September 8

Page Two

Why So Much Hate? Why So Little Love? 3-11

How enjoyable life can be when we are surrounded by people we love! And yet love seems so rare in today’s world. Why does hate predominate? Will this ever change?

Kilimanjaro—The Roof of Africa 14

A snowcapped mountain in tropical Africa, Kilimanjaro is famous for its stark beauty and impressive height.

RSD—A Puzzling, Painful Disorder 20

RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) is a painful disorder. What can the patient do?

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Tina Gerson/Los Angeles Daily News

Why So Much Hate?

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN GERMANY

“WHY”—a short word, yet one that demands an answer. For example, when it was seen on a tag among piles of flowers and teddy bears laid outside a school in Dunblane, Scotland, in March 1996. Just a few days earlier, a man had rushed inside and shot 16 children and their teacher to death. He wounded several others and then turned the gun on himself. Obviously, he was full of hatred—for himself, for others, and for society in general. Grieving parents and friends as well as millions of people the world over share the same question, ‘Why? Why do innocent children die in this way?’

That the world is full of blind, unexplainable hatred has likely not escaped your notice. In fact, for one reason or another, you may have been a victim of hatred yourself. You too have probably asked, ‘Why?’—possibly more than just once.

Positive and Negative Kinds of Hatred

“Hate” and “hatred” are defined as “intense hostility and aversion.” Of course, it is beneficial to have “intense hostility and aversion” toward things that are harmful or that could be detrimental to personal relationships. If everyone had this kind of hatred, the world would truly be a better place in which to live. Sad to say, however, imperfect humans tend to hate the wrong things for the wrong reasons.

Destructive hatred is based on prejudice, ignorance, or misinformation and is usually triggered by “fear, anger, or sense of injury,” according to one definition. Not having a proper basis, this hatred results in bad and repeatedly gives rise to the question, ‘Why?’

All of us know people whose characteristics or habits may irritate us at times and with whom we find it hard to interact. But irritation is one thing; the desire to do people bodily harm is something else. We, therefore, may find it difficult to comprehend how a person can nurse feelings of hatred for entire groups of people, oftentimes people he does not even know. They may disagree with his political views, belong to a different religion, or be of another ethnic group, but is that a reason to hate them?

Still, such hatred exists! In Africa hatred led the Hutu and Tutsi tribes to mutual slaughter in Rwanda in 1994, causing one reporter to ask: “How did so much hate accumulate in so small a country?” In the Middle East, hatred has been responsible for terrorist attacks by Arab and Israeli zealots. In Europe hatred led to the dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia. And according to one newspaper report, in the United States alone “roughly 250 hate groups” are spreading racist ideas. Why so much hatred? Why?

Hatred is so deep-rooted that even when the conflicts that it has spawned are resolved, it remains. How else can we explain the difficulty in maintaining peace and cease-fires in war-torn and terrorist-plagued countries? How else can we explain what happened after the peace treaty signed at the end of 1995 in Paris provided that the city of Sarajevo be reunited under the Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croat Federation? Most of the Serbs living there began fleeing the city and its suburbs out of fear of reprisals. Reporting that people were looting and burning the buildings they were leaving behind, Time concluded: “Sarajevo has been reunified; its people have not.”

Peace among people who hate one another is at best a counterfeit peace, as worthless as counterfeit money. With nothing of real value to back it up, it can collapse under the slightest pressure. But there is so much hatred in the world and so little love. Why?

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Destructive hatred is based on prejudice, ignorance, or misinformation

A World Taught to Hate

PEOPLE are inherently selfish. And selfishness, if not kept under control, can turn into hatred. As if natural selfishness were not bad enough, human society actually trains people to be selfish!

Generalizations, of course, do not always apply, yet certain attitudes are too prevalent to be rejected as simply aberrations. Are not politicians often more interested in winning elections than they are in helping their constituents? Are not businessmen often more interested in making money, unscrupulously if necessary, than in preventing harmful products from reaching the market? Are not clergymen often more interested in being popular or in gaining money than in guiding their flocks along paths of morality and love?

Beginning With the Young

When children are reared in a climate of permissiveness, they are actually being trained in selfishness, since considerateness and unselfishness are sacrificed on the altar of their childish desires. At school and college, students are taught to strive to be number one, not only in scholastic matters but also in sports. The motto is, “If you are second, you might as well be last!”

Video games featuring violence teach young people to solve problems the selfish way—simply eliminate the enemy! Hardly an attitude that fosters love! Over a decade ago, the U.S. surgeon general warned that video games posed a threat to young people. He said: “Everything is zap the enemy. There’s nothing constructive in the games.” A letter to The New York Times noted that many video games “pander to the basest instincts of man” and added: “They are cultivating a generation of mindless, ill-tempered adolescents.” A video-game fan from Germany was honest enough to admit the truthfulness of this latter statement when he said: “While playing them I was transferred into an isolated dream world where the primitive slogan applied: ‘Kill or be killed.’”

When coupled with racism, hatred becomes ever more sinister. Germans are therefore obviously concerned about the existence of right-wing videos that demonstrate violence against foreigners, particularly against Turks. And well they might be, since as of January 1, 1994, Turks made up 27.9 percent of Germany’s 6,878,100 foreign residents.

Racist feelings nourish what nationalism teaches children from infancy, namely, that hating your nation’s enemies is not wrong. An essay by George M. Taber, a Time contributor, noted: “Of all the political isms of history, perhaps the strongest is nationalism.” He went on to explain: “More blood has been shed in its name than for any other cause except religion. Demagogues for centuries have stirred up fanatical mobs by blaming all their troubles on some neighboring ethnic group.”

Long-standing hatred of other ethnic groups, races, or nationalities is behind many of the problems in today’s world. And xenophobia, fear of strangers or foreigners, is on the increase. Interestingly, however, a group of German sociologists discovered that xenophobia is most marked where few foreigners live. This seems to prove that it is more often caused by prejudice than by personal experience. “Young people’s prejudices are fostered mainly by their friends and families,” the sociologists found. Indeed, 77 percent of those interviewed, even though they endorsed the prejudice, had no direct contact, or very little, with foreigners.

Teaching the lesson of selfishness is not difficult, for all of us have inherited a measure of selfishness from imperfect parents. But what role does religion play in the conflict between love and hate?

What Does Religion Teach?

People generally think that religion fosters love. But if so, why are religious differences the underlying cause of tension in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and India, to mention only three examples? Of course, some people contend that political, not religious, differences are to blame for the disturbances. That is a debatable point. At any rate, it is obvious that organized religion has failed to instill in people a love strong enough to overcome political and ethnic biases. Many Catholic and Orthodox believers, and those of other faiths, in effect, condone prejudice, which leads to violence.

There is nothing wrong with trying to refute the teachings and practices of a religious group that a person may feel is incorrect. But does this give him the right to use violence in fighting it or its members? The Encyclopedia of Religion candidly admits: “Religious leaders have called for violent attacks of other religious groups repeatedly in Near Eastern and European history.”

This encyclopedia reveals that violence is an integral part of religion, by saying: “Darwinists are not alone in accepting conflict as necessary for both social and psychological growth processes. Religion has served as an endless source for conflict, for violence, and, thus, for growth.”

