William Clark (91/08/01)
Today is the birthday of a man named William Clark. Have you ever heard of him? In Japan, people will think of the educator who came to Sapporo to establish the agricultural college which became Hokkaido University, whose parting words to his students were, "Boys, be ambitious!" American history books, however, do not mention this William Clark, born 56 years after another man with the same name who became a notable figure in U.S. history. School children in the United States read with interest the fascinating account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, which began in 1803. This exploring expedition aimed to gain information about the vast western part of the country which was still an unknown, unmapped wilderness. This William Clark, who was born on August 1, 1770, kept the journals and sketched the maps which made the expedition an outstanding success. Wending their way up to Missouri River, through the Rocky Mountains and down to the Pacific coast was a remarkable feat that took 18 months. Clark, an army officer, later served as governor of the Missouri Territory. Exploring unknown territory requires courage and so does exploring new truth and the deep recesses of one's own mind. -- Clark Offner (3656)
Competitive Spirit (91/08/02)
In case you didn't know that Americans were a peculiar people, a couple of contests that took place in the United States last month, on the 4th of July, should make that point clear. In a rocky canyon north of the Nevada gambling town of Jackpot, the 12th annual National Hollering Contest took place in which participants yell a meaningful group of words as loud as they can. They are judged on the volume, the length of their call and the quality of the intonation. In old days, when settlements were separated from one another, it is said that calls could be heard for up to five kilometers. This year, for the first time, all three of the top hollerers were women. On that same day across the country at Coney Island, New York, the 32nd annual Hot Dog Eating Contest was held. In this contest, a 122 kilogram, 23-year-old man set a new record by gobbling down 21 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Prizes received for his feat were a trophy, tickets to a baseball game, T-shirts and a year's supply of hot dogs. Both Americans and Japanese have a competitive spirit which may both spur progress and cause trouble. Benjamin Disraeli once made the significant statement: "To vie is not to rival." -- Clark Offner (3657)
Decorum in the Courtroom (91/08/03)
Another memorable experience for me took place on my third visit to a Japanese courtroom when I unexpectedly became the focus of attention. On this occasion, a Korean resident of Japan, who was born and raised in this country, was on trial for refusing to be fingerprinted as required by the Alien Registration Law. Needless to say, I have been fingerprinted a number of times in Japan, along with other aliens and criminals, when applying for or renewing my Alien Registration Certificate. This time, I knew better than to take written notes of the proceedings, so I tried to make mental notes of what took place. I was seated next to an aisle and during a fairly long lull in the proceedings when the attorneys or court officials were having a subdued conversation among themselves, I slipped off my bench and, squatting down (very unobtrusively, I thought), whispered to the man sitting on the other side of the aisle to clarify a couple of questions I had related to the proceedings. This short conversation came to a sudden end, however, when the chief judge made a short, but incisive, comment about maintaining proper decorum in the courtroom. With a bright red face, I slipped back into my seat and silently pondered the important place of rules and propriety in Japanese society as the trial continued. -- Clark Offner (3658)
Solomon Temple (91/08/04)
One of the famous kings of the Jews was Solomon, whose name comes from the Hebrew word 'shalom,' meaning peace and security. Solomon was the son of King David and the Old Testament account of his largely peaceful reign is written in the First book of Kings. Solomon, who is well-known for his wealth and wisdom, was the builder of the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem. From the time the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, the symbol of God's presence with them was a tent, or tabernacle, which they carried with them as they traveled through the wilderness and into the Promised Land of Palestine. In it was placed the Covenant Box containing the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets. In and around this tent, sacrifices were offered to God and worship rituals were performed. After the troubled period following the Israelites occupation of Palestine, King Solomon built a magnificent temple to be the permanent "House of God." However, Solomon himself recognized that the Creator of the world cannot be housed in a man-made building and the beautiful temple he erected was destroyed about 500 years later. The New Testament makes clear that the earthly residence of the Spirit of god is not in a material edifice but in the hearts of people who welcome the influence and recognize the authority of God, their Creator and Savior. -- Clark Offner (3659)
