The Order of Nature

The Order of Nature

1986 10 October 14 The Order of Nature (388) If one closes one’s room and goes away for a while, to return after several weeks, on one’s return one will find that a layer of dust has settled all over the room. Until the room has been dusted, one will not feel like sitting in it, so displeasing does one find the dust. Just as unpleasant is the dust that blows in one’s face with a strong wind. It makes one long for the air to be still once again, so that one may be relieved of the irritation.

But what is this dust that we find so annoying? It is in fact a surface layer of fertile soil, the very substance which enables the growth of all forms of vegetables, fruits and cereals. If this soil did not lie on the face of the earth it would be impossible for us to live on earth at all.

It is this same dust that makes the earth’s atmosphere dense enough for water to vapourize, forming clouds which issue forth torrents of water to revive and replenish the earth. Without rain, there would be no life on earth, and rain is only possible because of the dust in the earth’s atmosphere.

The redness of the sky which we see at sunrise and sunset is also due to the presence of dust in the atmosphere. In this way dust, besides possessing multiple practical benefits, also contributes to the beauty of the world.

From this straightforward example we can see how God has placed unpleasant things alongside the pleasant things of life. Just as the rose bush, along with its exquisite flowers, also holds piercing thorns, so life also contains an amalgamation of both pleasing and displeasing objects. This is the way God has created the world. There is nothing for us to do but to fit in with this order of nature that He has laid down. Much as we may try, it is impossible for us to have things any other way.

To complain about things, then, is a fruitless exercise. If one wants to complain, one is sure to find plenty to complain about in life. The intelligent thing to do is forget the unpleasant things which are a part and parcel of life, bury grudges, and carry on seeking to fulfill one’s true purpose in life.