Acting or Acted Upon?
“ For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.” - Luke 6:44 [KJV] Things are not always as they appear. In the plant world it appears that flower stems bend their flowers to follow the sun as it goes from horizon to horizon. Is the plant acting or is being acted upon? In truth, the plant is responding to a stimulus outside it self. Also, in truth, there is something in the plant that reacts to the outside stimulus. Inside the stem of the plant there is a hormone called Auxin. This hormone causes cells in the stem of the plant to elongate when light touches the plant. In the presence of sunlight the auxin migrates to the shady side of the plant stem and causes the cells on the shady side to elongate, thus bending the plant toward the light source. It appears that the plant is acting but, in reality, it is reacting. Its apparent action is the result of being acted upon. Without this knowledge, o