Violence cannot be justified on the basis that it is necessary for growth, for this would go contrary to a well-known principle laid down by Jesus Christ when the apostle Peter tried to protect him. Peter “reached out his hand and drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and took off his ear. Then Jesus said to him: ‘Return your sword to its place, for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword.’”—Matthew 26:51, 52; John 18:10, 11.

Violence directed against individuals—whether they are good or bad—is not the way of love. Thus, people who resort to violence belie their claim to be acting in imitation of a loving God. Author Amos Oz recently noted: “It is typical of religious fanatics . . . that the ‘orders’ they get from God are always, essentially, one order: Thou shalt kill. The god of all fanatics sounds more like the devil.”

The Bible says something quite similar: “The children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: Everyone who does not carry on righteousness does not originate with God, neither does he who does not love his brother. Everyone who hates his brother is a manslayer, and you know that no manslayer has everlasting life remaining in him. If anyone makes the statement: ‘I love God,’ and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot be loving God, whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves God should be loving his brother also.”—1 John 3:10, 15; 4:20, 21.

True religion must follow a pattern of love, which includes showing love even to enemies. Of Jehovah we read: “He makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44, 45; see also 1 John 4:7-10.) How unlike Satan, the god of hate! He lures and seduces people into living lives of debauchery, crime, and selfishness, thereby filling their lives with pain and misery. All the while he knows full well that this perverted life-style will eventually lead to their destruction. Is that the kind of god worth serving, one who is unable—evidently even unwilling—to protect his own?

Fear, Anger, or a Sense of Injury

That these factors trigger hatred is easily verified. A Time report says: “Not since the troubled 1930s has Europe’s motley collection of far-right movements been able to batten on so many seeming opportunities. . . . Fearful for their jobs, people are turning in cold anger against the impotence of centrist governments and making scapegoats of the foreigners in their midst.” Jörg Schindler, in the Rheinischer Merkur/Christ und Welt, called attention to the tens of thousands of political refugees who have poured into Germany over the past two decades. The German Tribune warns: “Racism is on the rise throughout Europe.” The influx of so many immigrants creates feelings of hatred. People are heard to complain: ‘They cost us money, they are taking away our jobs, they are a danger to our daughters.’ Theodore Zeldin, a fellow of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, said people “are violent because they feel threatened or humiliated. It is the causes of their anger which need attention.”

British television journalist Joan Bakewell uses apt words to describe our world, one that teaches its citizens to hate. She writes: “I am not an orthodox Christian, but I recognise in the teaching of Jesus a profound and absolute truth: evil is the catastrophic absence of love. . . . I know we live in a society that gives little credence to a doctrine of love. Indeed, a society so slick it dismisses such a doctrine as naive, sentimental, Utopian, that sneers at notions of putting caring and selflessness before profit and self-interest. ‘Get real’ it says as it clinches the latest deal, cheats on its obligations and makes light of evidence that puts it clearly in the wrong. Such a world produces failures, loners, people who lost out in society’s priorities of success, self-esteem and happy families.”

Clearly, the god of this world, Satan, is teaching mankind to hate. But as individuals, we can learn to love. The following article will show that this is possible.

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Could video games be teaching your children to hate?

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War’s violence is a symptom of ignorance and hatred

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Pascal Beaudenon/Sipa Press

A People Taught to Love

LOVE is affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. Love is warm attachment. It is unselfish, is loyal, and shows benevolent concern for the good of others. Love is the very antithesis of hate. A person motivated by hate is consumed by his own passion; one motivated by love thinks of others.

Love or hate—which dominates your life? This is more than just an academic question because your everlasting future depends upon the answer. While living in a world being taught to hate, millions of people are learning to love. This they are doing by putting on a new personality. They are not just talking about love; they are striving hard to practice it.

If you have ever attended a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you may have been impressed by what you saw. Regardless of nationality, Jehovah’s Witnesses are united in worship. They form a truly international brotherhood. This can be observed in their local congregations and at their conventions but perhaps nowhere better than in what they call Bethel families. These are groups of volunteers who live and work together, as a family, producing and distributing Bible literature. In each country, some of them have oversight of the work done by Jehovah’s Witnesses there. This is no small task, since it involves—as of 1997—over 82,000 congregations in 233 lands. To fill this need, over 16,000 people serve in the Bethel families around the world, including the world headquarters and the various smaller branch facilities in 103 lands.

Most Bethel families are made up predominately of citizens of the country in which the particular branch office is located. But not exclusively. Some Bethel families are composed of Witnesses of various national, ethnic, or racial origins as well as of formerly different religious backgrounds. For example, in the Bethel family of almost 1,200 people located at Selters, Germany, some 30 nationalities are represented. What enables them to live, work, and worship together in peace and unity, in an atmosphere devoid of hate? They are following the Bible counsel at Colossians 3:14, which says:

“Clothe Yourselves With Love”

Nobody is born fully clothed, nor does anyone become clothed by simply talking about it. Dressing oneself entails making definite decisions and then exerting effort in following through on them. Likewise, nobody is born clothed with love. Just talking about it is not enough. Effort is required.

Clothing serves several purposes. It protects the body, conceals unsightly body parts or imperfections, and to a degree reveals a person’s personality. Love is similar. It serves as a protection because love for righteous principles and for proper association motivates one to avoid association or places that are potentially dangerous. It serves to protect personal relationships, which should be dear to us. He who loves is more likely to be loved in return, and he who refrains from harming others is more likely to be unharmed himself.

Love also conceals the more unsightly parts of our personality, which might prove disturbing to fellow humans. Are we not more apt to overlook minor shortcomings in people who are loving than in individuals who are proud, arrogant, self-centered, and lacking in love?

People who clothe themselves with love reveal the beauty of a Christlike personality. Whereas physical beauty is only skin-deep, spiritual beauty permeates the entire person. You probably know people you consider to be beautiful, not because of their physical appearance, but because of their genuinely warm personality. On the other hand, most of us have encountered beautiful women or handsome men who lost every vestige of charm in our eyes as soon as their real personality surfaced. How pleasant it is to be around people who have clothed themselves with love!

Replacing Hate With Love

That hate can be replaced with love is illustrated by a survey taken in 1994 of 145,958 of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany.

Excessive drinking, drug abuse, crime, gambling, and antisocial or violent behavior are all, in one way or another, expressions of selfishness, which can easily foment hate. But 38.7 percent of those interviewed said that in order to meet the high Bible standards advocated by the Witnesses, they had overcome one or more of these problems. Love for God and for his righteous standards of conduct motivated them to do so. Loving assistance was offered by Jehovah’s Witnesses, often on a one-on-one basis. During the past five years (1992-1996), 1,616,894 persons in 233 lands were helped to make changes, overpowering hate with all-conquering love.

By applying unselfish love in their marriages, Jehovah’s Witnesses achieve stable relationships. In some countries one marriage out of every two or three ends in divorce. But the above-mentioned survey indicated that presently only 4.9 percent of the Witnesses are divorced or separated from their mates. Not to be forgotten, however, is that a goodly number of these were divorced before they became Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Since the God of love is a Grand Instructor who teaches his ways to those who love him, Jehovah’s Witnesses direct their love, first of all, to him. Unlike other people, who may be “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,” Jehovah’s Witnesses put God first. (2 Timothy 3:4) Contrary to the ways of this unprincipled world, the average Witness spends 17.5 hours each week on religious activities. The Witnesses are obviously spiritually minded. That is what makes them happy. Jesus said: “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.”—Matthew 5:3.

