What Nature Can Teach
Sometimes, we ponder on a problem for a very long time – and then the solution comes to us in just an instant! I’ve experienced this many times while spending time in nature. Yes, nature is a great teacher. And that nature can teach shouldn’t surprise us, as you will find out by reading on…
A while ago, I was playing the violin at a concert with the student’s orchestra. We were performing Bizet, Rutter and Puccini. While my playing has never been immaculate, I was still enjoying the beauty of the music. I had to put a lot of effort and time into learning to play these pieces. For a whole semester, we were practicing them week after week.
Since we were missing some violinists for the concert, we had to engage students of the musical academy to fill up the orchestra rows. They joined us at the two final rehearsals just days before the concert. Even though they were reading the sheets for the first time, they did a perfect job playing these pieces. In fact, they were playing much better than I ever could after months of practicing! To be completely honest, I felt frustrated and jealous of these young musicians.
Now, I knew – in theory – that one can be much happier if he is able to acknowledge the virtues of others and be content with the ones he’s got. I longed to feel this way in practice, too. I wanted to gain deeper understanding of this. Therefore, I asked God, the Creator, to help me appreciate others more and to be happy about who I am.
An unexpected answer
The answer I was looking for came to me just by the end of the week that I had set for myself and God to tackle this issue (I know, patience is not really a virtue of mine…).
It was a quiet Sunday morning. I was going for a walk just as the first rays of sun were announcing a hot day that was to be. The blooming meadows, slightly withered by the lack of rain, were graced by a path leading to a small forest. As I found a quiet place for myself surrounded by the song of the birds, I prayed and pondered on this and that. Then finally, I started focusing on my surroundings.
The woods looked as if they hadn’t seen any human being for ages. In the branches above me, the birds were leading a conversation in a language I couldn’t understand. They were probably busy protecting their nests from anybody coming too close, including me. Even though the bugs and flies buzzing through the air were admittedly rather annoying me, they were a source of food for the birds and their little ones. I looked at the ground of the forest that was covered by old leaves. These leaves were giving back some of the nutrients to the soil and plants. All the while, the trees were competing with each other in reaching the heights where the sun could shine on their fresh leaves.
The thought crossed my mind how each and every being in this ecosystem surrounding me had a unique purpose. They were all carrying out specific functions, and one being couldn’t live well without the other.
Nature is full of such examples.
Think of the delicate ladybugs: along with their larvae, they do a good job to minimize pests caused by aphids. When present in a large number, aphids can devour the leaves of crops. Also, they are feared for transmitting plant viruses. Since they can reproduce at an enormous rate, they can quickly become a problem to gardeners and farmers alike. Now the ladybugs favourite meal are precisely aphids. If there are enough ladybugs in an ecosystem, aphids won’t be able to propagate as quickly and do their harm.
Another well-known example are bees and other insects that pollinate plants. 80% of plants depend on pollination by insects, among which are many plants that we as humans use for feeding ourselves. Without bees, our harvests would be threatened (or already are in some parts of the world, where humans have to take over the job and manually pollinate the trees in their orchards). In general, the stability of ecosystems would suffer heavily if it weren’t for these busy little friends.
When the flowering and growing season comes to an end with the first days of autumn, trees and bushes weigh heavy, bearing all kinds of seeds and fruits. Like rose hips, the fruits of the Dog rose (Rosa canina) and other rose species. These alluring, bright red fruits adorn the landscape as the days get shorter. To birds that stay in the area for the winter, they represent an invaluable source of food. For humans, these fruits are stunning sources of vitamin C – they contain more than 10 times the amount of vitamin C than lemons!
Even seemingly unwanted beings – “weeds”, that is – have important roles in the ecosystem. Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a common weed that propagates quickly on the ground by its thin, winding stems and enormous seed production rate. They especially love to cover bare soil. That is often the case during wintertime, while the farmland is waiting for the crop of the upcoming season to be sown. Without coverage by plants, such soil is very prone to erosion through wind or water. Thanks to weeds such as chickweed, the fertile topsoil is protected from erosion and helped in retaining its humidity. In addition, many birds and insects feed on this plant and its seeds.
Photo by Naomi Bosch
Personally, I believe that there is intention in nature. I’m certain that the way it wonderfully works is not a product of blind chance. It is the craftmanship of a wise Creator! He arranged nature to function in a way that everything is connected and sustains each other. In an ecosystem, each being is different and important, and with one missing or dominating, the system eventually collapses.
Everybody has a contribution to make
The same is true for humans. The Creator has given all of us unique endowments – different talents, personality traits, creativity and passions. It is good and necessary that we be different and complement each other. Furthermore, when two or more people work together to create something, to draft out an idea or to run a business, something extraordinary happens. The results are better than when each is trying to achieve the same individually.
Imagine a world of just extroverts or just introverts – what a monotony that would be! The tender-hearted, the bold, the pragmatic and the idealist all have a contribution to make in this world. Or think of the farmer growing wheat, the miller milling it to flour, and the baker making delicious bread and pastry out of it. Each of them is necessary and equally important!
Parents caring for their children, schoolteachers preparing them for their profession, garbage collectors ensuring the cleanliness of our cities, translators enabling communication between nations… Finally, what would the world be like without artists? Be it composers, painters or musicians, they have the ability to create something beautiful out of the dull and otherwise overseen.
A generous Creator
As I was leaning on a tree in the forest that Sunday morning, I realized how abundantly the Creator gives, enabling and sustaining all life on Earth. I was struck by the generosity of the God I could now see in these brilliant violinists in my orchestra, in the birds singing over my head, in my passion for nature, in the gifts and skills bestowed by Him upon humans, in the abundance of life that flows from the one Creator.
I think that in God, all beauty, all crafts and talents and all goodness are compiled. All living beings reflect some of that beauty. Bits of it are all in and around us, if we just dare to open our eyes to it!
The words of these poems from the Bible deeply resonated with my heart:
“God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream, for with You is life’s fountain. In Your light we will see light.” (Psalm 36, 7-9)
Thank you so much for reading!
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In the next post, I will share ideas for Christmas gifts that don’t cost the Earth – and humans! Wishing you a wonderful Advent time ahead, and until next week!
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