Courage

       To live courageously demands wholehearted commitment. Some Christians profess to have the courage to die for Christ, but they lack the courage to live daily for him...... Courage is not just the force behind spectacular public acts. It is also the motivation to carry out private deeds hardly noticeable to others.

--BJU Press - Explorations in Literature

I'm Not Alone

I'm not alone, though others go,

A different way from what I chose;

I'm not alone, though I say "No!"

I know that I will never lose.

I'm not alone though others tease

And urge that I should go their way;

I'm not alone though I displease

My friends by what I'll never say.

I'm not alone, for I now choose-

Though other folks may call me odd,

Tho' now it seems that I might lose-

To go the way that Jesus trod.

                                                 L. E. Dunkin

The Ant and the Cricket

"Go to the ant, O sluggard,

Observe its ways and be wise,

Which, having no chief,

Officer or ruler,

Prepares her food in the summer

And gathers her provision in the harvest.

How long will you lie down, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

'A little sleep, a little slumber, 

A little folding of the hands to rest'-

Your poverty will come in like a vagabond

And your need like an armed man."

— Proverbs 6:6-11

    

A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing

Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring, 

Began to complain, when he found that at home 

His cupboard was empty and winter was come.

Not a crumb to be found 

On the snow-covered ground;

Not a flower could he see,

Not a leaf on a tree.

"Oh, what will become,"says the cricket, "of me?"

At last by starvation and famine made bold,

All dripping with wet and all trembling with cold,

Away he set off to a miserly ant

To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant 

him shelter from rain.

A mouthful of grain 

He wished only to borrow,

He'd repay it to-morrow;

If not helped he must die of starvation and sorrow.

Says the ant to the cricket: "I'm your servant and friend,

But we ants never borrow, we ants never lend.

Pray tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by

When the weather was warm?" Said the cricket,

"Not I.

My heart was so light

That I sang day ad night,

For all nature looked gay,"

"You sang, sir, you say? 

Go then," said the ant, "and sing winter away."

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket

and out of the door turned the poor little cricket.

Though this is a fable, the moral is good-

If you live without work, you must live without food.

                                                                                         -Anonymous

The Spider and the Fly

Flattery means praising insincerely, not meaning it, so that the other person will like you.

"A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin." 

— Proverbs 26:28

"A man that flattereth his neighbor, spreadeth a net for his feet."

— Proverbs 29:5

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the spider to the fly.

Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.

The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,

And I've a many curious things to show you when you're there."

"Oh, no, no," said the little Fly, "To ask me is in vain,

For who goes up your winding stair, can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with souring up so high.

Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly.

"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,

And if you like to rest a while, I'll snugly tuck you in!"

"Oh, no, no,"said the little fly, "For I've often heard it said, 

They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning spider to the fly; "Dear friend, what can I do 

To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?

I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;

I'm sure you're very welcome - will you please to take a slice?"

"Oh, no, no,"said the little fly; "Kind sir that cannot be:

I've heard what's in you pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

"Sweet creature!"said the spider, "You're witty and you're wise; 

How handsome are your gauzy wings; how brilliant are your eyes!

I have a little looking glass upon my parlour shelf;

If you'd step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."

I thank you, gentle sir,"she said, "For what you're pleased to say, 

And, bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,

For well he knew the silly fly would soon come back again:

So he wove a subtle wed in a little corner sly,

And set his table ready to dine apron the fly;

Then came out to his door again and merrily did sing:

"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with pearl and silver wing;

Your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head;

Your eyes are like diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! How very soon this silly little fly,

Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;

With buzzing wings she hung aloft, than near and nearer grew,

Thinking only of her brilliant eyes and green and purple hue,

Thinking only of her crested head. Poor, foolish thing! At last

Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast;

He dragged her up his winding stair, into the dismal den - 

Within his little parlor - but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,

To idle, silly, flattering words I pray you ne'er give heed;

Unto an evil counselor close heart and ear and eye,

And take a lesson from this tale of the spider and the fly.

                                                                                  - Mary Howitt

The Butterfly and the Caterpillar

A butterfly, one summer morn,

Sat on a spray of a blossoming thorn

And, as he sipped and drank his share

Of honey from the flowered air,

Below, upon the garden wall,

A caterpillar chanced to crawl.

"Horrors!" The butterfly exclaimed,

"This must be stopped! I am ashamed

That each as I should have to be

In the same world with such as he.

Preserve me from such hideous things!

Disgusting shape! Were are his wings!

Fuzzy and gray! Eater of clay!

Won't someone take the worm away!"