The true servant of God, says the writer of Psalm 118, has no need to fear humans. “Jehovah is on my side; I shall not fear. What can earthling man do to me?” (Ps 118 Verse 6) Complete trust in God removes one of the causes of hatred and fear of other humans.

A Christian, knowing that God is “slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and trueness,” will strive to blot anger out of his life, as it can be an additional cause for hatred. Developing the fruits of God’s spirit, including mildness and self-control, will help him achieve this.—Psalm 86:15; Galatians 5:22, 23.

A true Christian is humble and does not think more highly of himself than he ought. (Romans 12:3) He cultivates love in his dealings with others. In contrast to hate, love “does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.”—1 Corinthians 13:5.

Yes, fear, anger, or a sense of injury can cause people to hate. But love, by depriving hate of its basis, triumphs over it. Indeed, love is the strongest force in the universe because “God is love.”—1 John 4:8.

Hatred Soon Gone Forever

Since they are no part of Jehovah God’s personality, selfishness and hate cannot last forever. They must, of necessity, be removed, to be replaced by love, which will last eternally. If a world without hate, and full of love, is the kind you long for, let Jehovah’s Witnesses explain to you from the Bible the requirements for living to see it.

Yes, each of us would do well to ask, ‘Which quality dominates my life, love or hate?’ This is more than just an academic question. The heart that beats for God’s adversary, a god of hate, will not beat for long. The heart that beats for Jehovah, the God of love, will beat forever!—1 John 2:15-17.

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Even today people can clothe themselves with love

The Bible’s Viewpoint

“No Part of the World”—What Does It Mean?

IN THE fourth century C.E., thousands of professed Christians left behind their possessions, relatives, and way of life to live in isolation in the deserts of Egypt. They became known as anchorites, from the Greek a·na·kho·reʹo, meaning “I withdraw.” One historian describes them as holding themselves aloof from their contemporaries. Anchorites thought that by withdrawing from human society, they were obeying the Christian requirement to be “no part of the world.”—John 15:19.

The Bible does admonish Christians to keep “without spot from the world.” (James 1:27) The Scriptures clearly warn: “Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Does this mean, though, that Christians are expected to become anchorites, withdrawing from others in a literal sense? Should they keep aloof from those who do not share their religious beliefs?

Christians Are Not Antisocial

The concept of being no part of the world is discussed in numerous Bible accounts that highlight the need for Christians to separate themselves from the mass of human society that is alienated from God. (Compare 2 Corinthians 6:14-17; Ephesians 4:18; 2 Peter 2:20.) Hence, true Christians wisely shun attitudes, speech, and conduct that conflict with Jehovah’s righteous ways, such as the world’s avid pursuit of riches, prominence, and excessive indulgence in pleasures. (1 John 2:15-17) They also keep separate from the world by remaining neutral in matters of war and politics.

Jesus Christ said that his disciples would be “no part of the world.” But he also prayed to God: “I request you, not to take them out of the world, but to watch over them because of the wicked one.” (John 17:14-16) Clearly, Jesus did not want his disciples to become antisocial, shunning all contact with non-Christians. Actually, isolation would prevent a Christian from fulfilling his commission to preach and teach “publicly and from house to house.”—Acts 20:20; Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 5:9, 10.

The counsel to remain without spot from the world does not give Christians any basis for considering themselves superior to others. Those who fear Jehovah hate “self-exaltation.” (Proverbs 8:13) Galatians 6:3 states that “if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he is deceiving his own mind.” Those who feel superior deceive themselves because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23.

“Speak Injuriously of No One”

In Jesus’ day there were people who disdained all who did not belong to their exclusive religious groups. Among these were the Pharisees. They were well versed in the Mosaic Law as well as in the minutiae of Jewish tradition. (Matthew 15:1, 2; 23:2) They took pride in meticulously following many religious rituals. The Pharisees behaved as if they were superior to others simply because of their intellectual achievements and religious status. They expressed their pious and contemptuous attitude by saying: “This crowd that does not know the Law are accursed people.”—John 7:49.

The Pharisees even had a denigratory term for non-Pharisees. The Hebrew term ʽam ha·ʼaʹrets was originally used in a positive way to designate regular members of society. But in time the arrogant religious leaders of Judah changed the sense of ʽam ha·ʼaʹrets to one of opprobrium. Other groups, including professed Christians, have used terms such as “pagan” and “heathen” in a derogatory way to designate people with religious beliefs different from theirs.

How, though, did the first-century Christians view those who had not embraced Christianity? Jesus’ disciples were admonished to treat unbelievers “with mildness” and “deep respect.” (2 Timothy 2:25; 1 Peter 3:15) The apostle Paul set a good example in this regard. He was approachable, not arrogant. Instead of lifting himself above others, he was humble and upbuilding. (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23) In his inspired letter to Titus, Paul gives the admonition “to speak injuriously of no one, not to be belligerent, to be reasonable, exhibiting all mildness toward all men.”—Titus 3:2.

In the Bible the term “unbeliever” is at times used to designate non-Christians. However, there is no evidence that the word “unbeliever” was used as an official designation or label. Certainly, it was not used to belittle or denigrate non-Christians, as this would be contrary to Bible principles. (Proverbs 24:9) Jehovah’s Witnesses today avoid being harsh or arrogant toward unbelievers. They consider it rude to label non-Witness relatives or neighbors with derogatory terms. They follow Bible counsel, which states: “A slave of the Lord . . . needs to be gentle toward all.”—2 Timothy 2:24.

“Work What Is Good Toward All”

It is vital to recognize the dangers of intimacy with the world, especially with those who show gross disrespect for godly standards. (Compare 1 Corinthians 15:33.) Yet, when the Bible counsels to “work what is good toward all,” the word “all” includes those who do not share Christian beliefs. (Galatians 6:10) Evidently, under some circumstances first-century Christians shared meals with unbelievers. (1 Corinthians 10:27) Hence, today Christians treat unbelievers in a balanced way, viewing them as their fellowmen.—Matthew 22:39.

It would be wrong to assume that a person is indecent or immoral simply because he is not acquainted with Bible truths. Circumstances and people vary. Hence, each Christian must decide to what degree he will regulate his contact with unbelievers. However, it would be unnecessary and unscriptural for a Christian to isolate himself physically as anchorites did or to feel superior as the Pharisees did.

Kilimanjaro—The Roof of Africa

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN KENYA

A MERE 150 years ago, the interior of Africa remained largely uncharted. To the outside world, this great continent was unexplored and mysterious. Among the many stories that filtered out of East Africa, one seemed especially strange to Europeans. It was a report by German missionaries named Johannes Rebmann and Johann L. Krapf, who claimed that in 1848 they saw near the equator a mountain so lofty that its peak was white with snow.

The story that a snowcapped mountain existed in tropical Africa was met not only with doubt but also with derision. Yet, the accounts of a colossal mountain aroused the curiosity and interest of geographers and explorers, and they eventually confirmed the missionaries’ reports. There was indeed a snowcapped volcanic mountain in East Africa called Kilimanjaro. Some peoples understood that to mean “Mountain of Greatness.”

Africa’s “Roof”

Today the great Kilimanjaro is famous for its stark beauty and impressive height. Few scenes are as picturesque and memorable as that of a herd of grazing elephants crossing the dry, dusty African plains with the imposing backdrop of snowcapped “Kili” looming majestically in the distance.

