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#Post#: 3848--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 12, 2019, 10:22 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 9:13-16 . .This thing too I observed under the sun
about wisdom, and it affected me profoundly. There was a little
city, with few men in it; and to it came a great king, who
surrounded it and built mighty siege works against it. Residing
in the city was a poor wise man who might have saved it with his
wisdom, but nobody thought of that poor man. So I observed:
Wisdom is better than valor; but a poor man's wisdom is scorned,
and his words are not heeded.
A pity that the truly wise are not always famous nor widely
respected; whereas the boastful, the narcissistic, the
achievers, and the ambitious always seem to find ample public
opportunity to express their opinions, and ways to get them
implemented.
Can you define the difference between a statesman and a
politician? A statesman has his country's, and his countrymen's,
best interests to heart. A politician has only his own and/or
his party's best interests to heart. Very few statesmen wield
power in the USA. Judging by current events, and recent
political scandals, it's mostly the politicians who are running
things.
Has a particular politician ever made you angry? Has a
particular political body ever made a decision that, to you,
seems they have mental illness and/or have forgotten to take
their medication? Have you ever wished that you were there to
make that critical decision? Maybe there were some issues that
troubled you. Maybe the person holding office is voting in such
a way as to hurt your district, harm your state and/or ruin your
country. If so, perhaps you'd like to run for political office.
You might begin by reading every available article on local
and/or state government. You could also make a habit of catching
the local evening news so as not to miss a report on a
particular bill or hot political topic. You could also begin
talking and discussing your political ideas with others every
chance you get.
However, unless you have access to millions of dollars, you can
forget running for either the US President, the US Senate, or
State Governor. The poor cannot run for office no matter how
wise and capable they might be because wisdom and ability do not
count in politics. Political office is typically only for the
powerful, the influential, and for those who have very rich
friends and the support of very large special interests.
Government and big business may seem like strange bedfellows,
but in this USA of ours, their collusion is simply the way
things are.
● Ecc 9:17 . .The words of the wise heard in quietness are
better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
Unfortunately, the words of the wise are all too often heard in
private. They seldom have a large public audience because the
wise are neither popular, nor charismatic. The masses want to be
entertained by a silver-tongued speaker of grand verbiage and a
promoter of impossible social agendas. Bombastic plans for the
future seem to be the tried and true method of every successful
politician. They offer hope you can believe in; but in reality,
all they actually have to offer are impossible ideals.
_
#Post#: 3881--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 13, 2019, 9:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 9:18 . .Wisdom is more valuable than weapons of war,
but a single error destroys much of value.
Although wisdom may have more value than a cruise missile, it
isn't nearly as effective as that weapon in its purpose. It
should be noted that a cruise missile isn't launched
indiscriminately; but usually launched only after the wisdom of
diplomacy has run its course and left the wisdom of warfare no
choice but to do its thing; and it's thing these days can be the
destruction of an entire city by just one bomb.
Equipment and munitions, no matter how sophisticated nor how
destructive, are wasted in the hands of those untrained and
unskilled in their use. So wisdom and weapons of war work
together for a victory. But obviously wisdom is the more
valuable of the two because it is through wisdom that war
materiel is employed to its best effect.
President John F. Kennedy once commented in a speech: Every man
woman and child is under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by
the slenderest thread, capable of being cut at any moment by
accident, miscalculation, or by madness.
In other words, geniuses figured out how to harness fission, but
its application is sometimes subject to the arbitrary discretion
of fools and Murphy's law.
A really good example of a single error destroying much of value
was a 1998 NASA Mars robotic probe that failed to achieve its
intended orbit around Mars due to ground-based computer software
which produced output in non-SI units of pound (force)-seconds
(lbf·s) instead of the SI units of newton-seconds (N·s)
specified in the contract between NASA and Lockheed.
As a result of that one software boo-boo; the spacecraft
encountered Mars on a trajectory that brought it too close to
the planet, causing it to pass through the upper atmosphere and
disintegrate. All the ingenious designing and engineering that
went into constructing a perfectly good orbiter, and getting it
out to Mars, went for naught.
Another good example was the Hubble Space Telescope flub. Nobody
physically tested the Hubble's optics before sending the machine
into near-earth orbit because a computer model convinced the
telescope's makers that everything was okay as-is and needed no
testing. As a result, Hubble's initial data produced images
little better than those seen by an elderly person with
cataracts. Ouch!
