January 22

Page Two

Is Your Life Boring? You Can Change It! 3-7

In an age of repetitious work activity, many seek to relieve their boredom with drink, drugs, sex, or crime. How can boredom be overcome?

In Search of Orchids in Europe 8

Orchids in the Tropics, of course. But in Europe? Some 350 species are there!

Rice​—Do You Prefer It Boiled or Raw? 24

The Western world’s use of rice is quite different from the way it is prepared in India. Take a fascinating glimpse into another culture.

Is Your Life Boring? You Can Change It!

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN SPAIN

MARGARET and Brian were in their mid-50’s when a golden opportunity arose: early retirement with a good pension. It was then that they decided to head south for the sun and beaches of the Mediterranean. No more cares, no more worries​—a life of ease awaited them in their seaside chalet.

After two years the dream turned sour. Brian explained: “It all seemed so pointless​—day after day with nothing to do. Of course I would swim, play a bit of golf or a little tennis, and talk endlessly to anyone who would listen. About what? Trivialities.”

Gisela, a mother in her early 20’s, has a beautiful little girl. In the afternoon mother and daughter, as usual, go down to the park, where the daughter plays in the sandpile, fully absorbed, happily making sand pies and sand castles. Meanwhile, mom sits on a nearby park bench and watches over her toddler. Or does she? There she sits, her ears glued to her portable radio. Through the smoke of her cigarette, she hardly sees her little child anymore. She is bored to tears.

Peter, a 17-​year-​old high school student, sits in his room, surrounded by the latest electronic wizardry. He turns on one of his video games, only to discover that it just doesn’t interest him anymore. He has played it hundreds of times already, and he now knows how to beat the machine anyway. Listen to some music? Yet, there is no recording he owns that he hasn’t already listened to dozens of times. Bored to death, he laments: “I don’t know what to do.”

Are You Killing Time?

To be sure, not everyone’s day is dull and gray. Many still live happy and meaningful lives, finding fulfillment by learning new things, by satisfying their creative instincts, and by cultivating good relationships with other people​—and even far more important, with God.

However, boredom affects people of all walks of life​—1 out of every 3 Germans, according to a recent poll. The ambitious Yuppie who restlessly frequents all the popular entertainment places in town, the unemployed youth who kills time with loud music and cheap beer, the middle-​aged blue-​collar worker who wastes the weekend watching television, the executive who feels lost when he leaves his office​—all suffer from a common complaint: boredom.

Ancient philosophers called it taedium vitae (Latin for weariness of life). In German it is Langeweile (a long while). Time that drags, work that seems to be meaningless, the yearning “to get away from it all” are the all-​too-​common earmarks of boredom.

Not even the wealthy are immune. After describing the lavish life-​style of the big spenders, Time magazine’s Roger Rosenblatt observed: “After the big house and the big garden and the big animals, parties and people, what do most of the world’s big spenders announce? That they are bored. Bored.”

It was thought at one time that increased leisure would be the panacea for boredom. The assumption was that humane working conditions, ending the monotonous drudgery of the past, and a generous amount of leisure time would make life rewarding for the man in the street. Unfortunately, though, it is not that simple. Deciding what to do with all this free time has proved to be more difficult than expected. Many eagerly anticipate all week long an enjoyable weekend, only to find that when it arrives it just doesn’t live up to their expectations.

Boredom’s Negative Results

Some seek escape from boredom by immersing themselves in hyperactivity. Some compulsive workaholics got that way because they just did not know what to do with their time when they weren’t at the office. Others drown their boredom in alcohol or search for excitement by experimenting with drugs. Not a few of the fast-​living stars of the entertainment world fill the void, when the applause is over, with drugs such as cocaine. Boredom has been identified as one of the reasons for the ever-​growing number of unwed teenage mothers, many of whom may have thought that a baby would fill their empty lives.

Boredom is even being linked to the rising crime rate. Time magazine observed that a number of youngsters leave school at 16 and have nothing to do and that the unemployed of Western Europe, compared with their working peers, are “more likely to commit suicide, more susceptible to drug abuse, more prone to out-​of-​wedlock pregnancies and more inclined to break the law.” This seems to confirm again the old adage that “Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.”​—Compare Ephesians 4:28.

An Easy Solution to Boredom?

PROVIDING endless amusements for millions of bored customers is now a big business. Exotic holidays, sophisticated electronic gadgetry, elaborate hobbies are all contrived to help kill the customers’ time. Yet, boredom still looms large. Even on vacation, bored vacationers need animators to keep them in high spirits. And many a dedicated jogger feels lost without his portable radio to accompany him.

There is no doubt that entertainment, such as television, creates excitement and dissipates boredom, but for how long? For some it is like a habit-​forming drug. The next time, greater stimulus and more excitement are needed​—otherwise the dreary seen-​it-​all-​before sensation takes over again. Rather than being the solution, such entertainment can end up being one of the contributing factors to boredom.

TV, in itself, doesn’t cause boredom, but excessive television will not banish boredom either. Worse still, the more you are ‘plugged in’ to the TV set, the more you can get disconnected from reality. In the case of children, this happens all too often. In one study in which children ages four and five were asked whether they would prefer to give up TV or their father, 1 out of 3 decided that life would be more bearable without daddy!

Pandering to every desire is not the solution either. Many young people are now “raised in a period of material well-​being, with every toy, every vacation, every new fashion,” observed a Social Democratic deputy in the German parliament. Is there anything they can still get excited about? It may well be that good-​natured parents who shower their children with all the latest gimmicks are really paving the way to an adulthood plagued with chronic boredom.

The Root Causes of Boredom

Escaping boredom completely is an unrealistic goal. Life in this world can never be one of continuous excitement and happiness. Such an unrealistic expectation could well cause needless dissatisfaction. At the same time, there are definite factors that aggravate matters.

For instance, today more and more families are falling apart. Could it be that mom and dad are so absorbed with their own entertainment that they don’t spend enough time with the children anymore? Not surprisingly, teenagers search for their own ways to amuse themselves in discos, video parlors, shopping centers, and the like. Consequently, in many homes family outings and other joint activities have become things of the past.

Still others are so dissatisfied with their humdrum lives that they unconsciously retreat into their shell, doing their own thing, oblivious of anyone else. And while they isolate themselves more and more, they entertain the vain hope of achieving what can be called self-​realization. But it just doesn’t turn out that way. After all, no man is an island. We need company and communication. It is inevitable, therefore, that individualists who isolate themselves spread boredom, unwittingly making life dreary for themselves and for those around them.

However, the problem is somewhat deeper, as Blaise Pascal, a 17th-​century French philosopher, pointedly observed: “Weariness [arises] from the depths of the heart wherein it has its natural roots and [fills] the mind with its poison.” How true!

As long as the heart is full of nagging doubts as to the whys and wherefores of life, boredom is bound to stay. Heartfelt conviction that one’s personal life has meaning is needed. Yet, how can anyone face life with a positive outlook without knowing why he is here, without having goals, without having well-​founded hopes for the future?

Here is where the ultimate questions arise: What’s the meaning of life? What am I here for? Where am I going? “The striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man,” observed Dr. Viktor Frankl. However, where can such a meaning be found? Where can these questions be satisfactorily answered?

Less Boredom​—How?

The oldest of all books provides enlightenment on such ultimate questions. Said Heinrich Heine, a 19th-​century German poet: “I owe my enlightenment quite simply to the reading of a book.” Which book? The Bible. Charles Dickens likewise said: “It is the best book that ever was or will be in the world, because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature . . . can possibly be guided.”

There is no doubt about it. The Bible is a sure guide toward a meaningful life. From beginning to end, it makes a point of showing that God gave man work to do. Man was to care for the earth, to beautify it, to exercise loving oversight of animal life, and, above all, to praise the Creator, Jehovah. Quite some task, one which would not leave room for boredom! Millions of active Christians have discovered that supporting God’s cause, being dedicated and fully devoted to him, does indeed add meaning to life and crowds out boredom.

Widespread boredom may be a modern phenomenon​—most ancient languages don’t appear to have a word for it. Still, the Bible, along with showing us the meaning of life, contains practical suggestions for combating boredom. For example, it states that ‘one isolating himself will break forth against all practical wisdom.’ (Proverbs 18:1) In other words, don’t retreat into a shell!

