I observe rather a lot through my beady parrot eyes. Especially when it comes to humans, some of whom have a bit of a problem. You see, humans consider themselves to be the most complex of all life forms on our planet, and because of this, some have developed a superiority complex. And this makes them believe that they can treat the rest of creation in any way they want because they consider themselves to be masters of the world. I’m not only thinking of tyrants and despots here, but also of those who choose to destroy the natural world for their own pleasure, gain or satisfaction. Humans that shoot or hunt for sport are abusing not just creation, but also themselves and God.
The crux of the problem is that so many humans have lost touch with Nature. Nature is no longer important in their psyche. Instead, these humans prefer to focus on their homo sapiens world, complete with its concrete, its pollution, its power and exploitation. And even when these humans do catch a glimpse of the living world around them, they so often choose to destroy it in the name of “sport.” Many millions of creatures die unnecessarily every year because of human hunting and shooting. And what they fail to realise is that by abusing Nature in this way, they are also abusing God. They fail to see the presence of God in every detail of the natural world around them. Yes, -God’s there in the beauty of the dawn chorus; He’s there in the vivid colours of daybreak and sunset. And He’s there in the first leaf-fall of the Autumn. He’s there every time an egg hatches or a butterfly takes to the wing, or the sun embraces us with its warmth.
So I reckon that humans need to take regular ‘time-outs.” To create time and space to allow them to see, to hear and to wonder. To hear the Song Thrush sing; to witness the fresh green shoots of life spring forth from the ground; or simply pause to look at any one of my feathers under a microscope and behold the extraordinary detail and complexity of my creation. The problem is, the further humans move away from Nature, the further they move away from God. And I’m not the only one to notice this…
“Nature is the best teacher of truth.”
(St. Augustine:[)
There’s an old parrot saying that “birds can only speak to humans who know how to listen.” And I guess that very much applies to the readers of this blog. But it also applies to God. The natural world is God’s very own garden. We have to be still and quiet to let His garden speak to us. And then, perhaps one day in the future, humans will learn to respect and revere the natural world in which they live, and in so doing, begin to respect and revere the master craftsman that gave them life.
“Everything created by human beings is already in the great book of nature.”
(Antonio Gaudi: [1852-1926]: Spanish architect and designer famed for his work in Barcelona)
“If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.”
(Charles Lindbergh: [1902-1974]: American aviator who in 1927, made the first non-stop flight between New York and Paris)
“For the Lord is the great God……
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
(Psalm 95:3a, 4-5)
“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, -his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
(Romans 1:20)