C.B.O.
“Name Divination”
National Foundation Day
Race Relations Sunday
Bald Eagles
Washington Monument
Madame Butterfly
Leap Year

C.B.O.
06/02/02

        Today’s message (the 934th “Timely Words” message) is somewhat irregular because it is quite personal.  If such a message is objectionable, I apologize, but while composing the previous message on F.D.R., I was reminded of a personal experience related to the initials of my name, which I decided to share with readers of this homepage.  When I was a high school student in my hometown, north of Chicago, Illinois, C.B.O. (for Clark Benjamin Offner) was the nickname that some people used for me.  The university I attended was west of Chicago in the state of Iowa and it was during my second year in that university that I was attracted to a girl student whose hometown was also in Illinois just west of Chicago.  During the summer vacation, I returned to my hometown and worked as a laborer for a construction company.  My girlfriend became a waitress in the restaurant at a Christian conference center east of Chicago, in the state of Indiana.  In order to give her the impression that I was a well-known and important person, I suggested that she write a letter addressed to “C.B.O., Zion, Illinois” and see what happened.  At that time, my hometown had a population of about 12,000 and I had worked in the town post office during the Christmas/New Year vacation the previous year.  A close friend of mine, who later married my sister and became the mayor of the town, was still working in the post office at that time, so I was quite confident that the letter would get to me with that simple address.  It did and my girlfriend was impressed and eventually became my wife and has been enriching my life for the past 57 years. (934)

“Name Divination”
06/02/05

Pardon me for writing another message about a personal experience, but the final sentence in message #932 reminded me of it. While in Japan, I tried to conform as much as possible to Japanese customs. I made use of a personal seal for signing documents, withdrawing money from bank accounts, etc. My seal included the Chinese characters I had chosen to represent my name in the normal Japanese order: Ou-funa (big ship) Kura-ku (storeroom nine) Bi (beautiful). Some people believe that one’ s fortune can be recognized by professional diviners who count the number of strokes in the Chinese characters in names, so when I learned that a “name diviner” would be at a supermarket not far from my house and would examine names without charge, I went to see him. At first, I asked whether he could evaluate the regular Japanese “katakana” form of my name, but he replied that it was only Chinese characters that he could evaluate. Then, I asked about the four characters in my name, without the middle initial. The result was not good, but I noticed that his stroke-counting seemed irregular and I asked about that. His reply was that when numbers are included (the number 9 in my case), it is not the number of strokes in the character (2 strokes in the number 9), but the number itself that is counted. The result was that, with or without the “bi” (beautiful, 9 strokes), the name was unlucky. This tradition is called “seimei-handan” in Japanese, which Japanese-English dictionaries translate as “onomancy.” I have not been able to find this word in any English dictionary, but its Greek roots meaning “name divination” are clear. (935)

National Foundation Day
06/02/09

        In the United States of America, the 4th of July is the major holiday celebrating the historic beginning of this nation.  On that day in 1776, the Continental Congress, representing the independent colonies that had been established in North America, formally approved the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.  In Japan, the 11th day of February is celebrated as National Foundation Day (“Kenkoku Kinen no Hi”), after considerable hesitation and controversy regarding whether or not such a day should be celebrated, what it should be named and the date of the celebration.  Before the end of the war, February 11 had been celebrated as “Kigensetsu” to commemorate the enthronement of Jinmu, Japan’s first emperor, in 660 B.C.E. After the war, that holiday was eliminated for various reasons, including doubts regarding the reign and date of enthronement of the first emperor and whether or not Jinmu was a historical figure. Eight times over the years, bills to add this day to the legal holidays were defeated in the Japanese Diet, but it was finally approved in 1966.  Although teachers continue to find it difficult to explain the reason for the date of this holiday, the history of the nation is recalled, love for it and hope for its healthy future is emphasized. At times, we must make difficult decisions regarding priorities in our use of time and celebrations.  Does the schedule of school or company take precedence over family?  Must one’s religious activities be subordinated to that of other organizations?  What comes first in life is a basic problem, but Christians remember Jesus’ words, “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).  (936)

Race Relations Sunday
06/02/12

        February, the name of this 2nd month of the year is derived from a Latin word meaning “feast of purification.” In ancient Rome, ceremonies of religious purification were held at that time of year.  In the U. S. A., the birthday of Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809) is observed in many states.  It was during his administration, as a result of his influence, that a Civil War occurred. As a result of that war, all slaves were freed and, legally, all citizens were granted equal rights, regardless of their race.  Unfortunately, racial prejudice and discrimination continue to be evident in American society today and the Sunday nearest February 12 is observed in many churches as Race Relations Sunday, or Brotherhood Sunday.  On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.  The aim of the “N-double A-C P” (N.A.A.C.P.) is to eliminate racial discrimination and segregation.  This organization was the result of a conference called by a white woman, Mary W. Ovington, and supported by many white Northerners, to discuss ways to achieve political and social equality following the lynching of two blacks in Springfield, Illinois, the long-time home city of Abraham Lincoln.  The NAACP, which advocates non-violent protests against racial discrimination, is an influential factor today in the struggle for racial equality. In some churches, a “feast of purification,” ceremony would be meaningful on Race Relations Sunday causing members to reflect on the actual situation in their churches, where there should be no discrimination, whether “Greek or Jew, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free” for, according to Colossians 3:11,  “Christ is all and in all.” (937)

