Today's beauty ...
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Today's beauty is divided into two folders:
Ducklings - While driving to Crescent Lake I happened to notice a duckling in a ditch, so I stopped the car and discovered a mother duck with a large number of baby ducks and also a roseate spoonbill. So much beauty in such an unlikely place!
Sailboats & Skimmers - Evidently a sailboat race occurring in Tampa Bay, with plenty of birds adding their beauty to the scene, including baby pelicans and nesting great blue herons active on the nesting island.
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Devoting your attention to beauty, Nature, life and the Universe is a very relaxing though physically demanding activity. My legs were designed for walking and my eyes are devoted to noticing and appreciating every beautiful thing.
This is the world which preceded and transcends humankind. This is the world as Nature designed it. The Earth is a living planet. The Earth is not a technological planet. Although humans continue to imagine that our species is the center of the Universe it is quite obvious that Nature insist otherwise.
When I see these animals I consider myself just another animal. When among humans I consider myself just another human. Among those who believe, I believe. Among those who disbelief, I disbelieve. It really doesn't matter in the least what any person thinks because one thing is obvious: Humans are born ignorant, living ignorantly and eventually die nearly as ignorant as they were at birth.
So I accept all of these people ... all 6.5+ billion of them ... as they are and make no demands that they think, talk or live differently. I doubt very much that humans have free will ... generously so, too, because why would any creature possessing free will choose to live as humans live?
Imagine this for a moment:
Humans have chosen to live peacefully and therefore there is no more violence on the Earth, no more militaries, no more weapons of warfare, no more guns and no violence whatsoever. Imagine that humankind so thoroughly eradicated violence that violence disappeared from our religions, mythology, entertainment and even our dreams.
Asssuming that was possible and attainable, how then would humans live in the post-violence era? What would humans do? How would humans entertain each other? How would humans compete against each other? How would humans "progress"?
Let me tell you the truth: Under the above circumstance of human peacefulness the Homo sapiens would live exactly like the animals, at peace with Nature and each other, and not wish or want anything else.
David Mathews
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