August 2010 Editorial

Education. This is a word and term that is bandied about often, sometimes carelessly and recklessly, sometimes in ignorance, but mostly for noble causes. After all, education in general is a noble cause since it defines in essence the transference of knowledge from one generation to the next; this in turn begs us to appreciate noble aspirations, such as legacy.

But really, education begins and ends in the home, and has less to do with formal schooling than one may think! It seems to be a popular notion that education starts the day we are enrolled for Grade 1 (or Grade R or something similar) and then continues through to Grade 12; after that further education may or may not happen at college, Technikon or university level, after which we go into our respective fields... educated and qualified. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I said, education starts at home (or at the hospital) the day we are born. I am of the opinion that we come into the world fully and perfectly formed as the person we are supposed to be. The road we need to walk (through education) from birth to death is the process of bringing out that perfect being, and that whole person. For most of us, the attainment of reaching that perfection while on earth is probably not feasible, however, it shouldn't stop us from trying. I also think that eternity (if we were to view eternity in terms of time - which it isn't!) is simply the continuance of this road. Until all eternity I believe we will be involved in this educational process - discovering who and what we are in the fullness of God.

Now if this is my belief, then I've also set myself up for quite a task regarding my own children, to those for whom I am either a biological or spiritual father. (I use the word "father" in the broadest sense when referring to my relationship with people with no biological connection). In truth, we all are constantly involved in this dual role - the role of educator and in the place of being educated. By the way, "being educated" is not a destination, but rather a waypoint! Understanding the gravity of my responsibility I can no longer point a finger and make statements such as, "Yes, but the education system is this-or-that," when talking about the failings of society. No, I must make up my mind that I am here to teach and learn all at the same time.

Understanding this responsibility is one thing, but it also implies that we need some kind of yardstick or measuring tool outside of ourselves that is bigger and better, further and more educated/informed, to guide us in the process. Fortunately there is the Absolute against which we are able to measure anything from our achievement to our progress and everything in between. The Absolute, is of course, none other than the Creator, who conceived our shape and being in the first place. So, in essence, our road of educational discovery is to find out more about the Creator; this will allow us to get to grips with who we are supposed to be, and allow us the grace to help every other person, who by necessity is hugely different than us. We are in this journey and adventure together, let us make the best of it and enjoy the ride.

July 2010 Editorial

How many times haven’t we heard, or even used the saying ourselves, “Home Is Where The Heart Is?” I know that I’ve used that saying myself in the past. So I was idly minding my own business the other when I started to think about this in a little more details. I know that the idiomatic expression is there to explain to us that no matter what our surroundings are like we can make a “go of it,” and really, turn any situation around into a positive and favourable experience. But I would like us to look at this expression a little more, well, literally.

In order for us to understand this expression literally we need to define what we mean by ‘heart.’ Etymologically speaking (a big word describing how a big word got so big in the first place), ‘heart’ could mean essence, core, centre or any other word describing the essential ‘you’. In the Old Testament the word ‘heart’ is translated from the Hebrew nephesh, meaning ‘the sum total of that which makes a human a living being,’ that would include our thoughts, motives, actions, and physiologically speaking, our breathing. So ‘heart’ really encompasses everything you and I are. IN this context, the expression that our home is where our heart is would really describe a person who is completely at peace with themselves and their surrounding. Does this sound like a utopian statement? And, is this state of mind really achievable?

I have noticed (in my own life and in that of my friends, acquaintances and strangers) how, in the absence of a balanced heart, we try to substitute it with stuff outside of this inner-self definition. In this scenario, our home becomes a house, a bond, a living-up-to-the-Jones’, an interior decorating style, and the latest, state-of-the-art gadgets. I am reminded of an advertisement that played on TV a while back, advertising (I think) a credit card provider. In this advert the narrator places a value on things in and around the house that we are able to buy for our children. The value increased for each of the items listed. At the end the camera shows a little girl of about three years old, laughing and playing in a simple cardboard box. The punch line of the advert came over this picture: the value was simply priceless. And so it should be in our own lives; it would be the basic things, stuff apparently without value that would actually enrich our lives. And in enriching our lives it would somehow contribute to the balancing of our heart-state!
I consider essential things to be family, friends, love, contentment and taking infinite pleasure in each breath. None of these things can be purchased at our local supermarket; in fact, there is not enough money or gold in the entire world that can pay the price for any of these. They are, simply, priceless.
Our authors focus this month on issues relating to this: home making. As you will find, the views expressed in this issue go beyond the mere physical spaces we occupy, but doesn’t ignore it; we go from time to eternal; we go from the end by looking at the beginning; we get to the finish line by remembering the sound of the starting gun. Please join us on our adventure and discoveries.

June 2010 Editorial

The United Nations (I am not sure who specifically to blame or congratulate) has decided that 2010 should be known as The Year Of The Forest. It seems apt especially in light of the growing awareness and alarm concerning global warming and the steady destruction of earth’s natural resources. I am a firm supporter and believer that we are to protect and nurture our environment, not only because I consider it a Godly mandate, but also because we only have one earth! To my knowledge all our space explorations have yet to find us an alternative to this beautiful blue planet! So, what I do with my surroundings and environment really becomes my legacy to my children, and a part of my inheritance to my grandchildren.