_
#Post#: 3907--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 14, 2019, 8:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 10:1 . . Dead insects will cause even a bottle of
perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a
pound of wisdom and honor.
Before the wonders of modern chemistry, perfumes were made (and
many still are) from animal and vegetable sources. Those, being
all-natural, in a day prior to modern preservatives, could spoil
if the perfumer wasn't careful to keep his product protected
from exposure to temperature, insects, dirt, moisture, and other
contaminants. All the skills and patience and knowledge
exercised in the making of expensive scents could be completely
annulled by simply forgetting to put the cap back on a jar.
Anyway, Ecc 10:1 certainly rings true in this day and age as the
Roman Catholic Church's credibility steadily goes down the tubes
because of its ongoing pedophilia scandals aggravated by its
deplorable cover-ups.
And we shouldn't forget to mention law enforcement officers
stepping out of character to take bribes, commit murder,
robbery, theft, kidnapping, assault, battery, and rape.
The media is very attuned to the principle of Ecc 10:1. There
isn't a day goes by that they don't grab every opportunity to
criticize a US President and/or their family in order to
discredit the man and make Americans lose confidence in his
executive abilities.
● Ecc 10:2 . . A wise man's mind tends toward the right
hand, a fool's toward the left.
The right hand is the most useful and dexterous of the two
hands. (at least for right-handed people anyway). It swings
hammers and it writes letters. It pulls back the bow string, and
it wields the sword and axe. It holds your cup of coffee, and it
stirs cake mix. So to put your mind towards your right hand is
to make your mind the leader in your efforts; in contrast to the
fool who doesn't bother taking time to think anything through
before charging ahead. The fool leaves behind him a wake of
errors; and is always learning things the hard way. His favorite
(full time) university is the School Of Hard Knocks. Pity, but
it seems to be the only way he ever learns anything.
● Ecc 10:3 . . A fool's mind is also wanting when he
travels, and he lets everybody know he is a fool.
For some strange reason, the average male doesn't like to ask
for directions when he travels. Women usually don't mind at all
because they want to get where they're going. The men want to
get there too, but they don't want to get there as wimpy men;
they want to find their own way there as macho men. They prefer
to think of themselves as commandos, patrol leaders: map and
compass experts. So they often end up lost and turned around
because their male ego will not permit them to let somebody
(especially wives and girlfriends) help them find the way.
And then there are people who don't prepare for emergencies when
they travel. They don't bring a car blanket, no paper towels, no
tarp, no flares, no water, no first aid supplies, no flashlight,
no food, their spare tire is flat, nor have they a clue how to
install their car's tire chains (that is; if they even have a
set) and they try to get by all year long on regular tires
rather than go to the trouble of purchasing and installing
seasonal tires.
● Ecc 10:4 . . If the wrath of a lord flares up against
you, don't give up your post; for when wrath abates, grave
offenses are pardoned.
It is amazing how time has a way of healing things, and making
people's anger dissipate. If your boss blows his top at you for
something or other and rakes you over the coals, don't lose
heart and quit your job just yet. He'll cool off after a while
and soon be back to his old self again. Sooner or later, the
boss himself will trip up and do something stupid like sexual
harassment or creating a hostile workplace; thus putting himself
in the awkward position of owing you one. Then you'll be even,
and can go on as if nothing ever happened; and he'll be very
glad you didn't do something rash like haul him down to the
Equal Employment Opportunity office and make an issue of his
professional conduct.
_
#Post#: 3952--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 16, 2019, 3:42 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 10:5-6 . . Here is an evil I have seen under the sun
as great as an error committed by a ruler: Folly was placed on
lofty heights, while rich men sat in low estate. I have seen
slaves on horseback, and nobles walking on the ground like
slaves.
That is more a contrast between the nature of two types of
character than actual estate. A good biblical example of what
Solomon is talking about can be seen at Acts 23:23-24:27; where
Paul the apostle mounted his defense against the accusations of
his Jewish enemies before a Roman governor named Felix.
Felix wasn't born into nobility. No, he was actually an
emancipated slave who worked himself up to rank by craftiness
and cruelty. Felix ruled, not with a nobleman's mentality, but
with a slave's. Tacitus, Hist. 5, says this of Felix: Per omnem
saevitiam ac libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit --
"He used royal power with a servile genius, and in connection
with all the varieties of cruelty and lust."
Felix should have been judged by Paul, not the other way around.