Man is gregarious by nature. He needs to relate to other people, and he has an inborn need for company. Stifling this normal desire to mix with other people​—being a loner, a mere onlooker—​is unwise. Likewise, limiting ourselves to just superficial personal relationships is tantamount to ignoring all practical wisdom.

It is, of course, so much easier passively to watch movies or to limit our communication to punching data into a computer. Adapting to other people is quite a challenge. Yet, having something worthwhile to say and sharing thoughts and feelings with others is rewarding and leaves little room for boredom.​—Acts 20:35.

Solomon, who was a keen observer of human nature, made this forceful recommendation: “It is better to be satisfied with what is before your eyes than give rein to desire.” (Ecclesiastes 6:9, The New English Bible) In other words, make the most of your present circumstances. Concentrate on what you see now. That is so much better than wishfully longing to get away from it all or ‘giving rein to desire,’ as Solomon put it.

Well-​planned days, definite goals, and an earnest desire to keep on learning will also help you to prevail over boredom. Why, even after retirement, a person can still achieve many things. One of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Balearic Islands, a retired man in his early 70’s, is eagerly learning German. His goal? He wants to talk about God’s Word to many a bored holiday visitor from Germany. Boredom is certainly not a problem for him!

Finally, what about doing something with your hands? Why not acquire skills in some handicraft, in painting, or in playing a musical instrument? Self-​esteem grows when there is a sense of achievement. Why not think about rolling up your sleeves and offering your help around the house? There are so many little things that usually need to be fixed in any home. Instead of brooding about your boring life, make yourself available, do meaningful work at home, become skillful in some craft. You will not be left unrewarded.​—Proverbs 22:29.

Furthermore, the Bible advises us to work whole-​souled in whatever project we may undertake. (Colossians 3:23) That of course means to get involved, to be genuinely interested in what we are doing. It may be worth remembering that the English word “interest” comes from the Latin interesse, which literally means “to be between, or among,” in other words to be absorbed in the task at hand. That will make it interesting.

All this good advice penned many years ago, if applied, would make all the difference for victims of free-​time blues. Therefore, be absorbed in what you do. Get involved with other people. Do things for others. Keep on learning. Communicate freely with others. Discover the real purpose of life. By doing all of this, you will not be prone to sigh: ‘Why is life such a bore?’

[Box on page 7]

How to Beat Boredom

1. Don’t allow personal initiative to be crippled by ready-​made entertainment. Be selective as to distractions and entertainment.

2. Relate to people.

3. Keep learning. Have personal goals.

4. Be creative. Do something with your hands.

5. Have a purpose in life. Take God into consideration.

In Search of Orchids in Europe

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN THE NETHERLANDS

ORCHIDS fascinate people everywhere. These plants are synonymous with exotic beauty and colorful splendor. Their occurrence in impenetrable tropical forests adds to the mysterious aura surrounding them. Few people realize that orchids are not restricted to tropical areas but they are also found in the more temperate areas of our planet, such as Europe.

Orchid species can be found in a variety of regions, from arctic Iceland to sub-​tropical Greece. About 350 species in all are known in Europe. In contrast with many tropical species, European species are terrestrial, obtaining their roothold in soil. In the Tropics orchids chiefly are epiphytes, obtaining a roothold in trees. Many tropical species produce huge, gorgeous flowers, whereas the flowers of European orchids are much more modest in size.

Venturing out in search of orchids in Europe is a pleasant pastime because many species grow in magnificent environments. Orchids are often indicators pointing to the existence of distinctive environmental conditions. Many species are very particular about the ecological environment in which they exist and only occur in places that meet all their requirements. Swamp orchids such as Dactylorhiza incarnata, for example, grow only in places where subsoil water contains sufficient lime. This explains why some species are rarer than others. An orchid species that makes very specific demands will occur in fewer areas than one that can grow in less restricted conditions.

If we make an imaginary trip across Europe, from the Netherlands down to southern Italy, most regions we travel through contain orchids. Let’s begin with the Netherlands. In this low-​lying country in Western Europe, we still find extensive swamps, moist dune dips, and grasslands. In May and June, some of the terrain is tinted rose and violet by orchids of the genus Dactylorhiza. A lovely, stately species is the Dactylorhiza praetermissa. This plant can reach the height of three feet [1 m] and can contain as many as 60 blossoms. Remnants of peat moors and heather fields also are homes for orchids. In chiefly wet heather fields, large numbers of Dactylorhiza maculata can sometimes be found. In peat moors we would have to make a careful search before finding the tiny green blossoms of the Hammarbya paludosa. This small orchid grows in extremely inaccessible areas.

We travel farther, into the central mountain ranges of Germany. Here, in the midst of a wide variety of deciduous trees, several representatives of the genus Epipactis are found. While some of these grow in the deep shadows, others, such as the Epipactis muelleri, prefer the fringe of a forest. The blossoming of the Epipactis species in late summer and autumn concludes the orchid season in Europe. Located on the slopes of hills rich in lime is a particular kind of arid grassland, lime grassland, which abounds with orchids. During May and June, we might find here dozens of species, among which are the magnificent Orchis militaris and Orchis ustulata.

In the southern part of Germany, we reach the Alps. The alpine meadows are famous for their profusion of blossoms. Orchids often contribute to this environment. Some alpine meadows, such as those of the Dolomites in Italy, are dressed in purple by orchids in the month of July. A profusion of Nigritella nigra occurs here in a broad variety of colors. Nigritella gives off a strong vanilla odor, which reminds us that vanilla is procured from the fruit of a tropical orchid.

Orchids can be found at altitudes of more than ten thousand feet [3,000 m]. It is possible at that altitude to find what is probably the world’s smallest orchid, the Chamorchis alpina. The blossoms of this species measure less than one quarter of an inch [5 mm] across. Because they are green in color, these blossoms do not attract much attention. Yet, this species has its own specific place in the ecosystem of the alpine region.

Having traveled beyond the Alps, we reach the Mediterranean region of Europe. We find more species of orchids here than elsewhere in Europe, and their variety is astounding. The warmth-​loving species that grow here blossom only in early spring. During the dry summer, all vegetation, including the orchid, parches, and practically no blossoming plant is to be found. It is only after the initial autumn rains that fresh green plants reappear.

Orchids react to this rainfall. At that time many species form leaves and survive the winter as a rosette. It is not until early spring that they display their gorgeous flowers. The species of the genus Ophrys are typical of Mediterranean vegetation. For pollination many of these species are dependent on male insects that mistake the flower, which resembles an insect, for a partner willing to mate. Several of the species are named after insects they resemble, such as spider orchid, fly orchid, and bumblebee orchid (Ophrys sphegodes, insectifera, and bombyliflora). Following the pseudocopulation the insect carries the pollen mass and transports it inadvertently to another flower of the same species. Pollination takes place, and the formation of seed can begin. This method of pollination is astonishingly accurate.

Among some of the Ophrys species, distinct races are known. Each is pollinated by a specific insect species. When pollinating insects of one kind are exposed to flowers of a different but similar-​looking race, they refuse to pollinate them. Sometimes “mishaps” occur, and another species becomes erroneously pollinated, resulting in hybrids. Once in a while, these hybrids are able to produce fertile seed and reproduce large numbers of offspring.

Another characteristic Mediterranean genus is the tongue orchid (Serapias). These species are pollinated by insects that spend the night in a tubular cavity within the blossom. By the time the insect awakes, the pollen mass will have attached itself to the insect’s body, so that another flower will be pollinated the following night.

As we traveled across Europe, we saw many magnificent natural areas filled with orchids. Yet, many have vanished. In industrialized, densely populated, and agriculturally advanced Europe, practically every natural reserve stands exposed to a legion of threatening circumstances. Acid rain, drought, maximum cultivation of agricultural lands, tourism, and urbanization, all take their toll on orchids. Many species have become rare. In several countries some species are legally protected.

However, merely declaring that something is legally out-​of-​bounds does not help much. Man ought to treat the creation with respect. In this present, imperfect system of things, where respect for the Creator and his creation is lacking, we do not expect that nature will flourish. Not until God’s new system will it be possible for righteous people to enjoy the harmony of nature. (Isaiah 35:1) It is then that the many kinds of orchids will be properly appreciated for what they are.

