My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make

The architect of silence and light, Peter Zumthor, once confessed: “My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make me quiet; I like to be in their company.” In these tender words he reveals the eternal bond between man and nature, a bond not forged in conquest, but in stillness, reverence, and presence. The relationship he speaks of is not distant, not abstract, but living and intimate—an exchange of spirit between human and plant.

For the plants are not mere ornaments of the earth, but companions, teachers, and healers. In their silent growth they reveal patience; in their reaching toward the sun they embody hope; in their rootedness they remind us of the strength of belonging. To dwell in their company is to return to the primal harmony from which all life springs, to remember that man is not master but brother to the green kingdom.

Zumthor speaks also of quiet, that rare treasure in a world of restless noise. The plants draw him into stillness, teaching that the deepest truths are spoken without words. In their presence, time itself seems to slow, and the heart beats in rhythm with the eternal cycle of seed, blossom, and decay. Such quiet is not emptiness, but fullness—an inner peace born of communion with the living earth.

And yet there is heroism in this gentle relationship. For to choose the company of plants over the clamors of vanity is an act of defiance against the frenzy of the age. It is to seek strength in humility, wisdom in simplicity, and power in patience. In this way, the bond with nature becomes a wellspring of renewal, a reminder that greatness is not only in monuments and cities, but in the quiet persistence of green life.

Let this teaching endure: to draw closer to plants is to draw closer to our own essence. They teach us how to grow in silence, how to endure with grace, how to give without asking. To walk among them is to walk with teachers clothed in green, guardians of the earth’s oldest wisdom. Seek their company, and they will gift you not with noise or vanity, but with quiet strength, a peace that surpasses the fleeting triumphs of men.

Thus, O children of the future, remember: the relationship with nature is not a luxury but a necessity, not decoration but salvation. For in the company of plants, we learn to be human again.