The Intelligent Design
How looking to nature can remind us of our own natural design for well being
Photo courtesy of Priscilla du Preez
Watching a documentary the other day, I was struck by the intelligence that exists and lives within nature.
It’s funny how, as humans, we oftentimes separate ourselves from nature, eschewing the fact that we ARE part of the natural world just as much as anything else existing on this blue planet.
In watching this film, I found myself deeply concerned by the upset our agrarian society has created in the natural design of life.
As a pastured livestock farmer explained,
“If we come humbly to the land, it’s ready to give us way more than we could have wrestled from it. This is the mystical awesome cycle of life and to be this close to it has a humility to it; a perspective that is actually profound and historically normal.”
When we recognize that we are a part of nature, we leave room to absorb, with deep respect and humility, the intelligence and wisdom that breathes life into all that we see. We suddenly recognize the beauty and intelligence of the design and the natural balance and wisdom that is born into everything...with no efforting required.
It is what allows life to flow into death to bring about more life and on and on and on. There is a perfect balance in play at all times.
Seeing this play out in 'nature' reminds me of the wisdom and intelligence that resides within our own natural design...whether it be our physical immune system or our psychological immune system.
Cut our finger, it heals. Naturally. We may put a band-aid on the finger, but that band-aid is not the thing that is doing the healing. There is a deeper wisdom and intelligence at play that moves to return the finger back to health.
The same goes for our psychological health and well-being. Feeling upset? Wait a minute. New thought will naturally come through to replace the old upset.
More often than not, however, we forget or are simply unaware that such a deep intelligence exists within all of us and lives us.
Once again, we’ve separated ourselves from nature...mistakenly. We’ve forgotten that we are PART of nature and as such PART of this intelligent design.
As thinkers, we like to tinker. When faced with a problem, we tinker within our minds...trying to think our way out of uncomfortable feelings and into desireable feelings...unaware that if left to its own device, our minds will naturally settle and return us to balance and well being quite effortlessly.
It’s all in the design.
Look to nature.
There is a beauty and an elegance and an intelligence running the show, that, when truly seen...can humbly bring us to our knees and relieve us of our unnecessary, but well meaning, efforts to achieve the same.