Old Friends (91/08/05)
Many people these days are fascinated by new products and always desire the newest models of everything. Nevertheless, some things become more valuable or more appreciated as they become older. There is an English saying that "Old friends and old wine are best." Personally, I cannot verify the fact concerning wine, but I do recognize the value of old friends. Jesus also mentioned, in Luke 5:39, that people of his day considered old wine better than new. The comparable saying in Japanese does not refer to wine but to pickled plums: 'Umeboshi to tomodachi wa furui hodo yoi.' I am no more a connoisseur of pickled plums than I am of wine, so I will defer further comment on that part of the saying and will close this message with a quotation from the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus 9:10: "Do not desert an old friend; a new one is not worth as much." -- Clark Offner (3660)
Wind (91/08/06)
Two different English words are spelled w-i-n-d but they are pronounced differently and have completely different meanings. One is pronounced 'waind' and the other 'wind'. Today's message, which suggests the final theme for essays to be included in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes, is related to the latter word, which signifies a movement of air. Wind is a source of great power which may cause great destruction or be harnessed for beneficial purposes. It may be used in a poetic or figurative sense to express certain feelings. As a natural phenomenon, it cannot be seen but may be perceived by the results it produces. In Greek, the same word is used to denote "wind" and "spirit" and, in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 8, Jesus used this word to illustrate the mystery of new life experienced by those who have come into contact with God. What are your thoughts or memories related to the wind? I will correct the essays on this theme sent to me before printing them in the 35th issue of the Echoes. All essays for that issue, which should be available at the listeners meeting on September 29th, should be sent to reach me by Saturday, August 17th. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. --Clark Offner (3661)
Strays (91/08/07)
As a verb, "stray" means to wander from a given place or beyond established limits. In the mountains, people who stray from the trail may get lost and in cities, those who stray from the "strait and narrow way" [Matthew 7:14] of moral integrity may find themselves in dire circumstances as certain Japanese corporation executives have recently discovered. As a noun, "stray" usually signifies a domestic animal wandering at large and many stray dogs are now wandering in the Ikoma mountain area of Nara and Osaka Prefectures. It seems that people from distant places come to this area to abandon dogs which are no longer wanted. These strays, at times gathering together in packs, roam the area and pose a danger to people, especially children, as they revert to an undomesticated state. Nationwide, 9,618 cases of dog-biting attacks were reported in 1990 and in Osaka Prefecture alone, 20,797 stray dogs were caught. In Hyōgo Prefecture, a certain beach in Nishinomiya is a popular dumping site for unwanted cats and an estimated 100 stray cats are now living along this beach. How to dispose of unwanted pets is a problem, but just abandoning them and thus letting them cause trouble to others is irresponsible. People who do so have gone astray themselves. --Clark Offner (3662)
Yaks (91/08/08)
In English, there are five three-letter words beginning with y-a. How many of them do you know? One of these words signifies a large mammal that resembles an ox. The tapering horns of a yak, spelled y-a-k, are curved upward. Its body is covered with long, silky, blackish-brown hair. Behind its short head over its shoulders is a large bunch of long, fine hair, resembling a hump, which gives the animal the appearance of a buffalo. Yaks inhabit the highest and coldest regions of central Asia, pasturing near the snow line on the mountains of Tibet and Bhutan. Yaks are important animals of Tibetans and Bhutanese. When domesticated, they are used to pull wagons, to bear burdens or carry people. They give rich milk which may be made into cheese and their flesh becomes nutritious meat. Yak hair is spun into ropes or woven into cloth for tent coverings. Their skin makes fine leather and when tanned with the fur on can be made into caps, outer winter garments, rugs and blankets. Although sounds made by yaks are simply short grunts, "yak" has become a slang term for continuous, meaningless chatter by human beings. Yakking is a waste of time, but it is better to yak than to yap. --Clark Offner (3663)
Camels (91/08/09)
