All of us understand the significance of taking time off from our frenzied schedules. The formula is predictable — to reconnect with nature, stroll in the woods, smell the grass, feel the dew, count the stars, sit on a swing, visit a place of worship, and dwell in silence.
It is not pristine wisdom that asks us to ‘bond’ with nature. Even modern science and medicine attest to the view that spending time with nature and following its natural laws are indispensable, also therapeutic, to our health. Remember, we have always been ‘Earthlings’ — not just ‘Techlings,’ which most of us want to be — and, this we will always be. Nature teaches; nature mends. Nature, as we all know and appreciate, is a unique entity. It emerged before civilisation.
Nature, of course, cannot be ‘created’ in the laboratory. Neither can it be duplicated through technology, nor the most advanced scientific ‘know-how.’ In fact, it is not difficult to appreciate the enormity of nature, its varied hues and shades of colour — a tapestry so perfect and flawless. We are now not reviewing the power of natural herbs and their medicinal effects. We are talking about ‘us’ in the nature of things. Of how we can sustain nature and, in the process, sustain ourselves.
It is not that one ought to understand botany, or biology, to explore, or savour the wonders of nature. Just being conscious of the marvels of creation, the smorgasbord of living entities who share their lives with us, the mountains, the lakes and the rivers, not to speak of the vast depths of the ocean, is enough. Nature with all its natural gloss is nothing short of a wonder. Its scale is immense.
Harmony pervades nature — right from its principal foundations to its highest expressions in the realms of its milieu. Harmony emanates from varied entities, or patterns — in the perimeter of amplitude, complexity and coherence. Its corollary, harmonisation, is a tad different, because it is a process of fruition in the absence of which there would be no progressive advance. Harmony is equilibrium, or balance, of constitutive different parts of our human entity, or the article of our environment, as philosopher Plato exemplified. This is why the ‘spirit’ of harmony appears to be a fundamental principle in our quest for happiness, balance, success and fulfilment. More so, because neither the soul, nor the body, nor the entire human construct in us is a device whose equilibrium is pre-determined, or realised, through certain mechanical changes — as may be the case with machines, gadgets and the like.
What makes nature unique is its simplified complexity — nature is a thing of beauty, a joy forever. No amount of research on nature, or watching nature on TV, is ever going to provide our fill of nature. All knowledge about nature is incomplete. It is far too enormous than we think.
The fact is when we connect with nature, albeit fleetingly, we acquire a powerful, seamless sense of a whole, new perspective — that nature is the most amazing happening place on Earth. There is everything in nature — everything that functions like clockwork. There is discipline, there is effortless physiology, there is chaos, and there is harmony. Wait a moment. Nature has its own sets of problems too, but it addresses and eases them to their exact quotient with an element of divine intervention.
There is also a palpable, or tangible, balance in nature. For example, the flow of seasons. These may certainly vary in their patterns, or intensities, yes — thanks to global warming — but, their overall purpose works with computerised accuracy. This relates to an innate symmetry in nature, no less — like our bodily functions. You need not tell your body to produce insulin. It happens by way of an internal response, or accord, which is not in your control. All our internal systems function on a 24-hour circadian bio-clock.
What’s more, most of our functional patterns are genetically programmed to function with the rhythms of the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. In like manner, nature too is endowed with its own internal ‘bio-clock’ to regulate all its activities. Like our bodily functions that work in unison. When there is synchrony, there is also stability. When there is discord, the effects are predictable —of illnesses in the mind that affect the body. So, shut down your PC, or laptop, switch off your mobile phone, and spend some time with nature, at your local park, or garden. You will sure be glad for it.
— First published in India First
