I want to live like a plant

2026-07-17

I had this conversation about internal/ external validation with others earlier last year.

I said it’s not good to be relying on superficial stuff, the more external things you have, the more you need to make yourself feel better, there’s no end to it. To me, happiness comes from the inside.

Using external things to make yourself feel better is a temporary coping mechanism, an empty space that can never be fulfilled (Backrooms lol).

He said that his need for external validation is not endless, it’s like eating, as long as he’s full that’s enough. I said “you gotta eat every day, I want to live like a plant.” He said it’s a very vivid analogy, said he’ll water me from time to time.

All of the tats I have are related to plants, because I want to live freely like them. Water, sunshine, and air are all I need to survive. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone for anything.

S9E7 in Rick and Morty reminds me of this conversation, nonviolent noncooperation is also a way of living. And by “noncooperation”, people are still part of the society, thus cooperating.

It also reminds me of The Vegetarian by Han Kang. When people let go of their ego, following their hearts to live, will they all degenerate to the most basic form of life - plants? Living is just living itself, the meaning of life is breathing.

Plants seem to be free, but they’re not. Their roots keep them in one place (pun🥵). They don’t need much to survive, their seeds can go around the world freely. Life’s beauty lies in its contradictory nature, another day on this big beautiful planet🌺