New Year Customs
"No Room in the Hotel"
"Four Freedoms"
Foreigners/Aliens/Immigrants
Adulthood
Granddaughter's Return
Vermont
Stars and Planets
Caucuses and Primaries
Language Differences
Prophecy/Prophets
A Boring Message
Franklin Roosevelt
04/01/02
In countries using the Gregorian calendar, today marks the beginning of a new year. Since it is a leap year, it has 366 days, including 29 days in the second month of February. In most countries, it is the year 2004. Because of a miscalculation by a chronologist in the 4th century of this present era, it is mistakenly considered to be the 2004th year after the birth of Jesus, the Christ. A number of countries or cultures use a different number for the present era. In Japan, which is an important part of the world community, 2004 is recognized as the year in international affairs, but a unique Japanese era begins with the enthronement of a new emperor and this New Year is the 16th year of Heisei. New Year customs in the United States of America are often related to the national traditions of the countries from which residents or their ancestors immigrated, so there are many different customs depending on the family or community. Many people, however, will be watching a televised American football game in one of the so-called "bowls:" the Rose Bowl in California or the Orange Bowl in Florida. In Japan, people will be eating traditional New Year food, visit a neighborhood shrine to pray for health and prosperity in the New Year. They may also make formal visits to relatives and friends and will spend time reading their New Year's greeting cards delivered on New Year's Day. Many children will receive some money as gifts and, traditionally, everyone is considered to be another year older. To all of the readers of or listeners to these "Timely Words" messages, I wish a meaningful and happy New Year. (680)
"No Room in the Hotel"
04/01/04
Before Christmas, a one-act play was presented in this retirement community, directed by a resident who had prepared an abbreviated version of "No Room in the Hotel." The cast met to rehearse three times before the presentation. We did not have to memorize our lines but were able to read them. The play began with a poorly dressed, foreign couple with a baby seeking room in a hotel in a small town, named Bethlehem. The clerk told them the hotel was full for she did not want to permit such a couple to stay there. In a conversation of a newspaper reporter (whose part I played) with another traveler, it became clear that rooms were available for a senator who was sponsoring an anti-alien bill to rid the country of aliens and his wife and for a lady poet who were all disgusted at seeing the poor couple with their baby in the lobby. The other traveler offered to give up his room for the poor family, but the clerk refused his offer and the couple left. The traveler then found a small box after they had left and pretended that it contained myrrh (which had been offered by the Magi to the baby Jesus) so the poet suggested that this may have been a miraculous reappearance of the Holy Family. Believing it was so, the poet, the senator and his wife all felt a kind of inspiration but did not change their basic outlooks. After the traveler left, the reporter, who was most deeply moved by the strange course of events, decided he needed to do more than write articles. He had to DO something to stop discrimination, which has continued since Jesus' birth, and he began by becoming a friend and brother to the homesick bellboy in the hotel.(678)
"Four Freedoms"
04/01/07
It is customary, in the United States of America, for the President to deliver an address to the United States Congress at the beginning of a year. On January 6, 1941, as a war was being fought in Europe between Nazi Germany and the Allied powers, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's address included the following memorable statement: "In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants--everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world." It was eleven months later, on December 7th, that Japanese bombers attacked U. S. ships at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii followed by the declaration of war against Japan the following day. Unfortunately, despite the victory of the Allied powers in that Second World War, the "Four Freedoms" enunciated by President Roosevelt--freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear--have still not been attained and each one of us should work to make them a reality in our areas. (681)
Foreigners/Aliens/Immigrants
04/01/09
One of the very attractive features of the world in which we live is the great variety of the elements in it. This variety makes the world beautiful. There are many different kinds of plants and animals with their peculiar sizes, shapes, colors and other characteristics. There are also different kinds of human beings with their peculiar skin color, size and cultural traits--all of which contribute to the charm of our world. Unfortunately, some people have prejudices against persons who are different than they are and treat them unfairly. In the U. S. A., residents who have entered the country from another country are all considered "foreigners." Those who continue their political allegiance to another country, are "aliens," but those who settle permanently in the U. S. A. are called "immigrants." Although there are narrow-minded members of Christian churches who interpret the Bible in a peculiar way to support their prejudices against those who are different, others, including me, consider all people as creatures of a loving Creator who loves all human beings without distinction and we should do likewise. The New Testament makes clear that, among believers, racial, cultural and other distinctions have been erased and "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). All believers who consider themselves "aliens and strangers on earth" (Hebrews 11:13), whose "citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20) will seek to share their experience of God's love with others rather than discriminate against them. (682)