The cycle of time has always fascinated me; time is “invented” and put in place by God when he created earth and decided that seasons should govern this globe. The place God decides to start implementing this temporary tick-tock is in a garden; this garden becomes the personification of a Divine design in earthly perfection… until humankind redesigns, redraws and alters the original blueprint. Part of my fascination lie with the fact that God created everything for us (humans) to enjoy, yet we are not created, but fashioned! Fashioned speaks to me of a “personal touch” – you may or may not agree with me on this, but consider for a moment the truth that each person’s DNA is unique!

Now in this time-space continuum God keeps on drawing analogies between what He created (let me call it Nature) and what He fashioned! So when God speaks I find myself compared to trees, streams, grass, flowers, gazelles, rocks and many other things. I find it significant that all humans are eternally spirit, yet the shell (body) dies, and at the same time that God promises to destroy our current habitation and create for us a New Earth.

With all the analogies and comparisons, what are we doing to preserve our environment, both the environment bound to time and the environment bound to that which is outside of our 3D perceived world? Are we neglecting the one for the sake of the other? Should we even bother if fatalistically we can say, “Earth has to come to an end anyway?”

This month we explore these and other critical issues… if all humanity were a forest, what would we do to preserve that place, and how would we tend it so that all trees were able to enthusiastically clap their hands? As I said, just another schplurb about some really significant things.

Waldo

PS: “schplurb” – when I was a student we used this word as a derivative of the Yiddish expression “schpiel”, meaning the whole thing, or play; schplurb therefore denotes conscious ramblings that may or may not make sense, depending on the company, situation, location and time of day! Much later, the X-generation stole the term and rephrased it “blurp”, only to be made popular by the Y-generation as “blog”. I am sure that if I could speak with my grandparents today, they would say that my generation (baby boomers) stole the word from them and that it used to be…

May 2010 Editorial

It seems to me that the longer I live the more secular and humanist our society is becoming; and let me add that by society I really mean our 'global village'. Wherever I look or travel the evidence of people searching for meaning and truth is clear in the way they choose to spend their time, money and efforts. The reality is that none of us live on a deserted island and this led me to think about how the world I live in is changing my own views and perceptions, and in turn is causing me to make choices about lifestyle and living. How many of these choices are subliminally altered by the environment in which I live?

Before I go off on some philosophical tangent I would like to bring things back to the essence of the theme we are pursuing this month: world views. How is one's worldview shaped, where does one find it's beginnings and how do we deal with it's inevitable evolution?

The Oxford dictionary defines a worldview as “a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world.” I believe that we all are the sum of our experiences from the moment of conception to where we are today, and that this sum in not always necessarily a constant, cast-in-concrete type of thing, but rather something that is constantly changing.

The typical world view is in stark contrast to the Christian world view that is based on the principles and characteristics laid out in the Bible. For the Christian the Bible is the ethical and moral compass that guide and determine choices and the ways in which we live. The flyleaf of Francis A Schaeffer’s, A Christian Manifesto states the following: “It happened so subtly that few people noticed it at first. Little by little, morality and the freedom started to crumble. It came first in government, in education, in the media – and finally it began to shake our families and our own lives. Something fundamental has changed. Law and government no longer provide a foundation of justice and morality but have become the means of licensing moral perversions of all kinds. Education has become enemy of religious truth and values. And the media have provided the means for propagating the change.”

Now this was written in 1981, and nearly thirty years later things have progressed so far that the general ethical and moral compass of the world at large is like a rudderless ship floundering on the ocean. South Africa, the showpiece of humanist cohesiveness to the world, is suffering the consequences of ideas and views that have strayed far from an absolute truth. Some of the leaders of our country hold to views that are no better than those supported in the soapies, movies and literature of our day.

What can we do to change this and protect future generations from the curse of aimlessness and hopelessness? The answer is surprisingly simple: Let us get back to the foundations, principles and views of the One Who created all. I am reminded of the name of Mark Shuttleworth's company, Hip2b Square. While popular culture would have us believe that the Christian lifestyle is one of constraint, and boring boundaries, the truth is that only within the specified boundaries of our creation do we really find total freedom. This 'total freedom' is referred to by Christ as an 'abundant life'! It would do us well to re-evaluate the things which we believe to be true and good for all, the things that the media hold up as examples of the 'good life', and take stock in the light of our every day experiences. The rise of immorality, crime and injustice is directly linked to the global community straying from the truth that can hold everything together in perfect harmony.

The authors have contributed to our May issue with their insight and experiences, and I trust that in these short writings and challenges we will find road marks and directions to perhaps change the way we think. Let us not be like sheep led astray, but let us make choices that will positively affect not only our own lives but also the lives of those who live in the sphere of our influence.

Welcome

I have recently decided to migrate our current blog from blat to blogger to make our posts more accessible.

All the older posts will still be available at http://vision.blat.co.za and will serve as an archive.

All new posts will appear here!

[WALDO - Editor]