As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the
judgment to come, Felix became nervous and said: That's enough
for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send
for you. (Acts 24:25)
Felix's wife, Drusilla, was a piece of work herself. Her father
was Herod Agrippa 1, the one who ordered the death of James the
brother of John (Acts 12:2). Her great uncle, another Herod,
ordered the Lord's cousin John beheaded (Mk 6:27). And last but
not least, her great grandfather was the infamous Herod who
ordered the slaughter of pre-schoolers. (Matt 2:16)
● Ecc 10:8-9 . . He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a
serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries
stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be
endangered by them.
Anyone who's ever chopped kindling, already knows how easy it is
for sticks of wood to fly up into your face from a blow of the
axe.
One of the most dangerous jobs up here in the northwest is
logging. There's ten ways from Sunday to get yourself injured
logging. Chain saws rip men, loose boughs called widow-makers
fall on their heads, cables called chokers sometimes catch the
men and crush their hands, tear them in half or pull an arm or
leg off their bodies; falling trees lurch and skid rearwards off
the stump to hit the logger if he forgets to stand off to the
side. They are constantly tripping and falling, getting
scratched, bitten by bugs, yelled at, cursed, and threatened by
the Bull of the woods (their foreman).
Should men stop logging because it's dangerous? Should they stop
digging trenches for pipelines because sometimes the trenches
cave in? Should they stop tearing down old buildings for new
shopping malls and apartment houses because there might be a
rattler, or a scorpion, or a brown recluse spider in the rubble?
No. All those hazards just quite naturally come with the turf.
Blue collar men are constantly in danger. But a wise worker will
pay attention in safety meetings, and put into practice what's
he's taught so he doesn't inadvertently kill himself in the
process of bringing home the bacon. My boss always said: Cliff;
I don't care if you get killed on the job just so long as you do
it safely. (chuckle) That's one of the paradoxes of the blue
collar world. Safe working practices save many lives and limbs;
but none are fool proof.
● Ecc 10:10 . . If the axe has become dull and he has not
whetted the edge, he must exert more strength. Thus the
advantage of a skill [depends on the exercise of] prudence.
We have a saying in the blue collar world: Work smarter, not
harder. Many times a job can be facilitated by just simply
taking the time to go and get the right tool instead of
struggling to make do with the wrong one. But men can be
stubborn; and are sometimes careless, lazy and/or in a hurry;
with predictable results.
_
#Post#: 3961--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 17, 2019, 11:12 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 10:11 . . If the snake bites because no spell was
uttered, no advantage is gained by the trained charmer.
That continues the thought from verse 10; "Thus the advantage of
a skill [depends on the exercise of] prudence."
Trained snake charmers lose control over cobras when they fail
to exercise the snake charming skills they learned in training.
Charmers can't just sit there and do nothing. The snake might
strike and end the show before the charmer gets any money from
his audience. That principle obviously applies in just about any
area of life where skills (and prudence) are required to produce
results; like driving a car, SCUBA diving, banking, typing,
sewing, cooking, rock climbing, welding . . whatever. Trainings
and skills are only valuable when they're applied and put to
use.
● Ecc 10:12-14a . . A wise man's talk brings him favor,
but a fool's lips are his undoing. His talk begins as silliness
and ends as disastrous madness. Yet the fool talks and talks!
There are some shows on television that I simply cannot endure
because the hosts are so rude and disorderly; for example The
View, and Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kopb. Those people
continually interrupt each other and hardly let the others
complete a sentence before blurting out their own thoughts; and
many times all are talking at once with a din that reminds me of
a chicken house with all the birds clucking and squawking in an
incoherent cacophony.
For some people, every conversation is either a filibuster or a
monologue: they do all the talking. I used to work with a young
man who not only talked very fast, but with a pretty fair amount
of animated arm waving and head tossing to go with it. He had a
maddening habit of never finishing one topic at a time. In mid
sentence he would branch off to another; leaving the first
incomplete. His conversation was like that continually and the
effect was nerve jangling because your mind was constantly
shifting gears trying to keep up with each new train of his
erratic thoughts.
People's words are like pools of water. Some are very deep; yet
so clear that you can see all the way down. Others are shallow,
but alas, so murky that you cannot see even one inch below the
surface.
● Ecc 10:14b . . A man cannot know what will happen; who
can tell him what the future holds?
