The Living Bridge

Rea,

Would you spend thirty years building a bridge? Most people would say that’s way too long. But in the mountains of Northeast India, there are people who do exactly that - because they know that some of the most amazing things in life can’t be rushed.

These bridges are unlike any others in the world. They aren’t built with steel or stone - they’re grown from living tree roots. What’s even more amazing is that these bridges get stronger, not weaker, as time passes.

The Khasi people who live in these mountains discovered something remarkable about the rubber fig tree. Its roots can stretch incredibly long distances, and they grow stronger when they join together. So instead of building bridges that would rot in the heavy rains, they found a way to guide the tree roots across rivers.

The process takes incredible patience. First, they guide young, flexible roots across the river using bamboo scaffolding. As the roots grow longer, they weave them together like threads in a tapestry. When the roots reach the other side, they plant themselves in the soil and grow thicker. New roots grow down from above, adding more support. Each new root makes the bridge stronger.

Here’s the amazing part: it takes 15 to 30 years before a root bridge is strong enough for people to walk on. That means the person who starts growing a bridge might not be the one who gets to use it first. Some bridges are over 500 years old and can support the weight of fifty people at once! And unlike regular bridges that need constant repairs, these bridges heal themselves and grow stronger every year.

Think about that - these bridges take longer to grow than you’ve been alive. The people who start them know they’re creating something that will help their children and grandchildren. They understand that some of the most valuable things in life can’t be rushed.

This is a lot like learning and growing. Just as the root bridge gets stronger with each new root, your skills grow stronger with each practice session. Those music scales that seem repetitive? They’re like the roots slowly stretching across the river. Those math problems that take time to understand? They’re building a foundation that will support bigger ideas later.

The Khasi people have a saying: “Don’t force the bridge to grow - guide it.” They know that working with nature’s pace, even though it’s slower than we might like, creates something far stronger than anything we could build quickly.

Love, Abba