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent and numbers among the largest dormant volcanoes in the world. It is located in Tanzania, just south of the equator and next to the Kenyan border. Here the earth has expelled over five billion cubic yards [four billion cu m] of volcanic material, forming this mountain with its peaks in the clouds.

The mountain’s immense size is accentuated by its isolation. Standing alone and aloof, it rises from the arid Masai bush country, situated about 3,000 feet [900 m] above sea level, to a colossal 19,340 feet [5,895 m]! Little wonder that Kilimanjaro is sometimes described as the roof of Africa.

Kilimanjaro was also called “Mountain of Caravans,” for like a glowing white beacon, its great ice fields and glaciers could be viewed for hundreds of miles in any direction. In past centuries its snowy top often guided the caravans that made their way out of the wild interior of Africa, laden with cargoes of ivory, gold, and slaves.

Its Impressive Peaks

Kilimanjaro is made up of two volcanic summits. Kibo is the main volcanic peak; its beautiful symmetrical cone is capped with permanent ice and snow. To the east a second peak, named Mawenzi, soars to 17,564 feet [5,354 m] and is itself the second-highest mountaintop in Africa, after Kibo. In contrast with Kibo’s gentle, sloping sides, Mawenzi is a rugged and beautifully sculptured peak with sheer jagged rock walls on all sides. The peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi are connected at 15,000 feet [4,600 m] by a vast, sloping plain strewed with boulders. To the west of Kibo lies Shira, which is the collapsed remains of an ancient volcano long since eroded by wind and water, now forming a breathtaking moorland plateau 13,000 feet [4,000 m] above sea level.

An Ecological Masterpiece

Kilimanjaro’s ecosystem is made up of different zones defined by altitude, rainfall, and vegetation. The lower slopes are covered with pristine tropical forests in which herds of elephants and Cape buffalo wander. Several species of monkeys dwell high up in the forest canopy, and a visitor can sometimes catch a fleeting glimpse of shy mountain bushbuck and duikers, which so easily melt into the thick undergrowth.

Above the forest is the heather zone. Old gnarled trees, twisted by the harshness of wind and age, are draped with strands of lichen that resemble the long gray beards of old men. Here the mountainside opens, and giant heather flourishes. Tussocks of grass interspersed with clusters of brightly colored flowers make the countryside beautifully scenic.

Still higher above the tree line, the moorlands appear. Trees are replaced by unusual-looking plants called giant groundsels, which reach 13 feet in height [4 m], and lobelias, which resemble large cabbages or artichokes. Around boulders and rocky outcrops grow everlasting flowers, which are strawlike and dry to the touch and add some color to the otherwise silvery-gray landscape.

Higher up, the moorlands give way to the alpine zone. The terrain is dull in color with tones of dark brown and gray. Few plants can take root in this sparse, dry environment. At this point the two main peaks, Kibo and Mawenzi, are connected by a large saddle of land that is a high-altitude desert, dry and rocky. Temperatures here are extreme, reaching up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit [38°C.] during the day and plunging to well below freezing at night.

Finally we reach the summit zone. Here the air is cold and clear. Against the dark-blue sky, large glaciers and ice fields stand white and clean, contrasting beautifully with the mountain’s dark terrain. The air is thin and has about half the oxygen content that is found at sea level. At the top of Kibo’s flat summit is the volcano’s crater, which is almost perfectly round and has a diameter of 1.6 miles [2.5 km]. Inside the crater at the very core of the mountain is a huge ash pit that measures over 1,000 feet [300 m] across and plunges hundreds of feet [120 m] into the throat of the volcano. Hot sulfuric fumes slowly rise into the frigid air from small fumaroles (smokeholes), testifying to the turmoil deep inside the sleeping giant.

Kilimanjaro’s sheer size and mass allow it to create its own climate. Moist wind, blown inland from the Indian Ocean across semiarid lowlands, hits the mountain and is deflected upward where it condenses and produces rainfall. This makes the lower slopes fertile for coffee plantations and food crops that sustain the people who live around the base of the mountain.

Conquering “Kili”

People living beneath the shadow of Kilimanjaro superstitiously believed that its slopes were the home of evil spirits that would harm anyone attempting to approach its icy top. This prevented the local people from trying to reach its summit. It was not until 1889 that two German explorers climbed the mountain and stood atop the highest point in Africa. The second peak, Mawenzi, which is technically more difficult to climb, was not conquered until 1912.

Today the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro is open to anyone in good health and is quite popular with visitors to East Africa. The Tanzanian park authorities have well-organized arrangements for those wishing to climb the mountain. Clothing and equipment can be hired. Trained porters and guides are available, and several lodges offer comfortable accommodations from the beginning to the end of a mountain-climbing safari. Situated on the mountain are well-built huts at different altitudes, which provide the climber sleeping accommodations and shelter.

To see Kilimanjaro in person is impressive and inspires contemplation. One can readily agree with the words about God: “He is firmly establishing the mountains with his power.” (Psalm 65:6) Yes, high and alone above Africa, Kilimanjaro stands as a lofty testimony to the power of the Grand Creator.

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(For fully formatted text, see publication)

AFRICA

Kenya

KILIMANJARO

Tanzania

Cuzco—Ancient Capital of the Incas

By Awake! correspondent in Peru

WE CAUGHT our breath as our airplane made a wide banking turn and swooped down into the narrow valley. We were about to land at the historic city of Cuzco, Peru. Even though the city is situated at over 11,000 feet [3,400 m], rugged mountains loomed higher, making our approach to the runway seem very dangerous. Happily, we made a safe landing. It was going to be a pleasure to see this famous city of 275,000 inhabitants, which was at one time the capital of the immense Inca Empire.

The ancient Inca culture is still evident in Cuzco. Many of the city’s residents still speak Quechua. In fact, some eight million people in the Andes mountain range still speak this ancient tongue. Recently, the Quechua community persuaded the authorities to change the name of Cuzco to Qosqo, since the phonetic pronunciation of Qosqo is closer to the original name in Quechua.

An Ancient City

Historians say that this city had its beginning some 1,500 years before the birth of Christ. That was about the time that Moses led Israel out of Egypt. Then, about 600 years ago, Pachacuti, the ninth Inca emperor, picked up a handful of clay and shaped it into a model of a new, redesigned city of Cuzco. Pachacuti began ruling 89 years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in about 1527. Under his supervision the city was transformed into a well-laid-out metropolis with thousands of homes, the basis of modern Cuzco.

According to some natives, the city was divided into four sections, beginning at the center where the plaza, or city square, was located. This plaza was known in Quechua as the huacaypata, a place for celebrations, relaxation, and drinking. Some experts in the Quechua language claim that “Cuzco,” or “Qosqo,” means “the Navel of the World.” Thus, the center of Cuzco’s plaza became the chawpi, or “the center of the center of the Inca Empire.”

From Cuzco, the Inca emperor ruled over parts of present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru—much of it rich and fertile land. The people succeeded in agriculture by building multilevel terraces at different altitudes. On these productive terraces, they domesticated some of the plants that still provide much of the world’s food, such as the white potato and the lima bean.

Travel through Inca territory would have been virtually impossible without the excellent system of roads that spanned the empire. In picturesque Cuzco one cannot help but imagine the ancient Incas arriving with their caravans of llamas, the Andean beast of burden. Their fine cargo included precious stones, copper, silver, and gold.

