1. Silence, Stillness, and Meditation
Recently, the United Nations declared December 21st as World Meditation Day.
Ancient schools of thought and practices have often established the essence of meditation as stillness— the settling of silence on the vast canvas of the soul. When the mind is still and thoughts are at rest, one glimpses the true universe, which shines within the self as a reflection.
Perhaps, in this world, there can be no better master to understand the sublime and profound beauty of silence than nature, which exhibits all the moods of the soul. The wild and chaotic sea embodies the fury and rage of the climate, just as the angry wind forms hurricanes and topples giant structures.
But nature also has a subtle and silent side—the quiet and serene site.
For seekers of truth, silence, joy, and meditation, there can be no better temple than sitting in nature under the canopy of stars, absorbed deeply in the simplicity of the present moment. The cool and quiet pond, resting gently in the early hours of dawn, can prompt a comfortable environment in the mind for introspection, reflection, and profound insights about the nature of reality and the self.
There must be a reason why the most famous Haiku in the world is about the simplicity of a silent pond, interrupted by the chaos of the splash, and then—silence.
2. Endurance
Life is a continuous cycle of ups and downs—a series of charts manifesting in all dimensions—lifelines of heartbeats, stock prices, profit-loss statements, etc. In this game, what keeps one moving forward is endurance—the ability to withstand pain, hardship, losses, and downfall. Now, who in the whole world can be a better role model for endurance than nature, which has won and lost everything without fading or quitting?
Compared to nature, a human life is very short—extremely minute, like the blink of an eye. A human being lives for about 70-100 years, during which they experience an endless series of pleasures and pains—wins and losses that shape their character. Life often becomes an examination that tests and challenges the human ability to endure and withstand. Often, the longest night is followed by the brightest dawn, and the darkest period in life is merely a herald to a world of light. Some humans make it through and shine, some writhe in despair, while others drop out. But nature—nature has been enduring forever, as captured succinctly in the lines by the poet Lord Alfred Tennyson: “Men may come & men may go, but I go on forever.“
In its long history of growth, development, and evolution, nature has lost entire species of life that took millions and billions of years to evolve. Just think of the sorrow you felt when your favorite object was broken or stolen, and now put yourself in the context of nature. She has lost entire continents, mountains, species, ecosystems, and things we don’t even know about because they have faded away without leaving a single trace of their existence.
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Nature has taken hits from meteors, been burned and scalded by erupting volcanoes, tossed and broken by earthquakes, and flooded by wrathful waters. Yet, despite everything, life goes on.
The ability to survive, grow, and evolve is one of the chief qualities of life and nature in general, and it is what makes the whole process absolutely remarkable. So, the next time the chart line takes a dip and tumbles, always remember—it’s just a matter of time.
3. Growth & Humility
The roots of trees go deep into the Earth, but their trunks shoot high up into the sky, reaching for the stars. In this lies a simple yet profound truth of reality—that despite climbing high, your roots are always on the ground. Unlike Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, burned his wings of wax, and fell to ruin, things made in nature are always one with it. They are one with the soil, the water, the air, and the wind that nurtures them and cannot go beyond them, for they are part of the whole.
In the past, human beings have made the bold assertion that they have subjugated nature and brought her down to her knees. Just as they have dominated and controlled entire races of men, expanding their kingdoms, empires, and nations, they assert that they have also enslaved nature. But this is one of the gravest errors—a mere illusion to make one feel good about oneself—an egoistic conclusion. Man cannot control nature because man itself is a part of nature and, therefore, cannot exist above it; he can only exist in harmony with it.
Perhaps the impending crisis of climate change is simply a message and a warning from nature—a humble reminder of who’s in charge—and an opportunity to understand that no growth, development, or evolution is possible without harmonizing with nature. Man, who has only been a guest here on planet Earth for a brief time, has a lot to learn from the host, who is both the master and the mother.
4. Uniqueness, Individuality, and Beauty
There’s a song by the band Nine Inch Nails with lyrics that go like—I’m just a copy of a copy of a copy…
In the TV show Friends, there is a character known as Phoebe who openly dislikes corporations and mass-produced items. When others inquire about the rationale behind her beliefs, Phoebe explains that mass-produced items are artless and worthless because they are identical, lacking uniqueness, individuality, variety, or specificity.
This may be true for large-scale, greed-based products designed by industries and corporations, but nature is not so shallow.
Every single cell in existence throbs with unique individuality—every petal of a rose is varied, distinct, and unique from others. Despite billions of years of production, nature has not exhausted her creativity or imagination and continues to churn out fresh wonders. The evidence of this individuality is proven by its beauty.
