June 22

Page Two

Humans—Just Higher Animals? 3-11

What are the consequences of believing that we evolved from animals? How wide is the gulf between man and animals? What difference does it make whether we believe in evolution or in creation?

How You Can Avoid Vacation Woes 15

What preparation is needed? What can contribute to an enjoyable vacation?

A Promise I Am Determined to Keep 20

Learn about the promise made by a Soviet soldier over 50 years ago and the trials he has endured to keep it.

Humans—Who Are We?

IT SEEMS that humans have an identity problem. Evolutionist Richard Leakey observes: “For centuries philosophers have dealt with aspects of humanness, of humanity. But, surprisingly, there is no agreed-upon definition of the quality of humanness.”

However, the Copenhagen Zoo boldly gave its opinion by way of an exhibit in its primate house. The 1997 Britannica Book of the Year explains: “A Danish couple moved into temporary living quarters at the zoo with the intention of reminding visitors of their close kinship to the apes.”

Reference works give credence to such an alleged close kinship of certain animals with humans. The World Book Encyclopedia, for example, says: “Human beings, along with apes, lemurs, monkeys, and tarsiers, make up the order of mammals called primates.”

Yet, the fact is, humans are brimming with unique traits that do not fit the animal mold. Among these are love, conscience, morality, spirituality, justice, mercy, humor, creativity, awareness of time, self-awareness, aesthetic appreciation, concern for the future, the ability to accumulate knowledge over generations, and the hope that death is not the ultimate end of our existence.

In an attempt to reconcile these traits with the animal mold, some point to evolutionary psychology, which is an amalgam of evolution, psychology, and social science. Has evolutionary psychology shed light on the puzzle of human nature?

What Is the Purpose of Life?

“The premise of evolutionary psychology is simple,” says evolutionist Robert Wright. “The human mind, like any other organ, was designed for the purpose of transmitting genes to the next generation; the feelings and thoughts it creates are best understood in these terms.” In other words, our whole purpose in life, as dictated by our genes and reflected in the workings of our mind, is to breed.

Indeed, “much of human nature,” according to evolutionary psychology, “boils down to ruthless genetic self-interest.” The book The Moral Animal says: “Natural selection ‘wants’ men to have sex with an endless series of women.” According to this evolutionary concept, under certain circumstances immorality for women is also seen as natural. Even parental love is seen as a gene-inspired ploy to ensure the survival of offspring. Thus, one view emphasizes the importance of genetic legacy in making sure that the human family is perpetuated.

Some self-help books now ride on the new wave of evolutionary psychology. One of them describes human nature as “not very different from chimpanzee nature, gorilla nature, or baboon nature.” It also states: “When it comes to evolution, . . . it’s reproduction that counts.”

On the other hand, the Bible teaches that God created humans for a purpose beyond simply breeding. We were made in God’s “image,” with the capacity to reflect his attributes, especially love, justice, wisdom, and power. Add the unique traits of humans that were mentioned earlier, and it becomes clear why the Bible sets humans above animals. The Bible, in fact, reveals that God created humans with not only the desire to live forever but also the ability to enjoy the fulfillment of that desire in a righteous new world of God’s making.—Genesis 1:27, 28; Psalm 37:9-11, 29; Ecclesiastes 3:11; John 3:16; Revelation 21:3, 4.

What We Believe Makes a Difference

Determining the correct view is far from academic, for what we believe about our origins can affect how we live. The historian H. G. Wells noted the conclusions that many reached after Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species was published in 1859.

“A real de-moralization ensued. . . . There was a real loss of faith after 1859. . . . Prevalent peoples at the close of the nineteenth century believed that they prevailed by virtue of the Struggle for Existence, in which the strong and cunning get the better of the weak and confiding. . . . Man, they decided, is a social animal like the Indian hunting dog. . . . It seemed right to them that the big dogs of the human pack should bully and subdue.”

Clearly, it is important that we gain a correct view regarding who we really are. For, as one evolutionist asked, “if plain old-fashioned Darwinism . . . sapped the moral strength of Western civilization, what will happen when the new version [of evolutionary psychology] fully sinks in?”