[Pictures on page 8, 9]

On these two pages are orchids from (1) Italy, (2) the Netherlands, (3) alpine meadows, (4) lime grasslands, and (5) heather areas. (6) The butterfly orchid

Joshua’s Faith​—A Victory for Children’s Rights

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN CANADA

“IT WAS the first time the mature minor doctrine had been considered at the appeal court level. And some say the judgment sets out clear guidelines not only for doctors and hospitals in New Brunswick but also, perhaps, elsewhere in Canada.”​—Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The above journal is referring to a case involving New Brunswick’s Medical Consent of Minors Act, which says that if two doctors declare a minor under 16 to be mature and that he understands his disease and its proposed treatment, he has the legal right to accept or reject medical treatment, like any adult. Concerning 15-​year-​old Joshua Walker, who had acute myeloid leukemia, Chief Justice W. L. Hoyt of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal wrote the following: “The evidence here is overwhelming that Joshua is sufficiently mature and that, in the circumstances, the proposed treatment is in his best interests and his continuing health and well-​being. . . . It is my view that the application [to be declared a mature minor] was not necessary.” Chief Justice Hoyt in his decision also noted that Canadian common law “recognizes the doctrine of a mature minor.”

One of Joshua’s lawyers, Daniel Pole, said that the written decision of the Court of Appeal is “going to be a leading case across Canada.” Because it was an unusual case, the court sat with five judges instead of the usual three. “In landmark situations,” Pole said, “the court will sit with a full bench. It may be that they considered the decision an important one for Canada.” He suggested that the precedent-​setting ruling opens the way for mature minors to act on their own behalf and that “there’s no reason for it to come up again in court. It has accomplished a great deal for other young persons.” Further stressing the extensive value of this court victory, Pole declared: “It’s a tremendous vindication of the rights of children, of young men and young women who have the capacity to decide what they want to have done with their bodies.”

Under the heading “A ‘Minor’ Victory,” an editorial in the Telegraph Journal said: “The New Brunswick Court of Appeal’s decision that 15-​year-​old Joshua Walker has the right to consent to or refuse medical treatment is a victory not just for Jehovah’s Witnesses, but for us all. . . . Sometimes the decisions an individual makes may seem too hard for society to bear, especially hard if the life or death of a young person is at stake. But even harder to bear would be a society that routinely violates the bodies and souls of its citizens. Joshua Walker has done his part to keep us safe from that.”

A Valiant Doctor

From the start of his illness, Joshua was diagnosed and treated by Dr. Mary Frances Scully, a specialist in hematology and pediatric oncology. Her work includes the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children.

The usual treatment for Joshua’s type of leukemia is chemotherapy and blood transfusions. Joshua’s family are Jehovah’s Witnesses and, for Scriptural reasons, reject blood transfusions. The divine decree to Christians is: “Abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.” (Acts 15:20, 29) Joshua, from the beginning, took a determined position to adhere to Jehovah’s law to ‘abstain from blood.’

Dr. Scully noted on the hospital chart that Joshua was “very adamant” about this. Dr. Dolan, head of the hospital’s adult oncology wing, talked personally to Joshua. Both he and Dr. Scully concluded that Joshua was a mature minor. The Walkers’ family doctor, Dr. Lordon, also viewed Joshua as a mature minor. With, not just the required two, but three doctors declaring Joshua a mature minor, he was more than qualified under the Medical Consent of Minors Act to choose his treatment. No litigation should have been needed.

Unfortunately, the situation did not stay that way. The hospital, already viewing Joshua as a mature minor, wanted this established by a judicial decision in order to protect itself. The outcome of a lengthy and trying court investigation was that the judge ruled that Joshua did not have the right to refuse treatment. This decision was immediately appealed to a higher court with the results mentioned in our opening paragraph.

Throughout Joshua’s ordeal Dr. Scully stuck to her refusal to administer blood to Joshua under any circumstances unless he changed his mind and consented. Reporting on her position, the Canadian Medical Association Journal quoted her as saying: “My biggest concern was that Joshua or his family would be so upset that they would just leave without any options.” The article continues: “Other physicians later told her that they would have refused to treat [Joshua] altogether. However, that thought never crossed her mind.” Her reasonable and noble stand was very encouraging to Joshua and his family.

Joshua Loved Life and Touched Hearts

Joshua Walker loved life; he didn’t want to die. His family didn’t want him to die. In many lands Jehovah’s Witnesses, his spiritual brothers, hoped that he might recover and live. Joshua was willing to accept his situation; his faith in God convinced him he would come back in the resurrection. He found support in Jesus’ words: “The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [the] voice [of the Son of God] and come out.”​—John 5:25, 28, 29.

Support came to him from many places. The Evening Times Globe said: “Both parents emphasized yesterday that they’re not abandoning Joshua. They brought him to the Regional Hospital to get the best medical treatment possible, without blood. ‘We would have left him at home if we wanted him to die,’ the father argued. ‘We don’t want Josh to die. We’re doing everything medically to keep him alive. And that’s what anyone would do for any of their loved ones. We’re not here to watch him die. We’re here to get that boy better, so he can walk out and go back to his trains, go back to the Kingdom Hall, to his meetings and his service, and maybe go back to some basketball.’”

His family were certainly there for him, literally. One newspaper noted this: “While one of them took a turn at keeping Joshua company, other family members huddled nearby in a small quiet-​room, some of them still in gowns and with loosened masks hanging from their necks. It’s the same scene that has been unfolding there since March 31, when Joshua first came to [the] hospital. In three weeks, Joshua has not spent a moment when there wasn’t a gowned and masked family member in his hospital room. . . . Often, both parents stay overnight with Joshua, sleeping in a bed next to their youngest son. [The mother said,] ‘We’re needed here, and I’d do anything for Josh, for any of my children.’ ‘I’d sit out in the parking lot if I had to,’ said the father.”

Confidences and Conversations

In the evenings when his mother or father was with him, there were intimate conversations. One night he said: “Mom, please write this down. All you young ones, please draw close to Jehovah so that if anything should ever happen to you, you will keep your integrity to him. When I am better I promise to do more in declaring Jehovah’s name. You young ones in good health, do more if you can.”

One night when Josh was in the hospital, he said: “Mom, a lot of times when you go to the bathroom or go to get Dad, the doctors come in and say: ‘Josh, you need a blood transfusion. Without it you will die. We want to help you.’ ‘Then please respect my wishes about blood,’ I would reply. I told one doctor who tried to get me to take blood: ‘You may think I’m crazy, but I have all my thinking abilities. I just want to live by Jehovah’s law on blood. He knows what is best for us. The best thing for me is to respect the sanctity of life, and if I die I will live again.’”

One doctor, the chief of pediatrics, Dr. Garry, said to Josh’s parents: “Be proud of Josh. He has faith that I have never seen demonstrated before in my life.” He hugged them both and said: “You are a courageous family.”

One evening in the hospital, after some bad news had been given the family concerning Josh’s condition, his brother Jeff and his sister, Janice, were with him. Jeff was crying, and Josh said: “Jeffrey, you stop crying. I’m a winner either way. Don’t worry about me.” His point was that if he recovered from his illness, he was a winner; if he didn’t and he died and was resurrected into the Paradise earth, then he was undoubtedly a winner!

When there was talk of a bone-​marrow transplant, his brother Jerry was the first to offer his bone marrow. At one time, his brothers John and Joe used to kiss Josh good night. When he turned 13, he got his mother to tell them he was too old for that. But during his illness, although he was 15, when they started it again and hugged and prayed with him, Josh told his mother it was OK now​—it showed they still loved him.

Community Support

Jerry and Sandra, Joshua’s parents, say the support from the community has been overwhelming and widespread. In May 1994, one newspaper said: “Joshua receives, on average, 20 cards a day. They have even come from as far away as Romania and Mexico. He has also received phone calls and faxes at the hospital from as far away as Alberta and Washington. In addition to all that, he was sent about half-a-dozen fruit baskets [and] dozens of flowers. . . . When his vital statistics . . . improved, the nurses organized a celebratory Hawaiian luau in his honor. They made grass skirts out of garbage bags and danced the hula around his room. ‘He was laughing so hard, I thought he was going to cry,’ said Sandra.’”

