Nature – observe and appreciate
Tue, Jan 29, 2013
Editor,
Everything you can imagine, nature has already created – Albert Einstein
An act of creation,
The art of imagination,
Lent to us by God with careful contemplation;
How many years ago has nature existed,
And to this day, many a soul assisted?{{more}}
The blossom of a flower in a raging thunder storm,
Gives support to a skilful spider as a new day dawns;
Crystal, clear, blue waters lash against the glistening sea shore,
Hiding the homes, lives and stories of creatures down below;
The scamper of a little fawn in a land far away,
A farmer harvesting his crop at the crack of morn,
Stops to admire an ant stealing a grain of corn;
At another distance and some hundred miles away,
Comes the cry of a new-born baby as the Sun signals its first ray;
To them heâs more wonderful than anything in the world –
He couldnât possibly be moulded from the ground!
Within the seconds of his birth,
God has set and seen his future here on earth;
Blessed with free will, like all since the beginning of time;
Will his life be his own, or the path destined?
Humans are known to be the most developed and complex species to grace the earth since the beginning of time. They are able to speak, write, think, understand and solve difficult problems that all other animals are incapable of. For this reason, God made them masters over the earth and all that is in it.
Despite this, humans have come short of this vocation and instead, have engaged in destruction and wastage of resources, the environment, habitats for wildlife and plant-life, because of selfish desires. Consequently, these actions have led to the deterioration of manâs environment.
This isnât what God had expected in the beginning. Humans are failing to observe, acknowledge and appreciate the simple pleasures brought about by nature. One can learn so much by simply indulging oneself in the natural environment around him, no matter how small it may be.
The story of King Robert Bruce of Scotland fighting against the Normans for his country brings to mind the story of his encounter with a spider. Having fought six times and failed at each attempt to regain his country and citizens, King Bruce went into hiding. As he lay down in a small hut, a small spider hanging from a wooden beam caught his attention. The spider had also failed six times to swing itself to another beam. King Bruce felt as one with the spider, having faced the same fate. Yet, on the seventh try the spider finally succeeded. To his amazement, King Bruce acknowledged that if a spider can be so determined, then he should too. He left his hiding place, rejoined his army and won the battle for his country.
It may seem that as intelligent as humans claim to be, animals with lesser mental capacities and understanding exercise more discipline and smartness. For this reason, instead of lending a hand in their psychological development, man is still learning. Being as sophisticated as God created man, it should be no problem to work hand in hand with fellow brethren for the betterment of others. Instead, to set aside differences and cooperate with one another is probably the hardest thing to accomplish.
Take the example of ants. God refers to them as âlittle peopleâ. They work together and differentiate their tasks to ease the work-load and encourage general participation. Being made in the image of God, man was born with the responsibility to care for, appreciate and learn from nature around them. Maybe itâs time to grow a little closer to nature before God chooses to rid us of all that weâve taken for granted.
Elizabeth Bullock
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