Since what we believe regarding our origins affects our fundamental views on life and on right and wrong, it is vital that we take a close look at this whole question.

[Blurb on page 4]

Historian H. G. Wells noted the conclusions that many reached after Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species was published in 1859: “A real de-moralization ensued. . . . There was a real loss of faith after 1859”

In the Image of God or Beast?

THE first man, Adam, was called a “son of God.” (Luke 3:38) No animal has ever enjoyed that distinction. Yet, the Bible shows that humans have a number of things in common with animals. For example, both humans and animals are souls. When God formed Adam, “the man came to be a living soul,” says Genesis 2:7. First Corinthians 15:45 concurs: “The first man Adam became a living soul.” Humans are souls, so the soul is not some shadowy entity that survives the death of the body.

Concerning animals, Genesis 1:24 says: “Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.” So while dignifying humans by revealing that we were created in God’s image, the Bible also reminds us of our humble status as earthly souls, along with the animals. Yet, there is something else man and beast have in common.

The Bible explains: “There is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies . . . There is no superiority of the man over the beast . . . All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.” Yes, in death man and animals are also alike. Both return “to the ground,” “to dust,” from which they came.—Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20; Genesis 3:19.

But why are humans so profoundly distressed by death? Why do we dream of living forever? And why must we have a purpose in life? Surely, we differ greatly from animals!

Where We Differ From Animals

Would you be happy to go through life with no purpose other than to eat, sleep, and reproduce? The thought repels even dedicated evolutionists. “Modern man, this enlightened skeptic and agnostic,” writes evolutionist T. Dobzhansky, “cannot refrain from at least secretly wondering about the old questions: Does my life have some meaning and purpose over and above keeping myself alive and continuing the chain of living? Does the universe in which I live have some meaning?”

Indeed, denying the existence of a Creator does not still man’s quest for a meaning to life. Quoting historian Arnold Toynbee, Richard Leakey writes: “This spiritual endowment of [man] condemns him to a lifelong struggle to reconcile himself with the universe into which he has been born.”

Yet, the fundamental questions about human nature, our origins, and our spirituality persist. A huge gulf obviously exists between man and animals. How great is that gulf?

A Gulf Too Wide to Bridge?

A problem fundamental to the theory of evolution is the vast gulf that separates humans from animals. Really, how vast is it? Consider some of the things that evolutionists themselves have said about it.

A prominent proponent of the evolution theory in the 19th century, Thomas H. Huxley, wrote: “No one is more strongly convinced than I am of the vastness of the gulf between . . . man and the brutes . . . , for he alone possesses the marvelous endowment of intelligible and rational speech [and] . . . stands raised upon it as on a mountain top, far above the level of his humble fellows.”

Evolutionist Michael C. Corballis observes that “there is a striking discontinuity between humans and the other primates . . . ‘Our brain is three times as large as we would expect for a primate of our build.’” And neurologist Richard M. Restak explains: “The [human] brain is the only organ in the known universe that seeks to understand itself.”

Leakey acknowledges: “Consciousness presents scientists with a dilemma, which some believe to be unresolvable. The sense of self-awareness we each experience is so brilliant it illuminates everything we think and do.” He also says: “Language does indeed create a gulf between Homo sapiens [humans] and the rest of the natural world.”

Pointing to another marvel of the human mind, Peter Russell writes: “Memory is undoubtedly one of the most important human faculties. Without it there would be no learning . . . , no intellectual functioning, no development of language, nor any of the qualities . . . generally associated with being human.”

Furthermore, no animal engages in worship. Thus, Edward O. Wilson notes: “The predisposition to religious belief is the most complex and powerful force in the human mind and in all probability an ineradicable part of human nature.”

“Human behavior poses many other Darwinian mysteries,” acknowledges evolutionist Robert Wright. “What are the functions of humor and laughter? Why do people make deathbed confessions? . . . What is the exact function of grief? . . . Now that the person is gone, how does grieving serve the genes?”

