If you’ve spent any time walking around or been anywhere where there is a chance of seeing these berries like I did and are stopped into taking a picture of, you would know how noticeable they are. Their bright clusters of red and yellow seem to illuminate the bushes they grow on, and shine out like little decorations of nature. I remember standing there and being fascinated with the beauty of them, thinking for a moment that they might taste as sweet as they looked. But I soon learned that these berries, even their ornaments, are not fit for eating. They look good to eat, but are often bitter to taste, or even poisonous.
That fact has remained with me a longer time than I expected, not only as a thought about plants, but as a thought about life. It impresses upon me how often we are attracted by things which look bright on the outside. We see people have life so nicely furnished, we see those who have evidently a good office, productive and pleasant, people with a beautiful loving relationship, or opportunities which open the door to apparently great success, and we rush eagerly toward them, believing that they are sweet.
But they are not like the berries, but are things we are to look at and not touch. We live in a world in which what looks pleasant is apt to deceive us. Social conditions are such that we are able to appear on the outside to have a simplified and beautiful life; in our social media largely we see only a beautified edition, smiles that have been fitted, suggested, lovely social events, brilliant accounts of rewards, beautiful accomplishments.
It is a source of forgetting that behind these lovely pictures are individuals, just like us, with their worries, disappointments and troubles. What looks beautiful can cover pain often, what looks easy is full of tasks sometimes. It is in the things which do not oft illuminate, the sweetness of the life is usually found. Patience, determination, likeliness, honesty, and the quiet diligent heart, — these are not the things which are likely to inspire admiration, but they are the things which make for strength.
They are the things, too, which make the fruit which really supports our inward life and makes for character development. When I turned away from the glowing clusters of berries, I thought how beautifully nature gives us the lessons of the lessons she gives. She does not make any noise about the fact she teaches, but she shows it through the experience of people who see. They are simply there, however well adapted to the occasion, shining, suggestive, but unattainable spheres, to help us remember that nothing which looks good to eat is good to eat.
Often in the simple and humble things do we find the true worth. So all those good accessors, no opportunity of appearing too more beautiful, too easy, or too good to be true, think twice about each other, and view them, because it is always some more lovely brilliant thing we find which tastes sweetest — and the knowledge of the difference will save our future lives seeds about the bitterness now.
If you’ve spent any time walking around or been anywhere where there is a chance of seeing these berries like I did and are stopped into taking a picture of, you would know how attractive they are. Their bright clusters of red and yellow seem to illuminate the bushes they grow on, and shine out like little decorations of nature. I remember standing there and being fascinated with the beauty of them, thinking for a moment that they might taste as sweet as they looked.
But I soon learned that these berries, even their beautiful colours, are not fit for eating. They look good to eat, but are often bitter to taste, or even poisonous.
That fact has remained with me a longer time than I expected, not only as a thought about plants, but as a thought about life. It reminded me how often we are attracted by things which look bright on the outside. We see people have life so nicely furnished, we see those who have evidently a good business, productive and pleasant, people with a beautiful loving relationship, or opportunities which open the door to apparently great success, and we rush eagerly toward them, believing that they are sweet.
But they are not like the berries, but are things we are to look at and not touch.
We live in a world in which what looks pleasant mostly deceive us. Social media nowadays has become a place where people appear good on the outside to have a simplified and beautiful life; showing others beautified edition of their life, lovely social events, brilliant accounts of rewards, beautiful accomplishments etc.
It is a source of forgetting that behind these lovely pictures are individuals, just like us, with their worries, disappointments and troubles. What looks beautiful can cover pain often, what looks easy is full of tasks sometimes. It is in the things which do not often shine where the sweetness of the life is usually found. Patience, determination, discipline, honesty, and the quiet diligent heart, — these are not the things which are likely to inspire admiration, but they are the things which make for strength. They are the things, too, which really supports our inward life and makes for character development.
When I turned away from the glowing clusters of berries, I thought how beautifully nature gives us the lessons for life. She does not make any noise about the fact she teaches, but she shows it through the nature works we see around. Sometimes amidst the simple and humble things in life there is great worth. Therefore always when everything seems too beautiful, too good or too perfect, stop and think for a while about it. Look deeper. For not every bright thing is sweet, and the knowledge of the difference may be worth the taste of something bitter latter in life.