Answers to Life's Persistent Questions

I have a couple of theories about human behavior that I posed to a friend the other day, to answer a couple of perplexing questions.
1. Why do we keep doing the same things over and over, and expect different results? (Einstein's definition of insanity)
Not to suppose I'm brighter than Albert Einstein, but my theory is that it's not insanity. I think it's a phenomenon that happens when we are babies. We cry. We get what we want. We cry again, and get what we want. Later on, we cry, and we don't get what we want...but we continue to cry, and cry, and cry, expecting to get what we want. The idea is that "It worked before, so it's got to work again if I keep at it." I think we keep doing the same things expecting different results because at some time in the past and in some situation, it worked...and we just can't let go of the idea that the same thing can work again. We just have to keep trying, maybe changing some little aspect, or "doing it better next time."
2. Why don't diets work? Why do we keep looking for the perfect way to lose weight and get into good physical condition, yet keep failing?
Many hundreds of ads, articles, and books are written each year about how to lose weight and get into shape. Many hundreds of drugs, supplements, fitness machines, gym memberships, etc. are sold every year in a multi-billion dollar industry. But our problems remain. My theory is that we all know how to lose weight and/or get physically fit. We all know it well, up and down, inside and out, front and back. It's simple. To lose weight, take in less calories than you burn, or conversely, burn more calories than you take in. To get into good physical condition, the answer is equally simple. The calories we do eat need to be from wise choices, and we need to exercise. That's it!
Now, to answer the question: We don't lose weight and get into shape, and diets don't work because we're simply not ready to commit. As soon as we're ready to do it, we'll do it. If we don't decide it's a priority, we'll stay fat and out of shape. End of story.
So the answer to both of these questions really goes back to making a decision and sticking to it. When we decide that what we're doing isn't working, and choose a different path...one we already know is the right solution, our lives will improve. No book, no diet, no fancy equipment, no drugs, or anything else we can by will replace simply making wise choices and deciding to live by them. We may need some help and support, and that's okay. Go out and buy that book, or supplement, or gym membership if it really will help you...but you first have to commit to a specific goal and make it a priority or none of it will help.
After note: "We keep looking for complex solutions to simple problems because we really haven't decided to solve the problem."

