July 8

Is Real Happiness an Impossible Dream?

EVERY normal person wants to be happy. But how many of your waking hours are filled with real happiness? Could you honestly say that you find your life a delight?

For most people, the answers to such questions would indicate a disappointing level of happiness. In modern times especially, it does appear that for many persons periods of genuine happiness do not come as often as they once did. The faces of workers, travelers, shoppers and others more often reflect worry, sadness or apathy; not happiness.

Too, the pace of life in our generation is faster than ever before, and the pressures of daily living are greater. People find that time quickly slips by as they try to get things done. Often, when they look back after many years, they are dismayed to find that in the rush of things they have misplaced real happiness.

One observer wrote: “Happiness is the rarest, most prized and most misunderstood state of man.” Yet, it is relatively easy to define. A dictionary says that being happy is ‘characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or gladness.’

True, happiness is easy to define in a book. But having it as a regular part of life, now and in the future, often seems like an impossible dream.

Is Money or Fame the Way?

Many spend their lives pursuing money or fame. They feel that such may be the way to happiness. But is that the case?

Of course, poverty rarely makes anyone happy. Almost everybody feels that he would be happier if he were rich rather than poor. Yet the facts show that, while poverty does not bring happiness, wealth does not bring it either. Thus, the writer of a Bible proverb wisely requested: “Give me neither poverty nor riches.”​—Prov. 30:8.

One of the world’s wealthiest men, a reputed billionaire, said that despite his great wealth he was not happy. Indeed, he died after a long period of abusing his health, neglecting even his physical appearance, for many years shutting himself off from all but a few servants.

Another billionaire had a series of unhappy marriages in his life. When asked what gave him the most happiness, in view of his great wealth, he thought a while and answered: “A walk along a good beach, and then a swim.” That is something the poorest person can often do free of charge!

A successful actress and writer said: “As for success, in many cases it simply isn’t worth the high price of admission.” There were too many heartaches in achieving and maintaining this so-called “success.”

This was echoed by the suicide of a television comedian who, at the age of only twenty-two, had both fame and fortune. The producer of his television show stated that the young actor had “invested everything in his search for happiness.” But he did not find it. Instead, he had grown increasingly sad. This sadness revolved around his question: “Where do I fit in? Where is my happiness?” When the producer told the actor: “Your happiness is right here; you’re a star,” the actor replied, “No, that’s not happiness for me any more.” Later, he took his own life.

The problems attached to accumulating wealth show the truth of the Bible statement: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things.” That search for wealth, God’s Word says, results in a person’s often being ‘stabbed with many pains.’​—1 Tim. 6:9, 10.

Affluence No Answer

It was once thought that by raising the standard of living of a country, the people would be much happier. Yet today the greater number of persons with mental problems is in the more affluent countries.

For example, a headline in U.S. News & World Report noted: “Pursuit of Happiness​—Elusive Goal in Affluent America.” The accompanying article said, in part: “In an era of rising affluence and leisure time, Americans are finding happiness more elusive than ever before. . . . for many Americans, the best of times is beginning to seem the worst of times.”

An estimated ten million people in the United States need treatment for mental depression. And the number of children under psychiatric care has risen frighteningly in recent years.

Thus, the frenzied search for “happiness” through material wealth and fame, or through excesses in recreation, alcoholic beverages, drugs or immoral practices, has certainly not produced happiness. Instead, it has produced more and more unhappiness.

Even many of the inventions of this century, once so widely hailed, have come to be causers of unhappiness to many. For instance, automobiles have brought a measure of joy, but they have also resulted in gigantic traffic congestion, frustration and pollution. Too, all over the world automobiles kill tens of thousands of people and injure millions each year, causing untold sadness.

Television, which could have been an important avenue of education and enlightenment, has not proved to be edifying. A recent study shows that in the average American home television is viewed for six hours and eighteen minutes each day! The study found that programs featuring hatred, brutality, violence and immorality filled much of that viewing time.

There is deep concern about the bad effect of all of this on people, especially on young persons. A University of Washington child psychologist estimates that the average American child has seen 18,000 murders on television by the time he graduates from high school! That certainly will not help to build a spirit of happiness in young minds.

Well, then, can real happiness be expected in a world where millions are killed each generation by wars, murders and accidents, where crime soars, where racial and national hatreds persist and where sickness, old age and death come to all? Is happiness a realistic possibility now, or will it ever be in the future?

Strange as it may seem in today’s troubled world, the answer to these questions is, Yes. A measure of genuine happiness is possible even now, and total happiness can be a reality in the future. But how? Where? Under what conditions?

How Can Genuine Happiness Be Found?

WHAT ARE THE KEY INGREDIENTS FOR HAPPINESS NOW?

A GOOD measure of genuine happiness can be found now, and much greater happiness in the near future is a certainty.

This is not wishful thinking. It is based on what is actually the case today in the lives of many hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, and also on what the future definitely holds for mankind.

What are the key ingredients for happiness now? The answers can vary a great deal, depending on who is making the observation. For instance, some feel that there is no evil, and thus they imagine that they can find joy in almost everything. But that is self-delusion, as there are many things in this world that are very bad.

Some go to the other extreme. They find hardly any good in anything or anybody; hence, there is no cause for happiness. They have much the same outlook as did the ancient Greek poet Sophocles, who said: “Count no man happy who is not dead.”

But those views are extremes. Somewhere in between there is a balanced view of what leads to happiness. And, generally, most authorities agree on several basic ingredients that are greatly needed.

Yet, at the same time, almost all such observers ignore the most important ingredient for happiness! And when this is ignored, the other parts begin to fail in time.

First, let us note some basic factors that can make for a happier life even now in this troubled world. Then let us identify the one ingredient more important than any other, and see how it relates to much greater happiness in the future.

Appreciating What We Have

Certainly, much that is bad confronts us in our daily lives. But, on the other hand, there are things for which we can be thankful, things that can bring us some happiness if we would only take the time to reflect on them.

One simple way that we might better appreciate that we can enjoy some measure of happiness now is to consider alternatives. Almost all of us can think of some tragedy that would lessen the happiness we have at this moment. That being so, it means that we do have a measure of happiness now, without such tragedies having happened. So, while we may not feel very happy about our condition in life, it helps us to realize that we are usually better off than we have imagined.

Appreciating what we have surely would include appreciating life itself. While you may have many problems that can be depressing, you still would rather be alive than dead, would you not? Only mentally unbalanced persons commit suicide. Yes, life is “sweet,” and we cling to it as long as we can.

The alternative to life is death, in which there is no enjoyment whatsoever. As the Bible says: “As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.” (Eccl. 9:5) That is why the preceding verse observes: “A live dog is better off than a dead lion.” (Eccl. 9:4) Being alive, and human, is far superior to being a rock, or a tree, or an animal​—or dead. We can be happy that we are alive as humans, if we but take the time to reflect on it.

Too, with the right viewpoint, many of the simple things of life can give us added happiness. A pleasant sunny day is a delight. So is the natural creation, such as the trees, flowers, animals, mountains, rivers and lakes. Even in a crowded city, there are nice days that we can enjoy and pleasant areas that can be a source of refreshment.

Are you able to see? Some people cannot, being blind. Ask a blind person if he would be happy to get his sight back! Or shut your eyes for a while and try to carry on your daily functions. You will better appreciate how precious a gift your sight is.

The same is true with the senses of taste and smell. You may have eaten a certain favorite meal hundreds of times in your life, but when you smell it being prepared again, you are happy.

Yes, we are so constructed that we never tire of the really good things in life. If we would ‘count our blessings,’ we would appreciate them more and be happier.

Enjoying Work

Happiness requires activity. We are more content with life if we have something useful to do. Work is actually a blessing for us.

While it may seem desirable not to have to work at all, that is not really the case. If everything were somehow miraculously done for us, life would become incredibly boring. The reason is that we were made to thrive on a proper amount of activity.

While the work you do may seem uninteresting or unimportant, does it not make a contribution to your existence​—helping to pay your bills? Then it is important to you. And it is important to society in general, for if all the seemingly routine or “dull” jobs were eliminated, how long would society continue to function?