Well . . some people seem to know about everything. No matter
what topic comes up in conversation, they have something to
share about it as if you were the student, and they the master;
and they are prolific with rash predictions about this and about
that.
● Ecc 10:15 . . A fool's exertions tire him out, for he
doesn't know how to get to a town.
(chuckle) There's a modern colloquialism similar to that one: So
and so is so dumb that he doesn't know his right hand from his
left. Or: He wouldn't be able to find his nose if it wasn't
attached to his face. That's the general impression
bucket-mouths make upon their victims.
"Sooner meet a bereaved she-bear than a fool with his nonsense."
(Pro 17:12)
"A knowledgeable man is sparing with his words; a man of
understanding is reticent. Even a fool, if he keeps silent, is
deemed wise-- intelligent, if he seals his lips." (Pro 17:27-28)
It isn't necessary to be an aged wizard like Gandalf to be truly
wise because wisdom isn't really measured by a person's age.
It's measured in good sense. Frodo the Hobbit, although young
and inexperienced, is wise in his own way. Some of his friends
are imbeciles. But not Frodo. Although he enjoys a good time as
well as any of his peers, Frodo is careful to avoid stupidity.
Because he exercises a considerable amount of self control,
Frodo is the only inhabitant of Middle Earth who can be trusted
to bear the one ring that rules them all.
_
#Post#: 3983--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 18, 2019, 11:11 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 10:16a . .Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad
It is a very sad time in a country's progress when the young are
getting their own way. God is known for punishing Moses' people
by saddling them with immature leadership and with disrespect
for senior citizens. Some see lowering the USA voting age to 18
as progress and a step in the right direction. The Bible would
see it as an evidence of America's decadence.
"He will destroy all the nation's leaders-- the heroes,
soldiers, judges, prophets, diviners, elders, army officers,
honorable citizens, advisers, skilled magicians, and expert
enchanters. Then he will appoint children to rule over them, and
anarchy will prevail. People will take advantage of each other--
man against man, neighbor fighting neighbor. Young people will
revolt against authority, and nobodies will sneer at honorable
people." (Isa 3:2-5)
Children's activities, like little league baseball and cub
scouts, need adult supervision. Kids, no matter how intelligent,
just haven't the maturity to rule either themselves or others.
Management of lands and peoples requires a degree of maturity,
experience, and self discipline; which is why it's totally
stupid to lower the voting age instead of raising it especially
when the new 21 in America is now somewhere around 26, and where
civil disobedience is thought to be patriotic, and where
parent-demeaning sitcoms rate high in television programming.
● Ecc 10:16b-17 . . and whose princes feast in the
morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and
whose princes eat at the appropriate time-- for strength, and
not for drunkenness.
The word for "princes" is from sar (sar) which means: a head
person of any rank or class-- captains, chiefs, generals,
governors, keepers, lords, taskmasters, monarchs, kings,
magnates, barons, czars, foremen, supervisors, etc.
A hearty breakfast of pancakes, fruit, and cereal wouldn't be
considered feasting. But a banquet, replete with alcohol, so
early in the day, would have to be construed as indulgence. Here
in America, where we have so much, overeating is a big problem.
Many of us don't eat because we're hungry. No, we eat for
recreation: simply because we like food. You want to see true
hunger? Just look at the plight of the people of Afghanistan.
Many of them are eating grass, insects, and soil just to have
something in their stomachs.
Overeating is not the same as gluttony. Real gluttony is where
revelers stuff themselves then regurgitate it so they can
continue. But chronic overeating can be evidence of the possible
presence of other vices. There used to be an old saying that
chubby people are the happiest people. But we now know that
over-eating is often the result of psychological problems like
depression and anxiety disorders. Is that the kind of people we
need in positions of leadership? I seriously doubt it.
● Ecc 10:18-19 . .Through slothfulness the ceiling sags,
through lazy hands the house caves in. They make a banquet for
revelry; wine makes life merry, and money answers every need.
People with vices often put a higher priority upon satisfying
their appetites for sex, food, substances, and gambling than
taking care of business. Drug addicts often lose their jobs for
non-productivity and tardiness. Some lose their friends, and
their mental health. Gamblers risk the loss of their homes,
credit ratings, and bank accounts. Binge eaters risk heart
attacks, strokes, and hardening of the arteries. Smokers risk
cancer, premature aging, and high blood pressure. And addicts on
meth risk losing their teeth. The best time to break a bad habit
is before it starts.