Appalachian DJ and Appalachia in General

I've been a DJ for my son's company for several years now. We're in West Virginia, the only state to be completely within the bounds of the Appalachian Mountains. That's pronounced with the "ach" said with a short "a" as in the word "at", not long as in the word "ate". I like to think of it as putting an apple to your chin, and saying "apple at chin". But I digress.
Being a DJ in Appalachia is interesting, to say the least. Especially here in WV, we can range from party animal to sleepy kittens. I've played music for weddings where the couple wanted Country music, and others where the latest Hip-Hop and Pop were the order of the day. Still others wanted Classic Rock or Alternative Rock. Regardless what the original request, though "Cupid Shuffle" and "Electric Slide" are always requested, along with the number one song request of all time, "Play something I can dance to!" I think I'll write a song and name it that...and play it when they request it.
I do karaoke, too! Karaoke singers can be very good...or not. The selections they come up with are surprising sometimes, too. One Bride, in her beautiful white wedding gown, requested to sing Iron Maiden's "The Trooper". Quite often someone will request a karaoke song and stand there without a clue how to sing it. They just wanted to hear the song, so they stand there with the mic in hand. Fortunately, my karaoke tunes come with lead vocals I can punch in under those circumstances.
A wedding reception without alcohol, and a wedding reception with alcahol are two completely different affairs. That's all I'll say about that, since most of you are probably well aware of that fact.
"Getting there is half the fun," they say. In the case of many of the places I've worked, getting there can be at least half the day! Today I was DJ and Emcee at a wedding in Grantsville, WV. There is no easy way to get to Grantsville. Winding, two-lane roads are your choices no matter from which direction you approach it. The town is in a beautiful spot, though. West Virginia is nothing if not scenic.
Speaking of country roads in Appalachia, we have signs that tell us where the curves are. They are especially useful at night. For those of you not familiar with our roads, they are not straight. If you see a big, yellow sign ahead with an arrow pointing straight to the right or left, be ready...it's a curve. And it's a big curve! Slow down and be ready to turn in the direction of the arrow. There are also some smaller yellow signs with arrows. Some of them have a curved arrow, starting out straight ahead, then the curve in the line. That means the curve is up a bit ahead of you, but not far. That's followed by the big arrow pointing right or left. Now, if you see an arrow that looks like a snake, bending back and forth, it's a really curvy road ahead. If you see it in time, slow down. There's usually a number under it telling you what speed is safe traverse the area. If you don't see it in time, and you enter the area too fast, just jerk your steering wheel back and forth hard like the sign showed you...try to remember whether it went into a right turn or left turn first. Then hope you get the timing right. There is another way. you can keep going straight ahead if no cars are coming the other way. The road just turns right and left under you. That can actually work pretty well if you can see far enough ahead in the curves. It's called "straightening" the road.
Usually, the number under the arrow sign is a little slower than you really have to go. If it says 30 mph, you can probably take the curve at about 40, if you're a good driver. But if you see a sign that looks like a horseshoe and it has a number 10 under it, take it seriously! That's a KYA curve, or kiss your...aft section. People have been known to see themselves in their rear view mirror going the other way in those curves. But really, if it says 10 mph in one of that kind of curves, maybe 5 mph would be better.
I heard a story once of a bunch of kids who took one of the straight arrow signs down and put it up facing the other way. The curve went left, but the sign pointed to the right. Fortunately, they weren't so evil that they sent traffic over an embankment to their deaths, or into a stone wall. Those who went off the road ended up in a farmer's field. Now, in most places, police would be called, an investigation would ensue, and arrests would be made. In many parts of rural Appalachia, the drivers would get out, see another car they recognized and say, "Hey, Fred! How's it going? The kids got you, too, huh?"
Fred would answer, "Yup." Then the two would talk for an hour or so. If more than two or three ended up in the field, someone would start a fire and they'd make a party of it...perhaps with some moonshine from a trunk in the crowd. Either way, they'd discuss cars, sports, hunting, fishing, and their better halves, and how much trouble they were going to be in when they did go home. The owner of the field would probably come out and join them. At some point they'd probably fix the sign. Getting too crowded in the field.
Anyway, the wedding reception went well. The bride and groom rode away on the back of a fire truck, siren and lights going, and everyone waving. I made it home okay, too. Took all the curves just fine and hit the Interstate where I heard the bap bap bap of the poorly constructed highway all the way home.

Your Perception Is Your Reality

How, and to what degree is our perception of reality skewed? Is the world, our country, our state, our city, or even our community exactly what we think it is? Are our personal relationships based on reality, fantasy, a mixture?

Okay. The title of this post is actually a statement that I generally dislike. In my view, reality is reality. It either is, or it is not. Perception does not change what is real. That being said, perception seems very much like reality. We act and react based on our perception of what is real, not always on what is actually real. For instance, if I convinced you beyond a shadow of a doubt in your mind that a ferocious animal was right outside your front door trying to get in to kill you, and you believed it with all your heart, you would act and react as if it were true, when in fact there is nothing there at all.
the reality: nothing harmful outside your door
your perception: something extremely harmful outside your door

So we act and react based on our perception of reality. To us, whatever we perceive as real is all that matters. I say that to make a point, of course. Our perception of reality is easily skewed. Marketing firms owe their huge successes that fact. Many politicians owe their positions in public office to that fact. Anyone who wants something from you, and is generally skilled in manipulative tactics is likely able to skew your perception of reality, at least to some degree. Conspiracy theorists prey on people who are most susceptible to those kinds of manipulative skills. I propose that I could take any ordinary person off the street, and with a little coaching, take that person into a medium to large city, and within a single day convince a dozen people that this ordinary fellow was the reincarnation of Abraham Lincoln. It would not be hard to find a dozen people who were gullible enough, and weak minded enough, to believe it. That is an extreme example, but all of us can be deceived. It's just a matter of to what degree, what tactics must be used, and how long it would take.