The evolutionist Elaine Morgan admits: “Four of the most outstanding mysteries about humans are: (1) why do they walk on two legs? (2) why have they lost their fur? (3) why have they developed such large brains? (4) why did they learn to speak?”

How are these questions answered by evolutionists? Morgan explains: “The orthodox answers to these questions are: (1) ‘We do not yet know’; (2) ‘We do not yet know’; (3) ‘We do not yet know’, and (4) ‘We do not yet know.’”

A Shaky Theory

The writer of the book The Lopsided Ape noted that his aim “was to provide a broad-brush picture of human evolution through time. Many of the conclusions have been speculative, based as they are mainly on a few old teeth, bones, and stones.” Indeed, even Darwin’s own original theory is not accepted by many. Says Richard Leakey: “Darwin’s version of the manner of our evolution dominated the science of anthropology up until a few years ago, and it turned out to be wrong.”

Many evolutionists, according to Elaine Morgan, “have lost confidence in the answers they thought they knew thirty years ago.” Thus, it is not surprising that some of the theories held by evolutionists have collapsed.

Woeful Consequences

Some studies have found that the number of females a male animal mates with is related to the difference in body size between the sexes. From this, some have concluded that human sex habits ought to be similar to those of chimpanzees, since chimp males, like their human counterparts, are just a little larger than the females. So some reason that like chimps, humans should be permitted to have more than one sex partner. And, indeed, many people do.

But what seems to work well for chimps has generally proved to be a disaster for humans. Promiscuity, the facts show, is a road to misery strewn with broken families, abortions, disease, mental and emotional trauma, jealousy, family violence, and abandoned children growing up maladjusted, only to continue the hurtful cycle. If the animal mold is correct, why the pain?

Evolutionary thinking also casts doubt on the sacredness of human life. By what authority is human life sacred if we say there is no God and view ourselves as nothing more than higher animals? Our intellect perhaps? If that were so, then the question raised in the book The Human Difference would be very appropriate: “Is it fair to treat humans as more valuable than dogs and cats just because we had all the [evolutionary] breaks?”

As the newer version of evolutionary thinking spreads, it “will inevitably affect moral thought deeply,” says the book The Moral Animal. But it’s a cruel morality that rests on the premise that we were formed by “natural selection,” through which process, as H. G. Wells put it, “the strong and cunning get the better of the weak and confiding.”

Significantly, many theories of evolutionists that have nibbled away at morality over the years have fallen before the next wave of thinkers. But the tragedy is that the damage such theories have caused remains.

Worship the Creation or the Creator?

Evolution turns one’s eyes down to creation for answers, not up to the Creator. The Bible, on the other hand, turns our eyes up to the true God for our moral values and our purpose in life. It also explains why we have to struggle to avoid wrongdoing and why humans alone are so troubled by death. Moreover, its explanation of why we are inclined to do what is bad rings true in the human mind and heart. We invite you to consider that satisfying explanation.

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How vast is the gulf between man and beast?

Looking Up, Not Down, for Answers

EVOLUTION teaches that a series of changes gradually fashioned us into a higher form of animal. On the other hand, the Bible says that we started off perfect, in God’s image, but that shortly thereafter, imperfection was introduced and mankind began a long downhill ride.

Our original parents, Adam and Eve, began this descent when they sought moral independence and wounded their consciences through willful disobedience to God. They deliberately drove, as though in a vehicle, through the protective guardrail of God’s law and plunged down to where we are now, suffering sickness, old age, and death, not to mention racial prejudices, religious hatreds, and horrible wars.—Genesis 2:17; 3:6, 7.

Animal Genes or Flawed Genes?

Of course, the Bible does not explain in scientific language what happened to Adam and Eve’s perfect bodies when they sinned. The Bible is not a science book, just as a car owner’s manual is not a textbook on automotive engineering. But like the owner’s manual, the Bible is accurate; it is not myth.

