Have you heard of the uncarved block? It's a principle in Taoism; Benjamin Hoff explains it wonderfully in The Tao of Pooh..
(well, this is from a site about Winnie the Pooh, talking about Benjamin Hoffs wonderful book)
Quote:
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One of the basic principles of Taoism is P'U, the Uncarved Block. The essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed. This principle applies not only to things, but to people as well. Or Bears. Which brings us to Pooh, the very Epitome of the Uncarved Block. When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few, other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times. As Piglet put it in 'Winnie-the-Pooh', "Pooh hasn't much Brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn out right."
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Source -
The Tao of Pooh | Winnie the Pooh
Also, there's something in Taoism, about this really old, knarled, useless tree; it's useless beacause the carpenter can't make anything out of it, there's no straight lines etc; so it just gets left..
But that means it doesn't get cut down; it's left in it's original state. Also, it's good for providing shade on a hot sunny day..