3-29 State of the Planet

“It must be a gift of evolution that humans can’t sustain wonder. We’d never have gotten up from our knees if we could.” This is one of the lines that stood out the most to me in Hass’ poem, State of the Planet. It stood out to me for two reasons. The first being how well he captured the incredible things in nature. If we really were able to observe nature and see all the beauty in it and how well everything works in sync I don’t think we would ever be able to stop looking. Even now, the scientists who specialize in different aspects of nature are discovering new things each day. New species discoveries are being made as well as a better understanding for how things, such as cells, work to perform their function. A cell is small in and of its self but to have all the other parts that make up the cell performing a very specific task is incredible. If even one of these incredibly small parts didn’t do its job correctly the whole cell would be out of tune and this would affect the organism as well.
The second thing that stood out to me was the fact that Hass, as an evolutionist, could find incredible beauty and wonder in the nature around him. As Christians, we understand that we have a Creator who has given us this beautiful world that functions so perfectly for us to enjoy. But often times we simply overlook it and dismiss how incredible it is that each and every aspect of nature functions perfectly in order for everything to exist the way it does. Many times we, myself included, don’t take the time to enjoy all the wonder found in the earth around us and subsequently we don’t give the praise and thanks to the Creator. God gave us this earth for us to enjoy and to see a reflection of the power and creativity of our God. I think it’s incredible that Hass, an evolutionist who believes this all has happened by chance, is still able to see beauty in it all and notice the fine details that make everything function so perfectly. Though Hass doesn’t believe in a creator he still finds wonder and awe in the things surrounding him.
As Christians, if we could take the time to see the wonder and awe in God’s creation we would be much more at peace. God gave us this earth to enjoy and if we allow ourselves to, we can get lost in the magnificence of nature for awhile. Just seeing how well everything functions together and how meticulously God takes care of each part of His creation puts me at peace. I know that this is a big big world and if my God can take care of all the plants, animals, and people, and put that much detail into creating them, then He can take care of me!