Josh’s father, Jerry, added some tidbits: “We could not let all the children visitors from school come into the hospital room. So the principal came and got reports on Josh. The students sent Josh a 1,000-​piece puzzle of a railroad scene​—Josh is crazy about trains. The police wanted to put on a benefit dance for him to help on certain costs, but we didn’t give them a go-​ahead on that. The social-​studies class at school was talking about people’s rights, and each individual in that class wrote Josh about giving them a talk on that, giving them his feelings.”

During all this time, the newspaper coverage was phenomenal​—stories with pictures on the front pages of several dailies. School principals relayed bulletins on Joshua’s health. He received invitations to speak when he recovered, and schools held sessions on the details of the case.

“Did you notice much of a change in Joshua when this disease hit him and threatened his life?” Awake! asked. Josh’s father, Jerry, commented: “There was a tremendous change in him, and almost overnight. Josh had previously been an easygoing, carefree young boy, sometimes needing the counsel that 15-​year-​olds typically need. I have sat and looked at him in awe. It’s almost as though he grew up overnight. One evening his lawyer wanted to talk to him, and Joshua asked me to leave. One day he was the class clown; the next he was mature, talking to lawyers and judges. A crisis can bring up from the depths of the heart things never suspected of being there.”

Dr. Scully gave a beautiful tribute to Joshua. She said to his mother: “He of all the patients I have ever treated is the friendliest, most considerate, most polite, and most compassionate person I have ever met. He is very courageous and a young man we will never forget. He is a very lovable person. You can be very proud of him, Mrs. Walker.”

In a few weeks, the leukemia changed. The brief periods of remission were gone; the cancer was back. Dr. Scully told the family that Josh might not live much longer​—weeks maybe, a few months possibly. The next evening, with Joshua’s parents present, Dr. Scully told Joshua that the cancer was back and that it might also be in the stomach by then. Joshua said: “Oh, no, it’s not back​—are you sure?” Dr. Scully said: “Josh, your blood work is not too good.” Soon thereafter Jerry left the room, then Dr. Scully.

Two Aching Hearts Finding Peace

Josh’s mother describes the scene: “There was silence. I pulled a chair up to his bedside and took his hand. I asked him if he was worried or depressed because of what the doctor had said. He replied: ‘I hadn’t thought about dying and leaving so soon. But, Mom, don’t worry. I am not afraid to die, nor am I afraid of death. Will you be with me when I die? I don’t want to die alone.’ I started to cry and hugged him. He cried, too, and said: ‘Mom, I’m in Jehovah’s hands.’ Then, ‘I want all of you to stay in the truth so you can welcome me back in the resurrection. I can tell you this, Mom, with all certainty: I know Jehovah is definitely going to bring me back in the resurrection. He has read my heart, and I truly love him.’

“I started to cry again. I told him how much we loved him and, for the 16 years that we have had him here, how proud we have been of him​—and most of all, how Jehovah was smiling down on him with approval. He said, ‘Mom, I know.’ I said to him: ‘Josh, as much as I hate to let go, it would only be selfish on our part to want you to stay.’ He said: ‘Mom, I know, and really I am kind of tired of fighting.’”

The Legal Ramifications

Daniel Pole, one of Joshua’s lawyers, along with other attorneys, dealt with the questions raised by the case of Joshua Walker. What is a mature minor under the Medical Consent of Minors Act? Does consent to treatment include the right to refuse it? Is the argument of parens patriae, in which the government acts for someone who cannot competently act for himself, applicable here? Does the individual have the legal right to determine what can be done to his own body? Is his bodily integrity inviolate? And what about Canadian common law? Is it applicable in this case? Finally, did Joshua Walker’s case need to come into court in the first place?

Were these questions settled by the written decision of the Court of Appeal? Yes, they were. Upon the conclusion of the hearing, the five-​judge court recessed and thereafter returned to the courtroom and gave orally the unanimous decision of the justices, as follows:

“The appeal is allowed. The decision of Turnbull, J. [the lower court judge] is set aside. Joshua Walker is declared to be a mature minor under the provisions of the Medical Consent of Minors Act and the consent of his parents with respect to his treatment is not required. The question of costs will be dealt with in our written reasons.”

Is Canadian common law applicable to this case? Yes. The printed account of the hearing states: “In Canada, the common law recognizes the doctrine of a mature minor, namely, one who is capable of understanding the nature and consequences of the proposed treatment. . . . New Brunswick has codified the common law to the extent that it is expressed in the Medical Consent of Minors Act.”

Finally, did Joshua’s case have to come into court to make him legally able to refuse blood transfusions? No. “As long as the provisions of the Act are complied with, there is no need to make such an application.”

Chief Justice W. L. Hoyt concluded: “The application was made in good faith and with an abundance of caution. Nevertheless, the result of the application was to involve Joshua and his family in unwanted litigation. For that reason, in my view, they are entitled to costs from the Hospital.”

Joshua died October 4, 1994.

[Blurb on page 12]

“The judgment sets out clear guidelines . . . for doctors and hospitals.”​—Canadian Medical Association Journal

[Blurb on page 13]

“A victory not just for Jehovah’s Witnesses, but for us all.”​—Telegraph Journal

[Blurb on page 14]

“I just want to live by Jehovah’s law on blood.”​—Joshua Walker

[Blurb on page 15]

“He has faith that I have never seen demonstrated before in my life.”​—Dr. Garry

The Megapode and Its Scrambled Eggs

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

ABOUT two hours by canoe out of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal, is the island of Savo, famous for its active volcano and the megapode bird, also known as the Australian scrub fowl. The natives at times utilize hot rocks and jets of steam hissing from cracks in the ground to cook their food and to heat their water supply. The megapode bird also makes clever use of this natural resource.

Though considerably smaller than the common chicken, the megapode bird looks similar, with heavy body, short rounded wings and large, strong, four-​toed feet. The bill is short and slightly curved downward. The megapode’s flight is fast but short-​lived.

The megapode (meaning “large feet”) bird belongs to the same order of birds as the common chicken​—Galliformes. It is an incubator bird that buries its eggs in piles of rotting vegetation to hatch them in constant 90-​degree-​Fahrenheit [32°C] heat. On this island the megapodes have a different incubator. What could be better than the volcanically heated sand on the beaches of Savo?

Acres of flat, level beach have been carefully fenced off by the natives with a wall of strong palm leaves. These are the megapode “fields.” Inside, the area resembles a carefully planted orchard. Small trees are set in orderly rows, apparently to provide a more reassuring environment for the visiting birds. Over this whole area, the sand is pitted with small craters about two feet [60 cm] in diameter, evidence of the visits at dawn and dusk by these strange wild birds that come to dig a narrow hole as much as three feet [90 cm] deep in which to lay and bury their eggs.

And what eggs! They average from three [8 cm] to three and a half inches [9 cm] long and about two and a half inches [6 cm] in diameter, an amazing size for such a small bird. Upon hatching, the fully feathered chick digs its way to the surface and runs away on its own. Within 24 hours it can fly.

Each day the villagers come down to the “fields” to dig up the eggs, which seem to be a major part of the islanders’ staple diet. It is amazing how they prepare their light, fluffy scrambled eggs. The megapode eggs are skillfully cracked open on the pointed shaft of a section of green bamboo stem and then poured into the stem’s hollow interior. The bamboo stem, now full of eggs, is carefully laid at a 45-​degree angle in the hot embers of the cooking fire. Soon the eggs are bubbling away and mixing with the juices from the hot green bamboo. When ready, the bamboo is split open, and one has sausage-​shaped scrambled eggs with a unique delightful taste. Come to the Solomon Islands, and try it sometime!

Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Improve My Wardrobe?

ROBERT is desperate! He has to attend his sister’s wedding and has absolutely nothing to wear. Not that Robert is in what the Bible calls “a naked state.” (James 2:15) But Robert’s everyday outfits simply will not suffice for this formal occasion.

Young Angela, though, has three social engagements to attend, each requiring a different style of dress. Unlike Robert, however, she has little trouble finding something appropriate to wear. Not that Angela is wealthy. She has simply built up a basic wardrobe that allows her to be well dressed in a variety of situations.

An article in Woman’s Day magazine said: “Clothes are important. They can go a long way toward making you feel really good about yourself.” What you wear also has a large impact on how others view and treat you. With good reason, then, the Bible urges us to be adorned with “well-​arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind.” (1 Timothy 2:9) If you are a Christian, having a suitable wardrobe should be important to you.