Gold was abundant, but it was not used as money by the Incas. Because of its metallic-yellow glitter, gold was associated with the god of the Incas, the sun. Often, their temples and palaces were adorned with gold plates. They even made a golden garden, with animals and plants sculptured in solid gold. Imagine the impressive sight of ancient Cuzco, its gold-plated buildings glittering in the sun! Understandably, such an abundance of gold attracted the greedy Spanish invaders, who conquered and looted it in 1533.

Cuzco’s Unique Architecture

The Incas bequeathed to modern Cuzco a beautiful and unique style of stone architecture. Many of the present-day structures are built on stone walls that have remained intact for hundreds of years. Some stones were cut to fit precisely into specific places in the walls. One wall, which has become a popular tourist attraction, has such a stone, with twelve different angles! Because of their multiple-angle cuts, these stones are like keys that fit only into their corresponding keyholes.

Inca stonemasons were master builders. Without the aid of modern technology, they were able to cut stones so accurately that once placed, not even a knife blade could be inserted between them! Some of these stones weigh several tons each. How these ancient people were able to acquire such skills remains a mystery.

Religion in Cuzco

Having accepted the Catholic religion, the Quechua natives in general are no longer considered sun worshipers. However, they retain pagan animistic beliefs that predate even the sun worship of the Incas. They still celebrate the harvest season with offerings to what they call Pacha-Mama, from a Quechua word that means “mother earth.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses are carrying out their program of Bible education in Peru with much success. For some time now, the Watch Tower Society has provided Bible literature in Quechua so that the Quechua-speaking population may receive the Kingdom message in their native tongue. There are six locations where Christian meetings are conducted in that language.

Cuzco is no longer thought of as the navel of the world, but tourists flock to visit this unique city. Maybe you too will someday visit fascinating Peru!

[Pictures on page 18, 19]

1. Aerial view of Cuzco with its city square

2. Incas cut stones so accurately that a knife blade will not fit between them

3. Typical Peruvian dress

4. Llamas are the Andean beast of burden

RSD—A Puzzling, Painful Disorder

By Awake! correspondent in Canada

REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY (RSD) is “one of the most puzzling syndromes in medicine and one of the most painful and potentially debilitating,” wrote Allison Bray in the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper. RSD “often goes unrecognised clinically simply because it is poorly understood,” said patient Anna Alexander in the British Medical Journal. The same journal stated that RSD is probably underdiagnosed in children. For many years doctors even thought that the pain was psychological, self-induced.

Those who suffer from this mysterious disorder experience unrelenting pain and in some cases barely remember having done anything to cause the agony. Sarah Arnold writes in Accent on Living: “The disease is caused by an injury or trauma to an area of the body rich in nerve endings, such as the hand or foot. The injury could be as simple as a pinprick or as complex as surgery. The first indication of the disease is prolonged pain more severe than the injury. The symptoms are severe, burning pain in a localized area, intense sensitivity to temperature and light, hair and nail changes and a color change in the skin.”

The disease goes through several stages. Initially, there is swelling and redness in the affected area and hair growth where there was no visible growth before. This can last from one to three months. Next, the area becomes blue and cold, with increased pain and stiffness of ligaments and joints. Osteoporosis can set in. Finally, there is a wasting of affected muscles, contraction of tendons, and withering of the affected limb.

Irreversible damage can be prevented, according to Dr. Howard Intrater, director of the pain clinic at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. The sympathetic nerves need to be blocked from sending pain signals.a The Winnipeg newspaper reports that “treatments range from electrical stimulation to beta blockers, epidural stimulators (where an electrode is implanted in the spinal cord to stimulate the affected area) to blocking the sympathetic nerves with injections.” Physiotherapy is used along with acupuncture to decrease pain and improve mobility. The British Medical Journal says that “effective treatment includes some combination of electrical nerve stimulation, chemical blocking of sympathetic nerves, psychological therapy, and intense physical therapy.”

Early diagnosis is obviously advantageous. However, doctors writing in The American Journal of Sports Medicine say that their results with patients diagnosed with symptoms for less than 6 months, or from 6 to 12 months, or for more than 12 months “were almost identical. This finding contradicts the current opinion that duration of symptoms greater than 1 year before treatment is a poor prognostic sign.”

It is hoped that as medical knowledge increases, RSD will become less mysterious and open to even more effective treatment.

[Footnote]

My Struggle to Cope With RSD

I AM in my early 40’s and work as a full-time volunteer at an office job using a computer. I had surgery on my spine a few years ago, and I thought that I knew what pain was. So when I was to be operated on in January 1994 for a ganglion cyst in the left wrist joint, I expected some pain and discomfort—but nothing I could not handle.

Within the first few weeks after the surgery, which was successful, I began to notice intense pain in my left arm. It was also swelling and becoming discolored. My nails grew long and brittle, and because of the pain, I could not cut them. Sleep was almost impossible. At first, the doctors and the therapist were baffled, but as the symptoms worsened, the surgeon realized that I had RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy), also known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. By then, three months had passed since the operation.

What RSD Feels Like

I had never heard of RSD, but I was finding out in my own flesh what it was all about—PAIN. Pain of the worst kind. Never-ending pain in my hand and arm. Pain as my hand swelled to three times its normal size. Pain that was a constant burning sensation. It was like being in a house on fire, and I could not escape. I am not exaggerating! For me, it was the worst and most persistent pain imaginable. There were so many types of pain in various degrees. At times, the pain was like a horde of bees stinging me. Other times, it felt like a vise crushing me and like razor blades cutting into me. I could not even bear to have my long hair touch my skin—when it did, it felt as if thorns were sticking into me. I was desperate for some relief from the agony.

On one occasion I was suffering so much with the constant, violent pain that I even considered amputating my arm in the bathroom. I wondered how many cuts it would take to get rid of this torture. (Later, doctors told me that amputation does not solve the problem.) I felt like a fox in a trap that seeks relief by gnawing off its trapped limb.

Some Relief at Last!

Eventually, as a last resort, I was sent to a pain clinic for treatment. There I met Dr. Mathew Lefkowitz, a pain-management specialist and anesthesiologist who practices in New York, in Brooklyn Heights. He was very compassionate and understanding. The pain clinic became a refuge for me, especially as I began to understand my disease and the treatment.

Dr. Lefkowitz started with a pain-numbing treatment—regular injections into a nerve in my neck, which would temporarily block the nerve messages causing the pain. As he explained it, the pain is triggered by the sympathetic nervous system. This is the brain’s normal protective reaction to injury or surgery. The theory is that this system is supposed to act like a gate. The nerve sensations go through only while the wound is healing. At a certain point, when the brain sends no more nerve impulses, the gate closes and the pain disappears. In RSD, the gate does not close. The sympathetic nervous system never calms down. It continues to act as if there were still an injury at the site. The doctor told me to come to the clinic immediately any time the pain intensified. Thus, I have been on a regular routine of pain-blocking injections for quite a while.

The injections helped me to tolerate physical therapy, which gives a range of motion to the affected limb and is very helpful for this condition. As time went by, I began to do simple tasks, using both arms and hands. It was a positive beginning.

What Can Be the Consequences?