Now let's get to the main point. How, and to what degree are we deceived? Is our perception of reality, in fact, reality? Here's an example I like to use. Driving on the Interstate for a few miles, I have someone almost rear end me because they are going way over the speed limit and aren't paying attention. Maybe they are trying to text or something equally as unwise. A few seconds later, someone puts on their brakes in front of me for no apparent reason, and I almost rear end them. Just after that, a kid on a motorcycle flies by at about ninety miles per hour and cuts in front of me. Then a semi driver nearly shoves me off the road trying to get into my lane without looking. As I finally get to my exit, I'm thinking, "Everyone on the Interstate is crazy today!" Now, if I could rewind the situation, and see it in a different way, I'd notice that out of the dozens and dozens of cars moving along with me and coming the other way on the other side of the freeway, only a few of them were driven by people who were doing something ridiculous. All the rest were just driving along safely and carefully, minding their own business, not tailgating, not weaving in and out of traffic, and not causing any problems. My perception of reality would be different. "Some people on the Interstate are crazy today, but most are not," I might think.

A friend often talks about how the world has changed. People are different from what they used to be in his perception of reality. To some degree he is correct. But someone who spends very little time outside his workplace or home, and only sees what's on TV or posted on the Internet - someone who doesn't travel to any other states or cities is going to have a skewed perception of the reality of the world. TV shows, movies, the news, and all forms of media show extremes. Normal doesn't get ratings nor bring in revenue. So a person can be convinced that things are much worse, much more widespread and extreme than they really are. Then along comes someone with a web site or a radio program who tells him that things are really much worse than he even knows! There are secret conspiracies behind everything we see and hear! Our doctors can't be trusted because they would rather see millions die than expose a known cure for cancer, because it would ruin their careers!

See what I mean? False perceptions.

I am not trying to convince anyone that the world is good, nor that nothing is wrong, all is well, go back to bed. Also, most of what I am saying applies to the United States of America, still one of the best places in the world to live. My thoughts do not apply to the Middle East right now, for instance. I am merely saying let's not focus on the bad, but look for the good that is left. It's not all bad! I have been to cities from the East Coast to the West in America, and from within a few miles of the Canadian border to Houston Texas, and have seen thousands of people just being...normal. Most of them are fairly friendly, have no ulterior motive in saying "Hi," and even will hold a door for you at a store. The world is not a perfect place, and yes...it will get worse before Jesus comes back. But all is not lost just yet, and there is plenty of good that can be done. If we perceive that there is no use trying...that will become reality. Live. Laugh. Love. Pray. It's still a good life, if we choose to perceive it that way.
***

Why Are Women So Complicated?

 