One hundred seventy years ago today, on August 9, 1821, a couple of rare animals were put on display in Japan for the first time. They had been brought from Persia by a Dutchman and advertisements announcing their appearance claimed that both their urine and hair had beneficial effects on certain illnesses. So many people pushed and shoved to see them that a satirist remarked, 'oshiatte miru yori minu ga raku darō' for, you see, the rare animals were 'rakuda,' or camels. Camels are large, long-necked mammals having humped backs. The Arabian camel has one hump and the Bactrian camel of central Asia has two. Surplus fat stored in their humps provide a reserve of food and the peculiar structure of their stomachs enables them to go several days without water. Along with cattle, sheep, goats, deer and giraffes, camels are ruminants, which means they chew a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food. From ancient times, camels have been used as beasts of burden as well as a means of transportation. They are often mentioned in the Old Testament and Jesus made a couple of humorous, figurative references to camels in Matthew 19:24 and 23:24. -- Clark Offner (3664)
Prejudice (91/08/10)
To finish off this Saturday series of messages on my Japanese courtroom appearances, I will mention an incident which took place just a couple of months ago. This time the hearing involved a suit brought against a religious organization that has the word "Christian" in its name by three young ladies who claim they were deceived and misused by the organization which uses a variety of dubious methods to recruit and train young people. This time, while sitting in the courtroom, I knew better than to whisper to the person sitting next to me even though I had a question in my mind. I had forgotten on which side the attorneys representing the plaintiff and those representing the defendant sat. As the attorney took their places before the proceedings began, I watched their faces and demeanor to decide whether they were representing the "good guys" or the "bad guys." I reached a conclusion and let my prejudice affect my interpretation of their subsequent words and actions only to find out that I was mistaken. Those I viewed as the scheming shysters were actually representing the side I was supporting and the man I had viewed as conscientious and honest was representing the side I opposed. As a result, I reflected on the bad effect that prejudice, or subjective, preconceived opinion without knowledge or examination of the facts, can have on one's perception of other people. -- Clark Offner (3665)
The God of Peace (91/08/11)
There are three important dates during the first half of August related to the final days of the Pacific War in 1945. On August 6th the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. On the 9th, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. And on the 15th, the war came to a close. The Old Testament accounts of the return of the Israelites to the land of their fathers include many stories of battles and Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, was once considered a god of war. In the fuller revelation of God's character that came through Jesus, the Christ, however, the love and mercy of God is primary and God is seen to be a God of peace. Jesus taught his disciples to "live in peace with one another" [Mark 9:50]. In the resurrection appearances of Christ recorded in the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John, three times, he greets his disciples with the words, "Peace be with you." The interpretation of the meaning of Christ's coming in Ephesians, chapter 2, is that he came to bring peace between hostile people and that his death on the cross was the means by which peace was achieved. As the end of the war is commemorated this week, I pray that you may know the inner peace that comes through faith in the God of peace. -- Clark Offner (3666)
Uma no Mimi ni Nenbutsu (91/08/12)
Meaning may be communicated by gestures or facial expressions as well by words. There is an English saying that "A nod is as good as a wink". Either a slight movement of the head or the deliberate closing and opening of an eye may be a signal to an alert partner. However, for a dull person who will not understand such signals, the saying is lengthened to: "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse", meaning it is useless to try to communicate with someone who will not or cannot understand. This saying is similar to the Japanese proverb about reciting a Buddhist prayer in a horse's ear, 'uma no mimi ni nenbutsu', which is like "preaching to the deaf" or "preaching to the wind". According to the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, John, the Baptist, began preaching in the desert, but, eventually, many people came out to hear him. --Clark Offner (3667)
Alfred Hitchcock (91/08/13)
Today is the birthday of the American film producer and master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, who was born in London in 1899, the son of a greengrocer. Michael Wood wrote about this man as follows: "As a boy he pinned a firecracker to a schoolmate's pants. As an adult he bet a property man that he wouldn't dare to spend a night alone in the studio, handcuffed to a camera, and offered the fellow a bottle of brandy to see him through. The brandy was spiked with laxative, and the man was found weeping in the morning, his clothes soiled, more exhausted by his humiliation than by his vigil. . . But some of Hitchcock's jokes are splendid, and have a sharp-edged justice to them. A friend tried the brandy-with-laxative trick on Hitchcock himself, offering a bottle as a thank-you gift. There were no visible effects, and Hitchcock did not mention the matter further. Finally, the friend could stand the uncertainty no longer, and asked Hitchcock if he had enjoyed the brandy. 'Oh, yes,' Hitchcock said, 'I didn't want to mention it, but my mother is ill, and when the doctor prescribed brandy, we gave her some of yours.' The guilt-stricken friend sent flowers and sympathy to Mrs. Hitchcock senior, only to discover she was perfectly fit and knew nothing of any brandy." (Dictionary of Biographical Quotations). --Clark Offner (3668)
