All things bright and beautiful …
Cecil Frances Alexander first penned the words for the well known hymn: “All things bright and beautiful …” in 1848. Set to music by William Henry Monk in 1887, it became a firm favourite in Christian churches the world over. It gives one pause to reflect on the magnificence of this third planet from the sun and humanity’s place on it.
All things bright and beautiful…
The crew on board Apollo 17 (Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans and Harrison Schmitt) captured the spectacular “Blue Marble” photograph of the earth from space. On 7 December 1972, from about eighteen thousand miles away, they managed to produce one of the most beautiful and gripping images of the Earth. It became one of the most iconic photographs of the twentieth century and arguably the most reproduced image of unparalleled beauty, of all time. Encapsulated in that single image is all known life that has ever been or ever will exist (except for the crew who were behind the lens at that moment). Since matter cannot be made or destroyed, all who have ever lived and who ever will, still exist in some form on this celestial body in the wide expanse of the universe. Michael Collins had captured the Apollo 11 lunar module and the earth in a similar photograph in 1969 – which set him apart as the only man who had ever, or ever will live that was not part of his captivating photograph. In terms of the sheer spectacular, the “Blue Marble” image, though, stands out for its clarity and aesthetic impact. (The Atlantic.com, 2011)
All creatures great and small…
On this third rock from the Sun live the smallest organisms “nanobes”, as well as some of the largest, the Blue Whale, the Great Barrier Reef and Pando (clone colony of the Quaking Aspen tree). In between is a mind boggling variety of living organisms and breathtaking biodiversity. Towering above all of this is the astounding intellect of man – both capable of staggering brilliance and colossal stupidity in almost equal measure. Humans alone have the ability to precisely record observations, and use language with immense accuracy, to enable succeeding generations to build upon the achievements of their predecessors and advance inexorably. (Crew, 2015) (Casselman, 2007)
All things wise and wonderful…
The knowledge gleaned over generations continues to proliferate. It is expanding at an exponential rate. The latest estimates point to the amount of knowledge available to mankind doubling every twelve hours (with the help of the internet). Knowledge, though, does not equate to wisdom and understanding. Hence human destructive nature and behaviour is in abundance, too. The flipside of that which is “wise and wonderful” is all that is “stupid and dreadful.” It appears as if mankind has no limit to his capacity to ruin the only viable life sustaining “bubble” that exists, but people have no apparent compunction to destroy one another. Throughout the entire history of human habitation on the earth, there have been “wars and rumours of wars.” (Lodestar solutions/, 2020) (NIV, 2011)
The Lord God made them all…
Given the lengths to which mankind has gone to self-destruct by making the earth less habitable for “each little flower that opens”, “each little bird that sings” and turn it all over to the “rich man in his castle” at the expense of the “poor man at his gate”, it takes a great leap of faith to believe that mankind is the pinnacle of life in the universe. The agency that humanism has entrusted to mankind in its philosophical approach, appears to be somewhat misplaced. Considering the extent to which mankind is teetering on the brink of self elimination, it is much more plausible that there is a far higher intelligence taking care of things.
He gave us eyes to see them…
The lyrics of Alexander’s hymn resonate with the keen observer of the beauty entrusted to humanity. Taking a step back and retreating into the solitude of the natural environment, tweaks the propensity of thoughtful people to reflect on humanity’s miniscule position in the great scheme of things. “The purple headed mountain”, “the sunset and the morning, that brightens up the sky”, the regularity of “winter” and “summer” seasons, are plentiful evidence of all things having been well made and ordered in the great expanse of galaxies, dark matter and the deep mysteries of all that exists. Yet, mankind, alone in all of creation, has the capacity for consciousness and contemplating the inordinate majesty of all that has been called into existence. There are other life forms that have sentience, but it is mankind alone that is able to consider all that exists and align with the purpose and meaning of it all.
How great is God Almighty
Who has made all things well.
©Paul M Haupt
References:
Casselman, A. (2007). The Scientific American. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus/#:~:text=Both%20the%20giant%20blue%20whale,hectares)%20of%20a%20Utah%20mountainside.
Crew, B. (2015). Science Alert. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/new-images-reveal-the-tiniest-known-life-forms-on-earthNew Images Reveal The Tiniest Known Life-Forms on Earth
Lodestar solutions/. (2020). How fast is knowledge doubling? Retrieved from Lodestar Solutions: https://lodestarsolutions.com/keeping-up-with-the-surge-of-information-and-human-knowledge/
NIV. (2011). Matthew 24:6. Zondervan.
The Atlantic.com. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/the-blue-marble-shot-our-first-complete-photograph-of-earth/237167/
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