True, your work may not be as desirable as someone else’s. But it almost always makes some contribution, not only to your welfare, but to that of others also. If you look at it that way, you can feel some satisfaction in trying to do your job well. As the monthly letter of the Royal Bank of Canada puts it:

“The worker who can do the little things well for which he is responsible contributes to the success of the biggest enterprise, and the man who devotes himself to his task with zeal and determination, using his best ability, will have a sense of achievement, which is an ingredient of happiness.”

A More Vital Ingredient

One of the more vital ingredients of happiness has to do with our relationship with others. We cannot truly be happy without the friendship, affection, warmth and understanding​—yes, the love—​that comes from people.

True, in some places, such as crowded cities, one might at times wish that all the people would disappear. But who would really want to be completely alone? While that may sound appealing for a little while, the fact is that we cannot find genuine happiness without other people, even if we are disappointed or angered by them at times. No man in solitary confinement for any length of time was made happy thereby.

But it is not merely having others around us that brings happiness. What really matters is our showing love, a vital ingredient needed for happiness. And the kind of love, the kind that will bring the best results, is a love based on right principles, as well as being warm and affectionate.

“Love: The Most Important Ingredient in Happiness,” declared a headline in Psychology Today. And it reported this comment by psychologist Robert M. Gordon:

“Love is by far the most important resource in people’s lives. It plays the biggest role in forming values that guide life choices and lifestyles. Someone who experiences a shortage of love in childhood is unhappy then, and also develops values that perpetuate the unhappiness in later life.”

Often, when love is missing and its resulting happiness is absent, money or material goods are substituted. But such things can never be adequate substitutes for the happiness that comes from human relationships where love is shown.

Does this mean that if we lacked love in childhood, we can never be truly happy? No, because love can be cultivated, developed, at any age. Why is this so? Because we were made to love and to respond to love as an inherent part of human sociability. God created us with this capacity. And love can be rekindled regardless of earlier disappointing experiences in life.

Yes, we are born to want love and to respond to the love of others. Maclean’s magazine of Canada notes:

“The responsive smiles of babies, the first entrancing show of happiness, have been studied by many scientists, . . .

“They found a universal human pattern: until the age of six months, babies of every race will smile at any friendly adult almost invariably.

“Mankind shows this instinctive sociability in the fact that babies infrequently smile at toys or feeding bottles, but almost always smile at people.”

The “Golden Rule”

What others do affects our happiness. And what we do affects the happiness of others. We simply cannot escape the fact that our happiness is intertwined with the lives of many other people, our families, our friends and others.

To the extent that it is within our power, we should do nothing in the pursuit of our own pleasure that will damage the happiness of others. This principle is called the “Golden Rule,” which is contained in the Bible. It was Jesus Christ who said: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.”​—Matt. 7:12.

When you treat others like that, with love, kindness, honesty and impartiality, what will happen? Just like the baby who responds to your smile, so other people will respond to your good treatment of them. True, not all of them will. But most of them will react favorably toward you.

This will add to your happiness, for as Jesus said: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.’’ (Acts 20:35) An illustration of this is the grandmother whose husband had died. She wrote:

“Now that [my husband] is gone, I am giving to my children and grandchildren . . . which gives them much pleasure. But to be perfectly honest, when I give to them, my pleasure is far greater than theirs.”

If she had not “given” to others she would have denied them some happiness, and would also have denied herself a good measure of it. She discovered the truth of what English philosopher John Stuart Mill observed when he said that the only really happy people are those “who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others.”

Fine Results

When the right kind of love is shown between people, all the barriers that divide them can be broken down. Jehovah’s Witnesses in all nations know that this is so because they have observed the fine results of impartially showing love toward others. They put forth the effort to practice the “Golden Rule,” to practice “giving.”

That is why, on a worldwide scale, they have progressed further than any other people in overcoming the divisive barriers of nationalism and racism. For instance, after a group of over a hundred Witnesses from Nigeria traveled to an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., a spokesman for the Africans said:

“The wonderful part of such a visit is to see firsthand how Jehovah’s people live like one large, happy family and fulfill Jesus’ words at John 13:35 when he said, ‘By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.’”

Similarly, two new attenders at meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses observed: “The thing that impressed us the most was the loving concern of the Witnesses for one another. The thing we value most at present is this loving association.” A newly associated person in New Mexico wrote: “I attended a few meetings and was impressed with the love and kindness the congregation showed me.” When another man who changed his former undesirable way of life for the better way was asked what helped him to do so, he replied: “Someone showed love to me. Someone was interested in me.”

It was Jesus who said: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:39) And showing neighbor love includes being cooperative, as well as respecting the rights and property of others. When that is done, good things often result. For instance, after a recent assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, the supervisor in charge of the arena wrote to the Witnesses:

“In my twenty or more years around this arena, never before have I been required to write such a letter as this one. This is the first time, and likely my last, that I have ever written to a tenant to sincerely thank him for such excellent cooperation as has been offered to the arena staff during this event.

“Your brothers and sisters involved in the administration and general duties pertaining to this convention have, without exception, been most helpful, and have made this event one of the most enjoyable duties we have been required to handle since coming into the arena management business.

“Thank you for coming to our arena. We hope we are still on duty when you return.”

Also, when Jesus said to “love your neighbor as yourself,” this surely included the closest neighbors we have. These would be members of our immediate family. Since the family was created by God, it is only reasonable that happiness could be found in it.

Here, too, when we apply the “Golden Rule,” and practice unselfish giving of ourselves to others in the family, there are fine results. Many a family on the verge of breaking up has been greatly strengthened and made happier by doing what Jesus said. And the more these fine principles of behavior are applied, the happier the family will be. Ignoring them can bring damage that may not be repaired.

Too, there are many simple pleasures in family life that can be sources of happiness if we would only think about them. One example is related by Maclean’s magazine:

“Historian Will Durant tells of looking for happiness in knowledge and finding disillusionment. He looked for happiness in travel and found weariness, in wealth and found discord and worriment. He sought happiness in writing and was fatigued.

“One day he saw a woman waiting in a tiny car with a sleeping child in her arms. A man descended from a train and came over and gently kissed the woman and then the baby, very lightly so as not to waken him. The family drove off together across the fields and left Durant with a stunning recognition of real happiness.

“He later wrote: ‘Every normal function of life holds some delight.’”

Yes, appreciating the good things that we do have, and showing the right kind of love at all levels of human relationship, works wonders for improving happiness. This is so even in a world that is filled with trouble.

However, there is something even more important than these ingredients. There is something so important that without it in our lives, we cannot be truly happy. What is this most crucial ingredient of happiness? The following article will tell us.

The Most Vital Factor in Happiness

MATERIAL things can be the source of some happiness. Even more important as a source of happiness (as pointed out in the previous article) is the genuine love people can show for one another. However, there is something more important than all other things as a source of happiness for humans.

When Jesus said to “love your neighbor as yourself,” he said that this was the second greatest commandment that people should observe. (Matt. 22:39) What, then, was the first, and most important?

Jesus said: “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.” (Matt. 22:37, 38) The greatest happiness now, and in the future, will come to people only if they do this.

Why So?

Why is this the case? Because Jehovah God is the Creator of humans. He formed the body and the mind. Hence, he knows far, far better than people do what will work best for their happiness.

While psychologists and philosophers experiment and speculate about which principles and rules for human behavior will work best, Jehovah God does not have to. He knows which ones are the best, since he originated them. Therefore, when we pay attention to what he says, we are getting the very best advice available to humans on what will make us happy.

The more we cooperate with God’s laws and principles, the happier we will become. To illustrate: What would happen if everybody who drove an automobile could make up his own traffic rules? You can picture the chaos that would result. At any busy intersection, you would take your life in your hands driving through, or especially when crossing as a pedestrian. There simply must be some higher authority to set reasonable rules for driving, from which we all benefit.

Similarly, Jehovah God, the Creator, has established the best rules and principles of behavior for humans. They really work. They are practical and get the best results. If we ignore them we ask for trouble, just as surely as would drivers if they should abandon the rules of driving. Indeed, a fundamental reason why there is so much trouble on earth is that people want to make up their own rules.

Happier People

The Bible calls the Creator “the happy God.” (1 Tim. 1:11) It follows, then, that those who do God’s will, abiding by his instructions for human behavior, can reflect this happiness or have a measure of it.

