Lessons from nature

Perhaps the first symbol of universalism, the rose has common meaning across time and religious, theological and philosophical boundaries. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified the rose with their goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Venus. Iran’s culturally significant geometrical gardens feature roses prominently. Sufi mystics use the rose as a symbol for the quest for divine love. The rose is the emblem of Islamabad Capital Territory in Pakistan. The red rose was adopted as a symbol of the blood of the Christian martyrs. A bouquet of red roses is used as a Valentine’s Day gift in many countries as a show of love. The rose is the national flower of England and in 1986 was named the floral emblem of the U.S. A red rose is a symbol of socialism and is used as a symbol by British, Irish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Brazilian, Dutch, Bulgarian and other European labor or political parties. I suppose it is optimistic to think that a love of roses might furnish an inspiration of future harmony among peoples of the world.