Return to the Earth-Daily Meditation 12.6.22

Today’s quotation:

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to return to the earth and, contemplating her beauties, to know the sense of wonder and humility.-
Rachel Carson

Today’s Meditation:

Wonder and humility are two of the most important traits that any of us could hope to have.  These two traits can help us to turn normal days into extraordinary and turn ordinary occurrences into truly special events.  And the earth that supports us and gives us life also can help us to develop and maintain a very healthy perspective about ourselves and our lives, and with this perspective, we can create truly inspiring and inspired lives out of all the gifts that we’ve been given.

Most of us take the planet for granted.  Many of us are more than willing to pollute more than we need to by buying cars that put out more pollutants per mile than other cars would, and we practice almost no conservation of precious resources such as water and fuels.  But this planet doesn’t resent us for this–instead, it continues to share its bounty with us, supplying us with much more than just what we need to survive–it also supplies us with ample beauty to inspire and motivate us, to add to our lives the depth of truly sublime feelings that can remind us of how truly blessed we are to be here.

And when we consider the age and size, and scope of this wonderful planet and the natural wonders that fill it, we can’t help but be humbled, we humans who are here for such a short time and who are so extremely limited in our abilities and gifts.  And this humility can be an important gift when we deal with our fellow human beings, for a humble person will not put on the air or look down on another person.  The humble person recognizes that we’re all of the same family, facing similar trials and obstacles in our lives.

If we but turn to the earth in contemplation, we will be richly rewarded by the amazing beauty there.  If we take it for granted, there will be no reward at all.  But if these gifts are always here and they provide such amazing benefits to us, then what kind of decision would it be to ignore them and not get anything from them? 

Questions to consider:

When was the last time you turned to a part of the earth in contemplation?

What happens to us when we take things for granted?

What benefits can wonder and humility bring to your life and thus to the lives of the people in your life?

For further thought:

One of the hardest lessons we have to learn in this life, and one that many persons never learn, is to see the divine, the celestial, the pure in common, the near at hand–to see that heaven lies about us here in this world.-John Burroughs

If you missed Monday’s Daily Meditation, you can read it here.