Bahrain (91/08/14)
The adjective serrate, spelled s-e-r-r-a-t-e, means having tooth-like or sawlike notches, like the leaves of certain trees. In most national flags of more than one color, the colors are separated by straight lines, but the red and white colors of the flag of one nation are divided by a serrate, or zigzag, line. That nation is the State of Bahrain, whose name comes from an Arabic word meaning "two seas", indicating that the country is surrounded by water. In fact, Bahrain is an archipelago located in the Persian Gulf. The combined area of its 33 small islands is less than twice that of the city of Nagoya. In the past, these flat, sandy islands were occupied by Portuguese, Persians and Arabs but, in 1861, they became a British protectorate and twenty years ago today, on August 14, 1971, Bahrain became an independent nation. There are various titles for Arab leaders, including sultan, emir and sheik. Sheik, in Arabic, means an old man and since Bahrain is ruled by s sheik, it may also be called a sheikdom. Like many other nations in the gulf area, its major resource is oil and its oil reserves are getting depleted. The greatest natural resource in Japan is not found in the ground but in the minds and bodies of its citizens. --Clark Offner (3669)
"Lawrence of Arabia" (91/08/15)
One hundred six years ago today, on August 15, 1888, the British adventurer, soldier and scholar, Thomas Edward Lawrence, was born. Educated at Oxford, Lawrence started out alone on a walking tour of Syria when he was 21 years old. The following year, he joined an archaeological expedition in Mesopotamia. During his stay in Arabian regions, he became fluent in Arabic and familiar with Arab customs. During the First World War, he was attached to the intelligence section of the British army in Egypt. Joining the Arab forces in their revolt against Turkish domination, Lawrence led and inspired the Arabs to attack trains and rail lines with great success. As a result, Turkish power was broken and "Lawrence of Arabia" became a semilegendary figure during his own lifetime. Failing in his aim to achieve Arab independence at the Paris Peace Conference, however, he sought to avoid publicity by enlisting in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name and later legally changed his surname to Shaw. His Arabian adventures are described in his book, 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.' Criticizing the spectacular film, 'Lawrence of Arabia', American news commentator and writer, Lowell Thomas, wrote, "They only got two things right, the camels and the sand." --Clark Offner (3670)
Part-Time Jobs (91/08/16)
In November and December of last year, a poll was conducted among 1000 American and 1200 Japanese high school students. The recently -announced results indicated significant differences in the attitudes of the students relating to part-time jobs. About 60 percent of the American high school students work part time, compared with 19 percent in Japan. As far as weekly working hours are concerned, six to ten hours was most common among the Japanese students, whereas the largest group of students in the United States work more than 21 hours. The poll indicated that 73 percent of the American respondents thought having a part-time job would help them in selecting an occupation or discovering a career, while only 16 percent of the Japanese students gave a similar response. In regard to how they used their income, the largest group of the American respondents said they were saving for the future, while many Japanese respondents said they will buy clothes. I began holding part-time jobs when I was in elementary school and continued doing so throughout the rest of my student life. Tomorrow, I will begin a new series of Saturday messages relating to the part-time jobs I and my children have held. --Clark Offner(3671)
Mowing Lawns (91/08/17)
As noted in yesterday's message, today I begin a series of Saturday messages related to part-time jobs I and my children have held. My place of birth was my parent's home in a small town in northern Illinois in the United States. From my biased perspective, I would say that the family into which I was born was definitely upper-class--in a moral or spiritual sense. In a social or economic sense, however, it was simply middle-class. A couple of years after I was born, the United States and the world entered what is called the Great Depression and my parents must have had a difficult time raising their six children, of which I was the fourth. From the time we were young, we participated in various chores around the house: washing and drying the dishes, carrying out the garbage, working in the vegetable garden, feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, mowing the lawn. Some of these chores were enjoyable--if they didn't interfere with what a child considered more important. For example, I did not consider mowing the lawn surrounding our house a disagreeable task, and one of my earliest part-time jobs, while still in grade school, was to mow lawns of other people and charge them for that service. The largest and most important lawn I mowed regularly was the one connected to the office building in which my father worked as a bookkeeper. A bank account was opened in my name and most of the money I earned was deposited there. --Clark Offner (3672)
