ORGANISING ACTIVITY 73 



The life of the forest thus forms a whole. Indi- 

 viduals have their due allowance of freedom. But 

 they are kept together in a whole. Running 

 through the individuals in their ensemble, binding 

 them together, in spite of the tether they are 

 allowed, must therefore be some kind of Organising 

 Activity. We cannot look into that marvellous 

 forest life without seeing that at the back of it, 

 working all the way through it, controlling, 

 guiding, inspiring every movement, is some 

 dominating Activity, which, while allowing indi- 

 viduals freedom for experimenting by the process 

 of trial and error, yet keeps them all bound together 

 as a whole. And when we note the evidence of 

 purposiveness everywhere so abundant, we cannot 

 resist the conclusion that this Activity also gives 

 direction. 



It is not necessary to suppose that this Activity 

 emanates from any thing or person outside Nature. 

 It may perfectly well exercise its control and 

 guidance from within — ^just as the activity which is 

 " I " controls, consciously or unconsciously, directly 

 or indirectly, the movements and actions of every 

 particle of which "my" body is made up. But 

 what we cannot but assume is that throughout this 

 prolific and marvellously varied forest life, through 

 eveiy tiny plant and every forest giant, through 

 every leaf and petal, through each little insect and 

 every bird and butterfly, through the wild beasts of 

 the jungle, the wary forest folk, and the most cul- 

 tured men — through each and all and the whole in 

 its coUectedness there runs some kind of unifying 

 Activity, holding the whole together, ordering all, 