That is why the psalmist wrote: “O Jehovah of armies, happy is the man that is trusting in you.” And it is said: “Happy are the ones faultless in their way, the ones walking in the law of Jehovah. Happy are those observing his reminders.” Yes, “happy is the people whose God is Jehovah!”​—Ps. 84:12; 119:1, 2; 144:15.

True, obeying God will not change the unhappy system of things that we live in at present. But it will certainly change for the better the lives of those who do want to be happier and who do look to their Creator as the Source of that happiness. And when they look to him, he responds by blessing them and helping them with his powerful active force, his holy spirit. No greater power for happiness exists in the entire universe.

No Troubles?

This does not mean that those who do God’s will are unaffected by the troubles in the world. Certainly they are affected. They have their share of problems and sorrows. And they get sick and die as others do. But at the same time, they are happier than they would be if they did not look to God as the Source of happiness.

Also, those who serve God appreciate that their happiness at this present time is relative. That is to say, it is greater than can be achieved in any other way; yet it is not complete, perfect. Happiness cannot be perfect now.

Why not? Because all of us are born in sin, in imperfection, as the Bible shows. (Rom. 5:12) Thus, we all make mistakes, we are prone to periods of depression and unhappiness, and we are also prone to sickness and death, which mar happiness. Too, we all live in this trouble-filled, wicked system of things. As long as it lasts, even God’s servants will not be able to achieve perfect happiness.

At the same time, they find great comfort and happiness in their knowledge of God and in understanding his purpose for mankind in the near future. This helps them to keep balanced in an unbalanced world so that they do not sorrow as others do. This is the case even when a loved one dies, for, as the Bible says, those knowing God do “not sorrow just as the rest also do who have no hope.”​—1 Thess. 4:13.

Knowing God’s marvelous purpose for this earth and for mankind, his servants are not unduly distressed by the world’s troubles or by the bad people in it. So they do not retreat into a hard “shell” as many others do. (Matt. 24:12) They keep on doing the right thing, even if others do not respond or if they respond in a negative way.

The Example of Jesus

That is what Jesus did. Recall what happened when he raised the man named Lazarus from the dead. The Bible record shows that many people responded favorably to this. But not all did.

In fact, some were so perverse, the Bible says, that “from that day on they took counsel to kill” Jesus. Imagine that! How corrupt they were to respond so wickedly to such a miraculous good deed, especially when we consider that they were the religious clergy of that day! So perverse were they that these clergymen even “took counsel to kill Lazarus also”!​—John 11:45, 53; 12:10, 11.

Yet Jesus did not stop putting into practice the two great commandments​—those of loving God and of loving one’s neighbor. He knew that the greatest happiness and benefits come from doing God’s will regardless of how others act. That is why he could maintain his self-control and continue his kind and loving ways. As the Bible says: “When he was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When he was suffering, he did not go threatening, but kept on committing himself to the one who judges righteously.”​—1 Pet. 2:23.

Jesus knew that it would damage one’s happiness to be unduly upset about this world and its badness when there was no possibility of any human correcting its troubles. He knew, as did his heavenly Father, that this system of things actually would go from bad to worse until the day came when God would put it to an end.

Perfect Happiness​—When?

Thus, those who show principled love for others and who show whole-souled love for God know that all the troubles of this life are temporary. Soon, this entire trouble-filled system with its sorrows will be crushed out of existence.

What does this mean for honest-hearted persons who want to do what is right? It means that the time is nearing when a new order of God’s making will be permanently established right here on earth. Then, at that time, perfect happiness will become a reality.

Bible prophecies make it very clear that the time for God to put an end to sorrow and trouble is nearing. Without fail God will replace this corrupt, worn-out old system of things with his new order of righteousness under the rule of his heavenly kingdom. That is the rulership, or government from heaven, that Jesus taught others about. (Matt. 6:9, 10) Its rule will be world wide, being the only government for all mankind. All other kingdoms will have been crushed out of existence. (Dan. 2:44) Under that kingdom, the kind of happiness that one can only partially imagine today will be a daily reality then, right here on this earth.

In that new order God’s promise is that “he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4) Even sickness and old age will be things of the past, for people living then will become physically and mentally perfect, as God purposed when he created the first man and woman. This will enable people to live forever, and on a restored paradise earth at that.​—Luke 23:43.

What a delightful time that will be! Think of it​—all sickness, sorrow, trouble and death will be eliminated once and for all time under God’s righteous rule! Why, even the graves will be emptied of the dead! These persons will be restored to life and to their loved ones, because “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”​—Acts 24:15.

Finally, there will be no unprincipled people to mar that happiness. “The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it.”​—Prov. 2:21, 22.

Yes, you can find greater happiness today, in spite of life’s problems. And you can find perfect happiness in the future. So, true happiness is not an impossible dream.

But to achieve it, you must learn to trust and serve the only Source of genuine happiness, the Creator, Jehovah God. Then you can look forward to the deeply satisfying and thrilling time foretold in God’s prophetic Word, which promises: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”​—Ps. 37:11.

An Odd Mixture of Beliefs in Bolivia

By “Awake!” correspondent in Bolivia

OF THE approximately five million people living in Bolivia, about two million are Aymara and Quechua Indians. Though professing Catholicism, they confuse the “saints” with the gods worshiped by their ancestors. How is this possible when the Catholic Church has existed in Bolivia for about four centuries?

In his book A Short History of Bolivia, Robert Barton comments on the work of Catholic missionaries: “They began working for large numbers of converts rather than trying to make Christianity understandable to the natives; in fact, many pretended a resemblance existed between their own creed and the superstitious beliefs of the barbarians. This accounts for the mixture of the two lasting to this day.”

This “mixture of the two” is clearly in evidence in connection with Todos los Santos, All Saints’ Day. Kip Lester and Jane McKeel, in their book Discover Bolivia, state: “For the campesino [the native farmer] the fiesta of Todos Santos is a combination of the Christian form of observance of these Holy Days and the cult rendered to the chullpas.” The chullpas are round towers of uncut stones found in the Titicaca basin. They are supposed to have been originally the tombs of Indian chiefs.

It is of interest that the Catholic Church has adjusted many other pagan practices and perpetuated them under the label of being Christian. “All Souls’ Day” did not originate with true Christianity. Regarding its roots, we read in Funk and Wagnalls’ Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend: “Essentially, All Souls [Day] is the adaptation of an almost world-wide custom of setting aside a part of the year (usually the last part) for the dead. The Babylonians observed a monthly Feast of All Souls in which sacrifices were made by priests.”

Understandably, the early Christians held no celebration for the “souls” of the dead. They knew that the inspired Scriptures teach, “the soul that sinneth, the same shall die.” (Ezek. 18:4, Catholic Douay Version) Yes, they appreciated that the dead are truly dead, awaiting a resurrection.​—Acts 24:15.

Another example of an odd mixture of beliefs is the Diablada (Devil Dance). The book Gate of the Sun, A Prospect of Bolivia says the following regarding it: “Rooted in a combination of pagan and Christian myth, it is an interesting example of the duality that still runs through everyday life in Bolivia.”

According to the non-Christian tradition of Bolivia, the Devil lives in the mines and is the owner of the minerals and the metals. He is invoked daily by the miners to protect them from cave-ins. In the choreography, the folkloric dance groups (representing every level of society in the mining city of Oruro) take the role of the Devil, with highly ornamented masks and costumes. They petition the Virgen del Socavón, the Virgin of the Mine, in their own behalf. In the Catholic mind, the virgin, of course, is Mary.

Pointing to the involvement of the Catholic Church with the Devil Dance, Discover Bolivia observes: “in addition to their dance performances, many religious rites are ceremoniously carried out by the Devil Dancers. At the foot of San Felipe Hill at the famous Church of the Socavón, they first pay homage to the Virgin and they hold mass on certain specified occasions during and following Carnival.”

Those dressed in “Devil” costumes may be seen entering the Catholic chapel and partaking of Communion officiated over by Catholic priests. Upon entering the chapel, the Devil Dancers address the Virgin of Socavón with the words: “We come from hell to ask your blessing, all your sons of the Devil, little Mother of the mine shaft.” And on the last occasion of their entering the chapel, they say their farewell prayer for the year, as follows: “As in the hills of tin, pour out your light of the sun, upon our hearts pour out your blessings. Don’t deny us your protection Divine Mother of God until the next year little Mother! Until the next year, Good-bye!”

