Ants in a Rainstorm

It has been about two weeks since the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan and after viewing numerous videos of the crushing floods and whirling tempests raging against the innocents of Japan, one has to wonder why?

Again the thought turns to God. Why would a benevolent God allow the lives of countless thousands to be cast amongst the debris ? It seems utterly senseless. Lives destroyed. Whole families wiped out.

These types of natural disasters have been happening since time immemorial and will no doubt continue. No surprise there. It is just part of the natural process of the changing earth. But when one sees tens of thousands killed in such a disaster as this and others a couple of years ago, it makes you wonder.

The thought does cross your mind that God is punishing mankind for it’s “evil” behavior and I believe there are quite a few out there that prescribe to this thought. However, I do not. Church leaders, politicians and citizens worldwide have reiterated this thought and try to put a theological framework around it. People around me have stated this fact in one way or another. The prominent thought I hear is that these disasters are in preparation for the second coming of Christ and that they will be more and more commonplace. Another is the thought that they are part of the “End of the World” scenario of 2012. Nonsense.

If on the other hand your don’t believe in a “creator” or a God, what would be your opinion of the natural disasters be ? Are we as men just mere ants roaming the surface of earth, going on from design to design, adding hope to hope and laying out plans for many years all for naught ? Are we as men subject to the punishment of an angry and jealous God for our bad behavior and egos, as Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ichihara said recently and that the disaster is “tembatsu” or “divine punishment” ? I think not. God does not get “angry”.
That is a human attribute. Not my God at least.

I personally have a hard time with that. That version of God seems antiquated to me. I could understand a cave man having those thoughts about seeing such destruction because he would not understand the great forces involved and the actual “natural” causes for natural events. That makes sense. But science has provided the “how and why” these things occur, yet this thought still permeates the common consciousness.

I recently read (or should I say, listened to the audio book) Deepak Chopra’s “How to Know God”. In it, he discusses the seven stages of man’s ideas of God. I will not go though them here, but one of the earliest stages is that of “God the Judge”. I believe these people are attaching themselves to this early “God the Judge” version of God. For me, that does not hold true. The stories in the early Bible are also using “God the Judge” to put a framework around natural disasters by trying to equate them God’s punishment for man’s bad behavior. In certain cases the bible authors use “God the Protector” view. Which ever works best for the lesson.

If you believe God is the creator of all things, do you believe he is still active daily in the lives of men ? Does he know all that you are doing and keeps track of your every thought and deed ? Sounds a bit strange to me. Sounds like a way to force people to do the right thing because someone is watching. Doesn’t God have better things to do then be a mere note taker on my behavior ? Doesn’t he have worlds to balance and universes to create ? I would think so. But maybe your version of God, created this one and only world and universe and is now sitting back judging his creation and issuing divine punishments for a failed experiment. An experiment given free will to choose, but has chosen the wrong path.

I think I prescribe to a version where God created the world and set it in motion and then “walked away”. I guess. Not really sure. But the idea of a loving God who would strike down innocent children does not fit my model. I don’t feel God in that way. God is love, not hate. God is love, not anger.

To me, God is not some bearded ruler sitting in a chair in heaven, all knowing, all judging, all involved in my daily life and the lives of countless others around the globe. The truth is, I don’t know what God is. I just know he (or she) is.

One of my favorite quotes by Paul Frost, author, sums up my thought on the existence of God.

"What do you think of God," the teacher asked. After a pause, the young pupil replied, "He's not a think, he's a feel.”

The real question remains. Why do natural disasters happen ? Is it the “End of Times” as Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham) said recently ? I don’t this so.

Disasters happen. When they are man made disasters, we know whom to blame. However when a natural disaster happens, we still blame ourselves. That’s just weird.

In a way, we are all just ants wondering the surface of the planet, unaware of the dangers of life.

God is a Garden

Since the completion of my garden fence and arbor two years ago, I have been wanting to paint the phrase "God is a Garden" in gold paint on the arch over the entrance to my garden. I just haven't found the time to do it yet. But you may say that is kind of a weird thing to say about a garden. What does a garden have to do with God ? Everything, absolutely everything.


