Ducks and the Universe

Lisa Simmons describes how our tendency to ask questions and analyze can leave us lacking an appreciation for the beauty of what God has created.

My husband has this saying when his students ask too many questions and don't listen enough. "It's like getting picked to death by ducks." In other words, instead of listening to what he is saying, they immediately begin asking questions and get waylaid by demanding answers instead of first listening and enjoying the experience of learning something new.

When I was in college, I took many literature courses for my English major. We read story after story by famous writers and afterward discussed them. We dissected each book, each poem like they were frogs on the science lab table. We literally picked them to death like ducks pecking at grass on the ground.

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None of my instructors in Literature were satisfied with a synopsis of a novel. We had to find out the meaning behind the color of the dress the heroine was wearing. When we read a story that began with the line; "It was a dark and stormy night," my explanation was it was dark and stormy, maybe with some rain and thunder that made you shiver. Nope: according to my instructor, "dark and stormy" were adjectives with a whole different meaning. What that meaning was I never really did understand, and sometimes I didn't want to hear. Did anyone check with the author on this? Ultimately I lost the joy of reading anything and it was a long time after college before I could pick up a book again.

As a writer myself, I have often wondered why someone would pick one of my stories to death. I am sure some authors have hidden meanings in some things they write, but surely not all of them. I write because I enjoy writing a story, not because I expect my readers to become Sherlock Holmes.

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The same thing could be said today of scientists who insist on dissecting the universe and origins of the world. Sure, it is fascinating to explore the universe and see how the stars come together and suns are made. But could we not just enjoy the beauty of it for the beauty?

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Could we not just enjoy the beauty of the universe for the beauty? #catholicmom

Did God create the Universe to mean something? Of course He had order and sense to it, but did He do it so He would get something out it? He created Beauty to just be beautiful. He creates each one of us in His likeness, yet none of us are exactly alike. God creates nature, beings, stars, and entire universes that have no other meaning than to exist for His delight!

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Why can we not just delight in His world? Could we stop being ducks pecking everything to death? Can we walk and explore and drink in the beauty of the sights and sounds of this world that God created? We could enjoy a good book, pick up a hobby just for the fun of learning it, explore the universe and enjoy the beauty of its creation. Let's find out how stars were created, but for heaven's sake do so because we want to learn of its beauty, not to pick it to death!