Fly View Productions/ iStock
Not often, but occasionally I see an article that I believe is worth sharing with those who may have similar likes as me. The following is reproduced from a Nice News (nicenews.com) subscription for non-commercial information purposes. Imho empathy is as essential to human life as the air we breath and hope you will find it as positive as I do…
|
|
The following article is intended for ‘good eggs’, pardon the pun. If it offends, I’m sorry sometimes the truth hurts, but it is still ‘truth’ that should be acknowledged.
Even a rudimentary research effort will help to answer the question, ‘is the celebration of Easter an insult to our Father in heaven? Even superficial research reveals the truth; ergo Encyclopedia Britanica states:
“The English name Easter is of uncertain origin; the Ang-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre.” Others link it to Astarte, the Phoenician fertility goddess who had the Babylonian counterpart Ishtar.
Hares, rabbits: These are symbols of fertility “handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of European and Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals.
The American Book of Days well describes the origin of Easter: “There is no doubt that the Church in its early days adopted the old pagan customs and gave a Christian meaning to them.”
My comments: The ‘adoption’ of a purely pagan custom by Churches of Christendom had the obvious political purpose of appealing to a far wider non-christian audience than the minority of purely bible-based Christians. To this day that fact holds true. So to answer the question; “Could Church ‘adoption’ have God’s blessing,” consider just one, of many, scriptural principles;
“a little leaven ferments the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9) In scripture, leaven being often used as a symbol of corruption! So you be the judge; Could the ‘adoption of pagan practices’, such as Easter, possibly have God’s approval, or is it more likely an insult to Him..?
The attraction of sports for us mortals is undeniable! In fact professional sports capture the attention of most of mankind, regardless of age, sex or ethnicity. The question I’d like to address is…why?
What is it within us that motivates such interest? Primarily an interest based on an inexplicable attraction to competition with and/or for a ‘ball’! Think about it; how many sporting activities require some form of a spherical object, a.k.a. ‘ball’; be it baseball, tennis, basketball, .lacrosse, golf, football, to name a few. We could add table tennis, volleyball and more. Could it be related to the fact that we live on a spherical planet? But I digress.
Besides that particular curiosity, my question is; “what is it about sporting competition that commands so much time and attention?” True; entertainment is a normal, even necessary, part of human life, a divergence from daily routines.
But does that fully explain the attraction to sports activities and competitions? I believe the underlying motivation is more basic, namely our psychological need for reality! What do I mean by that.?
We live in a world that could arguably be described as less than real, even ‘unreality!’ A world where truth and honesty are conspicuously lacking in politics, in religion, and in commercial enterprise. And that doesn’t even include movies, tv series and the like.In other words basic components of human society today are arguably ‘fictional’ in nature. Think about it; when was the last time you fully believed a politician, a clergyman, or the endless on-slot of commercial promotions? Indeed this world’s false reality may well explain why there are so many suicides.?
And now we have a new player on the block; AI, with even greater potential for creating such ‘unrealitiy’!
My point here is, Ironically; considering the facts, perhaps sports is a true blessings of reality from society today!
If you agree please indicate with a upvote. Thanks.
Venerable International Harvester 4×4
It was 1982 I think. We were living in a modernized log cabin in Rock Creek. Located halfway across B.C. close to the US border crossing at Midway. It was an 8+ acre property backing on the Kettle river, last pristine one in BC some said.
I had little or no experience as a farming type but was hoping to become self-reliant, much like the hippy movement preceding that time. So when my acreage grew a fairly profitable crop of hay, I hired a neighbor with a machine to bail it for a shared percentage. Then, with the help of a visiting friend, we stacked the hay in anticipation of sales.
Some hay did sell, but a fair amount remained unsold. Noticing a large old International 4×4 pickup truck for sale along the highway one day, I offered to swap hay for the truck, partly because hay was difficult to keep. Surprisingly we made a trade; the beginning of another real life adventure for me.
My oldest daughter had secured a job eight miles away in Midway, so it occurred to me I should trade that unused behemoth for something she could use for transportation to work.
So one cold clear winter day I struck out on a back road, (Highway 33 Kelowna to Rock Creek *) and soon realized that heavy old beast, likely with age-hardened tires, was completely unstable on that icy winter road! While transiting an elevated section at slow speed, it began to spin uncontrollably! With no way to stop it, I bailed out and helplessly watched, spell bound, as it slid off the road, almost in slow motion, thundered down a 25′ bank and came to a stop with a loud bang, slamming onto a large bolder!
