Friday, December 23, 2022
Nature doesn’t seem to have a purpose, other than to defy human logic. Yes, trees give oxygen, animals round out the ecosystem, the ozone layer protects us from the sun, and so on. But is that the purpose of nature, to serve as an explanation of mechanical function? The engineer always has an explanation. They see how and why things function, ecologically and mechanically, but they never explain why the natural world is so vast, so deep, so calming, and so awe-inspiring. The warmth of the sun, radiating on your cheek feels like a loving embrace. The colors, textures, and grandeur of the landscape are a bountiful feast for your eyes. But why does nature elicit a deeper, more profound truth in humans? Because it’s showing us who we are.
Nature connects us to a higher truth, that we also defy scientific logic. Nature compels us. We are nature, too. Humans don’t know that they are as precious and amazing as the trees and natural wonder that they marvel at.
Can you appreciate your natural beauty, like you appreciate a waterfall, a mountain, or fall foliage? Can you admire nature’s randomness, it’s messiness, it’s spontaneity? Would you rather the stars be put into the heavens in perfect alignment, or do you like how they are scattered about, random, a bit “messy?” Do you praise the mountain peak for being so high and condemn the valley for being low? Or do you just appreciate it as it is? Let yourself be. The plants and animals of this world have not a care in it, yet they live by natural order, and are governed perfectly. Can we recognize this awesome wonder in ourselves? Nature is effortless, allowing, adaptable, patient and harmonious. We are nature. Can you recognize your own awe, wonder, and natural beauty? Can you see it in others?