Does a Tree glorify God by being a Tree?

Today, I came across this phrase written by Thomas Merton.

'A Tree glorifies God by being a Tree'

I found it extremely funny. I will tell you why. But, this does not mean any disrespect for the person who conceived this little sentence, nor am I aware of the arguments by which he reached this conclusion. It may seem imprudent of me to attack a defenceless sentence, that I come across, without seeing it in the light of the (probably) pages of theory that brought about its existence.

But let it be so and let us for the moment imagine that this sentence exists in isolation and is quite a lonely sentence loitering about hesitantly, seeking acceptance in our world.

Let us begin with considering what other options this tree has (other than being a tree)?

1) What else could it be? Could it be a mountain instead? Or a spring? Or a stone?

Argument: No. It could only be a tree. It was grown from a seed and was destined to be a tree.

2) Some people may now argue saying that it is glorifying God by being a 'good' tree, that gives fruit and shade to humans and animals and honey for the bees and serves to make the land beautiful.

Argument: The tree didn't have a choice. Given the right soil, the right water and right sunlight, the tree was bound to be everything it turned out to be.

It couldn't halfway through its growth say,    
       
Hey! I don't want to grow leaves anymore."
 
It had to grow leaves, it is hard-wired into its DNA. Or it cannot say,

"I don't want to share my fruits with humans. They are very nasty beings."
     
It can't do that. It has no freedom of decision.

Of course, if it didn't have recourse to water or sun or air, it would not grow. But having everything in the right proportion, didn't leave the tree with any choice, other than to grow.

So the tree does not glorify God by being a tree, it is only doing what it can't help.

3) Now if you argue that the tree is thankful for getting the right life conditions to be fruitful, and glorifies its creator by being all it can be, all I can say is that it is forced into doing that. If you conceive it as praising, it is because praise is extracted out of it and it is not in its power to refuse.

If a slave is forced to praise its master, would you regard it as genuine?

Now on the other hand, we humans, have the gift of choice. We can make decisions. So I can say, as a human - I glorify God, (if I think it right), by doing so and so.
 
In conclusion, a tree does not glorify God by being a tree.

Quite a dorky argument in the middle of a bright day!