Intelligence in Nature
It appears as if there is a hidden intelligence in nature; as if nature has a direction or a purpose to sustain life. It is because of nature and nature’s laws that we are alive and plants are alive. For example, in the same second that an individual cuts his finger, mechanisms start to heal it; it is nature that heals. Doctors have to work within the structures of nature. Nature is also responsible for the plants, insects and the larger universe.
In such a friendly nature, there is also the phenomenon of pain which only exists to give us a message of impending danger. Pain draws our attention to the harm. For instance, without the pain, we would continue to cut ourselves and bleed, not even knowing that we were doing anything wrong. Wherever there is free will, it has to be balanced with the pain option. Otherwise, these free-spirited creatures, (that’s us) can harm themselves with their free will.
If we follow this reasoning, it suggests that there may not be any pain receptors in the plant kingdom. There is no benefit in knowing the harm, if they have no free will to change anything. Therefore, nature is also economical.
We experience pain if we touch a sharp object or sit in a wrong posture. Pain in the form of a foul smell, protects animals and humans from poisonous foods. There are also more complex pains. Headaches and joint pains have their own messages. Emotional pains may draw our attention to our lifestyle or attitudes. Nature will definitely find a way to protect what is natural and normal, and the only way it can do that, is to give a message through pain.
The complex department of illness may just be nature giving us a signal. If we ignore it, the message steps up and becomes louder. At present, our lifestyle and our attitudes toward sense objects needs to be questioned.
A Life of Ego
At a subtle level, a life of ego, is an extremely wrong posture and will invite pains. If we are souls, then nature wants us to be in the awareness of the soul. If we are guests in this physical dimension, nature wants us to be free from attachments.
If we ignore common sense and create attachments, and then, in order to deal with the complications, create more attachments and more egos, the mechanism of pain also gathers momentum. We can then expect more complex pains, like illnesses, emotional discomforts and misfortunes. These are all messages from our ‘friendly nature’.
“Man and nations do the right thing, only when they have exhausted all other options”. We have an option to use common sense.