Further commenting on the double character of the Diablada, author Margaret Joan Anstee states: “The duality is given a new twist when, at Carnival time, the miner reaffirms his devotion to the Virgin by identifying himself with the diabolical personage whom he reveres throughout the year. This ambivalence is not exceptional but a particularly striking expression of the Andean-Indians’ syncretic [the combination of different forms of belief or practice] approach to religion. The new faith does not supersede the old one. Nothing is discarded, but the new dogmas are absorbed into the existing framework of beliefs, and the two become so closely intertwined that it is no longer possible to unravel them.”

Many people may not be particularly disturbed by this strange mixture of beliefs. But the vital question is, How does the Almighty God feel about it? The apostle Paul wrote to Christians at Corinth: “The Gentiles sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and likewise the table of demons.” (1 Cor. 10:20, 21, Catholic New American Bible [NAB]) “Do not yoke yourselves in a mismatch with unbelievers. After all, what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common, or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What accord is there between Christ and Belial, what common lot between believer and unbeliever?’’​—2 Cor. 6:14, 15, NAB.

Does not the odd mixture of beliefs in Bolivia illustrate that these inspired words have been disregarded? How, then, could God approve of this “mixture”? The Son of God said that his Father is looking for persons who would “worship with spirit and truth.” (John 4:23, 24) Clearly, non-Christian mythological beliefs are not the truth. Hence, those holding onto them cannot render acceptable worship to God.

Happily, however, because of the zealous activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses, many sincere Bolivians have come to appreciate Bible teaching and have rejected non-Christian practices. They are heeding the inspired counsel: “Come out from among them and separate yourselves from them, . . . and touch nothing unclean.” (2 Cor. 6:17, NAB) Is this also what you have done or are planning to do?

Testimony to a Global Flood

● The Bible states that God “did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people.” (2 Pet. 2:5) Those eight human survivors were the patriarch Noah, his three sons, and the wives of these four men. They, along with specimens of the wild beasts, domestic animals, moving animals and flying creatures, were preserved in a mammoth ark built under divine direction. Outside the ark, “all flesh that was moving upon the earth expired, among the flying creatures and among the domestic animals and among the wild beasts and among all the swarms that were swarming upon the earth, and all mankind.”​—Gen. 7:11-23.

● Yet, is there geological evidence of the Flood? Indeed there is, and it has long been recognized by various scholars. For example, in 1761 Alexander Catcott, A.M., wrote A Treatise on the Deluge, citing what he considered to be proof of the cataclysm. He has been quoted as saying: “We appeal once more to Nature and find that there are, at this day, as evident, as demonstrative, as incontestable proofs of the Deluge over the face of the earth . . . as if it had happened last year . . . Search the earth; you will find the moose-deer, native of America, buried in Ireland; elephants, natives of Asia and Africa, buried in the midst of England; crocodiles, natives of the Nile, in the heart of Germany; shell-fish, never known in the American seas, together with the entire skeletons of whales, in the most inland regions of England; trees of vast dimensions, with their roots and their tops, and some also with leaves and fruit, at the bottom of mines.”

● Bible students, however, do not base their belief in the global flood on the evidences of geology. They accept the Holy Scriptures as the truthful Word of God. (1 Thess. 2:13) Yet, it is interesting to note that eminent scholars have found throughout the earth features that they accept as testimony to a global deluge.

Finding Your Way Among the Stars

WHO has not looked at the stars on a crystal-clear night and marveled at the wonders of the universe? Are you able to recognize any of the stars and star groups? Or does the night sky appear to you as a confusing jumble of specks of light, discouraging any effort to identify them?

It is more difficult to find your way in the sky than on the ground because the stars keep shifting position. But, it is an orderly movement, hour after hour throughout the night. Also, the aspect of the heavens changes from month to month throughout the year. These apparent motions result from the earth’s movement, the first from its daily rotation, the second from its annual journey around the sun.

Would you enjoy learning to find your way among the stars, developing ability to identify some of them? People in the northern hemisphere can use as their starting point the “Big Dipper.” This is a group of seven bright stars. Four of them outline the bowl of the dipper, and the other three form a bent handle. This star group is known in England as the “Plough,” or the “Wain” (Wagon), which resemblances are equally obvious.

Stars throughout the sky are grouped into constellations, many of them described since ancient times and viewed as forming pictures of people, animals or objects. Astronomers divide the sky into a total of eighty-eight constellations, but fewer than half of these include stars bright enough to attract the attention of the layman. The Big Dipper is part of a constellation called Ursa Major, or the Great Bear.

At first sight it might seem difficult, but, by using only a simple chart as a guide, it really is quite easy to find many of the stars and constellations. It takes only a few minutes, during two or three nights a year, to do this. Would you like to try?

Stars of the Summer Sky

Let’s start by using the Big Dipper to find the North Star. On a clear night during spring, summer, or fall, look for the dipper toward the north. To simplify matters, we will number the stars 1 through 7, starting with the bowl, and working out to the end of the handle, as shown in the accompanying charts.

Now imagine a line drawn from 2 through 1, and continued about the length of the dipper. This will lead to the North Star, Polaris, in the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Bear). From the North Star you can trace the outline of the Little Dipper, curving back toward the Big Dipper. Continuing on from Polaris in the same direction, about the same distance brings you to the constellation Cassiopeia, recognizable by five bright stars in the form of a “W.”

You will find it interesting to watch these three constellations over a period of a few hours some evening. The Little Dipper will swing around the end of its handle. Likewise, the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia will move in counterclockwise circles around Polaris. The cause of this is the earth’s rotation on its axis.

If it is a summer night, the Big Dipper will be west of the Pole Star, with its handle pointing up. This can direct us on another path among the stars. Follow the curve of the handle on up, and at about a dipper’s length you will come to a bright star of orange hue, not close to any other bright stars. This is Arcturus, in the constellation Boötes. Continue along the same curve, about as far again, and you come to another lone star, Spica, in the constellation Virgo.

Now go back to the dipper, and, starting with star 1, extend a straight line through 4, a long line passing Arcturus and stretching clear across the sky. At length you will find the striking constellation Scorpius, with the bright “red giant” star Antares burning in the heart of the scorpion. This has a long tail that swings far down toward the southern horizon and curls up at its end. Some have likened this constellation to a kite with a long tail blowing in the wind. Antares is one of the largest stars known. It is so large that if its center were where our sun is, Antares would fill the inner solar system almost to the orbit of Mars. Our earth would be deep in the interior of Antares.

Now let’s get back to the dipper and take a fresh pathway. Start at 3, and follow the line through 4 over to the eastern sky, and you will come to Deneb, in Cygnus (the Swan). Deneb is at the top of the “Northern Cross,” which lies on its side this time of year. Six stars outline the cross, although the one in the middle of the upright is quite dim.

On the way to Deneb we passed an even brighter star, namely, Vega, in Lyra. Vega and Deneb form a large triangle with another bright star, Altair, in Aquila (the Eagle). Altair is accompanied by two dimmer stars, one on each side, in a straight line.

There you are! In a few minutes you have learned the principal stars and constellations of the summer sky. Once you have “met” them, there will be no need to start each time at the Big Dipper to find them again. The distinctive forms of the groupings make many of them instantly recognizable. Cassiopeia you know by the “W”; Scorpius by the kite; Deneb by the cross; Vega by the noticeable triangle, and so on. Each of them is unique in the sky.

Having been introduced to these constellations, you will want to renew your acquaintance with them from time to time when you are out at night. As autumn sets in, they will be moving across the sky to the west. Eventually they will disappear, one by one, below the horizon. But the winter sky will feature new star groups out of the east. The second chart with this article will help you to identify these new stars.