When Adam and Eve crashed through the protective barrier of God’s law, their organisms were damaged. Thereafter, they began a slow descent toward death. Through the laws of heredity, their children, the human family, inherited imperfection. Thus, they die too.—Job 14:4; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12.

Sadly, our inheritance includes a tendency toward sin, which surfaces as selfishness and immorality. Sex, of course, is proper in its place. God commanded the first human pair: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) And as a loving Creator, he made fulfilling that command a pleasure for husband and wife. (Proverbs 5:18) But human imperfection has led to the abuse of sex. In fact, imperfection touches every facet of our lives, including the function of our mind and body, as all of us are aware.

But imperfection has not stamped out our moral sense. If we really want to, we can grip the “steering wheel” and avoid life’s pitfalls by fighting the tendency to veer off into sin. Of course, no imperfect human can fight sin with complete success, and God mercifully takes this into account.—Psalm 103:14; Romans 7:21-23.

Why We Don’t Want to Die

The Bible also sheds light on another puzzle that evolution does not satisfactorily explain: the normal human unwillingness to accept death, even though death may seem natural and inevitable.

As the Bible reveals, death was triggered by sin, by disobedience to God. Had our original parents remained obedient, they would have lived forever, along with their children. God, in effect, had programmed the human mind with the desire for eternal life. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men,” says Ecclesiastes 3:11, according to the New International Version. Their condemnation to death, therefore, raised an internal conflict in humans, a persisting disharmony.

To reconcile this internal conflict and to appease the natural yearning to live on, humans have fabricated all sorts of beliefs, from the doctrine of the immortality of the soul to belief in reincarnation. Scientists peer into the mystery of aging because they too want to ward off death or at least put it off. Atheistic evolutionists dismiss the desire for everlasting life as an evolutionary trick, or deception, because it clashes with their view that humans are simply higher animals. On the other hand, the Bible statement that death is an enemy harmonizes with our natural yearning to live.—1 Corinthians 15:26.

Well, then, do our bodies give any clues that we were meant to live forever? The answer is yes! The human brain alone dazzles us with evidence that we were made to live much longer than we do.

Made to Live Forever

The brain weighs some three pounds [1.4 kg], and it comprises 10 billion to 100 billion neurons, no two of which, it is said, are exactly alike. Each neuron can communicate with up to 200,000 other neurons, making the number of different circuits, or pathways, in the brain astronomical. And as if that were not enough, “each neuron is a sophisticated computer” in itself, says Scientific American.

The brain is bathed in a chemical soup, which influences the way neurons behave. And the brain has a much higher level of complexity than even the most powerful computer. “In every head,” write Tony Buzan and Terence Dixon, “is a formidable powerhouse, a compact, efficient organ whose capacity seems to expand further towards infinity the more we learn of it.” Quoting Professor Pyotr Anokhin, they add: “No man yet exists who can use all the potential of his brain. This is why we don’t accept any pessimistic estimates of the limits of the human brain. It is unlimited.”

These staggering facts fly in the face of the evolution model. Why would evolution “create” for simple cave dwellers, or even for today’s highly educated, an organ with the potential to serve a million or even a billion lifetimes? Truly, only everlasting life makes sense! But what about our body?

The book Repair and Renewal—Journey Through the Mind and Body states: “The way that damaged bones, tissues, and organs patch themselves up is nothing short of miraculous. And if we stopped to think about it, we would find the quiet regeneration of skin and hair and nails—and other parts of the body as well—profoundly astonishing: It goes on 24 hours a day, week in and week out, literally remaking us, biochemically speaking, many times during the course of our lives.”

In God’s due time, it will be no problem for him to keep this miraculous process of self-renewal going indefinitely. Then, at last, “death [will] be brought to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 15:26) But to be truly happy, we need more than everlasting life. We need peace—peace with God and with our fellow humans. Such peace can be realized only if people truly love one another.

