Looking to Nature for Guidance

August 19, 2007 | Filed Under Micah, Small Talk 

A lot of people don’t realize this, and I didn’t until recently, but Ancient wisdom literature (both biblical and non-biblical) agrees upon at least one fundamental fact: that humans can learn a lot about life and happiness by looking at Nature: the way things are and the way things happen.

It also occurred to me recently that modern Western humans have largely lost touch with the concept of there being a “blueprint” for living a good life. In today’s West, the goal is to define what’s best for oneself. This often turns out to be equivalent to “whatever the hell I feel like doing” - or at least to “whatever feels good without harming others.”

That sums up, to a large degree, how I’ve lived my life so far. But the ancient philosophers and writers of wisdom knew something that we’ve forgotten. That things, including humans, have natures to be discovered. Sure, there is certainly a degree of variability and self-definition that Nature allows for. But by and large, the vast number of facts are determined facts. The healthy soul seeks to know these facts, learn from these facts and act based on these facts. Wherever these facts are clearly problematic (disease, poverty and sickness), one can find joy from fighting against these facts. Wherever these facts are non-problematic, one can find joy by embracing and acknowledging these facts with one’s life.

I wrote a paper recently that investigated the various ways that biblical wisdom literature admonishes the reader to look at natural kinds, and to learn from them. The main point, in my view? That acting according to one’s nature is fundamental to peace, Joy and happiness. As one obvious example, it is part of the nature of human beings to share stories. That’s one of the reasons movies make so many people happy. Movies (and novels before them) help us realize aspects of our human nature.

It’s my view that it is also part of the nature of human beings to praise God; to have an attitude of thankfulness and admiration. I know that I’ve gone between extremes. I’ve been very angry at God…even very recently. I’ve also been inclined to disbelieve in God from time to time. But if I’m truthful with myself, I have to acknowledge that the most fulfilling, rewarding and “whole” times of my life have been when I’ve maintained a persistent attitude of thankfulness.

What constitutes thankfulness? Being Fully Human. That’s it. Seems simple, but if, by Being Fully Human, I include the property of “being thankful to God” - it turns out that many of us fail to be fully human on a daily basis.

Let me end this post by drawing your attention to this canticle (a song). The idea here is that we praise God by being the things we were created to be. That’s quite comforting to me. It makes me realize that one of the goals of my life is to discover, to the best of my abilities, the Nature of Human and to live according to that nature:

Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and maidens,
old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

He has raised up for his people a horn, [b]
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD.

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