Bald Eagles
06/02/18

        A couple of characteristics of the residents of this retirement community are quite obvious when we gather together in general meetings.  There are many women (and men) who have white hair and many men who have no hair because they are bald.  Whiteness and baldness are indications of getting older.  A recent newspaper article about the American Bald Eagle being taken off of the endangered species list caught my attention and stimulated this message.  There are two things about this bird that you should know.  First, it is on the official seal of the United States of America and is considered a symbol of this nation.  Second, although it is called a “bald eagle,” it is not really bald.  It is the short, white feathers on the top of its head that give that impression, so even though it has white feathers and looks bald, it may not be so old.  The seal chosen by a committee chosen by the Continental Congress was approved by the Congress in 1782.  The eagle is considered a symbol of victory.  It does not fear storms but soars above them.  The eagle on the official seal has both an olive branch and arrows in its talons, representing a desire for peace and a willingness to fight to achieve it.  There are two well-known figurative references to eagles in the Old Testament, which, like certain other Biblical expressions, are not to be taken literally.  In Exodus 19:3, God told Moses that he had carried the Israelites “on eagles’ wings” when he delivered them from Egypt, and in Isaiah 40:31, it is written that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”   (938)  

Washington Monument
06/02/20

        A “monument” is “a structure erected as a memorial” and “monumental” signifies something “impressively large, sturdy and enduring.”  Both definitions fit the tall, white marble obelisk which is a famous landmark in Washington, D. C.  This “district,” the capital city of the United States of America, is one of over 10 cities, over 30 counties and one state that bear the name of the first president.  The 170-meter-tall monument is set on a knoll, mirrored in a reflecting pool and ringed by 50 state flags.  The monument is approximately 5 square meters at its base and about 3 square meters at the top.  From the observation room near the top, which can be reached by an electric elevator in 70 seconds from the base, the Capitol can be seen on the east, the White House on the north, the Jefferson Memorial on the south and the Lincoln Memorial on the west.  When my wife and I and our three children went up that monument in 1970, we chose to walk down the 898 steps to the ground.  The idea of a monument in honor of George Washington was first proposed to Congress within a week of Washington’s death in 1799, but the cornerstone was not laid until 1848.  With delays caused by a lack of funds, the Civil War and other reasons, the dedication of the monument did not take place until February 22, 1885, the 132nd anniversary of Washington’s birth.  Now, the 3rd Monday of February is a federal holiday to commemorate his birth.  Regarding monuments, the English essayist, William Hazlitt, has written: “They only deserve a monument who do not need one; that is, who have raised themselves in the minds and memories of men.”  (939)                

Madame Butterfly
06/02/23

        At the present time in the United States of America, the word “madam” is not often used among common people.  In the past, it was probably used often when speaking to or introducing a highly respected lady.  If an “e” is added to the word, the accent is usually changed from the first syllable to the last syllable.  Madame Butterfly is the title of a famous opera written a century ago by an Italian composer about a pretty, young Japanese geisha who made the mistake of agreeing to marry an officer in the American Navy.  Last week, my wife and I joined a group of other residents in this retirement community to attend a performance of this opera at the Symphony Hall in the city of Jacksonville.  For two-and-a-half hours, we were very impressed with the singing, acting, costumes and stage setting, all of which we considered outstanding.  Although we had often heard about this opera, this was the first time we were able to see and hear it.  We were thankful that the meaning of the Italian lyrics was projected in English on a screen above the stage.  I was interested to learn that the word for “butterfly,” which is transliterated as “chocho” in English becomes “ciocio” in Italian and that, according to my dictionary, only one “cho” is really needed.  Because the story in the opera points up both differences in outlook and certain common underlying emotions in eastern and western cultures, it was especially interesting to us.  The sad ending stimulated serious reflection on values and priorities which may be viewed differently depending on one’s culture and education, but also reflect a common human element.   (940)

Leap Year
06/02/27

        According to the story of the creation of the world in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, God created two great lights in the sky, the larger one to govern the day and the smaller one to govern the night.  Human beings created calendars in which time is divided into years and months as well as days.  Such calendars are related to the movements of the sun and the moon, but there has always been a problem regarding how to combine the solar calendar with the lunar calendar and to keep them in conformity with the seasons.  According to astronomers, it takes 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and a little over 45 seconds for the earth to complete an orbit around the sun and approximately 29 1/2  days for the moon to orbit the earth.  In the old Julian calendar (adopted in 45 B.C.E. during the reign of Julius Caesar), an extra day was added to the month of February in those years whose numbers are divisible by 4.  Such years are known as “leap years.”  “Leap” means to jump over.  In ordinary years, days move forward only one day, but in leap years, in the months following February, they leap ahead two days.  Thus, if March 1 falls on a Tuesday one year, it will fall on a Wednesday the following year.  In a “leap year,” however, it will leap over Wednesday and fall on a Thursday.  According to the Gregorian calendar (instituted by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, and used in most countries around the world today), in the case of centenary years (whose numbers end with two zeros), only those years that are divisible by 400 become leap years.  This year, 2006, is not a leap year, so February has its normal 28 days. (941)