them.
The bees came. The roses fed them. Seeds formed. Birds scattered them.
The system worked.
Then someone looked at the wild rose and thought: "Not enough."
Before they told you what to be, what came naturally?
Segment 2: The Gardener's Vision
Someone decided wild wasn't good enough.
They saw the five petals and thought: "More would be better."
They saw the thorns and thought: "Those should go."
They saw the simple form and thought: "We can improve this."
Improvement requires judgment.
And judgment requires standards.
Standards that came from outside the rose.
What did they tell you was "wrong" with your natural state?
Segment 3: The Breeding Program
Generation after generation.
Select for more petals. Remove the thorns. Breed out the scent (too unpredictable). Extend the bloom time. Perfect the form.
Each "improvement" required removing something.
The wild roses had disease resistance. Removed (not needed in controlled gardens).
The wild roses produced seeds. Removed (we'll propagate them ourselves).
The wild roses attracted bees. Removed (cleaner without pollinators).
They bred the perfect rose.
It just couldn't survive on its own.
What parts of you were systematically removed as "unacceptable"?
Segment 4: The Perfect Bloom
Look how beautiful. Look how respectable. Look how perfect.
Forty petals in precise formation. Uniform color. Extended bloom period. No thorns to hurt anyone.
The judges gave it first prize.
But the bees flew past it.
No nectar. No scent. No seeds. No connection to anything beyond itself.
Perfect for display.
Useless for life.
What made you look "successful" but feel empty?
Segment 5: The Hidden Cost
The wild rose feeds itself.
The cultivated rose requires fertilizer every two weeks.
The wild rose resists disease.
The cultivated rose needs fungicide or it dies.
The wild rose produces seeds.
The cultivated rose is sterile.
They improved it into complete dependence.
And called it success.
What can't you do without external support now?
Segment 6: The Question
The wild rose doesn't know it's wild. It just grows.
The cultivated rose doesn't know it's cultivated. It just grows.
But you know.
You've seen both. You've been both.
You know what was removed. You know what was gained.
You know the cost of perfection.
The question isn't which is better.
The question is: Who's holding the pruning shears now?
Who still shapes you? (Name them, no judgment)
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