In this blog post, we will explore in depth what humans are in the midst of nature’s changes and what relationship we have with the sky.
Nature did not become what it is today in an instant. It has reached its current state through a gradual and continuous process of change over many years. Where did it begin, and where is it headed? These changes, whose beginning and end are unknown, continue to flow without stopping, progressing without a moment’s pause. These constant changes in nature are called “un-hoe.” Here, ‘un’ refers to the flow of change, and “hoe” refers to the situations or events that we encounter by chance within that flow.
The truth that nature flows endlessly is not only the insight of today’s observers. The ancients of the East also knew this truth. They accepted the changes in the world as a cycle within a large flow called “daeun,” believing that the present is a repetition of the past and the future is a continuation of the present. In their worldview, time was understood as a circle, not a straight line. They believed that change is repetitive and that the world repeats itself.
However, our perspective has now moved a step beyond this classical way of thinking. Change is not merely repetition. It accumulates, builds up, and gradually shifts in a different direction. The changes in nature that have taken place over many years are so gradual that it is difficult to perceive their reality through superficial observation. Therefore, some people assert that “heaven and earth do not change” and claim that the essence of nature is eternal and unchanging.
However, this is a misconception. Advances in geology and biology have disproved this claim. By examining fossils buried in the ground for a long time, Western geologists have discovered that living things have gradually changed over time. Plants and animals have constantly adapted and evolved over time, and this was not a fixed process but a series of organic changes.
In other words, the order of nature, or the way of heaven, is not a static system, but rather like life itself, which flows, changes, and quietly evolves. The problem is that these changes occur so slowly and secretly that they cannot be easily grasped by the limited sense of time that humans possess. For example, Pang Zu, a figure from ancient legend, is said to have lived for hundreds of years. However, even he experienced only a very short moment in the long flow of the universe. Therefore, he could not understand the enormous changes in nature as a whole. How can a cicada, which is born in summer and dies in summer, know spring and autumn? How can a mayfly, which lives for only a day, know the new moon and the full moon? Change exists, but those who cannot see it say that it does not exist. This is a limitation of our vision and an error of perception. The same is true of heavenly fortune, or the workings of heaven. It is by no means fixed.
It constantly changes and flows according to the times, conditions, and environment. However, even amid these changes in destiny, there is a principle that remains surprisingly unchanged. That is “natural evolution.” Natural evolution refers to the principle of evolution in nature, which consists of two operating principles: ‘competition’ and “natural selection.”
“Competition” means that all living things compete with each other to survive. The struggle for survival is the essence of life, and in the process, some life forms survive and others disappear. This competition repeats itself endlessly, and nature achieves a new balance through its results. The result of this competition is “selection,” or natural selection. It is not a deliberate choice made by someone, but rather the environment and conditions that naturally cause the most suitable life forms to survive. Nature does not choose for itself, but the process always inevitably leads in a certain direction. No one chooses, but the results of the choice clearly exist. That is the cold but honest law of nature.
Then, what are humans? When God created humans, He gave them physical strength and wisdom. Based on this strength and wisdom, humans understand and manipulate nature, and sometimes even transcend it. Humans have the ability to separate and combine all things, and through this ability, they accomplish things that God cannot do directly.
The achievements of humans are called “merits,” and the results of continuously accumulating these merits are called “karma.” We call these human actions and achievements “human affairs.” Humans cultivating flowers and building bridges are all part of human affairs, which is the process of humans supplementing what nature has not been able to fully accomplish.
Humans are beings who complete what heaven cannot do. Heaven achieves its will through human power, and humans create their own world by relying on the abilities given to them by heaven. At first glance, it seems that heaven and humans perform their own separate tasks. However, this is only a superficial understanding. Flowers that humans have carefully tended will wither if they are not cared for, and bridges that humans have built will collapse if they are not maintained.
Heaven has the power to return everything to its natural state. That power always exists beyond the limits of humans.
Therefore, everything humans do—from small tasks to self-cultivation, family management, government administration, and world peace—is ultimately accomplished through constant interaction with heaven. All human actions are a constant dialogue with nature, sometimes cooperative and sometimes conflictual. There is no area in this world where heaven and humans do not interact with each other.
But let us return to the fundamentals once again. Are wild flowers that bloom and wither on their own in the fields the only products of heaven? Are flowers and gardens planted and cultivated by humans, and bridges and buildings created by humans, unrelated to heaven? Can we conclude that just because humans created something in place of nature, it is not part of heaven?
Humans certainly seem to transcend nature. However, the human body used to accomplish these things, the mind that moves the body, and the ability to think, judge, and control behavior are all gifts from heaven. All of humanity’s great achievements were ultimately made possible by the foundation provided by heaven. Even if humans have replaced heaven, the “conditions of existence” that made this possible were originally from heaven.
If so, what is the essential difference between humans and other living things? Even those called saints are no different from insects and plants in that their nature and talents were given to them by heaven. Humans have simply utilized the abilities given to them by heaven a little more broadly and deeply. There may be differences in social status, but no one can completely escape the laws of nature. We are part of the vast flow of nature, and we can only exist within it.
Nature never stops. Change is always happening, and even though we can’t see it, it never stops. Sometimes we miss the speed of change and think it’s not happening. But change is always there, and we have to keep finding our place in it.
Humans are not merely passive beings that follow nature. Humans understand nature, change it, and even create new nature. However, at the same time, all of these abilities and conditions are given by nature—that is, the sky. No matter what achievements humans have made as autonomous beings, their roots are in nature.
In this blog post, we looked at the deep relationship between nature and humans, and between heaven and people. Nature is not fixed, and humans are not free from its flow. Within it, humans can become beings that walk side by side with heaven, or they can remain as part of nature. The choice is up to humans. And the results of that choice will return to the greater order of nature.
