ON TURNING SIXTY

A few weeks ago I turned 60 years old, so I've been thinking about what I've learned during all those years.

I've seen too many foolish, self-deluding old people to believe that age automatically imparts wisdom. I've also seen how my own perceptions shift depending on what my blood pressure and blood sugar level happen to be, as made clear in my essays "Pickle Juice," and "Hypoglycemia & Spiders." Therefore, who knows if what seem like profound insights to me actually are nothing more than illusions peculiar to my own ephemeral state of mind?

Still, if someone should ask me what has been the most important insight I've developed so far in life, I'd not hesitate to say this:

If we need guidance on how to conduct our daily lives, and how to think about the world in general, the "Nature Bible" is the most appropriate guide.

And, why shouldn't the way that Nature is constructed and behaves offer profound insights? Nature is nothing less than the way the Universal Creative Force expresses Herself. The Universal Creative Force is a musician and all things on Earth and beyond are Her music. It would be surprising if a piece of music didn't reveal something about the character and maybe even the intentions of the composer.

Here are some of the most important teachings of the Nature Bible I've found, clearly revealed in the Book of Evolution:

Someday when Nature's most obvious and elemental teachings, such as the three listed above, are accepted and honored by most people, a vast body of systematic thought and literature will arise based on them. Discussions based on Nature's teachings will progress in a manner similar to using geometry's theorems to come to conclusions about life in general that aren't immediately apparent. For example, one of Nature's "theorems" is that diversity is sacred; therefore extinctions of living things are to be avoided; therefore we should not destroy habitats with unique species; therefore... etc.

The main proof I have that the above concept may be worth thinking about is this: When one incorporates into everyday life such teachings as the above three elemental "Nature theorems" by, for example, spending a lot of time in the most diverse of all systems, Nature Herself; when one limits his or her use of resources by simplifying the life being lived and consciously controlling one's cravings, and; when one insists on having enough personal space for enjoying peace of mind and letting thoughts mature... that person, in my experience, feels happy.

Long-term "happiness" is part of a positive feedback system Nature uses to encourage Her sentient beings to live in ways that are sustainable for Life on Earth.