by Ronald Louis Peterson

Created on: September 25, 2009   Last Updated: January 21, 2010

Nature:  Wisdom’s Author

If we define wisdom as knowing why things in the world exist in a particular way so that we can live in harmony them, then Mother Nature wrote the book on it. And, all our scholars, scientists, philosophers, religious and artists just quote from it. So, when we really want to know about ourselves and our place in this complex world, we must turn to nature for answers.

Like a mother, nature lovingly teaches us how we can best live and grow.  From the moment we enter this world to the day we leave it, nature whispers its precious wisdom to us.  We just need to listen carefully to hear her.

Sometimes Mother Nature speaks to us directly via the instincts she instills in her children but at other times we must read between the lines to receive the wisdom she is sharing.

Chapter One: Love and Care

Humans, and most other life, need almost constant love and care when we enter this world in a state of helplessness and again when we grow old and feeble just before passing to the next world. Since nature has declared this to be so, we can read between the lines of Mother Nature’s book on wisdom and surmise that she is telling us to love and care for each other when we can.   

An enduring image of nature that speaks to this for me is bird chicks chirping in their nests as their parents feed them.  They can’t fly and gather food for themselves, so their parents do it for them until they can.

Loving and caring for one’s young is evident throughout nature with virtually all species; fostering bonds between young and old. And, thanks to these bonds, much of nature’s wisdom ingeniously passes from generation to generation.

In between our birth and death nature provides many other opportunities for us to act on her wisdom as we move through each phase of our lives.

Chapter Two: Follow the Plan

Have you seen a newborn, spindly-legged pony struggle to stand and walk for the first time? How does the pony know that it can do this and when to do it? Nature wisely whispers that it is time to get up and begin running alongside its parents, and its parents confirm nature’s call with their loving attention.

While horses walk almost immediately following their births, nature asks us to be more patient and wait about a year before we take our first steps with the loving encouragement of our parents. As the Bible so wisely notes, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Yes, we

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