Learning is the acquisition of knowledge that comes through skill, experience or by being taught. It modifies the behavioural tendency and transforms us by taking in information that we internalize and amalgamate with our experience. Learning has different aspects as formal, informal, active or passive. Kids begin to learn new things through their curiosity and experiments. The greatest learning comes from our own mistakes, experiences and from the laws of Nature. Every moment that we spend in Nature is full of learning and pleasure.
To me, Nature had always been a great source of learning and inspiration. I still remember my childhood, the doll was not my toy. It were the colourful butterflies that amazed me. I loved to run after them, trying to fly like them. It was so joyous and I loved to touch their delicate and colourful wings. My sole universe used to be my garden, flowers, trees in it and those butterflies.
I always liked to see the flowers, to smell their fragrance. The different colours of flowers always surprised me. That time those objects of Nature were a source of entertainment and fun to me. But I never realized how much I was learning from a small flower in my garden. Seeing my father sowing seeds, I used to wait and wonder, what would come out of that small seed? Then, it slowly developed from root to a small plant. With a slow pace like the plant, I also grew up with it, learning patience.
The bud developed into flower, spreading its fragrance. I wondered to see it smiling and spreading fragrance despite its thorns and that made me realize and learn to be always smiling, no matter what happens in our life. I curiously observed bees collecting nectar, making hives on the tree at the corner of my garden. Oh! how yummy the honey tasted. It was so incredible to see every object of Nature interdependent on each other, making me learn to help and upgrade others in life.
With the passage of time, I observed the plant getting strength, growing from trunk into the tree. It made me ponder over its continuous development and learn that life was meant to be continuously moving on. I stumbled, faltered, fell, I faced failures while growing up but never surrendered. I learnt to be moving forward with patience, persistence and discipline from that tree.
It went on. Later the falling of leaves due to the disciplined interplay of seasons and again their rejuvenation taught me about the law of human life, its birth, growth from youth to old age, death and ending.
I remember how while chasing butterflies and attempting to climb trees I stumbled and fell but learning again and again from my mistakes made me get up, try again and carry on. My academic learning went side by side. But I think it never taught me what I learnt from laws of Nature. Nature taught me about beauty, peace and comfort. I learnt that life was meant to strive with patience, discipline despite failures. I learnt about myself, my birth, my purpose of creation, humanity – the real purpose of whole mankind to be helping and living for each other. I learnt discipline from the course of sun, moon, changing of day and night, natural cycles, most of all about us. As Wordsworth said,
One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.
I believe Nature is the best teacher. It is a part of us. It is everything we breathe, smell, eat, drink, see. Being four and a half billion years old and twenty thousand and five hundred years longer than us, the Earth has much for us to learn. Nature makes us learn without dictating, forcing or punishing us. It always gives us more and more chances. From a small delicate bud to the magnanimous mountain Nature lets us unveil its secrets of learning.
So, we must come forth into the light of things and let Nature be our teacher.
The writer hails from Abbottabad. She can be reached at [email protected]