That was just the beginning! First I tried to restart, but ironically the ignition key broke off! At that point I thought this was definitely not my day and the truck would be a write off. Not to mention traffic on that back road was few and far between in those days. Also day’s were short with temperatures below zero at that time of year. But surprisingly a tanker truck came by before long. Driver seeing the situation stopped, gratefully I related my plight including the broken key. (This is where the story becomes truly miraculous! )
Without a word of a lie, that tanker truck driver handed me a ring full of keys he said he had no more use for, and astonishing, one of the keys on that ring worked in my vehicle’s ignition, which started right up! However being wedged up on that large rock it would not move. The driver had waited, so I climbed aboard, only slightly optimistically of finding more help somewhere down the road.
Now several miles further along there was a rare off-road dwelling came into view, so I riskily offloaded in hopes of obtaining ‘any’ help. To my utter amazement the self-reliant owner offered exactly what I needed, namely a heavy solid steel pole not less than 6′ long and 2″ diameter! (I have no idea what its intended purpose was.)
Almost as miraculous as the ignition I soon thumbed a ride back to the truck with that large steel pole in a small, convertible Triumph sports car, with the top down! Indeed the top had to be down to accommodate that large steel pole. The driver was disregarding low temperatures, while enjoying a crystal blue daylight winter sky.
Returning to the crash site, I was soon able to leverage that old bullet proof truck off the bolder with the steel pole,* * started it up, and crawled parallel to the road until able to climb back onto it! I know this all must sound unbelievable, but I swear it is the truth. And there’s even more to this story!
To return the steel pole, I drove the several miles and pulled off in the lenders driveway. At that very moment there was a loud bang under the hood! Battery damage when the truck hit the rock cracked it open and caused it to explode, spraying battery acid all over the engine compartment! It instantly occurred to me that if that battery had exploded earlier, I would once again have been stranded!
At that point I thought my good fortune must surely have run its course, but wait.. On hearing my plight the generous homesteader told my to ‘go down to his basement and take any one of his spare batteries being kept on chargers’!!
Needless to say I was dumbfounded by all this unexpected help. In conclusion; I made it to Kelowna right at sundown and stayed overnight in a motel. The very next day I was able to substitute that old beast of a truck for a reliable old Mazda! (In fact that is yet another surprising story!) That car served my daughter well for transportation to her job in Midway.
* Hwy 33, Rock Creek to Kelowna, is now ‘greatly improved’ road.
** “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
Subscribe to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content.
Its probably safe to say no creature on earth is more flexible or adaptable than we humans. For example we live in every kind of earth’s environment, from Polar Arctic North to sub-Saharan South, and everywhere in between. Truly it can be said we are ‘designed’ for this planet in every way!
But writing this post is much more personal. It’s occurred to me in my senior years I’ve had a ‘very’ diverse life. Whether by hubris, overconfidence, or just plain boldness. Indeed during my years I’ve had experiences many could not even imagine.
There are those in this world who were raised by loving parents and grew up following the same path their parents did, spending their entire lives as ‘butcher, baker, or candle-stick makers’, poetically speaking. A wonderful choice, so long as it ‘was’ a choice, after all, even Jesus followed his earthly father’s vocation, learning to be a carpenter until his baptism.
However that was not so in my humble life, although in part I dd become a real estate Agent, as was my dad. However I began seeking new experiences at a very tender age. Perhaps it was partly because I didn’t receive a regular weekly or monthly ‘allowance’ many parents provide, at least or until I fulfilled certain household duties.
In fact I’ve done more than 20 different jobs from youth to retirement. From before an RCN Sailor, then real estate Agent/Appraiser/ Speculator, to Private Pilot and Airplane Owner, to Bylaw-enforcement Officer, Brewery Gatekeeper, RCMP Monitor, Registrar of Import Vehicles (RIV) border Clerk, to name a few.
Early on in while in elementary school I sold “Liberty” magazines from door to door for 5-10 cents, and delivered the Province newspapers for a short time. In junior high school I graduating to pin-setting in a bowling alley on weekends, traveling there on bicycle. From that time on there were many self-taught or on-the-job learned jobs, most didn’t require formal education. But that said, they were all my own choice!
