Water on leaves, buds and flowers!

 

I gathered the recent photos of leaves, buds and flowers, I took of our garden, during the rainy season. 

Most of these photos were taken within fifteen minutes of a rain fall. 

From among a large collection of photos, I picked up the above, which look different from each other. The water drops remained in different patterns in each of them. The difference was noticeable.

There is something distinct in each leaf, bud or flower which makes it receive the water drops and retain them on their surface in a particular way. 

We live in a season, where the differences instead of being valued as variety to celebrate and recognise, there is a compulsion to conform to a pattern which suits the majority. The current Prime minister of India used to speak about 'one language, one election, one nation...'! There is an advocacy for sameness of approach to faith, immigration, economy, foreign policy when the USA is into the election mode currently. The French are fighting a polarised political orientation of extremism. The war in Palestine and Ukraine comes out of this compulsive attitude of wanting to dominate!

Where is freedom to be oneself?

When the current human mindset is bordering to the line of Adolf Hitler's thinking, which created the Second World War and all that followed, I pause to look at the photos above and comfort myself in knowing that variety is the spice of life. 

The foundation of the civil rights movements of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi,  Martin Luther king Junior, or  Nelson Mandela were founded on the principle social morality. A society is a congregation of individuals, where there is an acceptable diversity to converge for the common good. 

The Olympics is a gathering together of different forms of athletics, track events, aquatics, games, gymnastics, shooting, and sports. It is a celebration of human creativity and endurance. 

I feel that a political ideology in the national life is to form human consciousness to formulate this social morality. The recent awakening about social justice for those in the bottom of the population pyramid in India is a welcome sign of hope! 

I find it appalling when factions of a church fight over the ownership of church buildings or believers fight over whether the Eucharist ought to be celebrated facing the congregation or by Eastward looking ! 

It is a time to move away from, 'me, myself, mine' to the good Samaritan's attitude, when he became a caregiver to a stranger! It was an illustration of how a stranger was received as a neighbour!

The above phots of water drops creating designs on leaf, bud and flower illustrate the richness of diversity! What is essential is to honour this diversity and bring the umbrella of social morality based on values that promote integrity in life and integrated living! 

Is not the different voice tones, which create a choir to offer a musical feast!

Jesus of Nazareth had 12 close associates who were temperamentally and behaviourally different. In fact, one among them who kept the money bag had a habit of pilfering. The common good and purpose shall subsume the differences! 

The nature is a tutor telling us, that the earth is a home for diversity to  co-exist cordially!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)