Could it be, though, that in spite of having a closet chock-​full of clothing, you sometimes feel that you have nothing to wear? What is the problem, and how can you correct matters?

The High Cost of Fashion

Often the problem isn’t money but the result of being enslaved to the world’s ever-​changing styles and fashions. The book Youthtrends says that “the business world realizes how much money young people will spend for clothing labels.” Driven by a greed for cash, the clothing industry uses catchy magazine and TV ads to entice youths to spend​—and spend, and spend! Reinforced by peer pressure, the strategy works. Laments a teacher: “Everybody is spending huge amounts on clothes and the kids who can’t afford it . . . are taking jobs after school just to buy designer jeans.”

Being a slave to fashion costs money and may leave you with little to invest in more practical garments that you really need. Romans 12:2 thus gives good advice when it says: “Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over.” True, standing out as different is not always easy. Sixteen-​year-​old Charlene admits: “The kids in school look at you funny when you don’t dress like them.” When you let others dictate what you do, however, you become their slave. (Compare Romans 6:16.) A young woman named Johanna admits: “I get irritated because I feel as if I’m always dressing for someone else.”

Is this always wise? Take, for example, the street-​gang, hip-​hop, and “grunge” clothing styles. Many wear these styles simply because they are popular. Yet, they virtually scream anger and rebellion. Could wearing them give others the wrong impression about you? (John 15:19; compare 2 Corinthians 6:4.) Not to mention that looking like a gang member could get you killed. Some U.S. schools have therefore banned the wearing of gang styles. The lesson? It makes little sense to let your peers choose your wardrobe, much less rule your life. Instead of being anxious about what will please them, “keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord”!​—Ephesians 5:10.

Considering Your Needs

Once you have freed yourself from the tyranny of fad and fashion, you can begin building a wardrobe that meets your actual needs. For example, much of your time is spent in school. If your school requires a uniform or follows a strict dress code, your choices will be limited. But in many schools choice is permitted, and the casual look is the norm.

In such a situation, it may not be wise to make yourself conspicuous by sporting a jacket and tie or a dressy skirt. You would want to look casual without looking faddish or sloppy. A teenage girl named Millie did so. While in school she avoided fashion extremes. If your situation is similar, you may likewise need a few casual slacks, shirts, or blouses in your wardrobe. If money is tight, having just a few of these items may suffice.​—Compare Luke 10:42.

Keeping your school wardrobe a modest size may leave you with enough cash to care for other needs. Do you, for example, have an outside job or household chores to perform? Then you have a need for some durable, sturdy garments. Appropriate clothing may also be needed for sports and other play activities. Although it may be in vogue to wear designer shorts, tops, and sneakers, you will find that some less expensive garments are equally serviceable.

If you are one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will also want to consider your need for suitable clothes to wear to Christian meetings, inasmuch as casual clothing is inappropriate for worship. In lands where Western-​style garb is worn, young men usually wear dress slacks, a dress shirt, a tie, and a jacket. Young women usually wear a dress or a skirt and blouse. Similar apparel is also worn in the door-​to-​door preaching work. How many of such outfits you can buy will depend on your budget. Fortunately, your clothes need not be plentiful or the latest in fashion. They should be neat and clean.

Jesus Christ attended a wedding, and you may also be called upon to attend certain social events. (John 2:1, 2) If dressing up for such events is customary, then it makes sense to have some suitable garments on hand. “I’ve been in situations where I was not dressed for the occasion, and it was not fun,” admits Johanna. Owning at least one dressy garment can also spare you the pressure and expense of last-​minute shopping.

Taking Inventory

You might take what writer Jean Patton calls a closet audit. (Color to Color) Sort through your clothes, including items in storage. You may discover garments that you had forgotten about. At the same time, you can discard items that you have outgrown or that you no longer like.

Next, make an inventory list, perhaps organizing it into major pieces (coats, suits, dresses, blazers, sport jackets), support pieces (blouses, sweaters, dress shirts), and accessories (scarves, belts, gloves, hats, shoes, handbags, neckties). Such a list helps highlight what items you may need to round out your wardrobe.

Smart Shopping

In some lands new clothing is a luxury. Youths take pains to care for what clothes they do own and to keep them reasonably neat and clean. What, though, if you are in a position to buy some new clothes? In her book Working Wardrobe, Janet Wallach states that “a woman can save time and money if she’s bought her clothes by plan and design.” That’s true for young men too. Likely, you have a limited budget, so you need to count the cost of anything you purchase. (Compare Luke 14:28.) That may mean pruning your shopping list, sticking to high-​priority items. A good rule of thumb is to spend the most money on the clothes you will wear the most.

The Better Business Bureau A to Z Buying Guide gives this advice: “Build your wardrobe around one basic color group, such as navy and gray or maroon and black. Select major clothing items in those colors, and save bright complementary hues for shirts, blouses, and accessories.” Neutral-​colored clothing will stay in style longer. By sticking to basic colors, you can more easily experiment and create new outfits.

Proverbs 14:15 says: “The shrewd one considers his steps,” and having a definite plan for your purchases can help you avoid costly impulse buying. “I always take my shopping list with me when I shop,” says one young woman. Remember, too, that in the long run, it pays to go for quality, not quantity. A quality garment can last for years. “I still have sweaters that I wore as a teenager,” says one young woman. However, a brand name is not necessarily a guarantee of quality, which is best determined by carefully examining the garment itself.a

Be on the conservative side when it comes to style. A classic dress or man’s suit will almost always be in style. Trendy styles quickly fade in popularity. In her book Conservative Chic, Amelia Fatt notes: “Conservative clothing is easier to accessorize, easier to add to next year, a better investment.”

Don’t forget that your parents have years of experience in buying clothing. Some of your tastes may be a generation apart, but you may agree on the basics more than you realize. “My mother helped me and my sister to develop good taste in clothing,” recalls Angela. With time and patience, you too may be able to develop a suitable, workable wardrobe. Perhaps you will never again have to say, ‘I have nothing to wear!’

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 19]

First take inventory of what you already own

Who Will Evangelize Britain?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN

THE lifeblood of Britain’s churches is ebbing away at the rate of nearly 1,500 members a week, reports The UK Christian Handbook. The young are abandoning the church, proclaims The Times, “because they find it boring and lonely.”

While Anglican churches close at the rate of one a week, there are “thousands of people in search of meaning and purpose to their lives,” admits the Church of England’s Church Times.

Faced with this crisis, Britain’s churches united in 1990 behind a “Decade of Evangelism.” The Scotsman said the ’90’s “may well be the decade in which evangelism is claimed back by the traditional, established Churches in an attempt to swell sadly-​depleted memberships and to turn the tide on secularism.”

A fond hope​—but can it be realized? What has happened in the past few years?

An Unsure Foundation

Church of England clergymen generated little enthusiasm for the “Decade of Evangelism” at their 1989 General Synod. The chairman of the Church Union’s Mission and Renewal Committee, for example, stressed: “Preparation is all-​important,” but he cautiously added: “It may, in some cases, take all the decade.”

Bishop Gavin Reid predicted: “It will be a campaign of embarrassment after five years.”

Undeterred, Anglicans soon formed a united front with the Roman Catholics, who had established their own “Decade of Evangelisation” in 1988. Most other denominations had some misgivings. “I must confess to feeling uneasy about the Decade of Evangelism. It is a high-​sounding title, but what does it mean?” asked Paul Hulme, minister of the prestigious Wesley’s Chapel on City Road, London. “What are we supposed to be doing that we are not doing already?”

Defining Objectives

To evangelize is to preach the gospel, or good news, to convert hearers to Christianity​—a far cry from what many church leaders wish to see. “It is not our business to convert people to Christianity,” proclaimed Dr. Newbigin of the United Reformed Church. “That is God’s business.” What lies behind such an extraordinary statement? The growing tension of Britain’s multiracial society with its non-​Christian, ethnic religions. Consider the following:

“The Decade of Evangelism may fizzle out like other decades,” said Anglican rector Neil Richardson, “but while it lumbers on it is a distraction from a pressing issue facing the churches and everyone else: the potentially explosive interface of religions in all our cities.” Pinpointing the problem, he continued: “Relationships between sections of the religious community need to be based on the firm confidence that nobody is seeking to convert or proselytise.”

