All calendars say it’s Spring but it’s getting harder to find a thermometer to agree or acknowledge the fact as Old Man Winter continues his tenacious struggle to the bitter (cold) end, reinforced by his close ally, North Wind. But he, as we know for a fact that Spring is here! It seems that man is not the only thing in nature to resist change, just the only thing that willfully does so as all other creation is captive to nature. Man alone has the intellect and capacity to bend or alter nature–to a point that constantly changes with ever-advancing scientific and technological development.
Indelible in my mind is the brief blurb in a church bulletin many years ago which stated: “A computer, no matter how complex, never forgets that man made it. ”How ironic that the more intellectual man becomes the more self-sufficient and independent he feels of his Creator, as well as of those who form the stem of the mushroom status that they occupy, and both on whom they call for help as the mushroom begins to topple. Enter the challenge of change! “All physical things in life must change as absolute repose in nature does not exist,” we are reminded in the Baha’i Writings.
“All things either make progress or lose ground. Everything moves forward or backward; nothing is without motion.” From birth, man progresses physically until reaching maturity then, having arrived at the prime of life, begins to decline. The same applies to all plant life which progresses from seed to maturity and then begins to wane until it fades and dies. This is the law which governs the whole of physical creation. But man is not only physical. Man alone possesses a triune nature which is physical, mental, and spiritual. Over or under-development of any of the three will create an imbalanced whole.
Today’s society is obsessed with physical fitness as $-multi-millions are spent on looking good and appearing as youthful as possible (as defined by any given fad). Young girls in particular are being influenced at the earliest age to spend unbelievable sums on professional nails and on hairstyles that place far more emphasis on what’s ON rather than what’s IN their heads. Even more detrimental to society are those who excel mentally in the arts, sciences, and technology but remain physically and/or especially spiritually weak as it has been wisely stated: To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.
Consider also that a spiritual guru who is mentally weak or unsound would still create a serious imbalance. Perfection of the three is imperative–that comes about only through education, action, tests, and the inevitable challenge of change. Most important is understanding the true meaning of moderation as defined in the Baha’i Writings which warn us: Moderation does not imply mediocrity but rather perfecting every virtue to the highest possible degree, and they will moderate themselves.