The Winter Sky

In late winter the Big Dipper will be on the east side of Polaris, with its handle down. A line through stars 4 and 3 points to Regulus, in Leo (the Lion). Notice the “Sickle” with Regulus at the end of its handle. A line from 4 through 1 leads to Capella (the Little She Goat), with her three “Kids” close by. Use 3 and 2 to direct you to Aldebaran in Taurus (the Bull), at one tip of a V-shaped cluster called the Hyades. On the other side of the V is a cluster of faint stars called the Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters.” Some say that this cluster resembles a small dipper. If you have never seen the Hyades, or the Pleiades, through binoculars, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

A diagonal line from 4 through 2 takes you to Gemini (the Twins), made up of Castor and his brighter brother Pollux. A long line through 5 and 4 leads past Gemini to Orion, the giant hunter, one of the most spectacular constellations. Orion is outlined by an irregular rectangle. Betelgeuse, in an upper corner, is another red giant like Antares. Rigel, in the opposite corner, is a brilliant blue-white star. Three stars in line mark the Belt of Orion. They point back to Sirius, the Dog Star in Canis Major (the Big Dog), the brightest fixed star in the sky. Between it and the Twins is Procyon, in Canis Minor (the Little Dog).

Would you believe that we have now considered a third of the important constellations, and more than half of the stars of first and second magnitude that can be seen from northern latitudes? But here is a word of caution. You may find, in following these paths in the sky, that you come across a bright star that doesn’t fit. This could be one of the planets. Jupiter and Venus, and sometimes Mars, are brighter than any of the fixed stars; Saturn also is bright. As an example, Jupiter will be about midway between Aldebaran and the Twins in the winter of 1977-1978, and Saturn then will be close to Regulus.

Have you and your family ever visited a planetarium? After you begin to get to know the stars, you will find it a rewarding experience. Planetariums can be found in many large cities. They provide varied programs, usually starting with the sky above you, but accelerating and making clear the movements of the sky. These presentations are interesting to persons of all ages. Also, you may wish to get an inexpensive guide to the stars that will help you to identify other stars and constellations. And if you have occasion for travel to countries of the southern hemisphere, don’t miss the opportunity to make new “friends” in the southern skies.

Finding your way among stars and constellations visible to the naked eye will enhance your appreciation of the Creator’s power and wisdom. Jehovah put the stars there. They reflect his glory and permit us to enjoy and marvel at his handiwork. If we gain some satisfaction from getting familiar with these constellations and a few dozen stars, we must not forget that there are millions upon millions of stars beyond our vision. And just think! Jehovah God knows the names of them all.​—Ps. 19:1; Isa. 40:26.

[Chart on page 17]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

SOUTH

WEST

EAST

NORTH

SCORPIUS

Antares

VIRGO

Spica

BOÖTES

Arcturus

AQUILA

Altair

“Big Dipper”

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

LYRA

Vega

CYGNUS

Deneb

“Little Dipper”

Polaris

Cardinal points of north. south, east and west are as viewed when looking overhead

Summer Sky

July 10, 9 p.m.

Chart represents only a section of visible northern sky

[Chart on page 19]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

Winter Sky

March 1, 8 p.m.

SOUTH

WEST

EAST

NORTH

Rigel

ORION

Sirius

CANIS MAJOR

CANIS MINOR

Procyon

Betelgeuse

TAURUS

Aldebaran

GEMINI

Pollux

Castor

Regulus

AURIGA

Capella

“Big Dipper”

LEO

2

1

3

4

5

6

7

Polaris

CASSIOPEIA

Chart represents only a section of visible northern sky

Cardinal points of north, south, east and west are as viewed when looking overhead

Giants of the African Forests

BY “AWAKE!” CORRESPONDENT IN KENYA

LIKE a mischievous little boy, the elephant calf wandered away from its herd and began strolling along the edge of an African water channel. Ignoring the warning trumpet from a nearby adult, the independent little calf suddenly slipped into deep water! But four anxious elephant cows rushed to the rescue. Two of them waded in and managed to lift the panicky baby with their tusks until two others stationed on the bank could pull him to safety.

Once her baby was safe, mother elephant carefully examined the whimpering, water-blowing little delinquent with her trunk, and, finding no damage, used it also to deliver a mighty wallop of discipline. Had any human mother witnessed the incident, she surely would have felt a common bond with that angry pachydermatous mother, who then chased the little rascal away from the water, loudly venting her motherly concern.

Similar to a human child, the baby elephant learns from such experiences and parental teaching. In fact, a young elephant is dependent on adult guidance for at least ten years, a length of time highly unusual in the animal world. Accounting for this may be the fact that, like human infants, an elephant is born with its brain only about a third of grown-up size. Hence, much of its behavior is developed as it grows, rather than primarily by instinct, as with most animals.

A young elephant’s parents may have had a “courtship” and a “honeymoon” that lasted for several months. When the female eventually becomes pregnant, she loses interest in her mate. Later, she seeks the company of another cow, who goes off with her to a secluded spot and stands by protectively while the infant is being born. Pregnancy has lasted up to twenty-two months. And no wonder! The baby that comes forth is all of three feet (1 meter) high and weighs about 200 pounds (90 kilos)!

The Amazing Trunk

It takes the better part of a calf’s first year to learn how to use its most valuable asset​—the trunk. The sight of a clumsy baby tripping over its own ungainly nose extension, stepping on it or otherwise awkwardly twisting and turning it, can make for some hilarious moments.

A baby elephant does not suck from mother’s breasts with its trunk, but, rather, lets it curl back over its head and nurses by mouth. But in three or four years, when mother can no longer stand the jabs of her juvenile’s sprouting tusks, she weans the thirsty youth forcibly. And comedy may again ensue when the baby tusker sticks its trunk into its own mouth in apparent desperation, acting like a thumb-sucking child. As the little one gets older, its trunk may even intrude into an adult’s mouth to investigate the food being chewed there.

Though an adult’s trunk may weigh about 300 pounds (135 kilos), the thousands of muscles along its six-foot (2-meter) length and flexible “fingers” at the tip make it very versatile indeed. It houses a highly sensitive nose, and, due to the animal’s very limited hearing and sight, the trunk is always moving around, sniffing out the environment like a sensitive antenna, and feeling for shape, texture and temperature. An extended trunk is also a typical greeting among elephants in what appears to be a measured motion of affection. When humans gain their trust, an extended trunk is accepted as a sign of mutual confidence.

But this combination nose and upper lip by no means serves only for delicate duties. It is also a powerful tool, scooping up sand loosened by tusks and feet when the elephant is digging for water, plucking grass and beating dirt from the roots, reaching into trees for fruit or tearing off bark, dousing the body with water or dusting it with dirt for cooling, and, together with the tusks, lifting objects weighing as much as a ton. It is even used as a snorkel when the elephant wades in deep water.

By means of its hoselike trunk an elephant can suck up as much as a gallon and a half (6 liters) of water for spraying itself or drinking. Drinking merely requires squirting the water into its mouth, where it can be heard gurgling stomachward. In this way up to 50 gallons (190 liters) or more of water may be consumed in a day, along with the 500 to 600 pounds (some 225 to 270 kilos) of food that the versatile trunk also stuffs into its owner’s mouth. Hence, if the trunk becomes damaged, as in a poacher’s snare, the animal has a real survival problem. Some elephants with such a handicap have been seen eating grass on their knees.

Enormous Teeth and Tusks

Chewing these immense amounts of food calls for something unusual in the way of teeth. Strangely, only one tooth on each side of each jaw​—a total of four—​is in use at any one time. But what teeth they are! They may weigh eight or nine pounds (4 kilos) apiece and be at least a foot (30 centimeters) long. In a lifetime, six sets of these giant molars are used up, in addition to the first milk teeth.

As if on a conveyor belt, the huge grinders move into position, the new tooth pushing out the worn stump. The last set comes in when elephants are about forty years old. When these finally wear down, the great creature loses his chewing power and eventually dies, apparently from a form of malnutrition, at sixty or seventy years of age.

However, elephants are most noted for their other, far more visible, “teeth.” You might say that they have the world’s most extreme case of protruding teeth, since their great tusks are actually the upper front incisors. They are the longest and heaviest teeth of any living animal. Since they continue to grow all through the elephant’s life, it has been estimated that their length could reach as much as sixteen feet (5 meters) in the female and twenty feet (6 meters) in the male.

But these protruding “teeth” take quite a pounding as they dig up soil in quest of salt or food and water, lift heavy weights, or are used to fight for the attention of a comely cow. Invariably, one tusk bears the marks of more wear and may even be shorter due to chipping and breaking. We might, therefore, think of a right- or left-“handed” elephant.

