Final answer:
The comparison between growing a tree and cultivating people reflects the different time scales needed for natural and societal development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expression "When it takes ten years to grow a tree but a hundred years to cultivate people" reflects the concept that while natural resources like trees take a finite amount of time to grow, cultivating humanity, society, and civilizations is a much longer and complex process.
This process of cultivation of humanity includes education, the development of social norms, ethical codes, laws, cultural evolutions, and technological advancements, all of which require significant time to develop and mature.
The process of human development and societal growth can be seen to mirror the cultivation of plants that our ancestors started thousands of years ago, but it's evident that it happens over a much longer timeline, often requiring generations to see significant change.
The development of farming, which began around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, demonstrates how human societies evolve and grow in complexity.
This shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural-based one was a significant step that took over a millennium, resulting in profound changes to human society such as the rise of permanent settlements, specialization in occupations, and the emergence of trade and commerce.
In parallel, today's society must learn to harness Earth's natural renewable flows and refrain from unsustainable reliance on finite resources.
This evolution of human society is crucial for ensuring our long-term survival in a way that is harmonious with nature, a concept that, like the growth of society itself, takes time to cultivate and fully realize.