The caterpillar hunched ahead,

But as he munched a leaf, he said,

"Eight days ago, young butterfly,

you wormed about, the same as I.

Within a fortnight from today

Two wings will bear me far away

To brighter blooms and lovelier lures,

With colors that out rival yours.

So, flutter-flit, be not so proud;

Each caterpillar is endowed

With power to make him, by and by,

A blithe and brilliant butterfly.

While you, who scorn the common clay,

You, in your livery so gay,

And all the gaudy moths, and millers,

Are only dressed up caterpillars"

                                                Joseph Lauren

History of Medicine Part II

The Golden Age of Greece ended when the Romans conquered most of the civilized world.
Roman medicine aimed at helping the society as a whole, rather than individuals. They built aqueducts to carry fresh water, arranged for sewers to carry away the waste, and built public baths for personal cleanliness.

The most important physician during the Roman Empire was Galen.

Claudius Galen was a Greek physician who went to Rome and revived the ideas of Hippocrates and other Greek doctors.

Galen believed that, a thorough knowledge of the body is essential to good medical practice; "A physician needs to study the body, as an architect needs to follow a plan."

The Romans had passed harsh laws against dissecting human bodies. A doctor who dared open a body merely to satisfy his curiosity would be severely punished.

Galen did not dare break the laws. He traveled to Alexandria, to study medicine. There, he had the opportunity to study 2 complete human skeletons. After this, he dissected the bodies of animals - pigs, goats, and even apes. He learned much from his study of animals. He diligently described every detail of what he learned.

But not everything he learnt about animals could be used to treat humans.

At the age of 28 Galen returned to his hometown, and became the surgeon to a school of gladiators.

Although the Romans banned the dissection of human bodies, it perfectly fine and encouraged for professional warriors to hack their bodies apart, for the amusement of Colosseum crowds. Once the warrior died, his body was forbidden to be touched except for the preparation for burial.

While repairing the injured gladiators, he learned firsthand about the human body.

A few years later he traveled to Rome where he continued his study. And wrote the first of many books. He also took on his first important case:

Eudemus, a well-known physician, faced a mild paralysis in his right hand. The third and fourth fingers could not be moved. All the best physicians in the city who examined him failed to restore the feeling to his fingers.

Lastly, Eudemus saw Galen.

Galen asked him if he had injured his neck recently. Eudemus, bewildered, said that he had been thrown from a chariot and struck his neck against a stone. The young physician replied that the nerves the neck had been affected in the fall. Then, he treated the nerves in the neck instead of in the fingers.

Eudemus  recovered completely.

His fame soured, but so did the jealousy of other doctors.

Especially when Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor hired him as his personal physician.

According to Galen, the existence of God could not be dismissed once a person saw the marvelous complexity of the human body.

Galen died in his hometown, Pargamum in A.D. 200.

Although Galen died, his ideas didn’t die with him.

His fame continued to grow. He had written about a 125 books, of which 80 still exist.

His books contained a mixture of facts, opinions and errors.

His effect on medicine grew rather than decreased.

His views unfortunately came to be regarded as the final authority in medicine.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly minded,

For with blessing in his hand.

Christ our God to earth descended, 

Our full homage to demand.

King of kings yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords in human vesture,

In the body and the blood;

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for Heav'nly food.

Rank on rank the Host of Heaven,

Spreads its vanguard on the way.

As the Light of lights descended

From the realms of endless day,

That the powers of hell may vanish

As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence,

As with ceaseless voice they cry:

Alleluia, Alleluia,

Alleluia, Lord most High.

Liturgy of St. James

5th Century

Art by Rembrandt

Life's Clock

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools 

but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." 

--Ephesians 5:15-16

The clock of life is wound but once,

And no man has the power

To tell just where the hands will stop--

At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,

To lose one's health is more,

To lose one's soul is such a loss

As no man can restore.

The present only is our own,

Live for Christ with a will;

Place no faith in tomorrow,

For the clock may then be still.

beauty v2

"for there is no respect of persons with God." ~ Romans 2:11

"but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors." ~ James 2:9

In Greek mythology, Paris was called to judge which of three goddesses, Aphrodite, Hera, and Pallas Athene was the fairest. Eris, the goddess of discord, started the trouble when she appeared at a wedding and threw down a golden apple inscribed with the words "For the Fairest." The result of this action was a disrupted wedding and later a war, as Paris abducted Helen to Troy. The gods were unable to make the decision of who was the fairest and Paris' task was not easy. Hera offered him wealth and power to pick her, and Athene promised honor and glory. The ultimate bribe, however, came from Aphrodite, who guaranteed him the most beautiful woman on earth for his wife - Helen. Needless to say, Paris ended this beauty contest in favor of Aphrodite. 