Meaningful Prayer (91/08/18)
When a religion becomes established in a particular culture, various rituals become formalized and people tend to perform the ritual without thinking. This is a particular danger in regard to the words of traditional prayers which are often repeated. Adherents of some religions believe that the more often they recite certain prayers, the greater merit or blessing they will receive. In such cases, usually the meaning of the words is ignored and the recitation itself becomes primary. In Jesus' teaching about prayer in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 7, he said, "When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think their gods will hear them because their prayers are long." He encouraged his disciples to pray in private rather than making an open display of their piety by offering conspicuous public prayers, teaching that true prayer is a person-to-person dialogue with their heavenly Father. In many worship services on Sunday mornings, Christians join together in repeating the words of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, but we also need to be careful to not simply mouth words but to pray meaningfully. Unless such public praying is supported by private prayers it often degenerates into the "meaningless words" that Jesus disparaged. The results of meaningful prayer are seen in the daily lives of those who pray. --Clark Offner (3673)
Kunshi Hyōhen (91/08/19)
Do you know the Japanese proverb, 'kunshi hyōhen'? When I first heard it, I had a negative reaction. I do not think that a man of integrity will suddenly change his principles simply to adjust to the thinking or fashion of those around him. Rather, he will stand firm in his convictions. The way of expressing oneself may change according to the circumstances, but basic principles should not be so easily altered. However, if this proverb implies that a wise man who discovers he is mistaken, that his position is wrong, will make a decisive change, then I agree. In English, we have the saying, "A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will." According to Proverbs 12:15, "Stupid people always think they are right. Wise people listen to advice." It takes courage to admit that one's position is wrong and to change, but that is the way of the honest man. --Clark Offner (3674)
Assassination (91/08/20)
Forty-seven years ago today, Rajiv Gandhi was born to the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister. Following Nehru's death, Rajiv's mother became prime minister. After her elder son was killed in a plane crash, Rajiv, her second son, entered politics. Seven years ago, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, shot by dissatisfied members of her bodyguard. Rajiv, who became her successor, was himself assassinated earlier this year by a person carrying hidden explosives. "Assassination" denotes the murder of a prominent person, usually for a political motive. The word comes from the Arabic word for the drug called hashish in English. The original "assassins", or "hashish-users", were members of a secret Persian group of murderers who killed and plundered with the aim of establishing a Muslim empire, frequently choosing Christians during the Crusades as their victims. Fifty-one years ago today, on August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky, the Russian revolutionary and archenemy of Stalin, was assassinated in Mexico by a man using an axe. Onetime Emperor Napoleon wrote: "There are different ways of assassinating a man--by pistol, sword, poison, or moral assassination. They are the same in their results except that the last is more cruel." --Clark Offner (3675)
American Bar Association (91/08/21)
A straight, rigid piece of solid material may be called a bar and parallel bars are used in gymnastics. A counter at which drinks are served is a different kind of bar and the person who mixes and serves drinks there is called a bartender. Because the railing in a courtroom enclosing the area where judges and lawyers sit and witnesses testify is also called a bar, the meaning of the word has been expanded to signify the courtroom itself, the judicial system, lawyers collectively and the legal profession. The American Bar Association, which was established 113 years ago today, on August 21, 1878, in New York, is not a gathering of gymnasts nor of bartenders. It is an organization of lawyers admitted to the bar of any state and promotes professional activities, high professional standards and improved judicial administration. Committees of the ABA consider such topics as legal education, professional ethics and legal aid for the poor. Unfortunately, unscrupulous, money-hungry lawyers have given the profession a bad name and American jurist, Louis Brandeis, wrote, "What the lawyer needs to redeem himself is not more ability . . . but the moral courage in the face of financial loss and personal ill will to stand for right and justice." --Clark Offner (3676)
