I have been pondering the connection between national defense and support for education. In a war between ideological enemies, support for education seems to have been very important. Yet education seems to be losing public support even though past wars have shown that an educated populace makes for a stronger society and better military force.
The following are two Pithyhistory posts that resulted from my ponderings.
Education and skill go hand in hand. It matters much less how they are obtained than that they are, indeed, obtained.
Too often artisans are viewed as having less worth than their mechanical counterparts. In truth, an artisan is not only someone who can create an item of practicality and beauty, but they are often the keepers of the history of the craft they love. Their work is priceless, even when they do place a price tag on it. Handcrafted should never be devalued, nor should people be surprised when a lovely piece of work is priced much higher than the average person might wish to pay. Whether it is the hobbyist or the professional, handcrafted work is much more than just an average mass produced item found in a retail store.
Politics used to be likened to a Three Ring Circus, but now it seems to be much more like a Reality TV Show – entertaining, but terrifying in its portrayal of human nature and intellect.
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After the storm, the view is so lovely.
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Wisdom is not simply knowing the truth. Wisdom is knowing why it is the truth.
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When terror is the objective, we lose the battle the minute we allow fear to overrule reason.
Caution and fear are not the same; caution and reason go hand-in-hand, fear causes all reason to flee. Do not let terror win the day by allowing reason to be driven out of our lives.
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It seems human nature to boldly proclaim thoughts and opinions which are often formed from only a mere scattering of information collected.
It seems wisdom is gained from reevaluating one’s ideas after having accumulated greater information which is often derived from someone else’s bold proclamations.
Therefore wisdom is a result of both boldly proclaiming and wisely reevaluating.
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Living with a disability like fibromyalgia is a never ending lesson in adjusting and making the best out of a tough situation. Take this morning for example. I woke up feeling rather good, a bit of shoulder stiffness, but otherwise bright-eyed and chipper. I prepared for church and found that the fatigue that often hits just prior to leaving the house at 9:15 AM was absent. I was really quite pleased because last week the fatigue hit just as church was starting. I find hiding a bout of pain is relatively easy compared to hiding a bout of fatigue. While it may be acceptable for small children and old men to doze during the congregational meeting, it is usually frowned upon for middle-aged ladies to do the same. So by comparison, shoulder-joint pain was manageable and I was looking forward to enjoying the meeting.
Alas, to my great dismay, I found myself becoming queasy and lightheaded not more than 10 minutes into the meeting. Sure I had arrived 10 minutes early to get a good seat, but 20 minutes sitting in a pew should not have been enough to have cause discomfort-induced nausea, regardless of the fact that my shoulder pain had been joined by a stiff neck and sore back. By the time the sacrament had been passed and the bishop was thanking the deacons for their efforts, I knew that I had to leave. I asked my husband to carry my overly large purse as a precaution, and I proceeded to leave the chapel. Upon reaching the foyer, I discovered I was struggling to breath much like I was having an asthma attack, but upon stepping outside, my breathing began to ease. Oh and the gooey eyes that I had been doing my best to ignore, cleared almost immediately.
It would appear that I was having an allergy attack. Since I am not terribly susceptible to airborne allergies and perfumes usually only give me headaches, today’s strange reaction left me flustered and a bit frustrated. It is when the unusual, unanticipated, and odd physical symptoms hit that I find myself most severely struggling emotionally with my health issues. It during those moments that I want to weep. It is during those moments that I do my best to find a reason to smile. Today’s reason to smile – fresh baked cookies.
I am now sore and tired, but I am not frustrated or emotionally weary. If I do get weepy by the end of the day, at least I now can dry my eyes with one hand while I eat a cookie with the other.
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In the journey of life, standing still is often the first action in a backward slide. However when we change the metaphor from walking to swimming, we find that there is a wonderful way to indicate a need to pause without losing ground – treading water. Unlike with the notion of standing still, treading water requires effort. Sometimes in our quest for self-improvement we neglect to embrace the place we have reached, and we forget to fully appreciate the waters that support our efforts. Treading water provides us with the opportunity to pause and take in the surroundings; to enjoy the pond they are currently in before seeking the next one.
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Pithy Ponderings 