677. Why does nature itself provide for all the wants of animals?
“Everything in nature labors. The animals work as much as you do, but their work, like their intelligence, is limited to providing for their own survival. This is why labor does not lead to progress in animals, while among human beings it has a double purpose of preserving the body and developing thought – which is also necessary, and continually raises them to a higher level. When I say that the labor of animals is limited to their survival, I mean that this is their purpose in working. They unconsciously support the views of the Creator when they provide for their material needs. Their labor contributes to nature’s final end, although you often fail to realize its immediate result.”
