The World of Grandpa Don

. Nature's "Free Will"

I believe in the free will of humankind, ... that God, when He created us, endowed us with the ability to chose to do good. There would be no merit in our behavior if it were not so. And without this gift, human existence would be that of robots and therefore pointless. 

This explains the existence of evil deeds by humans who, in their selfish and ego driven minds, see themselves as all important and their needs and desires as paramount to that of God or other humans. And so, we have crime and wars, all the result of a human or group of humans who have put themselves above the laws of God and humankind. The wars, I must explain, are either fought as a war of aggression or to prevent or suppress aggression. In any case, their root is evil.

We also have so called "accidents", some of which are disastrous to human life and wellbeing and which are the result of our own ignorance, mistakes and sometimes greed. We have under-designed dams, bridges, buildings, structures and vehicles of various kinds, placed them in areas or situations which are inappropriate or used them in dangerous ways. These events are all the result of choices we have been able to make using our knowledge and free will. The ability to learn from experience and expand our knowledge is part of this free will. 

But free will does not answer the question of "Why did God, if He truly is all good and all powerful, allow 'natural disasters' to happen?" Many of us look at the grandeur of nature, here on earth and in the universe, and see in it the work of God. After all, it is in nature that we find our sustenance. All that we eat, our clothing, our shelter, our implements and our inventions are the fruit of nature and our knowledge of it. 

God created a world (and an entire universe) in which we could not only live, but thrive. It is a living resource which provides for our continued existence and growth. 

Rain nourishes the plants, replenishes the rivers and lakes and in overflowing the river banks, replenishes the land with new soil, building wetlands and deltas. It is when we attempt to live on natural flood plains, build dykes, levies and dams that the potential for disaster is created as we disrupt the natural way of things. 

The sun provides the energy for plants to grow and warmth and light for the surface of the globe on which we live. The uneven distribution of this resource creates currents in the sea and in the air which, in turn, prevent stagnation and keep our environment fresh and livable. Sometimes these currents become violent but without them we could not survive. 

The earth itself is a living "machine" of nature which is not  fully understood. Its molten core provides a magnetic field, a "force field" which protects us from harmful solar radiation, while allowing the beneficial radiation to nourish us. Volcanoes vent the core and distribute ash which refresh the soil and builds new land. The surface "skin" of the earth "floats" on the core. There is violence here also when the movements and pressures quake and explode during the natural chain of events. But would a solid, static, sphere of rock sustain and nourish life? I think God knew what He was doing when He designed things this way.  

Animals are endowed with the instincts of self preservation and with that comes the rudimentary decision making that sometimes harms other animals including humans.  It is as if the elements  of nature also poses a kind of "free will" although not a conscious one, which allows it to function. The "nature" of nature is to blindly obey the laws of nature which may not even be in the interest of its self preservation but have been established by God to be a functioning world and universe. So, calling it the "free will" of nature is only a metaphor to link it with the concept of God's creation of not only a functioning system but one that works for the overall good.

We must learn to live with nature and God has given humankind the intellect to learn to cope with these natural occurrences. Do we need to clear the natural growth of trees that border the seas in some places, or build homes and resort hotels on barrier Islands which naturally shift and disappear to rebuild again? If we chose to build our cities on known fault zones or close to the earth's natural vents, why do we blame God for our misfortune or claim He doesn't care or may not even exist? Shouldn't we learn from past experience? 

We hear of primitive peoples and animals who seem to be more in tune with nature. There is evidence that they are somehow able to "sense" pending natural events and protect themselves from them. In the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean, a tribe of  "primitive" people left the shore area and retreated to the hills before it struck their island. None were lost. Did God give us a sixth sense which we have discarded of forgotten how to use? 

'it happens! God is not using nature to punish anyone. At the same time He doesn't disrupt the wonderful set of natural laws which He created to sustain us. He has created the world and everything in it and on it and "It is good". He has created us with the free will to work together so that when disasters occur we can help each other. When an area becomes unlivable for any reason we have been blessed with mobility so we can relocate to another (unless we create unnatural divisions to prevent it). When there is drought or crop failure in an area we are able to send food from where it is plentiful (unless we are too selfish to share). Where people are hurting for any reason, we can chose to help them ... or not! 

Do we understand it all? No ... not yet. But in the words of Kahlil Gibran:

"The veil that clouds your eyes shall be lifted by the hands that wove it, 
And the clay that fills your ears shall be pierced by those fingers that kneaded it.
And you shall see
And you shall hear.
Yet you shall not deplore having known blindness, nor regret having been deaf.
For in that day you shall know the hidden purposes in all things, 
And you shall bless darkness as you would bless light."

Thank you God. ... It is Good.