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.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Earth’s Cry Meets Heaven’s Smile, part 3, Aum Press, Puerto Rico, 1978
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