_
#Post#: 4022--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 19, 2019, 8:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 10:20 . . Do not revile the king even in your
thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of
the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report
what you say.
The word for "revile" is from qalal (kaw-lal'); and basically
means: to belittle, vilify, despise or express contempt for
someone. It can also mean to wish (either in your heart or out
loud) for someone's misfortune, or to hope they experience some
sort of harm, calamity, and/or injury.
Vilifying the rich is one thing; but vilifying those that employ
you in their business is quite another and can possibly lead to
the loss of a promotion, or even your job.
Solomon's advice on this point is extremely valuable; and the
practice of discretion is an outstanding social skill. It never
seems to fail, that when friends get together, some begin airing
petty grievances against their supervisors. Of course they
wouldn't dare do this if any of the supervisors' friends were
around; but they make the common mistake of assuming their
friends are all loyal, and can keep a secret, and protect them
from scandal. But you just never know who among your friends
might be wearing two faces; and looking for an opportunity to
curry favor with the very person you just now ran into the
ground.
Even the walls can quite literally have ears. Here's how. One
year, we were on vacation and staying at a friend's home in the
town where we were. Well, one evening as my wife and I were
planning our itinerary for the next day, I complained that the
day would be ruined if our host wanted to come with us. Guess
what? Their home had central heating and every room was equipped
with a vent that connected to the main ductwork; which quite
effectively carried sounds to every room in the house like a
tubular telegraph system. Our host overheard everything we said.
_
#Post#: 4038--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 20, 2019, 9:56 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 11:1-2 . . Send your bread forth upon the waters;
for after many days you will find it. Distribute portions to
seven or even to eight, for you cannot know what misfortune may
occur on earth.
In Solomon's opinion; a well-rounded person is charitable.
Altruism is one of those characteristics that should be included
in everyone's social résumé; and makes us a better person for
it. Nowadays, college aspirants have to put in some time
benefiting their communities in some way because it looks good
on a college application.
They say charity begins at home. From there, it moves on out
into the neighborhood, and ultimately into the world: foreign
aid for example. Some people object to foreign aid because it
drains American resources badly needed on the home front. But
drain or not, it's a good policy. Not only is it humanitarian,
and therefore morally right; but you just never know when
America herself will be down and out and the very people who
were down on their luck that we assisted with weapons, food,
technology, and medicine, might one day reciprocate and help us
out in some way.
"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves,
so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal
dwellings." (Luke 16:9)
America is sometimes accused of buying friends with foreign aid,
and no doubt some of that is true. But not always. And even if
it were 100% true; so what? You don't need to love people to be
charitable. It makes good sense to build yourself a base of good
will just in case you need a favor some day. People you have
helped are more inclined to help you back than those you
ignored; and in this big bad world, you need all the friends you
can get.
_
#Post#: 4059--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 21, 2019, 1:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 11:3-6 . . If the clouds are filled, they will pour
down rain on the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or to
the north, the tree will stay where it falls. If one watches the
wind, he will never sow; and if one observes the clouds, he will
never reap.
. . . Just as you do not know how the life-breath passes into
the limbs within the womb of the pregnant woman, so you cannot
foresee the actions of God, who causes all things to happen. Sow
your seed in the morning, and don’t hold back your hand in the
evening, since you don’t know which is going to succeed, the one
or the other, or if both are equally good.
Just about any mention of a "God" in the book of Ecclesiastes is
superficial rhetoric, and has nothing to do with genuine faith.
What Solomon is saying is: If people waited until all the
conditions were just right, life would pass them by. In other
words: Life is a risk. Take it.
● Ecc 11:7-8 . . How sweet is the light, what a delight
for the eyes to behold the sun! Even if a man lives many years,
let him enjoy himself in all of them, remembering how many the
days of darkness are going to be. The only future is
nothingness!
We know from the revealed portions of scripture that the future
is definitely not darkness and nothingness. But from the point
of view of the man under the sun, one's existence on earth is
relatively brief in comparison to one's non-existence in the
grave. Philosophically then, it's stupid to deny one's self the
pleasures this life has to offer when death is so inevitable.
In the movie Moonstruck; Olympia Dukakis' character asks Danny
Aiello's character why men chase women. He suggested that men
chase women because they fear death. Well, if not the moment of
death, then surely they fear the aging process that gets men to
the moment of death; which is the root cause of the so-called
middle-age crisis. The aging process then, is a sort of
world-wide pandemic for which there is no known cure; and the
condition thus far has always been terminal.