The words "adolescent" and "adult" are both derived from a Latin verb meaning "to grow up." But when does an adolescent become an adult? That is difficult to determine and it depends upon the criterion used to define the terms. In Japan, the change from adolescence to adulthood has traditionally been an important event which was typified in both hair style and dress and in 1948, January 15th was established as a new holiday to recognize the advance into adulthood of all who had celebrated their 20th birthday the previous year. Now, that holiday has been changed to the second Monday of January, so on January 12th this year, celebrations will be, were or are being held at public halls throughout the country to welcome the new adults who will now be qualified to vote and enjoy all the rights of citizens. In the United States of America, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1971, granted the right to vote to all citizens 18 years of age or older. However, there are many people who have the body of an adult but the mind of a child. Samuel Johnson has written: "It is unjust to claim the privileges of age, and retain the playthings of childhood." F. Scott Fitzgerald has written: "Grown up, and that is a terribly hard thing to do. It is much easier to skip it and go from one childhood to another." And the Apostle Paul wrote: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" (I Corinthians13:11). To become truly mature takes a lifetime and we should all continue to make progress toward that end until the end. (683)
Granddaughter's ReturnOur eldest granddaughter, whose home is in Japan, is now a senior in a high school in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida where she is living with an American family. She returned to her home near Nagoya for the Christmas and New Year's holidays and enjoyed time with her family, relatives and friends. Since her mother is Japanese, she has both a Japanese and an American passport, which makes traveling quite easy between these two countries. When she returned from Japan last week, my wife and I met her at the Jacksonville Airport, late in the evening, and brought her to our home about one hour away in the town of Penney Farms. Jacksonville, in the northeastern corner of the state, with a population of 740,000, is the largest city in Florida. The next day, we took her with us to the monthly Coffee Concert of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, which we attend regularly. The following day, we drove the 335 kilometers to St. Petersburg, the 4th largest city in Florida, on the state's west coast. This city is located across a bay from Tampa, the state's 3rd largest city, to which it is connected by a bridge over the bay which is 13 kilometers long. After spending an hour at the home of her host family, my wife and I returned to our home in the Penney Retirement Community. Most of the way to and from St. Petersburg, I was able to drive on an interstate highway, where the speed limit is between 105 and 112 kilometers an hour, so even though we stopped to eat going in both directions, we returned home about 9 hours after we left. It was a busy, but happy couple of days for all three of us. (685)
Vermont
04/01/16
The northeastern region of the United States of America is called New England. There are six states in New England, including five of the smallest states in the country. The name of one of them was derived from French words meaning "green mountain." This state of Vermont was the first state to enter the Union after the original 13 colonies had declared their independence and established the new nation. Fourteen years before that, however, the people of the Green Mountains had declared their independence from Great Britain, which they did 225 years ago this week, on January 15, 1777. Before that time, their land had been the cause for disputes between France and England and between the colonies of New York and New Hampshire, but after the collapse of British authority and the effective military might of the so-called Green Mountain Boys, their declaration of independence was made and a constitution was established. In 1791, however, Vermont became the 14th state of the U. S. A. The largest city in this small state has a population of less than 40,000 and the population of the state capital, Montpelier, is less than 9,000. The state has become newsworthy recently because the former governor of the state, a medical doctor, Howard Dean, has become the front-runner among the eight men and one woman who are seeking the Democratic Party's nomination as its presidential candidate in the election scheduled for this fall. Certainly, Mr. Dean's experience as the former governor of Vermont and as a doctor along with the views he enunciates now will influence voters--both now and later. (684)
Stars and Planets
04/01/18
A "luminary" is an object that gives light. If we look up at the sky on a cloudless night, we see a multitude of "luminaries" called "stars." Both of these words have secondary meanings. A notable person in a specific field may be called a "luminary" for such a person may transmit noetic light and an outstanding artistic performer or athlete may be called a "star." Stars are celestial bodies that give off their own light, but other celestial bodies, called satellites, reflect the light of stars, such as the moon, which revolves around the earth, or planets that revolve around the sun. There are nine known planets. With the exception of Earth, each of them bears the name of a Roman deity: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. In both English and Japanese, the names of the days of the week are related to the sun, the moon and the gods/planets of Mars, Mercury, Jupitor, Venus and Saturn, but the English names are derived from the Norse names of these gods. The planet closest to the earth is Mars, named for the Roman god of war, related to the Norse god, Tyr. There is now a spacecraft from Earth on Mars and it is expected that the information gained from this rover will add much to the understanding of our universe. In the creation story in Genesis, it is written: "God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars" (1:16). And in Psalm 8:3-4, a poet asked God "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?" (687).