Like the ancient Greeks, we moderns ascribe a high value to beauty and like them, we have been unable to determine the concept of beauty itself. Almost everyone is involved in the pursuit of beauty. Its significance for the individual can be judged by the time spent in the gym and in front of the mirror. To a great extent, advertising tells us who we are and who we should be. It tells us that the most important thing about women is how we look. We are surrounded with the image of the ideal female beauty so we all learn exactly how important it is for a woman to be beautiful and precisely what that will take. Technology has progressed so much that we are now able to retouch images and present us with ideals that are unrealistic, inhuman, and impossible to achieve. This "perfect beauty" is just an illusion yet young and old alike try to achieve this unachievable standard that our culture has imposed upon us. This has been happening throughout history and women have done some horrible things to themselves in order to fit into their culture's ideal of "beauty."

All throughout the olden days, women put their health at risk with many of their homemade cosmetics. In some cultures, for example, women used arsenic, lead, mercury, and even leeches to give themselves the pale appearance that was deemed beautiful in that point in time.

Japanese women in the 3rd century lacquered their teeth black with a blend of iron filings, oak apples, and sake or tea. Roman and Greek women reportedly soaked in bathes of crocodile feces and mud to achieve soft skin. The Greek physician Galen, who made the first cold cream, notes that "ladies dedicated to luxury" preferred a crocodile dung mask. The moulding of the skull and the practice of head flattening was common among Mayan society. The head was flattened by putting a newborn infant's head between 2 wooden boards, creating a mousetrap-like cradle that was held in place with bindings. The baby's soft skull slowly moulded to the cultural beauty ideal of flatness and after a few years, the boards were removed permanently. Elongated heads have also been as popular as flattened heads -- a Congo woman with an elongated head would be thought of as very beautiful by her people. A Chad woman would have had her lips supported and stretched by metal rings since early childhood and in adulthood, her stretched lips would express the ultimate beauty.

Georgian woman

Women of the Georgian High Society (England 1740-1830) looked beautiful in their satins and silks
but they hardly ever washed themselves. Because sanitation was still quite uncommon, they preferred to douse their clothes, bodies, and belongings in toilet waters and perfumes. They wore scented pomanders and carried small perfume bottles about in their person. False hair was commonly used and it took a long time to dress their hair exceedingly high. They expected it to last at least a week, preferably longer, and often slept sitting to keep the style in place. Since hygiene was poor, lice in their hair and everlasting headaches became a fact of life. They had false teeth, hair, bosoms, calves, and induced large eyes which they made to falsely dilate by using belladonna taken from the deadly nightshade plant. They were a walking deception.

victorian corset

Sometime later, Victorian women had to endure much pain and suffering because of an article of dress called the "corset." They "trained" their waist over a period of a few years by gradual increments of the lacing. Some went so far that they could only breathe with the top part of their lungs. This caused the bottom part of their lungs to fill with mucus and symptoms of this included a slight but persistent cough and heavy breathing that caused a heaving appearance of the bosom. It would take about a year of not wearing a corset for the internal organs to settle back to their normal positions.

Perhaps the most horrible of all these evils was foot binding. In China, until about a century ago, small dainty feet were considered beautiful. The desire to be be beautiful went so far as to break and bind the feet of their baby girls with meters of cloth to stop them from growing so they would resemble a "three-inch golden lotus" at a time when normal big feet were considered alien to feudal virtues. The process was started before the arch of the foot had a chance to develop fully, usually between the ages of two and five. To enable the size of the feet to be reduced, the toes on each foot were curled under and pressed with a great force downwards and squeezed into the sole of the foot until the toes broke. The broken toes were held tightly against the sole of the foot while the foot was then drawn down straight with the leg, causing the arch to be forcibly broken. This was all carried out without the use of any method of pain relief and was thus extremely painful for the girl being bound. The actual binding of the feet was then