_
#Post#: 4070--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: February 22, 2019, 10:22 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 11:9-10 . . O youth, enjoy yourself while you are
young! Let your heart lead you to enjoyment in the days of your
youth. Follow the desires of your heart and the glances of your
eyes-- but know well that God will call you to account for all
such things-- and banish care from your mind, and pluck sorrow
out of your flesh! For youth and dark hair are fleeting.
I let my past go too fast
No time to pause.
If I could slow it all down,
Like some captain whose ship runs aground,
I could wait until the tide comes around
(RUSH: Time Stand Still, 1987)
Life can't be put on hold, nor can one pause and savor the
moment because moments are momentary. The instant moments
happen, they become fixed in the frozen sea of the past. People
who think to save themselves for marriage for example, can do no
such thing. One cannot save life as if it were possible to put
life in storage. No, life goes on. When people try to save
themselves for later; they only end up letting themselves go to
waste because youth isn't static; no, youth is left behind like
the treads of a rope bridge crumbling off behind you for every
step taken as you cross over to the other side; ergo: the time
to live life is while you have it; not wait to live it later
after you've gone to seed.
Young people should enjoy a young person's life to the fullest
while they have the chance; but of course not to excess because
any reasonable sense of justice expects a day when a supreme
being will call everyone into account. But nevertheless; there
is a lot to life that can be fully enjoyed only while we are
young. Age takes the pleasure out of many things in life that
were once fresh and exciting.
Take Disneyland in Los Angeles for example. Walt's park was
built in the 1950's, completed just three years before I became
a teen-ager. Oh; how I yearned to go there and ride the Jungle
Cruise, a boat ride on the rivers of the world-- and we lived in
San Diego, only a measly ninety miles from Anaheim. Well, my mom
and dad never did take us; and I didn't go on my own until I got
out of the Army; but by then it was more of a curiosity than a
pleasure. You know why? Because I wasn't a kid anymore. So don't
let youth slip through your fingers. Don't put off kid things
till you are older; because when you are older, kid things won't
be near as much fun nor will they be nearly as interesting
either.
There was a time when I had 20-20 vision and could gaze at the
stars with my naked eyes and see them all crisp and sharp, even
the really tiny ones. Then one day I started noticing birds with
four wings. Astigmatism had crept up on me and there was nothing
I could do about it except start wearing glasses.
In later years, I developed cataracts; which make it difficult
to drive at night because the headlights of oncoming cars are
like looking at flares through an oily window and make it really
hard for me to see the white lines. Even in bright daylight,
cataracts prevented me from reading street signs till I was very
close and then of course too late to safely turn on the one I
wanted. So now I have artificial lenses in both eyes to go along
with the artificial joints that I already had in both knees.
Romance especially is dulled by age. When you're young, love and
romance take your breath away, you can't sleep for the
excitement of it all, and all you can think of is being with
your lover. Well, when you get older, it's not like that. And I
don't mean real old either. People in only their mid thirties
and forties no longer feel the same rush any more.
As a case in point, I dated a little in high school. Afterwards,
during three years of active duty in the Army I avoided girls
and did no dating at all. After discharge, I dated a girl when I
was 21 and then completely lost interest in dating till I was
32. But guess what? That decade of celibacy rendered me almost
completely frigid. I could feel very little chemistry with
girls; they were simply people of a different gender. The only
reason I married at all is because of the aging process. One day
while shaving, as I looked in the mirror I noticed my face
beginning to sag and my hair thinning and receding. It was a
wake-up call. I realized the time of life for starting a family
was rapidly slipping away where before I gave it no thought at
all.
Life is one of those things that you cannot go back and do over.
You're only young once; and you feel the feelings of the young
only once too; and that's for a relatively brief time compared
to the remainder of your life.
I was once asked, in the 6th grade, by a sadistic male school
principal who caught me acting silly in the cafeteria: "Aren't
you ever going to grow up?" I answered; "I don't want to grow
up." He was immediately indignant, and demanded to know why. I
replied; "Because grown-ups are unhappy."
He was annoyed by my answer; but no doubt knew in his heart I
was right. I never saw that man happy. He was always irritable
and upset at the students for one thing or another and everyone
feared him. You know, looking back, I don't think that man was
even 35 yet; and just look how much of the exuberance of youth
he had already lost even by the time of that relatively early
age.
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