Humans tend to turn to religion to answer difficult questions such as, “where did we come from, where do we go after death” etc. When going on a nature hike there are many things that prompt questions like these. We look at flowers growing along the path and while others might neglect their presence, others ponder how these delicate and beautiful species came into existence. At the Buddhist temple, there was a tree that was 500 years old. To me, it is fascinating to think that a tree manages to survive over 5 times the lifespan of average humans. A tree, though not very capable of moving anywhere or doing anything extremely exciting, is still a very complex organism. Such complexity sparks the desire to know how it came about and how it evolved to be what it is today, and while science often explains how it evolved to become what it is, science can never explain from where everything originated. And, when science fails to explain things, people turn to the supernatural and religion. I believe that people spend their lives seeking our religious truths and nurturing faith or worshipping religion for many different personal reasons. A Buddhist might try to seek religious truth such as “nothing is permanent” in order to be able to attain Nirvana. I believe many people worship creation out of a slight fear of the unknown. After all, whatever managed to create our world as we know it, probably has the capability of destroying it just as easily. A Taoist might nurture faith in order to find balance in nature, or Tao. Religion is a very important cultural aspect that not only answers some tough questions, but also gives hope and faith to everybody living in a sometimes not so beautiful world.
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