“The artist, like the God of creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails.”

James Joyce

Look at the picture … Can you see the difference between the hands? Which hand commands? Which is subservient? Which is docile? Which is powerful? Which is the hand of God, and which is the hand of Adam? I’m not exactly sure it’s easy to tell, but let me know (in case you’ve never seen this before).

//dusers.drexel.edu/~revelasians/jamie/08122002a.jpg The Creation of Man by Michaelangelo

If there was ever a reason to believe in a god, it is the beauty in creation. Not only that of every man and woman, but also the miracles that exist in the natural world. From cascading waterfalls to huge redwoods; nursing antelope to enormous elephants. Regardless of how we’ve been created, we share a common thread in our thirst for survival. I think it is one of our marks of humanity that we’ve actually provided for our eventualy demise. This is one of the arguements against religion and in support of the existence of religion as a social construct.

Still, there is something incredibly magical about the world, in all that lives and breaths, and even in the waters and mountains and forests of the world. If considered with thoughtfulness, nature can instill calm and serenity. Look around you at the flowing skies that billow with whiteness; breathe the gusting winds that toss your hair up and soothe summer flame; touch cascading waters that ebb with the life that spawned creation; and embrace warm lovers whose blood runs with vitality and you can experience what it is to know god. For god–whether force, being, or something other yet conceived–lies in the miracles of all existence–of all things terrestrial and extraterrestrial–in the natural and supernatural.