The story of the Broccoli Tree, a once a well-loved piece of Vättern, Sweden, is one that is, sadly, becoming more and more common. In this video from the Vlogbrothers Youtube channel, Hank Green recounts the its story. It started with a photograph of the tree, taken by a man who passed by it on a regular basis. He was struck by the tree's resemblance to a giant stalk of broccoli sticking up out of the ground. One day, he took an un-staged photo of the tree and posted it to Instagram. That's when everything changed.
The tree became a social media icon as the photographer continued to upload snapshots of the scenery surrounding it. The tree had its own Instagram account with thousands of followers. Travelers took time out of their trips to go and see the Broccoli Tree. Soon, the man that took the first photo soon found himself taking pictures of people taking pictures of the tree.
The story of the tree got lots of attention. The tragedy of this scenario and ones like it is that there are some people out there who won't to take some of that attention and put it on themselves. Whether it's an issue with their own self-esteem or something else entirely, they allow the bitterness that forms in their hearts to dictate their actions.
One day, their was something noticeably different about the Broccoli Tree. Upon closer inspection, someone had decided to deprive the world of something that had been bringing people together for years. In the Vlogbrothers video, Hank states, "To share something is to risk losing it."
However, he goes on to point out that, if the original photographer had never shared that initial image of the tree on Instagram and connected with people that shared his same love of the Broccoli Tree, he would have been alone in his feelings of loss, instead of having people all across the world who felt the same way.
There's always a risk when you share something that you value with those around you. There's no way to tell how they're going to react, or if their going to cherish it the same way that you do. However, when you find your community, it means that you will never have to be alone.