Well aware of this “potentially explosive” situation, George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, declared “Decade of Evangelism” to be a “clumsy title” because Muslim and Jewish leaders felt they were being targeted by “hard-​line evangelicals.” “It is a mistake,” he said later, “to say as some do that the first task of the church is to evangelise.”

Bishop Michael Marshall, on the other hand, maintains that the basic need is for the Church of England to be “converted into the Church of God in England,” with Muslims and others being brought into the Christian fold. “The call to win Islam for Christ is on the agenda,” he proclaimed, warning that such an approach “will necessarily involve a decade of confrontation.”

What of the Jews? “True Evangelism Must Include the Jews,” headlined the Church Times. But David Sheppard, bishop of Liverpool, strongly disagreed. “The prime target of the Decade of Evangelism must be those who have lapsed from faith or never known what it is to believe in God,” he said. Is this possible? Neil Richardson, writing under The Guardian’s headline “Evangelism’s Diminishing Returns,” maintains: “Every person [in Britain] has had a fair chance to assess the claims of Christianity. It is clear that the majority have decided it is not for them.”

Are Britain’s churches equipped to evangelize such a secular community with its multiplicity of faiths and ethnic cultures?

The Challenge

Former archbishop Dr. Runcie declared: “Our officers in evangelism are the bishops and clergy, our missionaries are the laity.” Veteran evangelist Gilbert W. Kirby said: “Every christian should be in a position to explain to another the fundamentals of the faith. Every christian should be taught how to lead another to Christ. . . . An instructed church-​membership should be our aim. . . . It is useless to tell people to evangelise without showing them how.” In other words, the bishops and clergy must set the lead in showing their flocks how to evangelize.

Speaking frankly in the inaugural BBC “Priestland Memorial Lecture,” radio broadcaster Brian Redhead said: “Heads snug beneath mitres should face up to the fact that they have lost the power to entertain the non-​committed . . . They must place greater emphasis on the art of preaching.” And where should this be done?

At the turn of this century, William Wand, later to become Bishop of London, received his early training in Lancaster, England, when pastoral visiting was the norm. “I think that forty was the record number of doors at which I knocked in the course of any one afternoon,” he wrote later. “The Vicar was also very alive to the needs of the minority of people who never seemed to come to church. He was anxious to make what is now called a ‘break-​through’ against this apathy and indifference.”

For any clergyman to make such personal contact in Britain today would indeed be a rare exception! Too late Britain’s churches are realizing there is no substitute for evangelizing people in their homes, in the way Jesus and his disciples did.

“Only a truly dedicated man can win others to God,” observes Evangelism and the Laity. “‘Do the work of an evangelist’ [2 Timothy 4:5] . . . is a command which must be obeyed in some way by every Christian if the Church is to fulfil its purpose in our generation.”

“Good News”​—Its Source

John Taylor, general secretary of the Division of Ministries of the Methodist Church, wrote to The Times of London about “our duty to share the good news.” He said: “The church must therefore find new and more effective ways of nurturing and teaching its own members. Even in the church there is an appalling ignorance of the Christian scriptures.” To what has this ignorance led its members?

“A number of leading younger Evangelicals . . . insist that Christian discipleship demands specific kinds of social and political action,” explains Rachel Tingle in Another Gospel?​—An Account of the Growing Involvement of the Anglican Church in Secular Politics. This “Kingdom Theology,” as it is termed, asserts that the Kingdom of God is extended to earth when peace, justice, and “social righteousness” are established by political means. This is, of course, “Liberation Theology,” or the old “Christian Socialism” in a modern guise.

How does such thinking square with Jesus’ own statement: “My kingdom is no part of this world. . . . My kingdom is not from this source”? (John 18:36) Or with the words of an earlier prophet: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite”?​—Daniel 2:44.

Note that this Kingdom is established by God’s hands​—not man’s. Liberation from war, from injustice, and even from death itself will come from Jehovah through his appointed King, Jesus Christ​—not from man. That really is good news that needs to be proclaimed!​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses, numbering nearly 130,000 in Britain alone, share that same conviction. Drawn out of all national groups and religious faiths, they stand united as Christians. They are well-​trained evangelizers eager to share the good news with all who will hear. To this end they use every means available, and many are benefiting from their effective ministry.

[Box on page 23]

Britain’s Evangelists

The following extract is taken from a British Roman Catholic weekly newspaper, the Catholic Herald, October 22, 1993, page 8.

“Whatever happened to the decade of evangelisation? What indeed! Two years ago it was the flavour of the month and hardly a week without mention in the press. Today? A deafening silence. . . .

“Where is the urgency conveyed by Jesus as He despatched His disciples to evangelise the surrounding villages? Or by St Paul: ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! (1 Co 9:16).’

“There is also the problem that many Catholics do not appreciate that evangelisation is not an option but a mandate ordained by Christ Himself: ‘Go, make disciples of all nations’ [Matthew 28:19]. . . .

“How many Catholics are sufficiently conversant with their faith to confront the sceptical? . . . How extraordinary it is that, God’s Son having come to earth, so few of us bother to study what He said. . . .

“Now I hold no brief for [Jehovah’s] Witnesses. . . . But spare a thought for the other side of the coin. Their moral stance, based on a belief in God’s absolute standards, is unimpeachable. More to the present point, each Witness devoted the equivalent of something like three evenings a week to doctrine, systematic Bible study, and practical day to day Christian living, often in one another’s homes.

“Not only that, but each Witness is also taught that, by his very calling, he is necessarily a missionary. He is taught the marketing tools needed to project his message. Door knocking, going out in twos, is a central feature of his life. Witnesses are also zealous in caring for the poor and needy.

“In short, . . . it is hard not to be reminded of the early Church as depicted in the acts of the Apostles. And the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. Their growth has been explosive. Explicit proclamation can deliver!”

Rice​—Do You Prefer It Boiled or Raw?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN INDIA

‘DO YOU eat rice boiled or raw?’ That is a question that you as a guest in an Indian home may be asked. In India about 60 percent of the rice eaten is parboiled (cooked partially by boiling). But it may surprise you to know that in Western nations, almost everyone eats what Indians call raw rice!

All of this may not sound so strange when you realize that we are talking, not about the way of preparing rice for the table, but about the method that the Indians use in processing the rice grain as it is being harvested. So, what is done in such processing, and why? A closer look at rice and its preparation as a food grain will provide enlightening answers.

Staple of Millions

Archaeological finds and ancient records indicate that rice was cultivated in India and China as far back as the third millennium B.C.E. The ancient inhabitants of India called it dhanya, or “sustainer of the human race.” It is still an appropriate name because more people live on rice than on any other single food crop. Most of these people live in Asia, where, according to one source, over 600 million people obtain half their daily food calories from rice alone and where over 90 percent of the world’s rice is produced and consumed.

The wet, tropical Ganges delta is one of the world’s leading rice-​producing areas. Abundant rainfall and warm temperatures, as well as a plentiful supply of labor, make this an ideal place for rice cultivation. Let us accept the invitation of our village-​dwelling friends in this region and view firsthand the harvesting and processing of rice.

Harvesting the Paddies

Our bus takes us to Jaidercote in West Bengal, and we continue our journey to the interior by tricycle ricksha. Soon we see vigorous activity in the fields. No sight of combine harvesters here! Rather, fathers, sons, uncles, and brothers are busy in the rice paddies, deftly cutting a handful of stalks at a time with small sickles. One of the reapers, sensing our camera, quickly finishes tying his sheaf with a strand of straw and holds it aloft in an action pose. We laugh at how camera conscious the village people have become.

The sheaves are left to dry in the sun for a day or two. Then the younger members of the family can lend a hand, ferrying home small bales of the rustling dry sheaves neatly balanced on their heads.

Finally, we arrive at the village. “How are you, Dada?” we greet our host, using a term of respect. His smile assures us that all is well, and we notice his wife scurrying away to prepare tea.

Over our morning tea, we ask how the year’s harvest has been. “Not so bad,” he replies with a farmer’s typical restraint, but then he laments that with the use of high-​yield seeds in more recent years, the land’s resources are being overtaxed. At first they produced what seemed like miracle crops, but now it is a very different story. The chemical fertilizers needed for the high-​yield seeds are expensive, and he cannot afford them.