Caucuses and Primaries
04/01/21
In the United States of America, a national election for president is held every four years. The 54th such election will be held on November 2nd this year. There are now two main political parties in the U. S. A.: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Candidates for president will be officially chosen at national party conventions held in the summer, but delegates to those conventions are chosen by voters at caucuses and primary elections held in the individual states. At a "caucus," voters listen to speeches and debates before they indicate their choice; in a "primary (election)," they simply go to a voting place and cast their ballot. Because the results of the caucuses and primaries in the first two states to hold them are very influential on a broader scale as well, persons seeking the nomination have been actively campaigning for the caucuses in Iowa on January 19th and the primary election in New Hampshire on January 27th. The Republican Party's candidate for president is expected to be George W. Bush, but there are a number of men who are hoping to gain the endorsement of the Democratic Party. Actually, according to the complicated process specified in the Constitution, the president is not chosen directly by the voters, but by the electors in the Electoral College who will be chosen in the national election. It is these electors who have the responsibility to select the president. It will be interesting to see how the complicated process by which the president is finally chosen is played out this year. All the candidates, being human, have both strengths and weaknesses. (686)
Language Differences
04/01/23
The written Japanese language is difficult to understand because of the many different Chinese characters used, many of which have the same pronunciations and all of which have more than one pronunciation. But because of its very irregular spelling and pronunciation, the English language is also very difficult. For example, the literal meaning of "heir," spelled h-e-i-r, is "one who inherits the estate of another." The pronunciation of this word is the same as the word spelled a-i-r, which signifies the atmosphere around us. If an "h" is added to the beginning of this word, the pronunciation changes to "hair," which denotes the filaments that grow out of the top of our heads. Another word with the same pronunciation, spelled h-a-r-e, denotes a small animal like a rabbit, but if the "h" is removed from that word, the pronunciation changes, becoming the same as the letter "r." "Are" is the "present tense indicative plural and second person singular of be." Yes, English also is a difficult language to learn after one has become an adult in another land and culture with a completely different language. However, to understand people who were born and raised in a land with an entirely different language and culture, it is necessary not only to understand the literal meaning of words, to recognize their peculiar pronunciations and how to read and write them. It is necessary also to understand intimated implications as well. It is not only language differences but differences of perspectives that hinder genuine understanding between people, whether from a foreign land or of one's own land. (671)
Prophecy/Prophets
04/01/25
The final section of the Old Testament contains writings called "prophecy" and stories about men called "prophets." But if we ask the meaning of these words, whether in English or Japanese, many people have misunderstandings. In fact, the misunderstanding may be traced back to the Greek root of the words, which begins with the prefix "pro," which may mean either "before" or "forth." Thus, a prophet may be a person who predicts events "before" they occur or one who speaks "forth" the word. Although the Old Testament prophets sometimes did speak about future events, their primary function was to "speak forth" the word they had received from God, whether related to the past, the present or the future. Basically, "prophets" were God's spokesmen. In Japanese, the term for "prophecy" is "yogen," in which the "gen" means "word" or "speak." But there are two different characters which may be used for "yo." One means "beforehand" and the other means "entrust." Thus, one kind of "yogen" is a prediction, a word spoken beforehand. But the only "yogen" we find in the Bible is the word entrusted to a prophet by God. Each prophet is different and is given a message from God related to the particular situation at that time. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, delivered during the 40 years of his prophetic ministry. In the first chapter, he related how God called him to be a prophet and the kind of prophet he was to be. There were also prophets in the New Testament and those preachers who faithfully proclaim the word of God entrusted to them may be called "prophets" even today. (688)
A Boring Message
04/01/28
I am sure that some of the messages on this "Timely Words" homepage are considered boring to some readers/listeners. This raises the question of the meaning of words pronounced bor or bord. One kind of bor, spelled b-o-a-r, denotes a male pig. Another, spelled b-o-r-e, signifies a person that arouses boredom. As a verb, "bore" means "to make weary with dullness, repetition or tediousness." But there is another verb with the same spelling and pronunciation that means to make a hole with a drill. Carpenters and others who work with wood often bore holes in a "board." In this case, "board" denotes a long, flat piece of wood, a plank. Thus, both a board may be "bored" with a drill and a person may be "bored" by an uninteresting message. But there are yet other kinds of "boards." Many organizations have a group of administrators that are members of "boards" that make decisions related to the operation of the organization. Thus there are boards of directors and boards of trustees that have the final authority in certain companies, schools or even churches. The Penney Memorial Church, which is at the center of this Penney Retirement Community, has a Church Board that supervises the activities of the church. It includes the Church Moderator, a clergyman who is in charge of the religious services and presides at business meetings during his one-year term, but most of the Church Board members have three year terms. At the recent annual meeting of the Church, I was elected to the Church Board and this event provided the stimulation for this "boring message." (690)
Franklin Roosevelt
04/01/30
One hundred and twenty-two years ago this week, on January 30, 1882, one of the most influential Presidents of the United States of America was born in Hyde Park, New York. Franklin Roosevelt is the only man to have served three terms, a total of 12 years, as President. In fact, he was elected to a fourth term, but died three months after his fourth term began. Six years after his death, an amendment to the Constitution limited a President to two terms in office. Not only his notable policies and exceptional leadership during the Great Depression and the World War attracted attention, but also his refusal to be discouraged by a physical handicap. When he was 39 years old and already actively involved in politics, he was stricken with polio, which left his legs and lower abdomen paralyzed. Using a wheelchair and crutches, he continued his political involvement in both state and national politics. Following the stock market crash of 1929, he was selected the Democratic Party's candidate for President, pledged "a new deal for the American people" and stressed his concern for the "forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid." In his first inaugural address, he declared that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." His "New Deal" legislation changed the political arena and its effect continues today. Although his influence on the conduct of the war, both in Europe and in the Far East, was great, he died one month before Germany's surrender and four months before Japan's capitulation. It was his stated desire that this country become "the great arsenal of democracy." (689)