LISTENING to the sweet melodies of the kiskadee, the crashing sound of the waves as they furiously beat upon the seawall, roaming in the newly burnt fields for the sweetest sugar canes, ‘skulking’ from school (I just hated school with all my heart and soul) to hunt for that ripe monkey apple, delighting in the singing and dancing of my kite mounting ever so high (with sharp razor blades at the tail), feeling in the stagnant muddy drains for that cricket ball – these are some of the most vivid and happy memories of my boyhood days. The childlike delight, spontaneity, and exuberance may no longer be there, but one of my abiding joys in life is still my passion and love for the beauty and magic of nature.

It is indeed a sad commentary on our times that many people, particularly in the metropolitan cities of the world, have but little time or they scarcely bother to admire and reflect on the exuberant splendour and beauty of nature. The hurried pace and stress of modern living has stifled our natural curiosity and sense of wonder. Many people are just too busy and occupied to stop and smell the roses. So on a daily basis, great beauty passes unnoticed with no space in their schedule for any pause or break. Einstein was hinting at exactly this when he wrote: “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

Despite our best efforts at encroaching upon nature, causing species to vanish, polluting the environment, and upsetting the earth’s complex and intricate ecological balance, the world is still a place of immense beauty and sheer delight. This was eloquently expressed by Thomas Carlyle, who wrote: “This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle, wonderful, inscrutable, magical and more, to those who think of it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher, poet, and transcendentalist, thought deeply on nature and life and he gave a glimpse of the spiritual dimension to the magic of nature when he wrote: “I feel that nothing can befall me in life – no disgrace, no calamity, which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, my head bathe in blithe air and uplifted into infinite space, – all mean egotism vanishes, I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all; the current of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part and parcel of God.”

Not to marvel at nature is a reflection of our spiritual decline. The sacred texts of all the great religious traditions of the world are adorned with passages where the infinite majesty and glory of God are described with references to the marvelous works in nature and creation. They remind us to step back a little, to rise above mere rituals and ceremonies, and to behold God in the fragrant perfume of the flowers, in the ebb and flow of the tides, the enchanting music of the nightingale, the sweet smile of a child, and in all the magnificent works in nature. God then can no longer be confined to the temple, synagogue, mandir, mosque, or gurudwara. To see Him in a rainbow or in the setting sun is in itself meditation and prayer as good as when we sing His praises in the houses of worship. Thus Shri Krishna, Universal Teacher, sang to Arjuna, his disciple, in Bhagavad Gita: ‘For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.”

CECIL RAMKIRATH
Bayonne, NJ, USA