Women will tell you that they are complicated. Men will also tell you that women are complicated, which frustrates and annoys them most of the time. Below are some points from a recent article I read on the subject, written by a woman who did not sign her name, or I would gladly give her credit. Also mixed in are some thoughts from my own experience and from talking to women.
Before I go any further, let me say I love women, and this blog is in no way intended to offend anyone, female or male.
Now to get to it. First of all, men and women are different. No surprise there. Right? But in what ways, other than the obvious physical differences, are we so different? Our minds are different in several ways. Certain areas of a woman's brain is more dense, while other areas of a man's brain are more dense than women's. Okay, I hear you ladies. You're all saying, "We know men are dense!" But for now, let's dispense with the stereotypical put-downs, okay?
So...a woman's brain is wired and organized to better handle multitasking and instinct, where a man's brain is wired more toward performing specific tasks. In other words, guys, "We git 'er done!" Men focus on the task at hand until it's accomplished, and get annoyed if we are distracted or asked to split our attention.
Wife: "Honey, would you watch the bread in the oven, listen for the phone and give the casserole dish back to Linda next door when she comes to get it? I'll be back as soon as I pick Judy up from cheerleading practice.
Husband (muttering under his breath): "I'm never going to get this lawnmower cleaned up and ready for Spring if she keeps adding things to me! I don't have time for all that stuff!"
The fact is, she does "all that stuff" all the time, every day and doesn't think much of it, with the exception of a few times she feels overwhelmed. When that happens, she usually blows up at the guy about not helping out enough, takes a headache pill and lies down, daring anyone to talk to her for a while.
Here are some things that contribute to a woman being "complicated." Ladies, let me know if you agree or disagree. Guys, you can either finish reading this or go back to the task you were involved in.
1. Woman go through a lot of biological things that men don't have to deal with. I won't go into detail here. We all know some of the things I'm talking about. If men had to deal with all these changes, we'd be pretty complicated too. We'd probably kill someone.
2. Women are emotional creatures, and think with their hearts, feelings, and emotional reactions more than with cold reasoning. Frankly, these are good tools for women. They add up to a highly defined instinct that tells them when something is amiss, without stopping to reason what the problem is. Emotional reaction has a much quicker response time than reasoning, often, and it allows women to make snap decisions that can save them and their families from chaos. Then again, these emotional reactions can cause chaos at times, too. It's a trade-off - a downside to the benefits.
3. Women multitask better, and they need to. They are forever juggling responsibilities to family and profession. They have to be many places at once in their minds to get it all done effectively. They are wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, taxi driver, delivery service, volunteer, organizer...and the list goes on. It never stops. Men often wonder why women worry about all those "little details," but let them drop the ball on one or two, and we men are asking, "Why didn't this get done?"
4. Little things do mean a lot to women. Things men rarely give any thought to are very important to women. Men don't have to worry about the "little things" because women do. That's the balance. Yet men just say "Women are too complicated."
5. Women have a hard time letting go of the past. Yeah, some men do too, with something major, but women live half in the past and half in the present, comparing then to now, etc. The past never leaves, especially if a woman's been done wrong. "That won't happen again!"
6. Women compare. They compare themselves to others, their families to other families, their habits to those of others, etc. They can be a bit judgmental, too, because of all the comparing. But they criticize themselves more than anyone else.
7. Women expect a lot. They do a lot, accomplish a lot, and they expect the same from those around them, especially the one with which they are in a relationship.
8. There is no right answer. If they ask a question, especially of a man, they don't really want an answer. They want attention, caring, and a sounding board. If they ask you a question, men, just wait a few seconds and they'll probably answer it themselves before you get a chance to say anything. "Does this make me look fat?" pause...pause... "I'm going to wear something else!"
Man: "Whew!"
And if they have a problem, emotional or otherwise, they don't ever seem to want a man to solve it for them. That makes women seem very complicated, but in fact, they already know the solution. They are working through their feelings about it, and just want you to listen...and care.
All these things put together can make a women seem very complicated to a man, and even to other women sometimes. There is one thing that ties it all together, though - one concept that will perhaps make women seem a bit less complicated. They deal with every part of their lives with their emotions and instincts. They are passionate about everything they do. Where men are wired and trained to suppress emotion and think. reasoning things out, getting down to the bare minimum needed to get a job done with little fanfare, women use their emotions to guide them, as well as enjoy their very complicated lives. Women are "complicated" because they have to be. Men are less "complicated" because it best suits what they are wired for.
So let's stop talking about "equality" and simply enjoy ourselves for what we are. Yes, we ARE equal...but different. Let's keep it that way.
Okay, ladies. Here is where you get the chance to tell me I'm right on, or full of crap - one of the two. Facebook me your thoughts!

Albert Einstein: Why NOT Socialism?

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein is widely considered one of the greatest minds of the 20th Century. His views and opinions reached far beyond the realm of theoretical physics, for which he is most famous. Among statements made by Einstein that are most often quoted are on his views of Socialism and Communism.

In 1949, Einstein penned a letter to the Monthly Review for its first issue, titled, "Why Socialism?" In it, he outlined the problems of "Capitalism as it exists today." He concluded that the only solution to the "evil" of Capitalism is the establishment of a Socialist economy. Here is a quote from that letter:

"I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society."

Here is where today's leftists stop quoting. There is more to the letter, the next paragraph of which is, in my opinion, the most important statement Einstein made in it.

"Nevertheless, it is necessary to remember that a planned economy is not yet socialism. A planned economy as such may be accompanied by the complete enslavement of the individual. The achievement of socialism requires the solution of some extremely difficult socio-political problems: how is it possible, in view of the far-reaching centralization of political and economic power, to prevent bureaucracy from becoming all-powerful and overweening? How can the rights of the individual be protected and therewith a democratic counterweight to the power of bureaucracy be assured?"

How, indeed? In Einstein's magnificent brain, he realized that there were problems, perhaps insurmountable problems, with Socialism. His concerns have proven well-founded in civilization after civilization. You won't hear this paragraph quoted by Liberals, Progressives, or the left-leaning media personalities. This, in actuality, is Einstein's conclusion to the entire matter, which is a warning.