When he died at fifty-five years of age in 1974, Ahmed, the largest known bull elephant in Kenya, had tusks each weighing an estimated 148 pounds (67 kilos). Ahmed’s giant incisors would be worth upward of $10,000 on the ivory market; so it can be readily understood why he was protected by a special decree of Kenya’s president. His price was on his head!

Growing Up

As young male elephants get older, they do not become fearless protectors of the herd, as you might be inclined to think. Instead, the young bulls generally remain only until they begin to show signs of asserting their “masculinity” in some obstreperous manner. When this occurs, usually at around ten to thirteen years of age, the herd’s females react by forcibly ejecting the youthful upstarts. The young bulls then go off into a somewhat bachelor-type existence, though they may congregate in smaller bull herds. Mingling with cows comes only when they have “amorous” intentions toward the ones ready to mate.

As you may have guessed, main herds are largely a matriarchal society, usually led by a cow related to every other member of the herd as mother, sister or aunt. The strong bond between the cows cements the herds and makes for survival of the young.

When an African elephant reaches full growth, it is impressive indeed, the world’s largest living land animal. African bulls stand an average of over eleven feet (3 ¹⁄₂ meters) high at the shoulder and weigh about seven tons. However, one African bull killed in 1955 stood over thirteen feet (4 meters) high and was said to weigh twelve tons​—a real giant!

Death of the Giants

Do so-called “elephant cemeteries” really exist? Well, elephants do seem to have an interest in the bones and tusks of a dead comrade. To test out this curious behavior, carcasses were placed in the vicinity of a browsing herd. When they caught the scent, the beasts approached with an industrious enthusiasm, carefully surveying the remains with their trunks.

Some observers have even noted attempts by the elephants to remove the tusks, and others have reported their actually carrying bones for distances of up to half a mile (1 kilometer) from the carcass. But there have been no recent confirmations of “elephant cemeteries” where aging animals are said to die in secret. In fact, the foregoing would seem to indicate just the opposite, a scattering of bones and tusks, rather than a gathering of them to one place.

In one sad case some time ago, a newborn calf had died. A game warden saw its mother carrying the dead baby on her tusks for about three days, with her trunk draped over the limp form to hold it in place. Later the mother was seen alone, at a tree, not eating, and charging anyone who came near. When she finally left after some days, the warden found that the cow had scraped a small grave under that tree and buried the little body there.

The very intelligence of these marvelous creatures is now said to be a factor in current threats to their existence. Elephants are learning that Africa’s national parks offer some refuge from the widespread slaughter being inflicted by the guns and poisoned arrows of illegal ivory hunters, as well as farmers and ranchers who are taking over much of the elephant country. The result of this man-made upset of nature is that, rather than ranging over hundreds of miles, elephants are crowding into the park sanctuaries. Overbrowsing often follows, stripping the forests of trees and turning these areas into open grasslands unsuitable for the elephant.

It is unfortunate that the existence of creatures that are such a magnificent testimony to the wisdom and ability of the One who created them is now threatened. Their fascinating characteristics are just another evidence of His generous provision for humans, who delight in observing them and their habits. We can be grateful that the Creator, the Owner of “every wild animal of the forest” and the “beasts upon a thousand mountains,” has provided such creatures for mankind’s eternal pleasure and benefit.​—Ps. 50:10.

Built-in Fans

The large ears of an elephant serve a purpose in addition to collecting sound. The fanlike ears are used for cooling, too. When observing elephants in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), scientists took special note of how often the elephants flapped their ears under varying weather conditions. As the heat intensified, so did the flapping, causing cooling air to flow over blood vessels that are close to the surface of the ears.

Things to Watch When Visiting the Sick

By “Awake!” correspondent in Canada

DUE to a severe heart attack, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses was confined to a hospital. He was well known, loved and much appreciated by all the congregations in the area. Literally hundreds of his friends were anxious to visit him. But rest and quiet were essential for his recovery. Discussing this, the concerned wife confided to the doctor: “Jehovah’s Witnesses have a unique problem at such a time because we have so many, many loving friends.” She explained that “we are actually members of a worldwide family that have real concern for and personal interest in one another.”

This genuine affection is often a subject of comment by the hospital staff and other patients. Typical is the case of a woman from an outlying area who had surgery in a distant city hospital. The congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. there was advised of her coming. Although not well known personally in that city, she relates: “I used to look forward keenly to visiting hours, wondering who would come in; and I was never disappointed. Two or sometimes even six of the brothers and sisters would come to cheer me up and brighten my day. Others in the ward would say: ‘My word, you’re popular. You do get a lot of visitors!’” These brief visits did much to open the minds of patients who had formerly refused to listen to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In view of such happy results, is there anything to guard against when doing such visiting? Yes, there is. There may be just too many visitors or the visits may be too long. Some persons prefer solitude when they are sick. Others may be sensitive and embarrassed in front of visitors due to temporary physical problems or treatments that they are receiving. Sometimes it is a matter of visiting too soon after a serious illness or operation.

In the first two or three days following surgery it is usually best for just the immediate family to visit. Their presence at the bedside can be reassuring without the need of conversation. The nursing staff is often appreciative of the attention family members may be able to show in little ways, such as helping the patient to take fluids or even meals.

Usually, members of the patient’s family or his very close friends will be able to tell others when more visitors may be welcome. Still discernment is needed. The enthusiastic conversation of an exuberant visitor can be tiring for the patient. Even listening and concentrating may require too much effort during the early stages of his convalescence.

Most hospitals set specific visiting hours and limit the number of visitors in the patient’s room. Though this may seem restrictive to those who call, it benefits the patient when the rules are observed. Ten or twelve visitors crowding around a bed could put quite a strain on a patient still weak from a major operation or a serious illness.

When the patient is unable to sit up in bed or in a chair, it can be exhausting for him if visitors arrange themselves on both sides of his bed. As the conversation moves from one to the other, he must continually turn his head on the pillow from side to side. It would be much more restful for him to face only one side, not having to move his head and eyes as if he were following a tennis match.

Having the patient’s interests at heart, a person should avoid visiting if he has a sore throat, cold or other symptom of infection. For hygienic reasons too, as well as for the patient’s comfort, hospital personnel frown on visitors sitting on the edge of the bed. If there are not enough chairs for visitors, empathy and loving concern for the patient would prompt a visitor to remain standing.

Discernment should also be used respecting the length of the visit. A person’s relationship to the patient and the patient’s physical condition would certainly have a bearing on this. Ten minutes of quiet, pleasant conversation may be very upbuilding to the patient. However, if he becomes involved in a discussion lasting half an hour or more, this may well be exhausting to him and could even cause a setback.

Conversation That Is Upbuilding

Strong, healthy people sometimes shrink back from visiting the sick. They may feel embarrassed and at a loss for words. On the other hand, persons who have suffered frequent illness and sometimes serious operations may be inclined to discuss these things in great detail. This, however, could be depressing. So, a real effort should be put forth to be upbuilding.

Among Jehovah’s Witnesses upbuilding topics of conversation need never be lacking. Matters about the congregation, appropriate Scriptural thoughts, experiences had in declaring the “good news” and a host of other encouraging things can be shared with the patient. (Matt. 24:14) His age and circumstances, of course, may determine the direction of the conversation. If there is discouragement because of inactivity and weakness, the visitor could remind him of the prayers of others on his behalf, also the value of his own prayers in behalf of the congregation and that his fortitude and patience in this illness testify to his strong faith and hope. Even young people at times have their bouts with sickness and operations. Usually their recovery is just a matter of time. Hence, conversation that is forward looking can be very encouraging. Consideration should, of course, be given to the feelings and views of other patients sharing the same room, so that what they may hear would not be embarrassing or disturbing to them.

Visiting the sick does more than just benefit the patient. Youths, while giving genuine pleasure to an elderly or sick friend, may be helped thereby to develop sympathy and compassion. The patient’s fine example of endurance may encourage visitors who have not had the same experience with suffering. For example, the cheerful disposition of an elderly, blind woman crippled with arthritis always had this effect on those who came to see her.

