Biomimesis

 

    In chapter 26 of The Ecology of Eden, called 'The Tree of Knowledge,' Eisenberg tells us of a number of spectacular technologies which mimic nature, writing about 'microscopic batteries that work on the same principles as photosynthesis, to an adhesive that sets underwater, borrowed from the blue mussel . . . [and] biological computing . . . [which] could easily perform a trillion operations per second, outstripping the fastest supercomputers by a factor of a thousand' (pg. 347).  I am reminded of the words in a beautiful Psalm which read 'O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches' (Psalm 104:24). 

    Truly, the world is of a manifold beauty hard to put into words. Do you wish to learn to sing? Listen to the birds. Do you wish to learn initiative? Consider the ant. Do you wish to find your way through a difficult place? Watch the mountain stream. Such lessons creation hold for the one who has eyes to see and ears to hear! I am struck by the need, as we have mentioned in class, for leisure, that is, time to contemplate the good things all around us. A pause from our desire to change the world can give us the room necessary to be in it. 

    The basis of what we call 'nature' (which I prefer to call creation) is a fundamentally good one. It is beautiful in every way beauty can be communicated: radiant sights, luscious scents, heavenly sounds, vivifying tastes, enthralling textures. And yet these are only what we have access to through our bodily senses. Our hearts catch glimpses of the One whose wisdom is declared in the subtleties of cosmos. Our spiritual senses speak to us of a world beyond the world. Every level of my being, when reflected upon, is a rich tapestry of wisely, fearfully made works of art. More than art is this conscious life of mine, through which I think of things created and the One who is Uncreated.

 

In contemplating life, I learn to be more like Life!

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