For my birthday my parents got me a subscription to getAbstract.com I love reading business books, self help books, books on psychology, biographies and the like but struggle to make time to dive into 300 page book after 300 page book. I'm excited to be able to read the professional summaries via getAbstract. In school Cliffs Notes were the bane of teachers dashing their hopes that their students would partake of all that the curriculum really offered. It the real world life is a little more about using Cliffs Notes and group prjects. My good friend Phil shared the first four lines of this quote with me yesterday:
"I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations."
As the US stock market has seen a climb in the last month and rumors of the economy 'bottoming out' have spread I have begin to see a shift in the attitudes of the citizens of this great nation. You hear it on the news, see it in the papers and it gets talked about in coffee shops. "Things just might be looking up", they say. "Maybe this is the beginning of a brighter day" is replies the other mocha latte cappuccino with whipped cream and cinnamon drinker.
I am reminded of a story, a parable of sorts, that I often shared with people I taught back when I lived in Africa.
A man is rafting down a river when he loses both of his oars. Drifting down the river he soon hears the rushing sounds of cascading water and the realization that he is heading towards the top of a very large waterfall forces his mind to search for a solution. Unable to swim and left without a means to paddle to the shore he begins to pray to the Almighty for assistance. Just before the man and his vessel tumble over the falls the man notices a tree branch hanging out over just far enough over the river that he can jump and grasp the limb. Leaping, quite literally for his life, he grabs hold of the branch and climbs his way to the safety of dry ground. Upon reaching safety he offers another prayer, "Nevermind the previous prayer God, I figured it out on my own".
I worry that we are doing that now. We are starting to see a little bit of light at the end of what has been a long and dark tunnel and we think we can get the rest of the way on our own. Like Benjamin Franklin pleaded with the Continental Congress, I beg you (and me) to remember that this branch didn't reach out to us on it's own, but to jump high, grab hold and climb to safety while the opportunity is before us. If this really is the bottom of the dip then it is time that we follow Jefferson's advice and "join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations."
I often write of how I reflect with great admiration on the Founding Fathers of The United States of America. Today I was listening to a podcast that including a quote from Benjamin Franklin during the Continental Congress.
The Constitutional Convention had been meeting for five weeks, and had hit a perilous deadlock. The large states were insisting that congressional representation be based on population; the smaller states wanted a one-state-one-vote rule. The entire effort to create a stronger union was in jeopardy. Eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin, quiet during most of the deliberations, then addressed the group. According to James Madison's notes, here is what happened next. Here is what was quoted in the podcast:
Mr. President
The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other-our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.
To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men.And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service-
Mr. SHARMAN seconded the motion.
Mr. HAMILTON & several others expressed their apprehensions that however proper such a resolution might have been at the beginning of the convention, it might at this late day, I. bring on it some disagreeable animadversions. & 2. lead the public to believe that the embarrassments and dissensions within the Convention, had suggested this measure. It was answered by Docr. F. Mr. SHERMAN & others, that the past omission of a duty could not justify a further omission-that the rejection of such a proposition would expose the Convention to more unpleasant animadversions than the adoption of it: and that the alarm out of doors that might be excited for the state of things within, would at least be as likely to do good as ill.
Mr. WILLIAMSON, observed that the true cause of the omission could not be mistaken. The Convention had no funds.
Mr. RANDOLPH proposed in order to give a favorable aspect to ye. measure, that a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on 4th of July, the anniversary of Independence; & thenceforward prayers be used in ye. Convention every morning. Dr. FRANKn. 2ded. this motion After several unsuccessful attempts for silently postponing the matter by adjourng. the adjournment was at length carried, without any vote on the motion.
(Bolding and Italics added)
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These Men were amazing examples of how to blend Faith with Knowledge. In searching for this quote I found many others that may turn in to future posts as well.
I am grateful to the Creator for allowing me to live in this great Nation and for the Men who lived worthy of their call to lay it's foundation.
A while back my wife entered a drawing for a free photo shoot by Lydia Tolman of LOYA Photography and won. Today was the day of the shoot and like most Men I was not overly excited. Lydia Tolman was a true professional. She never once got flustered by our rambunctious kids and truly seemed to enjoy her job. Here are a few of her shots, but check out her blog for more.
I talked a little while back on what I call 'The Aladdin Syndrome'. Somebody felt, I assumed, that they had to eat and that my truck represented a little bread. Turns out it was a little less of the Aladdin Syndrome and a little more of the 'Robin Hood Paradox'. The RHP is the concept that stealing from somebody that apparently had more than you do in an effort to equal things out actually lowers the thief's state further despite the increase in wealth, goods, etc. My truck was recovered on Easter morning.
The suspects were seen with their (my) high beams on at 1:45am as they drove past an officer in the neighboring city of Ontario, CA. When the officer turned around to inspect he saw that there was a suspicious dealer plaque and 'Hello Kitty' license plate holder. He turned on his lights to pull the vehicle over. A high speed chase ensued ending in this:
The sad part about seeing my truck was seeing all of their beer, cologne, CD's of filth and other items of 'the World' mixed in with remnants of my families memories. Although they were 'rollin with the homies' with the seats thrown back and open beer in the cup holders they didn't take the time to clean up the Alpha-bits my kids had thrown the weekend before.
I feel for those that think it is acceptable and even justifiable to take that which is not theirs. Now I just hope the insurance company is nice regarding the valuation of the vehicle.
With the economy in the proverbial toilet I have been telling a few people about my theory that I call The Aladdin Syndrome. In one of the first scenes of the popular Disney cartoon Aladdin the title character steals bread because he's 'gotta eat'. It is interesting to me that this stealing is never condemned in the movie, in fact Aladdin is the one whose 'worth lies deep within' and is the 'diamond in the rough'. As unemployment climbs well into the double digits and the realities of the economy begin to hit more people I predict we will see a drastic increase in theft. People feel justified in breaking the 8th commandment. Last Friday, the 10th of April 2009, I was at a lunch meeting and came out to find that my truck had been stolen. I wasn't upset. In fact I was surprisingly calm, according to the deputy taking the report. I told the officer that I was more concerned for the person whose life was in such a situation that they felt their best choice on that Good Friday was to take a vehicle that did not belong to them.
I felt very blessed to have a spare car to drive until the fate of the truck was discovered. I received a call at 6:45 Easter morning to inform me that the truck had been recovered in a neighboring city, that it had sustained damage and that it was being held for evidence. An officer from the Ontario Police Department is on his way to my office to get a consent to do some detective work on the vehicle. I will post more pictures and information once I know get more.
