Every being in this vast universe is a question mark. The consequence of its existence is it is knowable, intelligible and an intelligent being can acknowledge it and come to know it and knowing recognize its intrinsic value.

Even a stone on our path needs to be recognized for what it is. If it is neglected, it stays in my path and make me stumble, thus making me take notice of it. Of course it is not doing it consciously because it is devoid of consciousness but I as a thinking being cannot just ignore it or this vast universe for that matter. That is how God himself speaks to us through everything that exists. The Psalmist says: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19.1) and the Psalmist in that song goes on to say that silently, without audible words, deep down in our human consciousness they proclaim God.

This is how the wise man sees the world and admires its beauty; this is why tourists spend money and go far seeking adventure, beautiful sceneries etc., but if they fail to recognize God who speaks under them, then they are foolish indeed and it is like wasted speech or as they say in some of our vernaculars like blowing a trumpet close to a stone deaf person (Cf. Wisdom 13.1-9). What is the meaning of a beautiful, thick, evergreen forest? What does a desert with its miles and miles of undulating sand dunes say? What do the lush green paddy fields or the brown well laden wheat fields ready for harvest cry out? What is the meaning of the vast ocean or for that matter a violent storm or devastating earthquake or a raging forest fire say?

Are they just meaningless or do they convey a message? Further, if the being I come across is another human being and I just ignore and pass by without even acknowledging him/her, then it is almost insulting that being which is intelligent, intelligible i.e., knowable and crying silently to be recognized. But we human beings sometimes do not have time for others. We just ignore or worse still sometimes we begin to confront, quarrel, hate and wish that we had not met them. We look upon them as if they were a stumbling block on our way and forget that as beings created by God, they have a value which cannot be denied them because denying their value is denying the Wisdom of God himself who made them.