Question: I think that one should not try to imitate the laws of nature, inasmuch as each one has his own nature which is more important to him. We cannot imitate a tree. The tree does not have to know that it is a tree to be a tree. A man has to know that he is a man to be a man. We have to be conscious, but the tree is not required to be conscious.
Sri Chinmoy: But the thing here is that God wants all human beings - all His creations - to have an individuality of their own. Creation is such that in God’s manifestation, no two human beings are alike. Not even my two fingers: one is shorter, one is longer. So in His creation, God wants to enjoy Himself in infinite ways. No two beings are the same. So we should not be a carbon copy of anything else. A man is a man and a tree is a tree. Each has its unique divine essence. I have my human individuality. This individuality is not the individuality of ego or pride. This individuality is the expression of God’s infinite Self-Expression. And each divine individuality has its own degree of conscious awareness. The tree is fulfilling God by being a tree, whether or not it is aware of being a tree. But you are absolutely right in feeling that since we are more conscious than the tree, we should not try to regress to the tree-consciousness. The tree is playing its part; we must play our part. A tree is a tree. It need not be conscious (although many large and old trees are deeply conscious of their existence). But a man is a man, and to fulfil his divine destiny, he has to be conscious of his inner reality and his soul’s oneness with the Supreme.
Sri Chinmoy, Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, part 3, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1978