The constant pain affected me in various ways. I wanted to be alone, to get away; but wherever I went, the pain would go with me. So that was no solution. The arm began to feel like a separate entity that was plaguing my life and my marriage. My husband did not even dare to come near me to show affection. He certainly was patient and compassionate. I had become a one-armed wife, incapable of doing anything. Just trying to pick up a sheet of paper with my left hand was agony.

As yet, there is no cure for RSD, although sometimes it goes into spontaneous remission. In the last stages, osteoporosis sets in and the limb atrophies. That is why intensive physiotherapy is so helpful. Fortunately, I am not at that stage.

How I Cope

Although I still have pain, it is not as intense as it was in my worst periods. However, without the injections, I would not be able to bear it. What has helped me to endure? The positive attitude of some doctors, therapists, and friends. I have also learned coping skills. For my self-worth and dignity, I needed to have some normalcy in my life, in spite of my abnormal condition. Being around workmates who gave me support, without pressuring me, convinced me that I could still be productive. I also found, and still do, that soothing music and relaxing breathing exercises help me. One of my favorite things to do is to lie in a comfortable position with a view of the sky and the ever-changing clouds. Then I meditate and travel in my mind to pleasant places. Laughter is always good medicine, as is a positive attitude—and even more so when you know you have the loving support of family and friends. It is essential to realize that RSD does not have to defeat you. Good medical professionals can help you win the battle.

The experience has made me more empathetic toward anyone suffering pain, and I am motivated to help and comfort others. My beliefs have been a big help. I know why this has happened. I am not some specially chosen victim. God is not to blame. Pain is one of the misfortunes of life that can befall anyone. Earnest prayer has been a boon to me. I have faith in God that there will be a time when pain will be no more. I have been helped by sharing that thought with others with whom I have come in contact. Although RSD is still a challenge to me, I am grateful for the improvement that I have felt. (Revelation 21:1-4)—As told by Karen Orf.

[Box on page 22, 23]

A Doctor’s Viewpoint

Awake! interviewed Dr. Lefkowitz for his description of the treatment. He explained: “We handle all kinds of pain, not just RSD. The most common pain ailment is lower-back pain, which often leads to very painful sciatica. While pain is obviously physiological in origin, there are often psychological influences as well.”

Awake!: Can RSD attack all ages and both genders indiscriminately?

Dr. Lefkowitz: Yes, there is no partiality with this disease. However, we cannot foretell who is more likely to be affected. What I do know is that women usually tolerate pain better than men do. They seem to have a higher pain threshold.

Awake!: What treatments do you recommend for pain?

Dr. Lefkowitz: There are various methods we can use, depending on the source and the intensity of the pain. After all, pain means suffering, and we need to alleviate that suffering. In some cases we use nonsteroid pills, such as aspirin, and their variants. In other cases, such as Karen’s, we use a regional nerve-blocking drug. In extreme cases we might use an opiate. The drawback there is that we have to watch out for possible addiction.

Awake!: Is it inevitable that RSD should pass through all the stages of development?

Dr. Lefkowitz: No, it is not. If we can catch the disease at an early stage, we can abort the process. Take Karen, for example. She is in an intermediate stage, and she may not necessarily go into the final stage of limb atrophy.

Awake!: What do you suggest to help a patient cope with the situation?

Dr. Lefkowitz: Precisely what Karen has done. She has tackled her pain at a psychological level by distracting her mind with pleasant thoughts and images. She is also using physical therapy. And I believe that her faith has been a big help. It has helped her to focus on the situation in a positive manner. Yes, I cannot emphasize faith too much.

Awake!: Thank you very much for your time and patience.

[Picture on page 23]

With Dr. Lefkowitz in his clinic

Kaba—An Elegant African Style of Dress

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN GHANA

KABA—you can see it virtually everywhere here in Ghana and in neighboring West African countries. It is worn on a variety of occasions—from funerals to joyful Christian gatherings. And kaba comes in different styles and colors.

Just what is kaba? It is a popular style of women’s attire. The name refers to an outer garment that extends from the base of the neck down to the waist. However, it is not worn alone. A two-yard [2 meters long] piece of textile popularly known here as wax print, or java print, depending upon the quality, accompanies it. Wrapped around the waist and ending at the ankles, this garment is called asetam. The ensemble is complete only when it is wrapped up with yet another two-yard piece of cloth called the nguso. The nguso is versatile and may also be used as matching headgear or as a means of tying a baby to one’s back.

Kaba is unique to Africa, but it is known by different names throughout the continent. Liberians call it lappa suit. In Benin it is genwu. Sierra Leoneans call it docket and lappa. Not long ago, though, kaba was unknown in African lands. Here in Ghana, for example, the dansenkran style was popular among Akan-speaking women. This consisted of two separate pieces of cloth, sometimes of the same print. One piece was wrapped around the waist and fastened with a girdle. The second piece, usually larger, was worn over the left shoulder, across the chest and back. A unique hairstyle, also called dansenkran, was usually worn with this garb.

With the introduction of the sewing machine, however, some African women began fabricating garments that resembled the Western blouse. The idea was to cover the shoulders as Western women did. One story has it that some had difficulty pronouncing the expression “cover the shoulders.” The word “cover” thus became kaba.

Kaba Becomes Fashionable

From office workers to farmers, women continue to wear kaba. Indeed, it has even become an export commodity! However, such popularity is relatively recent.

For one thing, not all women liked the styles of kaba that were on the scene 40 or so years ago. A retired social worker named Agnes, aged 62, told Awake! that some of those past styles were “ridiculous.” For other women, putting kaba on properly, with its asetam and nguso, required too much patience and artistry. Elizabeth, who runs a dressmaking factory, recalls: “It was difficult for us young ladies to master the skills of wearing the asetam and nguso. I never mastered the art,” she admitted.

Class distinction also played a role in lessening the popularity of this style of dress. Serwah, aged 65, told Awake! that until recently, many felt that Western-style dress was for the educated, while kaba belonged to the uneducated.

However, a new cultural awareness has caused many African women to take a second look at kaba. Fashion designers have also given the garb a significant boost. For one thing, they developed an innovative garment called a slit. Designed like a skirt but reaching to the ankles, it solved the problem some women had in wrapping the asetam and nguso correctly. Exhibitions and shows have also played a big role in promoting kaba as high fashion.

Of course, as is the case with fashion in many lands, some of the latest styles place heavy emphasis on sensuality. Clara, aged 69, contends that such revealing clothing seems to subvert “the original aim of kaba,” which was to “cover even the shoulders.” Christian women, therefore, keep in mind the counsel of the apostle Paul: “Likewise I desire the women to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty and soundness of mind.”—1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Corinthians 10:29.

For women who choose wisely, kaba can prove to be an elegant and practical style of dress. And while many traditional African styles of dress have become outmoded, kaba has thus far managed to survive as a style that reflects African culture and environment in an appealing and elegant way.

[Picture on page 24]

The nguso, used here as headgear

[Picture on page 25]

The nguso, used to carry a child

“A Symphony of Exquisite Timing”

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

HUMAN speech is a marvel. Some 100 muscles in the chest, throat, jaw, tongue, and lips work together to produce countless different sounds. Each muscle is a bundle of hundreds to thousands of fibers. More brain cells control these muscle fibers than are needed to drive the muscles in the legs of an athlete. One nerve cell is sufficient to drive every 2,000 fibers of calf muscle. By contrast, nerve cells that control the voice box, or larynx, may be attached to as few as two or three muscle fibers.