To be in the presence of the "ease of growth" is a very humbling, and eternally spiritual experience, for me anyway. It teaches patience when you get anxious for the fruits of your labor. You must "allow" the garden to do what it does naturally. It reminds you of how beautifully intertwined life is with the environment and how little control you actually have over the outcome.

Plants grow without struggle and just do what they are spiritually designed to do. You think that "you" are planting the garden and "growing" the plants, when in actuality, you are just "allowing" the process to happen in your semi-controlled environment. A definite model for how to live your life.
Everything about a garden reminds me of the spiritually in life. For example, this time of year is a particularly poignant time since the plants in the garden are beginning to wither and die. The plants have given up their fruits and vegetables and some have gone to seed. The dirt becomes quiet and rests. It is sad to see this happen when just a few weeks ago the plants were at their height of beauty, development and production. The greens of youth give way to the golden browns of maturity and then to the withering frosts of age. It reminds me of part of the Masonic lecture in the Entered Apprentice degree. "but earth, ever kind and indulgent, is subservient to his wishes. Though constantly taxed to furnish the luxuries and the necessaries of life, it never refuses its accustomed yield, but spreads his path with flowers and his table with plenty, and returns, with interest, every good committed to its care; and when man is called upon to pass through the 'valley of the shadow of death' , it once more receives him, and covers his remains within its bosom. This admonishes us that from earth we came, and to earth we must shortly return".

But aside from the obvious cycle of growth and death apparent in gardening, quite a bit more is displayed during the growing process if one takes the time to observe.

I am always amazed by the geometry and mathematics observed in plant growth. I can, by no means say that I was ever good at math or geometry. But one who has struggled with it can easily observe and appreciate the underlying geometry in plant growth. It is beautiful, educational and magnificent. Maybe if classes in geometry and mathematics featured plant growth and development as part of the examples, a few less "thick" students may appreciate and understand the reason for the study. I still don't understand it, but I enjoy seeing it in action. I could write a blog just on the observation of the golden ratio in plants alone, never mind in other things in nature. I love observing it. It is beautiful.

Needless to say, I think gardening is like a "little bit of heaven" for sure. When I go there, whether physically or in meditation, I feel the presence of the divine all around me. It engulfs me and surrounds me with it's pure holiness. God is a garden and so am I.

But I still hate weeding......

Of sleeping Angels

Every once in a while, I stop myself from the daily grind and routine to realize what life is ultimately really about. Every day, we go on, from design to design, hope to hope and we layout plans for many years.

But once in a while, I stop. And look. And listen.

I stand at the door to my angel's room. And look. I look at how fast she is growing. How fast things are changing. How fast she is "becoming". I look.

I listen.
I listen to her breathe while she sleeps. How calm, how quiet, how perfect. What is she dreaming ? Where is she going ? Where has she been ?

I continue with my day. But I stop.

Once in a while.

Time marches on

The other day while going through and looking for photos for my first blog post, I was struck by some of the photographs that I came across from only a few years ago. It seemed to me that time has been slipping away at an ever increasing pace. I was looking at photos of when I was dating my wife, photos of when my daughter was born, photos of the early years in my new home, trees have grown from saplings, the house paint seems crisp and fresh, may face shows a few less wrinkles and my belly was non existent. Life has been good and tough at times. A lot has changed. Trees have grown so that you can't see across the properties any longer, relatives have passed on, cars have been replaced, vacations finished and my nieces and daughter have been growing up. Where did my little daughter go ?


I guess its inevitable that time marches on. They say (who ever "they" are ), that you are only "old" when you look back on life more than you look forward. I try not to look back too much, other than to try and discover why I am that way I am: why I loose my temper at certain things, why I get annoyed when the phone rings during dinner (thanks Dad), why certain people aggravate me. Strange.
But one thing is for certain. I look forward to many more years in this life. I hope to someday look back at the photos of this part of my life and say the same thing. "Where has time gone ?" After all, time is a man-made thing. It doesn't really exist at all. Time is now. Make the most of it. Cherish and love your family, love your friends, love GOD, and most importantly, love thyself. It's all good.

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.