chinese women's shoes

begun -- the bandages were repeatedly wound in a figure-eight movement, starting at the inside of the foot at the instep, then carried over the toes, under the foot, and around the heal, the freshly broken toes being pressed tightly into the sole of the foot. When the binding was completed, the girl was required to stand on her freshly broken and bound feet to further crush them into shape. The girl's broken feet required a great deal of care and attention and would be unbound regularly. Whilst
unbound, the girl's feet were often beaten, especially on the soles, to ensure that her feet remained broken and flexible. This unbinding and rebinding ritual was repeated as often as possible. For the rich at least once daily, but, for poor peasants two or three times a week.
The most common problem with bound feet was infection. Despite the amount of care taken in regularly trimming the toenails, they would often in-grow, becoming infected and causing injuries to the toes. Sometimes for this reason the girl's toenails would be peeled back and removed altogether.  If the infection in the feet and toes entered the bones, it could cause them to soften, which could result in toes dropping off — occasionally, this was seen as a positive, as the feet could then be bound even more tightly. Girls whose toes were more fleshy would sometimes have shards of glass or pieces of broken tiles inserted within the binding next to her feet and between her toes to cause injury and introduce infection deliberately. Disease inevitably followed infection, meaning that death from septic shock could result from foot-binding, but a surviving girl was more at risk for medical problems as she grew older.

The standards of beauty have changed over time, based on changing cultural values. What is considered beautiful in the eyes of one race may be thought absolutely shocking in the next. The question that comes to mind is "why?" Why do women suffer so for the sake of beauty? Why do they do just about anything and everything to fit into their culture's idea of beauty? Could it be because we react more favorably to physically attractive people (according to our understanding of attractiveness)?
Studies do show that attractive people have distinct advantages in their communities. In our society, attractive children are more popular among classmates and teachers alike. Teachers give a higher evaluation to the work of more attractive children, and attractive applicants have a better chance of getting jobs and receiving higher salaries. In court, attractive people are found guilty less often and when found guilty, receive less severe sentences. This is showing favoritism and it's so easy to fall into judging others solely on their outward appearance, treating them according to that.

It's so easy to just look outwardly and be partial, putting everyone into some kind of category and ranking ourselves based on our looks, wardrobe, and material possessions. All of these things are of no consequence to God and of no significance at all. He is absolutely and totally impartial in His dealings with humanity.
And that is how we should be also.

(part two of the reposting the somethings I wrote about beauty when I was 11.)

History of Medicine Part I

Throughout human history, medicine and medical care has been critical for many civilizations. The first known doctor is Imhotep.

He is also credited with being the founder of ancient Egyptian medicine. He was  known as a politician, astronomer, architect, and physician. He also designed the 1st pyramid for a 3rd dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh -

Imhotep was considered so important, that after his death, he was worshipped as the god of healing.

 The primary duty of an Egyptian doctor was to prepare bodies for the afterlife. Ancient Egyptian doctors and priests believed that disease was caused by spiritual beings.When no-one could explain why someone had a disease, spells and magic potions were used to drive out the spirits. The ancient Egyptian physicians took more care in preserving the body, and keeping it free from decay, more than keeping it from diseases during life.  Although Egyptian medicine, to a good extent, dealt with the supernatural, it eventually developed a practical use in the fields of anatomy, and public health. Herodotus, known as the “Father of History,” described the Egyptians as “Healthiest of all men” due to the dry climate and the notable public health system that they possessed.

  A more famous ancient physician is, Hippocrates. A Greek, born in 460 B.C., in the island of Kos. He needed all the boldness he could get, to change how doctors practiced medicine. Other doctors based their healing art, upon the belief that evil spirits, hateful demons, and vengeful gods, struck people with diseases. Invisible arrows, shot by the Greek god, Apollo, were thought to have caused pain. One treatment for disease required the victim to travel to one of the many pagan temples, and offer a sacrifice. Then, he had to sleep there, to dream away the sickness.  Hippocrates visited Egypt, and there he studied medicine. Eventually, he returned home, and began a school of medicine in Kos. Hippocrates taught methods that seemed strange to other doctors, who treated their patients with chanting and magic potions. He believed every disease had a natural cause. He gained the confidence with patients and put their mind at ease, by instructed students to find as much as possible about them. The older doctors did not agree with that - they expected  patients to sacrifice to greek gods and goddesses at the many pagan temples

“The gods will be angry” They warned. “The gods will punish doctors and patients that dared to defy them.” Hippocrates also made changes in how physicians looked upon their profession.  During his time, a doctor was sometimes bribed to see that a patient died, or asked to prepare poison to kill an enemy. Hippocrates taught against such improper conduct. He taught his students to treat everybody the same - friends and enemies, rich and poor. “Sometimes give your services for free,” He urged. “For were there is love of man, there is also love of medicine.” He drew up a statement describing proper conduct. The Pledge, was called the Hippocratic oath, and medical students still take it upon completion of their course of training. Hippocrates, the remarkable physician of Kos, is still considered the greatest physician the world has ever known. His advice to doctors is still taught in medical schools today. He is rightly called the “Father of modern Medicine.”