Thoughtful Gifts

A visitor sometimes feels that he wants to bring a small gift as an evidence of his love and concern. In many parts of the earth cut flowers or potted plants serve well for this purpose. However, space available at the bedside often is limited. The strong fragrance of some varieties of flowers may be distressing to a sick person. To those who have allergies, a floral gift may just add to their affliction. Of course, one could always check with the family and be guided by their suggestions. A book dealing with the patient’s hobby or special personal interest, such as photography, woodcarving or gardening, may well be appreciated. A gift, though, is not the important thing. The fact that a person put forth the effort to make a brief visit is in itself very supportive.

Visiting the Sick at Home

Something that should not be neglected is visiting those who are sick at home. Their need for encouragement is just as great as that of those in hospitals. The added demands of illness may affect the entire household. So, besides helping the morale of just one person, the thoughtful visitor may see ways of giving support to the family. Think how a sick mother would appreciate an hour’s help with household duties! Little acts of kindness during a family crisis are long remembered. However, a phone call beforehand would perhaps be considerate. A suitable time to visit could be arranged. On the other hand, if, because of a contagious illness or for another reason, it is better not to visit personally, a cheerful note in the mail, or even your message of concern by telephone, might be heartening to the patient.

Those who have been ill and have received the loving encouragement of their friends and spiritual brothers are often heard expressing appreciation for their widespread family of associates. So, really, the problem of many, many friends and visitors can be a pleasant problem, one that can be solved nicely by the use of discernment. In particular, the solution lies in seeking to imitate Jehovah, the God who is “very tender in affection and merciful.”​—Jas. 5:11.

What Is the Bible’s View?

Instrumental Music​—Proper in Christian Worship?

MUSIC is made prominent in the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. As the Oxford Companion to Music notes: “Throughout the ancient history of the Jewish people . . . we find music mentioned with a frequency that perhaps exceeds that of its mention in the history of any other people. Every sort of popular rejoicing is accompanied with music.” In a similar vein, musicologist Kurt Sachs tells us that “among the world’s books, few can lay claim to greater importance for the history of music than the Bible.”​—The Rise of Music in the Ancient World.

Bearing this out is the fact that as early as Genesis 4:21 we learn that Jubal “proved to be the founder of all those who handle the harp and the pipe.” In the days of the ancient patriarchs singing and the use of musical instruments were common. (Gen. 31:27) In particular was the tambourine used on occasions of rejoicing.​—Ex. 15:20; Judg. 11:34.

Since music served a fine purpose, especially on occasions of rejoicing, we find that the Israelites made good use of musical instruments when rejoicing in their God Jehovah. The psalmist, King David, sang: “Do awake, O my glory; do awake, O stringed instrument; you too, O harp. I will awaken the dawn.” And he called on others to “give thanks to Jehovah on the harp; on an instrument of ten strings make melody to him.” (Ps. 57:8; 33:2) Interestingly, David was the Bible’s most notable musician. He was a highly skilled harpist; he organized temple musical worship involving thousands of singers and instrumentalists, and he even had a reputation for developing new musical instruments!​—1 Sam. 16:16-18; 1 Chron. 25:1-31; 2 Chron. 7:6; 29:27.

With such emphasis on music in the secular as well as the religious life of the Hebrews, it was natural for them to make music prominent in their formal worship. We find a list of the instruments used when David first tried to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and a slightly different list when he finally succeeded in doing so. And what a chorus and orchestra King Solomon had on hand at the time of the dedication of the temple he had built to Jehovah! There were musicians playing cymbals, harps and other stringed instruments, as well as 120 priests blowing trumpets. Was all this music-making pleasing to Jehovah? Most assuredly, for as soon as God was praised and thanked with instruments and song, the glory of Jehovah filled the temple. (1 Chron. 13:8; 15:28; 2 Chron. 5:11-14) No wonder we are told that no nation of antiquity made such extensive use of music in their worship as did the Hebrews!

In spite of such wide use of music in praising Jehovah, both by individuals and in organized temple worship, there are some persons and religious groups who strongly object to the use of instrumental music in Christian worship. Not generally known is the fact that such Protestant reformers as Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox opposed the use of organ music to accompany singing in church services. According to them, the organ was “an ensign of Baal” and instrumental music was as little needed in Christian worship as were “the incense and the candlestick.” While their followers, in the main, have adopted instrumental music in their religious services, there still remain a number of smaller groups who scruple against the use of instrumental music in Christian worship.

What objections do these raise, or what arguments do they make to support their position? They make a great deal of the fact that there is no mention in the Christian Greek Scriptures of the early Christians using instrumental music in their worship. But that of itself proves nothing. Certainly the use of instrumental music is not vital to Christian worship. First-century Christians might have used instrumental music at their gatherings for worship, but simply did not think that it was necessary to mention this fact. Or again, it could well be that the use of instrumental music was considered so immaterial that it was neither commanded nor forbidden.

A further objection is raised on the basis that musical instruments were part and parcel of a ceremonial form of temple worship that no longer is practiced by Christians. True, priests blew the trumpets at the dedication of Solomon’s temple, and Levites assisted with songs and other musical instruments. But let it be noted that such use of instrumental music was not employed at the direct command of the law of Moses, as were the incense, sacrifices, the special garb the priests wore, and the tabernacle and its furnishings. Such typical things did pass away when their realities came. If the use of musical instruments likewise was typical, the question then is, What did it picture?

It is further argued that the early Christians patterned their meetings after the synagogue, not after the temple; so Christians would not have used musical instruments, since nothing is recorded about the Jews using instrumental music in their ancient synagogues. Whether instrumental music was used in the ancient synagogues or not, the fact remains that Christian worship was not patterned after the synagogue in every detail. So, it could well be that the early Christians saw nothing objectionable in using harps or other stringed instruments.

Rather, it could reasonably be argued that since the Jews were such a musical people and were accustomed to hearing music during their worship at the temple, the Christianized Jews may well have resorted to using instrumental music at their Christian meeting places.

True, objection can be raised if the music serves to exalt creatures, including the ones playing the musical instruments. But what harm can come from the judicious and modest use of instrumental music to accompany the singing, or that played before or after meetings for worship? As one well-known religious authority puts it, to ban instrumental music in Christian “congregational worship is a mistake savoring of asceticism.” Due to the lack of musical education today, instrumental music really helps the worshipers to sing the right notes at the right tempo, the use of recordings by the Christian witnesses of Jehovah being a case in point.

In this regard it might be noted that the recordings of Kingdom songs as provided by the Watchtower Society are a great aid to Christians wishing to carry out the instructions given by the apostle Paul at Ephesians 5:18, 19: “Do not be getting drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but keep getting filled with spirit, speaking to yourselves with psalms and praises to God and spiritual songs, singing and accompanying yourselves with music in your hearts to Jehovah.”

Truly, there can be no valid objection to the use of instrumental music in Christian worship so long as it is not overdone.

Watching the World

Family “Falling Apart”

◆ Uric Bronfenbrenner, a professor of psychology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, observes: “The family is falling apart. . . . Since World War II the extended family of several generations, with all its relatives, has practically disappeared in this country. Even the small nuclear family of mother, father, and the kids is in decline. Today, more than one-sixth of all children in our country are living in single-parent families. The single parent is usually a woman . . . and she almost always works full time.” But in many two-parent families, mothers also work now. As a result, Bronfenbrenner stated: “Increasing numbers of children are coming home to empty houses. If there’s any reliable predictor of trouble, it probably begins with children coming home to an empty house, whether the problem is reading difficulties, truancy, dropping out, drug addiction, or childhood depression.”

More Living Alone

◆ Since 1970 the number of Americans under thirty-five years of age living alone has more than doubled. According to census bureau figures, 1.45 million in this age group lived alone in 1970, but 3.39 million in 1976. This is a 133-percent increase compared to a 20-percent population increase during the same period.

Computer No Match

◆ An international chess master confronted “the world’s fastest computer” that had the world’s “most successful chess-playing program” fed into it. Each time the chess master moved one of his pieces, a programmer would type his move into the computer’s memory bank, and the computer would then give its instant response. An assistant then moved a piece on the chess board to match the computer’s suggestion. The result of the chess match was ‘no contest.’ The human defeated the computer decisively. A computer expert said: “The machine . . . doesn’t really understand the game at all. It’s very primitive and makes long-range mistakes as a result of poor planning.” The basic difference is that a computer can produce only what is programmed into it, whereas the human mind is far more versatile and can change responses as the situation requires.