My first full-time job was delivering cars back and forth from used car dealers to an upholstery shop using a detachable Harley motorcycle. Next was with the Pacific Coast Wood Pipe Company located under the Granville Street bridge, (where I learned Italian swear words from fellow workers!). I was 15 or 16 years old and commuted in my own vintage 1937 Plymouth coupe.
The point is that we all have an amazing flexibility and adaptability, often overlooked. Employment need not be lucrative, satisfaction should be the most important criteria. Conditions we happen to be born into should not restrict our employment choices, nor should religion!
True; not everyone in the world has the multiple options or roads to follow I did. Whether you are one of those people, I encourage you to trust in the flexible future God has promised, a future where everyone will have unlimited opportunity’s! Please visit JW.org for further information.
And my posting here: From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained!
There is no doubt the Taliban, now taken control in Afghanistan, are even more convinced that God is on their side! How very typical this is of humans throughout all of history, no matter how great or small the ruling empire may have been, or how many people they ruled over, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Romans, British or American, just to name a few, all share this one religious thought; ‘God is on my side!’
Of course this is not the exclusive concept of governments alone. How many times have huberistic individuals or groups e.g. ‘religions‘ made similar claims?!
Well I’ve got news for all forms of independent human nationalism* the one and only true God and father of mankind Himself declares he is ‘not on your side‘! Not yesterday, not today, not ever!
Of course its true God guided and protected the nation of Israel as long as they remained obedient to His laws and principles. It’s also true in ancient times he directed military conquests, primarily to punish nations’. But that said, by no means can it be claimed that He has been ‘on-side’ with imperfect human government agenda’s.
Note the clear distinction here is being ‘on-side’ with God, not the other way around!
How can I be so sure? Of course the historical failures of virtually all human governments confirms this fact, but please read on;
First; consider the universally admitted fact that ‘we’ (namely all mankind) ‘are imperfect.’ If anyone doubts this basic truth please raise your hand!?
Second; similarly, why would God, our heavenly Father, support continuous changes of imperfect human governments, much less never ending wars and conflicts between them?
Third; as mentioned, if God actually supported a particular human government, why have not one of them successfully brought lasting ‘peace and security’ to its subjects , much less fair and equitable distribution of material benefits to its subjects, no matter how long it lasted!?
No ‘the jury is not out’. The plain fact is God has an agenda for establishing ‘His’ government! A government that will rule the entire earth and bring true peace and security for all who adopt it. Those who refuse to subject themselves to that just and righteous government will simply be no more, that is his true purpose, as it was specifically described by his son, Jesus.
* Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression. (Albert Einstein)
Please visit my post: Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained!
For more in depth scriptural information visit: JW.org
What’s it like to view the earth from outside the space station? After 9 spacewalks NASA astronaut Mike Fincke puts it this way;”…seeing the whole cosmos of creation….it’s just awe-inspiring”.*
However, the focus since mankind has achieved ability to circle the earth in orbit, has arguably become the exploration of other planets, including the moon. So my question is ‘why’? Hasn’t it become abundantly obvious to all thinking people, the earth, often called ‘mother earth’* is the very special, very specific, home of mankind?
Just how much scientific, factual. evidence is needed to verify this very basic, very obvious, truth?!
Exploration is apparently a natural trait of humans. However as has often been said; we actually know less about what’s in deep ocean waters than we do about near space! Doesn’t that suggest the great emphasis on space exploration is a strange, even ‘unnatural’ bias for major exploration efforts?
(quotation) “Maybe the most amazing fact about Earth is that it’s the only planet we know that supports life at all. A lot of things had to go right for this to be possible. For one, our planet is perfectly distanced from the sun in what scientists call “the Goldilocks zone,” because it’s not too hot and not too cold. The Earth is also protected from solar radiation thanks to its magnetic field, and kept warm by an insulating blanket we call the atmosphere. And most important, it has the right building blocks for life — mainly water and carbon.”
Take note of this quote by ethnobotanist and anthropologist Wade Davis:
“The fact that carbon dioxide combines with water, sparked by photons of light, to give us the food we eat and air we breathe – That’s the formula of life“ (i.e. learning how the Kreb’s cycle converts the sugars assembled by photosynthesis into cellular energy through aerobic respiration, ‘was a mracle to me!)
