Moltman, in his book The Living God and the Fullness of Life, reminded me of a beautiful call in Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamasov. I’ll include a brief portion of Moltmann’s set up and then the Dostoevsky quote:
Participation in the life of the earth leads to a feeling for the universal life. This new earthly spirituality awakes cosmic humility, which takes the place of the modern arrogance of power, and which is reflected in the dominance over nature. Every serious scientist knowns this cosmic humility in astonishment over the unexplored mysteries of nature (as long as he or she does not intend to “market” his or her discoveries). Another characteristic is cosmic love, which the Starez Sosima expresses in Doestoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamasov,
Love the whole creation, all of it and every grain of sand. Love every little leaf, every ray of God’s light. Love the animals, love the plants, love every single thing. If you love very single thing, then God’s mystery in them will be revealed to you. Once it is revealed to you, then you will perceive it more and more every day. And in the end you will love the whole universe with an all-comprehensive love.
Jurgen Moltmann, The Living God and the Fullness of Life, 2015, p. 84-85.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov I, book 6.
Note: Moltmann is also noting Richard Bauckham’s work Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation and his concept of “cosmic humility.”