Be curious my friend!

To paraphrase a TV commercial, "Be curious my friend." There is no better advice that one can give. Children are born curious. Did you ever think about the reason most children are always asking, "Why?" Adults, particularly parents and teachers, have a very effective way of killing the question. They tend to be irritated by the constant question - often because they don't know why, or because they can't be bothered to stopping what they are doing to explain. I am guilty of this charge! (Fortunately, I did not kill all curiosity.)

Children who survive the rejection of their questions may well grow up to be doctors and scientists, both professions which require constantly asking "why." In school I was often accused of being "nosy." Maybe I was, but I have always been curious about everything around me. I can remember my first "research projects." Dad had thrown several old wrist watches into a drawer. At age of around 11 or 12 I asked whether I could take they apart to see how they worked, and he granted my request. I was fascinated at what I found under the covers, and it quickly became apparent that an engineering career was not in my future . . . I could never figure out how to put them back together!

I did grow up to be a scientist. A person of this profession cannot continue to ask "why" about everything, and must focus attention on one area of "whys." I became a Soil Scientist, more specifically a Soil Chemist, and ended up with a 30 year career as Professor of Soil Chemistry. That type of career requires associated research activity which usually is even more focused. My research was primarily in the area of reactions at soil-solution interfaces. I like to believe I made a contribution to the understanding of chemical reactions in soils, but that is for others to evaluate. I have no illusion that I will be remembered long, though. As King Solomon wrote,
"No one remembers the former generations,
    and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
    by those who follow them." ~ Ecclesiastes 1:11 (NIV)
Rarely, today, are remembered the writings of such men as Justus von Liebig, considered the "father" of both modern Chemistry and Soil Chemistry. My writings are certainly not in their class, and are destined to be soon forgotten, if not already forgotten.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I am busier in retirement than I ever was when working!" It's true! But why? Simply because the person is now free to pursue all the "whys" that appeared in their mind prior to retirement. They are now free to pursue whatever they wish, and are no longer restricted by expectations. One must always remember, though, that energy level has decreased so it takes longer to reach results. (And one must factor in an afternoon nap.) Life becomes more interesting than ever before.

In my case, questions have migrated to such as: "Who are my ancestors?" "Could I run a business?" "Was the beginning really a Big Bang, and, if so, how did that really happen?" "Could I be a successful photographer?" And so on and so on. Of course, there are also those remaining Soil Chemistry questions that I never managed to address. To this is added: "Sure, I can write you something on that subject." "Sure, I can help you get that on the internet." and a variety of other "Sure, I can . . .") Retirement life is interesting, and I am beginning to become tired -- not ready to give up, though! I still have too many who, why, where, when, how questions to ask. My mind still go on non-stop, but my body is saying it is time to embrace the fact that you will soon be 80 years old, and I am wearing out. I don't wanna embrace that!

Choosing the correct path . . . or not!

In 1967 I was living in New Haven, Connecticut. A group of us decided to spend a weekend hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Our goal was to climb at least one “4000 footer,” and we chose to climb Mount Madison on Saturday. Our decision was to park along US-2, north of the mountain, ascend via Kings Ravine and descend via ridge trails. The head wall of Kings Ravine is very steep, and at some places one could touch hand to trail by leaning slightly forward. Any steeper would have required roping in for safety. At the time I was pretty close to peak condition. A couple of weeks earlier I had taken a back pack trip over the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, followed by climbing Mountain Katahdin. I was hiking with an equally fit partner. When we reached the ravine head we looked back and noted the rest of the group just entering the ravine, at least an hour behind us.

My partner said, ”Why don’t you pick up Mount Adams while you are here. I have already climbed that mountain, so I will let the group know where you are.” The day was overcast, but comfortable above timberline, so I headed toward Mt. Adams. It was around noon by the time I got there, so sat down and ate my lunch while enjoying the view of my next objective, Mount Madison.

I didn’t dare sit there too long, though, so soon headed across to catch up with my friends. When I reached the peak of Mt. Madison I saw a small group just disappearing into the timber. Assuming this was my friends, I quickly followed them – a VERY bad decision! When I caught up with them I discovered it was a group of Boy Scouts heading east down the Daniel Webster Trail into Dolly Cop Campground.  At this point, I had no choice but to continue downward. I knew I did not have enough remaining energy to climb back up the mountain in order to descend the agreed upon trails.

I had no excuse! Earlier in the day I had purchased a White Mountain Trail Guide, and it was in my day pack. I did not consult the book maps to be certain of the trail I should follow. I did not even look at the trail markers to be certain of name and direction. My mind was closed: it "said" my friends were disappearing into the timber, so I must follow them. As my college roommate would sometimes say, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up.”

Have you ever had similar experiences? Have you started out with a specific goal in mind, along with a route to meet that goal, only to be distracted by something that led you off your path?  Our lives are like that. I am convinced that we each have an ideal life path, and if we stay on that path we will arrive, content and happy, at the end of our days. However, our path is not always easy and we so often become distracted by side roads. Too often we arrive carrying a “bucket list” of unfulfilled wishes. These wishes are probably the result of either wanting something not on our intended path, or taking a side trip just when that wish would have been fulfilled . . . or perhaps a simple assumption that this is the correct path to take. Sometimes we can even be so intent on reaching a goal that we bypass things along our path. For example, at one point my path took our family to Europe for a year. One day we were on the Autobahn, probably no more than 15 to 30 minutes from the East German border. I was so intent on reaching a goal that I by-passed a teaching opportunity to take our children to the fence separating East and West Germany.

One of the best books ever written on this subject is John Bunyon’s  A Pilgrim’s Progress. He presents one ideal path of life, but it is not always an easy path. Pilgrim is always being lured off the path for one thing or another and must search his way back to his life’s path. If we really examine our life, every one of us is Pilgrim. We are always coming to an intersection in the path. Instead of evaluating the pros and cons of each intersection as it is encountered, we tend to take what appears to be the easiest or more attractive path. Once there we tend to lose our way back and must ether bushwhack through unknown area, or just follow the new path wherever it takes us. There are rarely situations in which we can retrace our life tracks, but we must find that side road that returns us to our correct life path.

To complete my story, I did continue to Dolly Cop Campground. It was deserted except for a few hiker cars, so I had to hike out to the road I knew my friends would be using to return to our cabin. Once there I encountered a driver who took me the several miles to our parking spot. As I got out of the car the first of my friends emerged from the woods. They hadn’t even had time to miss me, and all was well . . . except that I began to shake with hypothermia. My resources had been completely exhausted.

We have choices, and not all choices are wise or even comfortable. We are prone to explore things as we go through life, and we often loose our way in the process. We can easily become exhausted, discouraged, and depressed. No matter how far off our life path we may wander, however, God is always available, ready and able to rescue us and get us back onto the correct path. Our task is simply to accept His help and direction.

Has science confirmed the Bible?

This video is fascinating! My position is that Scientists may differ and argue with Christians, but at bottom line, Science and the Bible must agree. The problem always comes in interpretation. I have heard of a "planet X" having been discovered, but have seen little description of what it is. This video is an "eye opener" on the subject. Some of the assumptions related to geology and time may be questionable, but if there is such a heavenly body as here described, the earthly repercussions explained are likely right on. This may also explain some of the very strange stories in the Bible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ftTm34xfk&feature=youtu.be