Seat Belts by Law

◆ Several countries now have laws making it mandatory to use seat belts in automobiles. Failure to use the belts is punishable by a fine. Where the laws are enforced, there are significantly lower fatalities in accidents. In Switzerland, a seat-belt law went into effect on January 1, 1976. About 90-percent compliance is observed, and the death rate from accidents has fallen.

Mandatory use of seat belts has reduced fatalities dramatically in Ontario, Canada. Transportation Minister J. Snow cited statistics indicating “that a belted driver’s survival chances in a collision are 10 times higher than an unbelted driver.” In 1976, Ontario drivers not wearing seat belts were involved in 61,221 accidents, and 355 of them were killed. Belted drivers were involved in 269,772 accidents, and 153 were killed.

Books “Endangered Species”?

◆ Reading skills are decreasing, along with the desire to read. An editorial in Newsweek comments that “now, in the midst of the 1970s, we are seeing a subtle but unmistakable turning away from such things.” It observed: “The hard-cover book​—that symbol of the permanence of thought, the handing down of wisdom from one age to the next—​may be a new addition to our list of endangered species.” Many young people, particularly, are not developing reading skills, but are turning to radios, records and television sets. A University of Illinois official said that 10 percent of the freshmen at his university could read no better than the average eighth grader. This trend is likely to continue, since a study reveals that the average American child will have watched 15,000 hours of television by the age of 18, more time than is spent in any other activity except sleeping.

Desert Area Blooms

◆ The Kara Kum Desert makes up most of the area of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, situated just north of Iran and Afghanistan. For years, engineers have worked on a canal to bring the waters of the Amu Darya River, which flows through the eastern part of the republic, to more distant western parts. The Kara Kum Canal has been completed westward for 570 miles (920 kilometers), with about 300 miles (480 kilometers)’ more to go. Along the completed part about a million acres (400,000 hectares) of desert have been transformed into productive farmland and pasture.

Deserts Still Expanding

◆ Despite efforts to make more desert areas productive, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 6 to 7 percent of additional land has become desert in the past 50 years. This is due mainly to deforestation, overgrazing and bad farming practices. The agency says that the dry and cold deserts now make up 43 percent of the world’s land area. An example of an expanding desert is the southern part of the Sudan in North Africa. The desert there has advanced some 100 kilometers (60 miles) southward toward the equator in the past 17 years. It is continuing to advance at the rate of five to six kilometers (3 to 4 miles) a year.

Dinosaurs in Tibet

◆ For the first time in Tibet, dinosaur fossils have been discovered. Chinese archaeologists have found eleven different types of these ancient animals, some measuring 16 meters (50 feet) long and three meters (10 feet) high. The fossils were found 4,200 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level on the Chinghai-Tibet plateau.

Lottery Winners Happier?

◆ Some winning lottery tickets may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, others as much as a million dollars. But are the winners happier than before? A survey reveals that in many cases the winners are less happy because of new tax problems, lawyers’ fees, changing attitudes of friends, and a lack of privacy due to the notoriety. One said: “So far, this has been more headaches than happiness.” Another stated: “It ain’t what it’s cracked up to be. People get jealous, your friends get jealous and [the government] takes all the money. . . . It ain’t worth it.”

Cutting Cancer’s Toll

◆ The World Health Organization declares that “smoking-related diseases are such important causes of disability and premature death in developed countries that the control of cigarette smoking could do more to improve health and prolong life in these countries than any other single action in the whole field of preventative medicine.” Authorities estimate that the lung-cancer death rate could be cut about 85 percent and the heart-attack rate by about 20 percent if people stopped smoking.

Concern over Leprosy

◆ Leprosy affects about eleven million people around the world, mainly in developing countries. World health officials are concerned because the disease is becoming more resistant to standard drug treatment. It is hoped that other drugs, or perhaps some type of vaccination, can be developed in time to counteract the new development.

Home-made Gas

◆ The magazine China Reconstructs reports that growing numbers of Chinese farm families are using home-made “marsh gas” for fuel in cooking and lighting. The gas consists mainly of methane and is made in a 10-cubic-meter (350-cubic-foot) tank constructed from stone, clay or lime and sand. One tank serves one farm household. Leaves, weeds, stalks, and human and animal manure are put into the tank, water is added, and fermentation produces the gas. A plastic tube leads from the tank to burners for cooking and lamps for lighting. It is said that in one county 73 percent of the farm homes now use marsh gas. The residue from marsh gas generation is considered excellent organic fertilizer.

Battered Women

◆ Within the past few years a growing problem has surfaced: the beatings many women suffer from their mates. Studies suggest that as many as four and a half million American women have been battered at least once by their mates, many repeatedly. In Chicago, police say that of 11,000 aggravated assaults (where the victim is hospitalized) 3,000 were women beaten by their mates.

Watch Your Step

◆ Last year 538,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms throughout the United States for injuries resulting from falls on stairs. Reasons given included: carrying packages and thus obscuring one’s view; tripping due to long skirts, flared pants, platform shoes or loose slippers; objects such as toys left on stairways; wet or icy stairs; and improper lighting. Turning around to talk to someone on a stairway, and being in a hurry were also contributing factors.

Coffee Hijackers

◆ Since coffee has more than tripled in price the past two years, it is getting greater attention from thieves. The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that “hijackers like to keep up with the times; our biggest headache now is coffee.” The FBI told of 15 hijackings in which nearly two million dollars’ worth of coffee beans were stolen.

Preventing Food Poisoning

◆ It is estimated that each year more than a million Americans suffer from food poisoning due to the salmonella organism. While the illness lasts only a few days, it brings severe discomfort from nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and exhaustion. The major cause is faulty food handling in the home and in public places. The organisms are found most often on raw products such as meats, poultry and eggs. Freezing and refrigeration retard their growth, and cooking can destroy them. When one is handling such raw products it is recommended that hands, utensils, cutting boards and counter tops be cleaned with hot, soapy water.

Record Auto Imports

◆ For years imports of small foreign automobiles have taken a substantial part of auto sales in the United States. In the month of April a new record of 205,000 automobiles were imported into the country, accounting for 20 percent of auto sales. Increased costs of larger domestic automobiles, as well as fuel and upkeep, were a factor. The leading imports were Toyota, Datsun and Volkswagen.

Sports Fattening

◆ Sports events are making people fat, declares Canadian Member of Parliament P. Yewchuck. He says that too many people become fat because they make a habit of sitting and watching sports on television “while smoking heavily or consuming large quantities of high-calorie junk foods and alcoholic beverages.”

Safety Caps Save Lives

◆ In 1972, 46 children in the United States died from aspirin poisoning. Legislation was then passed requiring safety caps on all aspirin bottles. The next year child deaths from aspirin poisoning fell to 17. Later, all prescription drugs were required to have the safety caps that make it difficult, if not impossible, for small children to open.

Oil Output Declining

◆ Oil production in the United States dropped to an eleven-year low in February, an average of less than eight million barrels a day. In the first week of March, imports of crude oil and oil products rose to a record ten million barrels a day. Thus, the trend of recent years continues, domestic production dropping and dependence on foreign oil growing.

Why October 1914 Is Significant

Do you realize that what occurred in that year is affecting us today? How so? What does the future hold?

The book God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached examines these questions in the light of Bible prophecy. Learn why war, famine and disease have been so widespread since 1914. This hard-covered, 416-page book is only 50 cents (U.S.).

Please send, postpaid, God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached; also the gift booklet There Is Much More to Life! Enclosed is 50c (U.S.).

What Place Should Sports Have in Your Life?

Did you know that the Bible says “bodily training,” such as we get in sports, has its place? It is good for us. But how can we reap the good from sports, and avoid possible harm?

The 192-page book Your Youth Getting the Best out of It discusses this in its chapter “Sports and Entertainment.” The book also covers many other topics, including dating, courtship, marriage, masturbation, homosexuality, drugs, music and dancing. Send only 25 cents (U.S.) and a copy will be mailed to you postpaid.

Please send the hardbound book Your Youth​—Getting the Best out of It. I enclose 25c (U.S.).