Electric Car (91/08/22)
One of the many problems caused by our modern life style is air pollution. In modern cities, the biggest cause of air pollution is the exhaust emitted by vehicles fueled by gasoline or oil. The American city with the greatest air pollution problem is Los Angeles which has12 million residents and 8 million cars. Half a million new cars are sold each year. To help solve this problem, the City of Los Angeles has passed laws requiring that 2 percent of all cars, vans and light trucks sold there in 1998 must give off no air-polluting exhaust. By the year 2003, ten percent of all cars sold must be non-air-polluting. Since no such vehicles are available now, an electric car is being developed to supply that market. Clean Air Transport, a Swedish-British company won the competition to produce such a car and production is expected to begin next year in the resort town of Worthing on the south coast of England. The company is assured of selling only 10,000 cars, but other cities will be watching what happens in Los Angeles over the next few years and if others follow its lead, battery-operated cars will become increasingly popular in years ahead. All of us should do our part to cut down on environmental pollution for a healthier life for ourselves and our children. --Clark Offner (3677)
Japanese Prices (91/08/23)
The Japanese government's Economic Planning Agency recently released the results of a survey taken in Japan and Western countries including the United States, Germany, Britain and France. I am sure that most foreigners from the West were not surprised at the results which indicated that most leisure activities and services are more expensive in Japan than in the other countries. In only two areas were Japanese prices comparatively low: domestic air fares and tennis court fees. Railway fares are higher in Japan along with expressway tolls. In fact, the survey indicated that there are no tolls on comparable roads in the United States, Britain and Germany. Concert tickets to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra averaged 67 in New York and 70 in London on an index using the base of 100 in Tokyo. Membership fees at golf clubs in the Western countries surveyed averaged less than ¥2 million, compared with over ¥30 million in the suburbs of Tokyo and visitors' fees for a round of golf average ¥6,640 at courses in New york, ¥7,140 in London and ¥25,670 in Tokyo. It is not surprising that Japan is considered a land of the rich. -- Clark Offner (3678)
Refreshment Stand (91/08/24)
In the middle of my home town is a large park with many trees, a pond in which ducks and swans swim, a baseball diamond and tennis courts. During my childhood, there was a small refreshment stand in that park which was managed by a church youth group to which I belonged. Today, such a stand might be called a kiosk, but we didn't use that term in those days. One of my part-time jobs as an elementary school pupil included working in that refreshment stand, where we sold pop and popcorn, ice cream, candy bars and other refreshments to those who came to the park to relax or play. The stand was especially busy on the Fourth of July when the park was astir from early morning to late at night with many Independence Day activities. On that day, a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, and other riders for children and adults were set up and baseball games, contests, a band concert and evening fireworks were held. Because the popcorn machine in the small stand could not keep up with the orders, another popcorn machine in a school building near the park was also used. One Fourth of July, I spent almost the entire day making popcorn and carrying it to the refreshment stand. I had very little time to enjoy the rides and the games, but, if my recollection is correct, I was paid ten cents an hour for my work. --Clark Offner (3679)
The Christian God (91/08/25)
The Christian conception of God is very different from the traditional Japanese idea of 'kami'. The many Japanese 'kami' are very similar to human beings in their feelings and actions. There are both good and bad 'kami' and their power and wisdom are limited. According to Christian doctrine, on the other hand, there is only one true God, who is infinite: almighty and all-knowing. Speaking philosophically, this God is never surprised, is not swayed by emotions and never changes his mind. However, when we speak of God we must use human language, and the biblical writers often picture God in quite human terms. Preceding the biblical story of the great flood in Genesis, chapter 6, it is written that "When the Lord saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their thoughts were all the time, he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth." But in Jonah 3:10, a contrasting picture is given: "God saw that they had given up their wicked behaviour. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would." The Bible does not picture God as a passionless philosophical Principle, but as a parental Person, who loves the human beings he created. Thus, our thoughts, words and actions bring joy or sorrow to the heart of the eternal God. --Clark Offner (3680)
