Tree of Life

From five thousand feet above the Dead Sea, the Earth's lowest point, I gazed down at a massive tree drawing sustenance through roots submerged in the waters at its base. The pilot and guide, seasoned veterans of this route, were baffled. In the countless times they had flown over this area. they had never before seen the tree. Was it really a tree? Were the waters at the base really sustaining its life? Or were these canyons and gorges leading down to a salty sea incapable of sustaining life? Or did the products from those waters bring economic life to the people who lived and worked there?