Threshing and Parboiling

As we finish our snack, we urge the family to carry on with their harvest work, which we have come to watch. In this home the threshing is already done. Just down the path, at a neighboring home, the women are busy. They beat individual sheaves on a bamboo platform and let the grains fall through the cracks. The remaining straw is piled into a rick.

Unmilled rice, also called paddy, is covered with a coarse husk, which is quite indigestible. So for those who prefer raw rice, the only further step is hulling, or removing the husk, and perhaps a little polishing and milling if the product is for the fastidious foreign market.

The yield here, however, is not for export but will be eaten by the farming families themselves. They store the grain in the tikri, or the family-​size thatched silo. People of the Ganges delta generally eat boiled rice, but we gently tease our host, suggesting that he should make raw rice this year.

“Certainly not,” he responds. “In these parts we are accustomed to boiled rice and somehow just do not relish raw in the same way.”

We have heard that boiled rice is prepared by a process of steeping and parboiling, but we are not sure how this is done. Happily our friend offers to demonstrate the process his family uses. There is no need for special equipment because only a small amount is done at a time to meet the family’s needs for a week or two. They fill a large hanri, or cooking pot, with the husk-​covered grains stored in the tikri and then add about a quart of water. That is then heated on the gentle flames of a straw-​fired cooking range, called an oonoon, until the water has evaporated. The contents are then soaked overnight in a tub of fresh water, and after being strained, they are placed back in the hanri to steam until dry once again. Finally, the grains are spread on the ground to harden in the sun, being turned occasionally by foot.

This seemed like a lot of extra work to us, but there are some advantages to this process besides suiting the family preference. Parboiling allows certain vitamins and nutrients in the rice grain to be absorbed deeply into the endosperm, or the food part, of the paddy. These are then not so easily leached out during subsequent washing and cooking. The result is a more nourishing meal. The extra food value can literally mean the difference between life and death for those who subsist mainly on a diet of rice.

Another benefit more readily appreciated by the farmers themselves is that parboiled grains are more easily preserved and the husk is easier to remove. That, along with enhanced toughness, leads to less breakage.

A Taste of the Grain

“Time now for some more tea and snacks,” says our host. We walk back to his home where Dida (Granny) is preparing moori. This freshly made puffed rice is a great favorite with all, especially the children. Dida is squatting by the oonoon, roasting a few cupfuls of hull-​less parboiled rice that she has previously moistened and mixed with a little salt. The grains are now dry and loose so that she sprinkles them a few at a time into an iron pan containing hot sand. As she continues to heat the sand, the rice puffs to several times its normal size. The finished moori is then quickly skimmed from the top of the sand with a bunch of twigs before it has a chance to burn. The twigs also serve to administer punishment to little hands eager to dip into the basket of hot moori.

We enjoy our moori along with chunks of freshly cut coconut, but we are careful not to eat too much, as we remember that lunch is not far away.

The final process to see is the hulling. Until quite recently this was done by a foot-​operated pestle and mortar called a dhenki, but now, even in remote places, machine-​operated hullers do a much faster job. This change is lamented by some of the old-​timers, since the dhenki-​separated rice leaves much of the grain’s red inner skin (epidermis) intact, giving a characteristic taste and added nutrients to the food. The machine, however, rips off everything​—husk, bran, and much of the germ—​leaving only the white, starchy endosperm so much in demand today.

The ladies are now eager that we eat the feast that they have been preparing. They have cooked the parboiled rice by boiling it, and it is now being heaped in steaming piles on banana-​leaf plates. Next come preparations of lentils, local vegetables, and pond fish to eat along with the rice. All of us agree that this is one of the most enjoyable parts of our visit.

Yes, whether eaten boiled or raw, rice is a delicious provision, one of the green grasses that God made to sprout as “vegetation for the service of mankind.” ​—Psalm 104:14.

[Box on page 26]

Jhal Moori

In many parts of India, a puffed-​rice snack is sold on the streets by colorful vendors. The tasty and nutritious Jhal moori can easily be prepared and makes a good change from the usual prepackaged snack foods.

Starting with a cupful of crisp, unsweetened puffed rice, add a sprinkle of the following, to taste: finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumber, green chili peppers (optional), a few peanuts, chick-​peas (optional), chaat masala (a mixture of powdered spices, available in Indian stores) or a pinch of salt and pepper, a half teaspoon of mustard oil or other salad oil. Shake ingredients together vigorously, and eat immediately.

Since tastes vary, the moori vendor allows the eater to choose from his vast array of cut vegetables and spices what and how much should be added. You can also serve the snack fondue-​style, allowing your guests to mix their own moori.

[Pictures on page 24, 25]

(1) Threshing the rice stalks (2) Winnowing (3) Dida preparing “moori” (4) “Moori” basket with various ingredients

Watching the World

Crime Costs

According to The Washington Post, the United States spends or loses $163 billion each year as a result of crime. The paper reports that even after adjusting for inflation, this total is some four times the amount spent in 1965. The paper adds that the price of crime includes “better than $31.8 billion at the state and federal level for police, $24.9 billion for corrections, $36.9 billion in retail losses, $20 billion in insurance fraud, and $17.6 billion for individual property losses and medical expenses. Still $15 billion more is spent on private security, $9.3 billion on court costs and $7.2 billion on prosecution and public defense.” In a typical shooting in the Washington, D.C., area, for instance, the Post notes that treating the victim costs an average of $7,000 in the first few hours after the shooting. If the victim survives, the cost is about $22,000. If the government goes to the expense of tracking down and convicting the perpetrator, it then costs about $22,000 a year to incarcerate him.

Unsafe Blood in the Philippines

In the Philippines, blood transfusion services are “unsafe, inefficient and wasteful,” concludes a new study by a team of Filipino doctors. In findings that the country’s health minister, Juan Flavier, termed “very alarming,” the study showed that fewer than half the country’s blood banks were staffed with personnel capable of performing the screening tests for AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B, and malaria. Further, the study examined 136 blood samples from blood banks and found that even of the blood that had been screened, some 4 percent was contaminated.

Litter on the Information Superhighway

The information superhighway, a system of computer networks that provides an exchange of information among computer users, has been widely touted as a wonder of technology. But it also has its drawbacks. In Canada’s Globe and Mail, journalist Sean Silcoff wrote of the two months he spent using the “highway” for research purposes. He concluded that it is “sleazy” and “littered throughout with the refuse of Western culture.” He noted that there were over 3,500 “discussion groups” on the system he used, many of them devoted to such topics as gossip about sports and entertainment stars, repulsively tasteless jokes, and trivial details about popular TV shows. One even featured methods for committing suicide. Silcoff remarked: “A potentially powerful tool is being squandered by a society that seems to be chock-​full of sociopaths.”

Honey for Ulcers?

Writing in Canada’s Medical Post, Dr. Basil J. S. Grogono claims that the lowly honeybee may be able to do more for those who suffer from peptic ulcers than even doctors could during past decades when they would frequently resort to drastic surgery. He notes that more experts have come to recognize the role a tiny microorganism, Helicobacter pylori, plays in peptic ulcers. While some have recommended using drugs to combat this microbe, Grogono notes that these drugs have unpleasant side effects and that the microbes may develop resistance to them. He cites, on the other hand, a recent study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in which the antibacterial properties of honey were tested. One variety, which came from New Zealand bees fed on a plant called the manuka, was effective in fighting the ulcer-​causing microbe.

Lead and Wine

Scientists in Belgium and France have identified a potential threat in some French wines​—lead. Lead from leaded crystal decanters and from lead foil wrappers can make its way into wine. But the new study, reported in Science News, found that leaded gasoline was the source of high levels of organic lead compounds in some vintages of French wines. Where the vineyards grew alongside bustling highways, the lead in exhaust fumes made its way into the grapes. The levels of organic lead compounds in the wines were from 10 to 100 times higher than those found in drinking water. Richard Lobinski, of the University of Antwerp in Belgium, recommends avoiding only the vintages between 1975 and 1980, since the use of leaded gas in France fell off in the late 1970’s. However, he also notes that leaded gasoline is still in use, especially in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Organic lead compounds, he claims, are more dangerous than normal lead because they “can be easily absorbed, especially by the brain.”

