There is a real connection. There is absolutely no debate.

I think it was more by accident rather than design there is such a strong connection between the show and the racing fraternity, but there's just so much talent here. And, hey, both the racing and theatrical communities are made up of real people with many interests and backgrounds.

Edge has an expressive look that evokes a connection with the customer's lifestyle. It was important that we design Edge to have maximum flexibility in the amount of gear it can accommodate while still offering customers a contemporary vehicle they can take out on the town.

Is there any point in public debate in a society where hardly anyone has been taught how to think, while millions have been taught what to think?

There are no coincidences and no mistakes. Every role has a purpose and every path has merit. Everything we do and experience is for learning to remember our connection with God.

A good upbringing is necessary for a long life, but sometimes the patience of the young trees is sorely tested. As I mentioned in chapter 5, "Tree Lottery," acorns and beechnuts fall at the feet of large "mother trees." Dr. Suzanne Simard, who helped discover maternal instincts in trees, describes mother trees as dominant trees widely linked to other trees in the forest through their fungal-root connections. These trees pass their legacy on to the next generation and exert their influence in the upbringing of the youngsters. "My" small beech trees, which have by now been waiting for at least eighty years, are standing under mother trees that are about two hundred years old -- the equivalent of forty-year-olds in human terms. The stunted trees can probably expect another two hundred years of twiddling their thumbs before it is finally their turn. The wait time is, however, made bearable. Their mothers are in contact with them through their root systems, and they pass along sugar and other nutrients. You might even say they are nursing their babies.