Patient Waiting (91/08/26)
When the Chinese character meaning "sun" is followed by that meaning "harmony", the unusual Japanese pronunciation is 'hiyori' and one meaning of 'hiyori' is "fair weather". The Japanese proverb, 'Mateba kairo no hiyori ari', literally means, "If you wait, there will be fair weather on the seaway". In other words, even if the weather now is not favorable to begin a voyage, if one waits the weather is sure to improve. This proverb teaches patience. In English, we have such sayings as "After a storm comes a calm" and "Everything comes to him who waits". Our modern lifestyle does not encourage patient waiting, but at times, it is more important simply to wait than to be busily doing something. In Psalm 37:7, it is written: "Be patient and wait for the Lord to act", but it requires wisdom to discern when we should be working and when we should be waiting. --Clark Offner (3681)
Mother Teresa (91/08/27)
Eighty-one years ago today, on August 27, 1910, a baby girl was born in the city of Skopje, which is now the capital of the Yugoslavian republic of Macedonia. Her Albanian parents named her Agnes. At the age of 17, Agnes went to India and began teaching in a school in Calcutta. Having joined a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, she became a nun, or sister. Sisters are not permitted to marry, but those who become heads of religious establishments are called mothers--even as priests of the Roman Catholic Church, who are not permitted to marry, are called fathers. This particular sister left her convent when she was 38 years old and founded a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, which now operates schools, hospitals, orphanages and food centers in more than 25 countries. In 1979, this sister who had become a mother was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is known throughout the world as Mother Teresa. There are already two women having the name of T(h)eresa who have been officially designated saints in the Roman Catholic Church. One of them has been dead for over 400 years and the other for almost 100 years, but this Teresa may be considered a living saint who has given us a good example of love in action. --Clark Offner (3682)
3-Ds (91/08/28)
Some writers use alliteration to coin interesting expressions or to make their words easier to remember and sometimes a series of words beginning with the same letter is composed to attract people's attention. You probably know the so-called 3-K types of work that Japanese workers prefer to avoid: kitsui, kitanai and kiken. Recently a Senate committee compiled a report on a shameful aspect of American life: the increasing number of homicides. It estimated that a record 23,700 murders will be committed this year in the United States. The committee placed the blame for this disgraceful statistic on three factors which, with a bit of force, it compressed into a series of 3-Ds: drugs, deadly weapons and demographics. The meaning of "drugs" is clear and although the second item consists of two words, it is also understandable. But what are "demographics"? Demographic data includes the size, growth, density and distribution of human populations and demographics was viewed as a cause of the rapid growth of violent teen-aged gangs. Social problems confronting Japan and the United States as symbolized by these 3-Ks and 3-Ds imply basic differences in the history and cultural heritage of these two nations. --Clark Offner (3683)
First Motorcycle Patent (91/08/29)
Three weeks ago, 84-year-old Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company, passed away in a Tokyo Hospital. Mr. Honda was well-known as the producer of Honda motorcycles and cars. In 1946, he began producing bicycles with small engines and his 98cc Dream motorcycle made its debut three years later. Today, Honda motorcycles may be the most highly regarded motorcycles throughout the world. It goes without saying, however, that motorcycles did not originate in Japan. In fact, it was exactly 106 years ago today, on August 29, 1885, that the first motorcycle was patented by Gottlieb Daimler in Cannstatt, Germany. Like Mr. Honda, Mr. Daimler established an automobile company, called Daimler Motor Company and the small highspeed internal combustion engine he invented, known as the Daimler engine, was of crucial importance in the development of a gasoline engine automobile. It was this company and its successor that produced the famous Mercedes and Mercedes-Benz automobiles. I am sure that Gottleib Daimler would agree with the motto formulated by Soichiro Honda: "Never fear making a mistake". This motto is true in learning to speak a foreign language as well as making improved engines. --Clark Offner (3684)
Competitive Spirit (91/08/02)
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