In summation to his entire letter, according to Einstein, Capitalism is the evil that destroys individualism and causes poverty, joblessness, fear, and inequality. He believed Socialism was the solution to the problems of society. Then he concludes the letter with a warning and a question. In my words, this letter poses a dilemma - a paradox which is not solved by Einstein. If man is "enslaved" by Capitalism, is the answer to enslave him by a Socialist government? I don't think so.

Smells like...

Memories are tied to smells. The smell of fresh baked yeast bread takes me back to Sunday dinners back home in my childhood. A favorite combination of smells and memories for me goes like this.
It's a misty Summer morning, early. The sun had not climbed over the hills yet. I stand inside an old tobacco barn on my grandparents' farm. The dew on the grass smells fresh and clean. The damp earth under my feet smells a little of axle grease from the old International Harvester Farm-all Cub tractor, and a little like manure from the livestock. With the sunrise, beginning to warm everything, come the aromas of the musty barn wood, the apple tree right outside hanging low with a variety of yellow apple, a slight cider smell from the fallen fruit that's beginning to rot, being partly hollowed out by yellow-jackets, and the grass changes from that dewy-fresh smell to a warmer, dryer odor that beckons me to go lie down and take a nap in it. But it's almost breakfast. I hurry back to the house where my grandmother has been up for hours. Coffee! It perks in the old stove-top percolator pot sending a heavenly scent into the air. Bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, fresh baking powder biscuits in the oven, and a newly opened jar of molasses join the chorus of smells. Soap is next, in the water in the hand-wash pan on the back porch, then on my hands as I partially dry them and find my chair at the table.
Soon there will be a bouquet of flower scents as my grandmother strolls out after breakfast to tend her many, many brightly colored blooming plants. There are sunflowers standing tall, geraniums, chrysanthemums, roses of all colors and types, a snowball bush, lilacs, and one of her favorite, creeping phlox. Then we traipse up to the strawberry patch to gather the last of the ripe berries. That's a delicious olfactory sensation! I eat a few as we pick, and grandma puts the rest in the fold in her apron, where she carries everything.
Early Summer mornings on the farm - I can go back there from time to time, with just a few simple smells to take me.

Rob's Grandma Dixie

Rob Robinson was a friend of mine all through Jr. High and High School, and we stayed in touch for a few years after. We spent a lot of time together in those days. Most weekends you could find one of us at the other's house, or both of us out together somewhere trying to impress girls and make general fools of ourselves (in a fun, nondestructive way).
Among my favorite memories of our times together were the times when Dixie, Rob's grandmother, would come in for a visit. She was a most delightful woman who told wonderful stories, but unlike a lot of older people, she was still very much in the midst of living life. She always seemed ready for an adventure.
One Summer we went to their family camp near Clendenin, WV, along the Elk River. The camp was actually permanent building which looked to me like an old house that had been converted maybe, with a great room, loft bunks, a kitchen, and bath. One night Dixie took us out night fishing in their john boat. As I recall, there was a lantern, a cigar (which she used to keep the mosquitoes away, don't you know) and some Velveeta cheese, which Dixie insisted was the very best bait, us, and our fishing poles, along with a few snacks for ourselves, as I recall.
Out on the river, pitch black except for the flicker of our lantern lighting up our smiling faces and the red glow from the tip of Dixie's cigar, we cast our bait into the water and drifted. In my mind I can still hear the night sounds of the insects and bullfrogs along the banks, and the rushing sound from down river where the water split, one half going over the shallows and the other forming a fast moving, deeper shoot around  the left side of a small island.
At one point, Rob's pole quickly bent nearly double, taking us all by surprise. He pulled back hard, but whatever had his line didn't give an inch. Suddenly, the line snapped, and Rob's hard pull on the pole all at once had no resistance, nearly causing him to fall backwards out of the boat.
"What was that?!"
Dixie was sure it was either a snapping turtle, or some game fish like a pike...something with teeth or a sharp beak, because the line was cut clean near where the hook had been, not just pulled apart.
That was a memorable trip in many ways. I got one of the worst sunburns in my life the next day, out on the same river, same boat, with Rob and his cousin Terry (Terry was a girl, upon whom I developed an instant, if short-lived crush). We made a couple of trips down the river and back, one across the shoals and the other down the left side of that little island. The water moved so fast there, winding right and left under low hanging limbs, that it was almost like a water ride at an amusement park.
I had my guitar along, and we sang while I played, and all the other things campers do. But of all that fun, I think the thing I remember most is what a sweet, wonderful, adventurous lady was Dixie.