Each word or short phrase that you use has its own pattern of muscular movements. All the information needed to repeat a phrase like “How are you doing?” is stored in the speech area of your brain. Does this mean that your brain uses a unique, inflexible step-by-step muscle program to repeat every word or phrase? No. The powers of speech are far more awesome than that. For example, you may have a sore in your mouth that makes it difficult to pronounce words in your unique way. Without conscious thought, the brain adapts the movement of speech muscles, enabling you to articulate the words as near as possible to your normal manner of speaking. This points to another marvelous fact.

A simple verbal greeting like “Hi” can convey a host of meanings. The tone of voice may show whether the speaker is happy, excited, bored, rushed, annoyed, sad, or scared and may reveal different degrees of such emotional states. Yes, the meaning of a single expression can change depending upon the degree of action and the split-second timing of many different muscles.

“At a comfortable rate,” explains Dr. William H. Perkins in his book Stuttering Prevented, “we utter about 14 sounds per second. That’s twice as fast as we can control our tongue, lips, jaw or any other parts of our speech mechanism when we move them separately. But put them all together for speech and they work the way fingers of expert typists and concert pianists do. Their movements overlap in a symphony of exquisite timing.”

To a limited extent, some birds can mimic human speech sounds. But no animal has a brain programmed to produce speech the way man’s does. It is not surprising that scientists have been unsuccessful in their attempts to get apes to make clear speech sounds. According to neurobiologist Ronald Netsell, the skill required to speak can be compared to that of “the unusual person who plays the piano entirely ‘by ear.’” Or as lexicographer Ludwig Koehler concluded: “Human speech is a secret; it is a divine gift, a miracle.”

Road Safety for Wildlife

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN BRITAIN

ONE hundred thousand foxes and as many hedgehogs and rabbits die on Britain’s roads each year, as do 40,000 badgers, 5,000 barn owls, and more than a million toads. Winter fog and darkness contribute to the slaughter of wildlife by cars speeding along the highways. Drivers often swerve to avoid killing an animal but then damage their vehicle or even crash into oncoming traffic. This sometimes results in the loss of human life. After an accident involving an animal, many drivers suffer trauma, and according to police reports, hundreds are no longer able to continue their journeys.

On some highways in Britain, authorities have installed special reflectors to scare deer away from the roads. When light from a car’s headlights strikes the reflectors, they give the appearance of the eyes of wolves! Elsewhere, trees have been planted farther than usual from the road to provide drivers with a better view of any wildlife ahead. In the United States, some motorists have outfitted their vehicles with whistles that produce a high-frequency noise when the vehicle is traveling over 35 miles [55 km] per hour. Airflow through the whistle generates a 60-decibel sound at a frequency that is inaudible to the human ear but is heard clearly by wildlife. The device has proved most effective on animals with forward-facing ears. Police reported that collisions with deer fell by 50 percent in a trial using the whistle.

How can you avoid danger and the unnecessary destruction of wildlife on the roads? When you drive, especially in winter or at night, slow down and heed road signs that alert you to the presence of animals.

Watching the World

Space-Based Radio Telescope

Japan’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science recently launched a radio telescope that is 26 feet [8 m] in diameter, reports Science News. The uniqueness of this new telescope lies in its being linked up with about 40 land-based radio telescopes located in various parts of the world. This system is known as the Very Long Baseline Space Observatory. Emissions from celestial radio sources, such as quasars and black holes, are picked up by these widely separated devices and combined to produce a single image. The greater the separation of the receivers, the greater the resolution of the final image. This telescope’s elliptic orbit will take it some 12,500 miles [20,000 km] from earth at its farthest point. The new space-based telescope provides a resolution 1,000 times higher than the Hubble Space Telescope achieves in visible light. “At that resolution,” states Science News, “an observer in Los Angeles could discern a grain of rice in Tokyo.”

TV for Toddlers?

To find time for necessary duties, harried parents of small children may be inclined to plunk them down in front of the TV. But according to Parents magazine, this presents dangers to the child. “Violent programming,” including many cartoons, it states, “has been unequivocally shown to lead to increased aggression in young viewers.” Additionally, studies conducted by Dorothy Singer of Yale University indicate that “a steady diet of television before preschool age is also associated with poor behavior and delays in reading readiness” later on. Singer recommends no more than 30 minutes of TV a day for one-year-olds. Another concern is accidents that may occur while the child is alone with the TV. Author Milton Chen notes: “It takes only a minute for an unsupervised and active toddler to get into danger.” Parents magazine suggests that you put your child and a few safe toys in a playpen within your view when you have to make lunch or answer the phone.

Internet Addiction Disorder

“The latest consequence of the information age may be addiction to the Internet,” reports the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Dr. Kimberly Young surveyed 496 heavy users of the Internet, 396 of whom were identified as dependent users. The research revealed that the consequences of Internet addiction include “social isolation, marital discord, academic failure, excessive financial debt, [and] job termination.” Dr. Young says that the disorder “is as real an addiction as alcoholism or compulsive gambling.” The journal added that “home-based computer users are most at risk.” Although anyone may get excessively caught up in the Internet, “a typical addict is a middle-aged female with limited education,” says Dr. Young. Among the danger signs are spending ever longer periods on-line, and “giving up important social or occupational activities” to use the Internet.

Project Tiger Falters

In 1973, Project Tiger was launched in India to prevent the extinction of the country’s national animal. At that time the number of tigers in India had already dwindled to 1,827. The project enjoyed international support and notable success. By 1989 the Indian tiger population had climbed to over 4,000. Now, however, the tiger is once again in danger, according to India Today. India’s tiger count is estimated to have fallen below 3,000. Why? Some say that poachers kill, on the average, at least one tiger every day. Project Tiger was meant to provide protection for the big cat. But it does not seem to be able to do that. “The forest guard, often shot at, is demoralised, ill-equipped,” states the report. For the tiger, “existence is giving way to extinction.”

Look Old but Die Young

As indicated by the following reports, researchers believe that smoking may speed up the aging process. Long-term smokers are four times as likely to become prematurely gray and twice as likely to be bald or balding, according to the Lancet of Britain. Reporting on this, the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter pointed out that smokers have more wrinkles and are twice as likely to lose their teeth as nonsmokers. The report refers to a recent study noted in the British Medical Journal showing that men who are lifetime smokers have only half as good a chance of reaching the age of 73 as do those who do not smoke. In addition, Good Housekeeping magazine reports that “nonsmokers who live with smokers are 20 percent more likely to suffer from heart disease.”

Lightning Risk

“Fatal lightning strikes,” reports The Australian newspaper, “are more frequent than people think.” Lightning kills between five and ten people in Australia each year and accounts for more than 100 injuries, explains the report. There is little warning of an impending hit, although “some people who were about to be struck by lightning have reported feeling their hair stand on end,” says Phil Alford of Melbourne’s Bureau of Meteorology. To improve your chances of avoiding a strike, Alford recommends that you seek shelter from thunderstorms in a solid building or inside a hardtop vehicle that is isolated from metal structures.

