Prayer is all over space. The stars are prayerful, the trees are prayerful the oceans are prayerful. Except for man, the whole of existence is always in a state of prayer; only man needs to move toward it consciously.

And it is for a certain reason: man is the only conscious animal, hence he has a choice. He can fall out of the natural flow of existence, or he can become part of it. No other animal has that freedom. The birds in the morning are not singing out of their own choice, they are simply singing instinctively. The trees are prayerful and the mountains are prayerful, but that prayer is just a natural phenomenon.

Man’s dignity is that he can choose to be prayerful — but that can also become his fall because he can also choose not to be prayerful. Man is always at the crossroads: each step and there is a choice, each step and you can go wrong or right. When sadness and cheerfulness confront you, always choose cheerfulness. When seriousness and playfulness confront you, always choose playfulness. And remember: we become whatsoever we choose. It is simply a question of choice.