One may think of nature as a cosmic replicating machine, churning out endless items, but within that endlessness exists uniqueness—an individuality that distinguishes everything from others, despite being the same. A petal of a rose is a rose, after all, but it is also unique and distinct, just like how each and every single human being in this world is unique, despite being human.
Nature continues to manifest infinite things into existence without stripping individuality from anything. Even a grain of sand has its own intricacies—its idiosyncrasy—its individuality.
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The ability to observe, appreciate, and understand the uniqueness of parts and their ultimate harmony with the whole enables one to acknowledge difference not as an excuse for exclusion, but as a wonder and celebration of diversity and nature’s infinite manifestations.
5. Evolution & Metamorphosis
In life, nothing is static. Everything is moving—everything is changing.
Endless replication and survival are not the only purposes of nature and life, for in each iteration, there is evolution—a modification that abandons the manifestations of the past and embraces the wonders of the future. Nature shapes everything, breaks it apart, molds it, modifies it, and evolves it. Nothing gets discarded or destroyed; everything participates with everything, playing unique roles.
Every single particle of existence has gone through the test of time, and nature has undergone endless iterations to come up with the most advanced designs—the most perfect ones that not only support and nurture life but also allow it to throb and thrive. Each replication of a lifeform brings more beauty into the world, fresh wonders, and real manifestations beyond imagination. The infinite creativity of nature keeps flowing and growing, writing a fresh page in the endless book of life. Who knows what the new day shall bring?
The ability to grow and evolve is the secret behind the endless freshness of things created by nature. Thus, everything in nature and life is so beautiful.
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Even human beings strive for this freshness, this evolution, this yearning for perfection—our works too go through endless cycles of iteration—versions, drafts, takes, and so on, until we synchronize with the creative spirit that guides nature. Until we too participate in the creative process.
The ability to grow and evolve lies at the heart of life, nature, and existence itself.
6. Design
User experience forms one of the core principles guiding designers throughout the history of human development. It informs many creative and design solutions where the emphasis is on enhancing the overall experience of the user.
Once again, nature proves to be an effortless master in contriving the most intelligent, effective, intricate, and beautiful designs of all, because nature’s designs not only create experiences—they allow them to thrive and evolve.
Nature’s user base is not limited to just a few human beings but encompasses the totality of life-forms, where intricate patterns and designs result in the organic development of systems that support each other in a harmonious web of interrelated networks. From the mind-boggling mysteries present in the complicated structure of DNA to the simplicity of a pattern on a palm leaf, each shape, each stroke, and each color has a part to play in enhancing and expressing life, replete with all its wonders.
Nature is the source of inspiration, the master, and the guide for designers, artists, architects, engineers, developers, and essentially everyone, for she has been at work since perhaps the beginning of time. Even to this day, the revelation of her secrets and mysteries continues to baffle humankind in all fields of knowledge and action. Her designs are not only full of life—intelligent, functional, and interconnected—but they are immensely beautiful as well, drawing attention to the unification of necessity and beauty, manifesting into the profound simplicity of life and its wonder.
Truly, for those who have eyes to see—even something as simple as a leaf has a thosand lessons to teach and a million mysteries still unrevealed.
7. Creation Of Life
One of the simplest questions in existence—still unanswered—is: What is the purpose of life?
All the processes of nature—all the mechanisms, systems, cycles, designs, and creations—lead to a simple occurrence: the continuation of life. From this perspective, the question ceases to be what is the purpose of life? and instead transforms into the simple realization that life itself is the purpose of everything.
Ultimately, everything nature does, reveals, or creates leads to the expression, manifestation, survival, and continuation of one life form or another. The story, which began a long time ago, is still going on and on, and despite all setbacks, disasters, and struggles, the process continues.
Nature teaches us this simple yet profound truth—that everything in existence serves to create and express life, and life itself is the ultimate goal of the process. Somewhere, blinded by the veils of greed, ambition, success, and fame, humankind often ignores and forgets the simplest truth of existence: that these subordinate pursuits are possible only because we are alive. If life is lost, then nothing has any meaning.
The contemporary obsession with partial development and the disregard of nature is perhaps a stark reminder of the fact that, deep down, we undervalue the gift and beauty of our own life. Just as we have taken our existence for granted, we do the same with nature—exploiting and exhausting her resources for pursuits that often provide only short-term pleasure at the cost of long-term destruction.
A connection with nature strips us of our complex patterns of thought and intellectual achievements, bringing us back to the basics and reminding us of the simplest fact of existence: that life is the greatest gift of all.
So, let nature guide us, show us the way, and teach us, so that we may evolve and harmonize with the infinite systems she has kept hidden from us, and so that we may also participate in the great creative process of beauty and wonder—bringing infinite things into manifestation and continuing the story of life.
