what is waste

What is waste? Have you ever pondered over this question? I have and i don't have a definitive answer. What is wasteful in the short term may be of use in the long term. Carbon waste over time could become diamonds. Animal waste over time could become manure. This is all known knowledge. When i started living in my home 5 years ago; there were two small tree saplings just in front of my house. Instead of cutting them as usually the case, i let them grow. Unfortunately these two trees are not fruit-giving trees of some value. They are trees from forest, which drop their leaves Feb-May; during the other times they are fully green. Everyone would suggest me to cut those trees since they are waste and they don't have any value. There would always be a litter of dried leaves in front of my house which have to be frequently cleaned. After some push, i really started to entertain the thoughts of cutting those trees. Couple of days back, i was seriously reading a book and suddenly i heard sounds similar to those made by hen. I came out to investigate it further. To my surprise there were 7 to 8 white cranes on top of the trees which i thought were pure waste. They were lovely white cranes blissfully sitting on the branches of these trees and swinging back and forth. I started paying little more attention and i saw couple of squirrels have made this tree a home. They would eat the fruit of the tree which is not fit for human consumption - but looks like squirrels can happily feed and live on them. You could realize nothing is a waste, provided you can pay proper attention and wait a little longer. I hope the same thing turns true in my life as well.