When Aristotle observed that “nature abhors a vacuum,” he was describing the physical world: how air and water rush in to fill an empty space. Modern science confirms that a true void is nearly impossible, for matter and energy always move to restore balance.
But the phrase also carries a deeper meaning. As one writer put it, “The human soul will not be content with emptiness. If we do not fill it with what is good, it will soon be filled with what is not.” Just as nature resists emptiness, so too do our minds and hearts. A space within us will not remain empty for long — it invites something to enter, whether uplifting or harmful.
When a void opens in life — through loss, change, or transition — something will inevitably move in to fill it. If we leave it unattended, it may be taken over by unhealthy habits, toxic influences, regret, or despair. But we are not powerless: we can choose what takes root. Nothing is permanent, but the act of choosing gives us ownership of what fills our lives.
The Bahá’í Writings offer a profound suggestion: “Love is the secret that fills all voids, that heals all wounds, that gives meaning to all existence.”
And so the lesson is clear: if you do not choose, life will choose for you. To recognise this truth is to take part in nature’s wisdom — to fill the empty spaces of our lives not with noise or distraction, but with what uplifts, sustains, and brings peace.
