Lessons from Nature

The current pandemic and talk about how it has helped the planet earth, set me to ruminate on the idea – “If Mother Nature was our teacher, what lessons she would teach us?”  Then came the sudden revelation that the lessons were already penned lucidly, which I had overlooked in my eternal quest to cook, clean and provide for my family.

Sharing some of the revelations for you to ponder

Mother earth or Bhoomidevi as we call her teaches us patience and forgiveness. We torture and destroy the earth in many ways. We dig and excavate her for mining and building, destroy forests for land and timber, defile her with our waste. She does not begrudge us, in return what does she do? She gives us food to eat, clothes to wear, and place to live. Earth’s gravity supports us while we walk and run. She also provides clean water for us to drink. She is true to her name kshama which means forgiveness. So let us be patient and compassionate like mother earth in forgiving and overlooking with grace the wrongs done by others towards us.

Our mountains stand tall, erect and majestic. They do not seem to be fazed by heavy rains, scorching heat and whirling cyclones. The lesson they teach us is not to be fazed and intimidated by the problems and sufferings in life. We should be resilient and not be swayed by the trials and tribulations that cross our path in life.

Trees, they live for others. Altruism is their second name. Trees provide shade to travellers and shelter and home to many birds and animals. It provides flowers and fruits. The trees are cut to make furniture and tools. The same tools are again used to destroy them. Trees help other birds, animals and human beings sometimes at the cost of their own destruction. We need to be altruistic in helping others.

Air is vital for every living thing. It sustains life. Air is pervasive. It blows over good places and bad places, over good people and bad people. It does not discriminate between good and bad when sustaining life. We should learn to be unbiased and not prejudiced like air.

The word water immediately conjures up the association with purity. Pure water trundles down from the mountains and flows down the rivers. As one trundles through the path of life one has to learn to be pure and not be tainted by the fallacies of life.

Fire which is all consuming when it is burning only smoulders when it is in embers. Fire can be made by rubbing two sticks. It really does not show its real powers until it is put to test. Humility is one of the virtues we need to learn from fire. We should not brag about our wealth and education and use them virtuously.

Birds take care of their young ones when they are little. They set them free when they are ready to fly. We need to learn to practice detachment from the birds. Excessive emotional achievement with our own parents and children can be a cause of distress.  

Let us hope that practice of these qualities of compassion, altruism, humility and resilience helps us to serve our brethren better during these times of difficulty. Let us make Mother Nature proud of its inhabitants.

 

Inspired by Uddava Gita-Srimad Bhagavatham.

Subscribe to the Bhogya Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top

Join the Bhogya Community

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get notified of updates!