HUMUS
by Antonio C. Antonio
July 25, 2014
A couple of months ago I conducted a seminar
on the topic “Sustainable Forest Management” at the De La Salle University in
Manila. Towards the end of the seminar,
I asked a rather grotesque question to the student-participants: “If you had a choice, what would you like to
be after you die?... and why?”
There was one reaction I still vividly remember. I noticed, earlier on, that there was this
particular student who was very attentive throughout the two-hour seminar. Having recorded the proceedings in a digital
recorded, I am able (even now) to accurately recall, word for word, what he
said: “Sir… I am a Catholic and I
believe in life everlasting. I believe
that our spiritual life transcends beyond our physical life and that there is
life after death. Our physical body,
however, will have a different fate. It
will decompose and decay into the earth… as this is the natural order of
things. So, if our physical bodies will
simply go back to becoming soil, I would always choose to become a matter of
five letters and one word… humus.” He
obviously picked up the word “humus” from our earlier discussion and, while the
other students were seemingly oblivious and clueless, I understood perfectly what
he meant.
Now, what is humus? “Humus is a dark, organic material that forms
in soil when plant and animal matter decays.
When plants drop leaves, twigs, and other materials to the ground, it
piles up. This material is called leaf
litter. When animals die, their remains
add to the litter. Over time, the litter
decomposes. This means it decays, or
breaks down into its most basic chemical elements. Many of these chemicals are important
nutrients for the soil and organisms that depend on soil for life, such as
plants. The thick brown and/or black
substance that remains after most of the organic litter has decomposed is
called humus. Earthworms often help mix
humus with other minerals in the soil. Humus
contains many useful nutrients for healthy soil. One of the most important is nitrogen. Nitrogen is a key nutrient necessity for most
plants. Agriculture depends on nitrogen
and other nutrients found in humus. Some
experts think humus makes soil more fertile.
Others say humus helps prevent disease in plants and food crops. When humus is in soil, the soil will
crumble. Air and water move easily
through the loose soil, and oxygen can reach the roots of plants and trees.” (http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/humus/?ar_a=1) From
this short literature on humus, it not hard to believe that it contributes
significantly in supporting the growth and health of crops, plants and trees. Humus is popularly known as compost.
“In the sweat of thy face thou shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust
thou art, and unto dust shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) is an age-old Biblical
adage. “Dust” was, perhaps, the only
known term in the olden days… when nitrogen and humus were still unknown
elements. Nature has a way of going full
circle where biotic and abiotic elements in our ecosystem will surely merge at
some point. So, if our physical bodies
will eventually return to “dust”, this student chose the best life-supportive
and life-sustaining matter he could be in death… humus.
Just my little thoughts…
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