Senior Depression

“Depression in the aged shows up in a different way from that in younger people,” reports the Jornal do Brasil. Rather than manifesting itself as anguish or anxiety, such depression is “characterized by loss of cognitive abilities—memory, concentration, and thinking ability.” Moreover, according to Professor Paulo Mattos of Rio de Janeiro’s Federal University, “depressed elderly people manifest excessive guilt feelings in regard to irrelevant things. They lose interest in what they used to do or what used to give them pleasure,” including conversation. Such symptoms are sometimes mistakenly regarded as just part of old age, states the report. In order to recognize such changes in behavior and identify depression, says Dr. Mattos, “it is very important that people have constant contact with elderly family members.”

Gold-Mining Termites

In 1984 a villager discovered gold in the African country of Niger, and the ensuing gold rush brought miners from many countries to the region. Canadian geologist Chris Gleeson recalled that ancient African civilizations used termite mounds to locate gold deposits. Niger is home to a species of termite that builds huge mounds, some six feet [1.8 m] high and six feet [1.8 m] in diameter. The mounds grow as the termites burrow—sometimes as deep as 250 feet [75 m]—in search of water, explains National Geographic magazine. Gleeson took samples from many mounds in the hope that they would show him where to dig. Most samples did not contain gold, but some did! “Any mound with any gold had gold all through it,” he found. It appears that as the termites dig for water, whatever they encounter is brought to the surface, including gold.

Cellular-Telephone Etiquette

The advent of portable cellular telephones has emphasized a need for some old-fashioned manners, according to the Far Eastern Economic Review. Hong Kong business consultant Tina Liu encourages showing respect and consideration, both for the person on the other end of the line and for those who may be around you. She advises speaking clearly but not loudly and not eating or drinking while using the phone. Liu also recommends minimizing the calls taken during meetings and redirecting calls or switching to a vibrator ring signal in such places as hospitals, libraries, and auditoriums. Interrupting social occasions by taking calls can cause friends or relatives to feel left out. Regarding dining out, Liu comments: “A fellow who talks on the phone while he’s with a woman had better finish the call before the effect of his bouquet of flowers wears off.”

‘Smart Fluids’

As long as electricity is applied to certain fluids containing suspended particles, the particles form tiny chains, causing the fluid to be more viscous. This phenomenon is called the Winslow effect, after Dr. W. M. Winslow, who discovered it in 1940. Since then, the automotive industry along with others, including Dr. Winslow himself, now 93, continue to search for a practical application of such ‘smart fluids.’ Experimenters at Michigan State University in the United States knew that molten milk chocolate shared certain qualities with ‘smart fluids.’ As suspected, in a recent experiment, a melted chocolate bar turned almost instantly into a stiff semisolid when exposed to a strong electric field. Another ‘smart fluid,’ composed of cornstarch suspended in kerosene, varies between the consistency of milk and that of butter as the intensity of the electric field is changed.

From Our Readers

Kidney Disease The article “‘It’s Only Temporary!’—My Life With Kidney Disease” (November 22, 1996) succeeded in encouraging my husband and me at a particularly critical moment. Like the writer of the article, my husband has begun peritoneal dialysis, and it has been difficult. Sometimes desperation gets the better of us. But your article was a great comfort, reminding us that renal insufficiency is only temporary and will soon be eliminated by God’s Kingdom, along with all other illnesses.

V. Q., Italy

Reading about a man who never took either his family or his worship for granted in spite of a lifelong struggle with disease brought tears to my eyes. I am a healthy, 18-year-old full-time evangelizer, and I realize how often I take my health for granted. Lee Cordaway’s faith and attitude were really encouraging to read about.

J. S., United States

In 1992, at the age of 11, I learned that I had kidney disease, which eventually led to kidney failure. I had to go on dialysis. I am glad you explained the process so well because people always wonder how it works. It encouraged me and also my friends to read that the condition I face today won’t always be here.

A. H., United States

I’ve had a lump in my throat since I read the article about Lee Cordaway. I could not believe that he died! My husband and I wish to send our love to his dear wife and family. It puts into perspective the petty problems I worry about in my life. What a dear, faithful Christian man! I am encouraged by his example.

F. H., United States

Although I’m only ten and don’t have a disease, I enjoy such encouraging articles. I wish Lee Cordaway could read this letter, but I know he won’t be able to until his resurrection in Paradise.

E. T., United States

Pilgrims I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your article “The Pilgrims and Their Struggle for Freedom.” (November 22, 1996) I didn’t learn the real story about the Pilgrims in school. But I have gotten so much education from your articles!

S. B., United States

Alternative Rock I am 18 years old, and the article “Young People Ask . . . Alternative Rock—Is It for Me?” was well written. (November 22, 1996) I like alternative rock, so I thought the article would offend me. But when I finished it, I felt only appreciation. I suffer from depression, and I realize that my choice of music can either worsen my depression or help me cope with it. I liked the way the article asked, ‘Why not find music that cheers you up?’ Thank you for this encouraging and practical advice.

J. D., United States

The information was incredibly accurate and unbiased. I find some of this music appealing. Thank you for giving cautions without condemning the entire category of music.

S. C., United States

Animal Tales I like to read the articles you publish about animals. Since I had never heard of the platypus, the article “The Enigmatic Platypus” (December 8, 1996) amazed me! In the same issue, the article about the charming friendship between an animal and humans, “This Kudu Remembered,” also touched my heart. How nice it is when humans show love and respect for animals!

F. A., Brazil

Fitness to the Extreme

“AN UNUSUAL spawn of the fitness movement,” says The Toronto Star, is “compulsive overexercisers.” The Star reports that overexercising afflicts both men and women. Men may overexercise to recapture youth, say some doctors and therapists, but the underlying reasons why women overexercise are usually poor body image and eating disorders.

Many start to exercise to feel and look better but eventually overexercise just because of a need to exercise. Richard Suinn, a sports psychologist and adviser to several Olympic teams, claims that excessive exercise is apparent when it is “based upon an emotional commitment rather than simple fitness management.” When dealing with this problem, doctors and therapists try to ascertain the kind of impact that exercise is having on patients’ lives. If they are juggling a demanding career along with taking care of a home and children, overexercising will have a negative effect on their well-being. According to Dr. Thomas Schwenk, a professor of family practice medicine, “they might well be physically still healthy, but have social disruption, job disruption, family discord.”

The Star lists some warning signals associated with exercise addicts: ‘Selection of loner exercises, such as biking, swimming, running or weight lifting; lack of flexibility with exercise schedules; belief that exercise is mandatory and that missing it is unbearable; and deterioration of other aspects of personal life.’

Although people working in the fitness field acknowledge the benefits of moderate exercise, they also warn of the detrimental effects of excessive exercise.—1 Timothy 4:8.

“It Was the First Book He Ever Read”

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ukraine often speak with those waiting for trains. One woman who showed interest in the Bible was provided with a copy of My Book of Bible Stories, a publication that makes generous use of pictures in its chronological history of the Bible.

Later, at the same station, the woman saw the Witness again and thanked her for the book, explaining: “My son did not want to study his schoolbooks. He hardly read them at all. But when I gave him the Bible Stories book, he saw the pictures and had a strong desire to read it. He read the entire book within about two weeks. It was the first book he ever read. But most of all, he rejoiced to get to know God. And I myself am rejoicing to see these changes in him. Please give me something more to read.”

Another woman was standing by and heard this story. She asked if she could get a copy of My Book of Bible Stories. You too can obtain a copy of this 256-page book or have someone call at your home to discuss with you the value of Bible education, by writing to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the address nearest you listed on page 5.