Man has consciousness and volition whereas nature is devoid;
man is endowed with memory which nature lacks; man is endowed with the power of
intelligence whereas nature is bereft; man is empowered with ideal attributes
and virtues whereof nature is utterly deprived. Hence man is nobler than nature
because of the ideal force latent and manifest in him.
How strange then it seems that man, notwithstanding his
endowment with these ideal powers, will descend to a level beneath him and
adore that which is very inferior to his station. God has created such a holy
spirit within him that he is the most noble of all contingent beings. In
ignoring these virtues, he becomes a captive of matter, considers matter as a
god and denies that which lies beyond the natural plane. Is this virtue? This
in its fullest truth is animalistic, for the animal realizes nothing but the natural.
In fact, the animal is the greater philosopher because it is utterly ignorant
of the Kingdom of God, possesses no spiritual susceptibilities and is
uninformed of the Heavenly World. In short this is the pathway of nature.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (From a talk, June 9,
1912’ Baptist Temple, Philadelphia; Star of the West, vol. 5, no. 7, July 13,
1914)
