[HWPL Peace Education Textbook 4-1] The Order of Nature: How Do Natural Things Maintain Harmony?

[HWPL Peace Education Textbook 4: The Restoration of Order and Relations in the Human World]

[4-1] The Order of Nature: How Do Natural Things Maintain Harmony?

 

◆ Learning Objectives

1. Understand that there is order in nature.

2. Understand the importance of order in the human world.

3. Recognize that true peace begins with one person and becomes possible when the order of the entire global village is restored.

 

◆ We can create a world of peace through the order of nature as much as we want.

The Farmer and the Apple Orchard

There was a farmer who owned an apple orchard. The farmer wanted to harvest more apples faster than ever before. So, he used more pesticides than usual, provided excessive nutrients, and watered the trees more than he normally would. Expecting a bountiful harvest of large apples, the farmer was full of anticipation.

However, a month later, the farmer was shocked to find that all the trees in the orchard had withered and died. His excessive application of water and nutrients, driven by greed for a larger harvest, had killed the apple trees. The farmer’s actions serve as a metaphor for human greed today. While humanity enjoys unprecedented material wealth, excessive greed is destroying the environment and breaking the natural order.

 

The Invisible Order in Nature

Nature harbors an invisible order. Scientific laws like the "Law of Multiple Proportions," where elements combine in different ratios to form various substances, and Newton's "Law of Universal Gravitation" reveal the hidden order within nature.

Living organisms, such as animals and plants, each have unique DNA sequences that determine the traits of species and individuals. Even a slight alteration in the DNA structure can result in the death of the organism or abnormal development. Thus, natural entities achieve balance and harmony within an invisible order.

Humans are a part of the grand natural world, and the order of nature is not something artificially created by humans. Over thousands of years, humanity has discovered the order of nature in various fields such as astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics, organizing these discoveries into laws and rules. The order of nature is closely related to survival and exists not for destruction but for preservation.

Thus, order is related to peace. Humanity has applied the discovered order of nature to various fields, including music, art, architecture, and technology. By utilizing this natural order for peace and coexistence, we can create a peaceful world.

Image from Pixabay

The Order of the Solar System 

Since ancient times, humans have studied the relationship between the sun, the moon, and the earth, using this knowledge to create calendars. Seasonal changes and tidal differences were discovered to be caused by the sun and the moon. The earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around the earth. The earth's orbital period is consistently 365 days, 5 hours, and 49 minutes. To account for the extra time, we add an extra day every four years, creating a leap year (February 29). Currently, the Gregorian calendar includes 97 leap years every 400 years.

The earth's orbital speed is approximately 108,000 km/h, which is 1,080 times faster than a car traveling at 100 km/h and 30 times faster than a bullet traveling at 1 km/s. We are essentially traveling through space at a speed much faster than a bullet. Despite the challenges of modern high-speed trains arriving on time, the earth remarkably orbits the sun with less than a minute's difference each year.

Image from Pixabay

The Geometric Shapes and Orbits of Galaxies

The universe is vast, but within it, galaxies often take on geometric shapes like ellipses and spirals. Many galaxies have massive black holes at their centers, around which the entire galaxy orbits. The solar system orbits the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, approximately every 223 million years. Considering the age of the solar system, it has orbited around 25 times.

Although the universe may seem chaotic, continued research reveals an underlying order. Astronomers describe the universe as "cosmos" (orderly and harmonious) rather than "chaos" (disordered) as more secrets of the universe are uncovered.

Image from Pixabay

The Fibonacci Sequence 

Discovered by Leonardo Fibonacci, the Fibonacci sequence is useful for explaining hidden order in nature. The sequence is as follows:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, ...

When squares are created using these numbers, the ratio of the sides approximates 1.618, known as the golden ratio, commonly used in cards, paper, photographs, and architecture.

The Fibonacci sequence is frequently observed in nature, such as in the arrangement of tree branches, the number of flower petals, the order of leaves on a stem, and the arrangement of seeds in sunflowers and pinecones. Additionally, the shells of snails and nautilus exhibit the shape of the Fibonacci spiral.

Image from Pixabay

Humans are part of nature, and the order of nature is essential for survival and peace. Recognizing and adhering to this order allows humanity to apply it for the betterment of society, ensuring coexistence and harmony. Through understanding the natural order, we can begin to restore peace and order in the human world, starting with individual actions and extending to the global community.

◆Reflection

1. Consider and discuss why order is necessary in nature.

2. Find and discuss the natural orders (laws, rules) discovered by scientists and speculate on what might happen if these orders are disrupted.