Children on a TV-​Free Island

St. Helena, a small island about a third of the way from West Africa to South America, boasts children who are “among the most well-​balanced in the world,” says The Times of London, citing a report in Support for Learning, a leading educational journal. The report’s author, Dr. Tony Charlton, found that only 3.4 percent of the island’s 9- to 12-​year-​olds had serious behavioral problems. The Times notes that this rate is “the lowest ever recorded for any age range anywhere in the world.” The reason for the well-​balanced children? One possibility is the high quality and ready availability of education for the children. But Charlton plans to investigate another possible factor. Until recently, when a satellite hookup was established, the island had never had broadcast TV. It is expected that within three years, 1,300 of the island’s 1,500 households will have a TV. Charlton will soon undertake a study of any subsequent changes in the island’s children.

No Child Support, No License

The state of Maine, U.S.A., has taken a tough stance regarding parents who refuse to pay court-​ordered child support. It has revoked the driver’s licenses of eight such delinquent fathers. According to The New York Times, Jane Sheehan, the Maine Human Services commissioner, says that the eight fathers owed a total of $150,000 and had each received ample warning that they were in danger of losing their licenses. “This should not come as a surprise to anyone,” the Times quotes her as saying. “We’ve been warning people since last August this day would come.” Her office has sent similar warnings to 17,400 parents who are over 90 days late in child-​support payments. So far, some $11.5 million in payments have come in as a result.

Clever Farmers, Smart Crows

In Japan, there is an ongoing battle over who gets to harvest farm crops. Crows and farmers are at constant odds, with the wily crows soon seeing through tactics farmers dream up. Now, though, shrewd farmers in Nagano Prefecture are utilizing the birds’ worst instincts to trap them, says Asahi Evening News. They erected a cage 30 feet square and 10 feet high near their crops and put crows from another area in it. Greedy local crows, enraged at these invaders of their territory, fly into the cage to attack the “foreign” crows, only to get caught themselves. Success at last? One of the farmers says: “Actually, most crows fooled by the cage are wandering ones. The local chaps are so clever they now make fools of us and fly away.” And so the battle goes on.

Over One Billion Cigarette Smokers

According to recent figures from WHO (World Health Organization), the number of people worldwide who smoke cigarettes is 1.1 billion. If the current trend continues, warns WHO, “about half a billion people currently alive will be killed by tobacco, and about half of those, 250 million people, will die in middle age.” Since the 1980’s, cigarette smoking has declined somewhat in the industrialized nations, but there has been an increase in the developing countries. Thus, world consumption remains at 1,650 cigarettes per adult per year. Says Hans Emblad, director of the WHO Program on Substance Abuse: “So far, the net effect of successful tobacco marketing in the developing countries has been to shift areas of increased tobacco use from developed to developing countries. The tobacco epidemic has not yet been put under global control.”

Harmless Speech Impediments

At a conference in Darmstadt, Germany, members of the Interdisciplinary Association for Stutter Therapy warned parents against becoming overanxious about harmless speech impediments of their young children. “Four out of every five children between the ages of four and six have minor speech impediments that sound the same as stuttering but that usually disappear of their own accord,” reports the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. How should parents react when a young child stumbles over words? “So as not to rob the child of his natural uninhibitedness in speech,” comments the newspaper, “parents should avoid putting pressure on the child to do well, should allow him plenty of time, and should build up his self-​confidence.”

From Our Readers

Driving Hazard Reading the item “Tired at the Wheel?” (“Watching the World,” February 22, 1994) brought back memories of when I was a lorry (truck) driver some 20-​odd years ago. I was driving home after a very long day at the wheel when I fell asleep. Suddenly, a big bump woke me up, and to my horror I was driving on the wrong side of the road. I had hit the curb, but no cars or pedestrians were in sight. I got off scot-​free, but it was a lesson I will never forget. I could have killed someone simply because I didn’t take a break when I needed it. My advice? Read that item in Awake!, and take heed!

M. Y., England

Overweight I want to say a special thanks for the “Young People Ask . . .” article of April 22, 1994, “Why Am I So Fat?” I am 13 years old and always considered myself to be fat, although the weight charts told me I was average. Because of my attitude, I lost all confidence in myself and suffered from depression. Once I even wished I were dead. It sounds crazy, but that’s how I felt. Thanks to Jehovah and to the article, I can handle my depression better.

C. S., Germany

Young Cancer Patient Having just read the article “When Life Is Not Easy,” as told by Kathy Roberson, I must say that I am truly touched. (August 22, 1994) I had to write and express my deep appreciation for such a beautiful article. I’m 14 years old and have experienced persecution in school because of being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. My situation is not as trying as Kathy Roberson’s, but seeing how Jehovah sustained her throughout her trial was an inspiration.

C. G., United States

What a great article! I also became very sick at age nine and eventually spent many months in the hospital. However, I was able to return to good health by the time I entered high school. How difficult it must have been for Kathy Roberson to face recurrences of her illness over and over again. Her attitude and strength have helped me to have a more positive frame of mind.

D. V., United States

Breast-​Feeding I am due to give birth in three months to our second child. So when I received my August 22, 1994, issue of Awake! and opened up to the article “Breast-​Feeding Basics,” I was overjoyed. It was truly refreshing to read an article that gave due credit and praise to the Originator of life. I don’t understand how anyone could deny that there is a wise and loving Creator when one considers how a mother is so conveniently equipped to nourish her baby.

L. K., United States

I’m sure you will receive many letters of thanks for this article. Looking back, I see what a blessing and what a practical choice breast-​feeding all three of our children has been. I know this article will encourage mothers and mothers-​to-​be.

C. S., United States

Effective Artwork My heart jumped when I saw the picture of the resurrection in the June 8, 1994, issue. My appreciation for the wonderful resurrection hope was deepened even more. Surely no words will express my joy when I am able to see my younger sister in the future Paradise.

M. U., Japan

Love of Money Thanks for the article “Love of Money​—A Root of Much Evil.” (March 22, 1994) In my country there is much ransacking, burglary, and public harassment​—all for money. This magazine was thus timely and appropriate, and I found great pleasure in placing this issue with others. In fact, some sellers of bread fought over them when I didn’t have enough copies!

A. F. S., West Africa

“My Opinion of a Doctor’s Duty Has Changed”

AKANE, a four-​year-​old girl in Osaka, Japan, had complicated cardiac abnormalities​—tricuspid atresia and atrial septal defect—​for which she had to undergo major heart surgery. Her parents implored the doctors to perform the operation without blood.a

Nonblood open-​heart surgery is difficult to perform on children because of their low blood volume. In Akane’s case, the doctors agreed to operate without blood. Reflecting their excellent medical skills, Akane’s operation was successful. She recovered quickly and now enjoys vibrant health.

Akane’s mother wrote to the doctors who took part in the operation, enclosing a recent photograph of Akane. An anesthesiologist wrote back to Akane’s mother. In part, the letter reads:

“Akane’s amazing recovery thrills us. I had a hard time holding back my tears when I saw the lovely picture you enclosed in your letter. It was not the difficulty of the operation but the difference between your beliefs and mine that troubled me considerably. Now, thanks to this experience, my opinion of a doctor’s duty has changed. Doctors should use their firm grasp of medical knowledge to save life, but they should also respect the dignity and the wishes of the patient.”

[Footnotes]

They Keep Her Informed

A reader in Ohio, U.S.A., wrote: “I just want to let you know how much I appreciate the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. They are truly gems.” She explained how reading them keeps her informed.

“I dropped out of high school 13 years ago,” she wrote. “Recently, I was required by the state to take a high school equivalency test, better known as the GED (General Educational Development) test. To prepare for this test, I had to take classes. Usually, if a person does well in these classes, in as little as six months, he can take the GED test. I, though, was prepared to take it within four weeks, and I received a very high score.

“The reason? Almost everything on the test​—science, social studies, and so forth—​had been covered in one way or another in past issues of The Watchtower and Awake! Just by reading the magazines, my skills in reading, spelling, and punctuation were kept alive. In fact, I didn’t even study any of these subjects. The classes I attended only helped me to brush up on my math.”

If you would like to have a copy of The Watchtower and Awake! or would like to have a free home Bible study, please write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the appropriate address listed on page 5.