Centralization Means Vulnerability

The state of West Virginia used to be a very agriculture rich state. Small to medium farms dotted the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and in Summer, roadside produce stands were as plentiful as fast food restaurants are now. Much of our water was from wells, either hand dug or drilled, and our local power plants supplied most of our electricity.
Then, an amazing thing happened - centralization! Over the years, huge farms began shipping in vegetables to our markets in larger supplies, cheaper, and more bug-free and larger in sizes! Our small farms mostly fell by the wayside. Government regulations played a huge part in the decline of small farming.
Huge water and sewer companies began running service not only in our cities, but out to rural areas, and hand dug or drilled wells became a thing for the history books, along with the infamous "outhouses". Oh...government regulations once again played a huge part.
Huge, out-of-state companies built a monstrous grid of power, linking local plants with others hundreds of miles away. Government regulations are trying to shut down our local, coal fired plants entirely.
The advantages to all these changes, which I call the centralization of civilization is generally more reliable, consistent, and plentiful services and goods. The disadvantage is also astonishing. If something goes wrong with a centralized system, a very wide area, and thousands, if not millions of people are affected.
Here are some examples: A small farm sells produce to locals at his roadside stand or in a local market. If there is some sort of problem...say a contamination of some kind, it affects a small number of people and can be located and handled very quickly. If we get our produce from Mexico, or some state hundreds of miles away, shipped to hundreds of grocery chains, any type of contamination is spread to millions before it is even detected, then it takes much longer to clear the shelves, and at a much greater cost, not only to our health, but our economy. And centralization of agriculture has NOT prevented such occurrences, as some would have you believe.
Consider our water supplies. When we got our water from small, local public service districts, if there was a problem, it affected fewer people, and could be handled much more quickly...etc. etc. The same applies to our massive power grid. A huge power substation, if it fails, can affect areas of several states.
My point is that, just as too much centralization in government policies, taking away state sovereignty, can do more harm than good, so can the centralization and conglomeration of our goods and services. In some ways - many ways - we are much better off if we localize, communitize (Is that a word?) and individualize our lives. Comments are welcomed.

Clean Water, Standard of Living

Photo from Wilson-Blair School Museum in Western KY

 
Yesterday evening, WV American Water Company issued a DO NOT USE  alert for their water supply because of a chemical leak just up river from their treatment plant. At the time of this posting, the alert is still in effect, and no one knows just when clean, safe water will be restored. That brought to mind some thoughts from a conversation earlier in the day with a coworker about growing up in WV.
    We were talking about how life has changed in our lifetimes. He is much younger than I, so I've seen many more changes, but he was raised in a very rural, WV area where many of our childhood experiences are similar. We both have seen times where outdoor toilets were a common sight in the WV hills, along with wood fireplaces and "pot belly stoves," and hand-dug water wells. The picture I've posted here shows several items with which I am very familiar - the water bucket and dipper, along with tin cups, a wash pan, and wash table.
     When I was very young, my grandparents lived on a 100 acre farm in a lifestyle that would now make an Amish family's life seem almost modern. The water all came from a hand-dug well with a dip bucket that had to be lowered by a chain over a pulley. The water was then drawn up and emptied into a two-and-a-half gallon bucket similar to the one pictured. The water was then carried into the house and sat on the side of the kitchen sink, where a dipper hung nearby. That was it...the entire drinking water supply for the household, and let me tell you the water tasted wonderful! It was pure and refreshing, with just a slight mineral taste. Water for washing clothes, bathing, and watering plants came from a rain barrel, which caught water from a downspout off the roof when it rained. Occasionally a little bleach was put in to kill bacteria and settle anything that may be floating in the water.
     Life was much simpler then, in some ways, and yet more complicated in others. We had to bring wood in for the fireplace and wood-burning cookstove that grandma still used until I was about 8 years old, or so. On cold nights, a block of #9 coal would be brought in and placed on the hot embers in the fireplace to keep the house warm till morning. Black soot would settle on everything in the house, and I often went to school with the smell of coal soot on my clothes after spending a weekend there. Even though I had no game system, ipod, smartphone, or other modern luxury, those days are some of the best memories of my life.
 ***
    Water is something we often take for granted in America. My daughter has been on two mission trips, one to Haiti, and one to Peru, where clean, safe drinking water is a precious rarity. Clean water is life. Not having it means sickness and death. We are just a bucket and dipper away from a very, very different America. When the local water company issued that alert, my thoughts went immediately to how much our lives would change, almost instantly, if clean water was not readily available. We don't know when our local water supply will be cleared up, but it won't take very many days for us to find out just how much it means to us.