If we are truly curious to learn more about life, why not focus our attention on life on our wondrous, beautiful, even mysterious planet, instead of making haste to explore other planets, planets so far proven to be completely lacking in the countless features of our earth, not to mention any form of life.? * And all such efforts creating serious, if not dangerous, competition between nations no less!
If you had a house needing repairs, but it was still fundamentally sound, would you simply ignore it to pursue some other far less attractive place in a hostile neighborhood?
No, the logic of space exploration, as stimulating as that may be for some, simply does not meet the litmus test of sanity! But then what grandiose human activity ever has? E.g. consider the ongoing environmental damage caused by the industrial revolution with all its now known attendant detrimental consequences to the environment! And we don’t even want to think about the ‘nuclear age’, or as yet untold damage resulting from the computer age! E.g. consider this…
In 1946 the United States chose the South Pacific Bikini Atoll as a test site to detonate 23 nuclear bombs, obviously that caused the destruction of three of the islands and left a radioactivity that even today makes it impossible to live there.
Isn’t that clear evidence governments’ are complicit in destroying planet Earth? Yet there is a genuine hope for the future, not by the hands of mankind, rather in spite of mankind!
Indeed the Creator of this beautiful ‘blue marble’ well knows how to restore his perfect creation, to remove those who are exploiting and causing shameful environmental damage! * *
Notes: “…his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship,..” (Romans 1:20)
* Indeed the expression ‘mother earth’ may be quite apropos’ given all components of the human body are most likely only found on earth – including 60% water.
* “…Mars is effectively one big desert.” (the words of Professor Rabinovich, Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey)
In His (God’s) own reliable prophetic words: * “….look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind….“ (Isaiah 65:17) …“and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) Thanks for viewing,
The Book of life…
Earth is a book, our Mother indeed,
chapters are seasons, timely to read.
Plans for all life, real pages to turn.
Cover to cover, lessons to learn.
Noble blue marble, a world in decline,
soon to be fixed by He who designed!
please see my other posts:” Our Creators’ Art! and “Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained!“
** “Nature is the art of God.” (Dante Alighieri)
There exists a symbiotic relationship between humans and animals. We only need to hear heartfelt, passionate, experiences of pet owners to confirm this truth! That we share genetics, perhaps even physical features in some cases, with other living creatures on earth is undeniable.* And who has not been humored by similarities, even resemblances to human characteristics in many plants and animals, including marine animals? (Bird of Paradise; Orchid Owl; and many more are not a fake pictures)
(dozens more examples of Flowers that mimic humans!)
No doubt those similarities contribute to belief in evolution, it’s one reason for the ongoing effort to develop that arguably overworked theory. Admittedly, evolution may superficially appear to explain similarities between humans and other life forms on earth. But is such reasoning the ‘only’ logical conclusion possible? I invite you to consider an alternative line of reasoning.
Consider famous artists, like Van Gogh, Michelangelo, or Leonardo Da Vinci. It doesn’t even take an expert to identify their particular works of art. Experts, or even qualified laymen can readily identify their distinctive style, subject matter, canvass, brush strokes, techniques and more!
I submit for your consideration, that, similarly, all life on earth is likewise a perfectly identifiable product of a single creative Artist! His distinctive style, brush strokes, and ‘living subjects’, being fully recognizable throughout the earth. In fact, the common DNA of ALL life, greatly adds to the credibility of this line of reasoning! More and more it has been revealed that genetic building blocks of DNA are, not only common, but ‘nearly identical’ to all other life forms. Yes all life on earth is based on the very same DNA constructs!
This is far different from the concept each individual life form is an accidental result of some unidentifiable force of necessity. It is not an over-simplification to say that, to the extent that geneticists have been so far able to analyze DNA/RNA, amazingly, there are only minor differences to account for all the diversity of life on earth! Yes we all share a very common basic makeup, from man to plants and animals! Simple comparisons might be an auto assembly line producing many different models of cars using the very same construction methods, or Lego blocks used to build an unlimited number of designs. Of course the building DNA strands of life are immeasurably more complex than those simple examples!