How Important is Love to a Christian?

How Important Is Love to a Christian?

Jesus came to be a sacrifice, the final and complete sacrifice, for all the sins of the world. But while he was on this earth, he also taught many things to his disciples and all those who would listen. The most important of those lessons was one about love. As we’ll see, in his own words he said that the commandment of love is the greatest of all commandments, and all the laws and prophets (from the old testament) hang on love.

He taught that love was more important than burnt offerings or sacrifices. That’s a pretty amazing statement considering he was talking to those who were still living by all the old testament laws which required those things.

He also said that our love for one another will be what defines us - what shows the world that we are his disciples. More than any preaching or public prayers, love will be the sign that we belong to him.

Jesus introduces this concept by going back to the law and expanding on it:

Matthew 5:43-45

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

He explains a little about God’s love here. Evil, good, righteous, unrighteous…He extends the same sunshine and rain to all. God loves all, and wants everyone to come to Him in love. To be children of our heavenly Father, we need to also love, not hate, and pray for our enemies.

At one point, the Pharisees tested Jesus. The Pharisees believed strongly in the oral law passed down from Moses, which wasn’t written down till much later. They believed they not only knew the law, but understood how it should be interpreted and applied. They considered themselves pretty much experts in the law. So they asked Jesus a question to test his knowledge: 

Matthew 22:34-40

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

In effect, Jesus threw them a curve ball. What he said was unexpected, and not directly a part of the ten commandments. He said that these two commandments of love are the basis of all the law, and the words of the prophets.

Everything hangs on love.

Here is where Jesus tells his disciples that love is more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. He would later prove that, by showing the love of God through his own sacrifice to end all sacrifices.

Mark 12:33

“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Jesus set the example of love for his disciples, and for all of us:

John 13:34

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Then he said that love would be the way the world would know his disciples. It is what truly defines and sets apart the ones who truly follow him:

John 13:35

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In Romans, Paul reminds the early church that love is the basis of the law, and even the fulfillment of the law:

Romans 13:9-10

⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

There are some believers who see the law in a very harsh, rigid set of rules by which to judge each other. You can see the fire in their eyes when they see someone breaking the laws of God. It’s as if they almost want to see the offender punished in some way. That is not the spirit of love that Jesus was talking about. That is judgment. To be angry with those we see not keeping the commandments is misguided. The Bible says that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.

According to all these teachings in all these scriptures we’ve seen here, love is the correct response to those who are in sin, and those who are not living in the light. We should pray for them and above all show them God’s love through our own actions, and set an example, just as Jesus did.

If we see the law as a set of instructions, not to burden us, or to oppress us, but to guide us to love, and not harm one another, it all makes sense. We are not justified in God’s eyes through keeping the law. Jesus provided that justification. But to truly understand His will for us, we must know and practice love. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, we see some examples of how to display the love of God. It tells us what love is, and what it is not:

1 Corinthians 13

¹³ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

How important is love, to a Christian? It is extremely important. Without God’s love for us, He would not have sent His only Son to prove it. Without our love for Him and for our brothers and sisters, we cannot fully know Him. We cannot understand the meaning of the law, the prophets, the commandments, the teachings of Jesus, or have a true spiritual connection with Him…without love. Without love, all our attempts to serve Him miss the mark. That is the importance of love.

So how do we live by that commandment? Only through the Spirit can we see its full meaning and truly practice love. We must want to. We must make it the desire of our heart to learn it, to live it, and to share it.

The next time you read the Bible…any part of it, think about it as it relates to the law of love. It may amaze you how well it fits everything in the scriptures.