The point is, just as works produced by famous artists clearly identify those creative geniuses, fundamental makeup of all life forms on earth provides a major identifying mark for a singular, incomparable, Artist-Creator! For more detailed DNA information go to my post: Evolution vs Facts All that said, there are distinct differences between humans and all other forms of life on earth. As the ultimate Artist-Sculptor he’s made mankind the ‘apex production’ of his earthly works, how? By generously granting humans qualities in his very own likeness! You might say we are, spiritually, his self-portrait in love, wisdom, justice, and power! Clearly every form of life has unique features, abilities, and appearances to it alone. Yet we need to acknowledge human capabilities exceed all other life forms on earth. For example; ‘conscience; and free will’!
While those exceptional and unique characteristics have been suppressed and eroded by the many adverse conditions today, there is no denying they do exist from the day we are born. And when properly trained they provide a supreme separation from the animal kingdom granted by our Artist-Creator. In conclusion I want to emphasize a known common fundamental makeup of all life on earth provides strong evidence of an awesome ‘Artistic Creator’ **. One who not only designed endless forms of life using genetic programming only beginning to be understood by mankind, but at the same time he’s granted humans superior attributes in His very own likeness, plus a free will to develop them!
* Contributed comment:
“It is interesting that in some basic ways all animal creation follows a closely designed formula with overlapping characteristics. Eat, drink, eliminate, cohabit, bring forth offspring, etc., yet humans are several notches above… and consciously worship, design, plan, innovate, improve, etc. Is..life on earth designed? Only the uninformed would say no! What about our future,… only the uninformed would say it has been left to chance in the hands of problematic human creations that seem to not recognize limits…”
Ergo: “For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship, so that they are inexcusable.” (Romans 1:20)
Please visit JW.org for more encouraging information!
What we will never know, and what we can know!
Please Note; this post is for the scientifically minded, and not just for everyone! Excerpts are credited to a post by Ryan F. Mandelbaum (with added comments from this blogger)
Mr Mandelbaum is a science communicator specializing in quantum computing and birds:
There is a realm the laws of physics forbid us from accessing, below the resolving power of our most powerful microscopes and beyond the reach of our most sensitive telescopes. There’s no telling what might exist there.
Since the beginning of human inquiry, there have been limits to our observing abilities. Quantum mechanics and the Standard Model of Particle Physics have worked wonders at clarifying what goes on inside of atoms. However, with each of these successful theories comes hard-and-fast limits to our observing abilities. Today, these limits seem to define true boundaries to our knowledge.
On the large end, there is a speed limit that caps what we can see. It hampers any hope for us to observe most of our universe first-hand. The speed of light is more than just a speed limit. So we must contend with several horizons beyond which we can’t interact.
Another boundary lives on the other end of the scale called the ‘Planck scale’, the smallest meaningful numbers that quantum mechanics allows us to define. Zoom in between molecules, into the center of atoms, deep into their nuclei and into the quarks that make up their protons and neutrons. It’s a built-in limit to our understanding of the universe.
These fundamental limits, large and small, present clear barriers to our knowledge.
Our theories tell us that we will never directly observe what lies beyond these cosmic horizons or what structures exist smaller than the Planck scale. However, the answers to some of the grandest questions we ask ourselves might exist beyond those very walls. Why and how did the universe begin? What lies beyond our universe? Why do things look and act the way that they do? Why do things exist? Exploring the unanswerable belongs to philosophy or religion.
Walls that stop us from easily answering our deepest questions about the universe… well, they don’t feel very nice to think about. But offering some comfort is the fact that 93 billion light-years is very big, and 10^-35 meters is very small. Between the largest and the smallest is a staggering space full of things we don’t but ‘theoretically can know’.
Through a variety of tests on Earth and throughout the universe, physicists have measured no changes in time or space for any of the fundamental constants of nature.
There are 28 numbers that completely determine all the physics of the known universe. In many experiments, nobody has ever observed any variation in the fundamental constants. While physicists continue to search for a new theory to replace the incompatible Standard Model and general relativity, it appears that the constants we know and love are here to stay.
Indeed, some things may always be beyond human knowledge. For example the Bible teaches:
“By faith we perceive that the systems of things were put in order by God’s word, so that what is seen has come into existence from things that are not visible.” (Hebrews 11:3), also that God exists “from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 90:2) In other words, God had no beginning and will have no end. From a human point of view, “the number of his years is beyond (human) comprehension.” (Job 36:26) and finally “…we will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
Please visit my post; “From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained!” https://wp.me/pWQGc-JU
New2view's Blog 