A New World Based on Love

“God is love,” says 1 John 4:8. So powerful is love—especially the love of Jehovah God—that it is the underlying reason why we can hope to live forever. “God loved the world so much,” says John 3:16, “that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”

Everlasting life! What a marvelous prospect! But since we have inherited sin, we have no right to life. “The wages sin pays is death,” the Bible says. (Romans 6:23) Happily, though, love moved God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our behalf. The apostle John wrote of Jesus: “That one surrendered his soul for us.” (1 John 3:16) Yes, he gave his perfect human life as “a ransom in exchange for many” so that we who exercise faith in him might have our sins canceled and enjoy everlasting life. (Matthew 20:28) The Bible explains: “God sent forth his only-begotten Son into the world that we might gain life through him.”—1 John 4:9.

How, then, should we respond to the love that God and his Son have shown for us? The Bible continues: “Beloved ones, if this is how God loved us, then we are ourselves under obligation to love one another.” (1 John 4:11) We must learn to love, for that quality will be the cornerstone of God’s new world. Today many have come to appreciate the importance of love, even as it is emphasized by Jehovah God in his Word, the Bible.

The book Love and Its Place in Nature noted that without love “children tend to die.” Yet, that need for love does not end when people grow older. A leading anthropologist noted that love “stands at the center of all human needs just as our sun stands at the center of our solar system . . . The child who has not been loved is biochemically, physiologically, and psychologically very different from the one who has been loved. The former even grows differently from the latter.”

Can you imagine what life will be like when all on earth truly love one another? Why, never again will anyone harbor prejudice because a person is of a different nationality, is a member of another race, or has a skin color different from his own! Under the administration of God’s appointed King, Jesus Christ, the earth will be filled with peace and love, in fulfillment of the inspired Bible psalm:

“O God, give your own judicial decisions to the king . . . Let him judge the afflicted ones of the people, let him save the sons of the poor one, and let him crush the defrauder. . . . In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. And he will have subjects from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. For he will deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper. He will feel sorry for the lowly one and the poor one, and the souls of the poor ones he will save.”—Psalm 72:1, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13.

The wicked will not be allowed to live in God’s new world, even as is promised in another Bible psalm: “Evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth. And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more; and you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be. But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:9-11.

Then, the minds and bodies of all obedient humans, including those raised from the grave by a resurrection from the dead, will have been healed. Eventually, everyone alive will perfectly reflect the image of God. At long last the great struggle to do what is right will be over. The disharmony between our yearning for life and the present harsh reality of death will be over too! Yes, this is the certain promise of our loving God: “Death will be no more.”—Revelation 21:4; Acts 24:15.

May you, therefore, never give up in the battle to do what is right. Heed the divine admonition: “Fight the fine fight of the faith, get a firm hold on the everlasting life.” That life in God’s new world is what the Bible calls “the real life.”—1 Timothy 6:12, 19.

May you come to appreciate the truth expressed in the Bible: “Jehovah is God. It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves.” Appreciating that truth is a vital step toward qualifying for life in Jehovah’s new world of love and righteousness.—Psalm 100:3; 2 Peter 3:13.

[Blurb on page 11]

Life in God’s new world is what the Bible calls “the real life.”—1 Timothy 6:19

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Humans have broken through the guardrail of God’s laws, with disastrous consequences

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Humankind, under the rulership of God, will enjoy a new world of peace

Young People Ask . . .

What if He Doesn’t Return My Love?

“I’m worried and troubled. I’ve fallen in love with him. But I don’t know his feelings toward me. What shall I do? Let him know how I feel? No, no, I can’t do it! What would others say about me?”—Huda.a

HUDA, a young Lebanese woman, was in love with someone who did not return her love. It is not an uncommon problem. Another young woman, named Zeina, had a similar experience. She recalls: “I used to see him every day because he was our neighbor. He was very attractive and handsome. So I fell in love with him.”

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having strong feelings for someone—assuming that the person is someone a Christian could appropriately marry. (Proverbs 5:15; 1 Corinthians 7:39) Nor is it wrong for a young woman to want to get married and have a family. But what if you fall in love with an eligible person who is unaware of—or doesn’t return—your feelings?

The Pain of Being Lovesick

Like Huda, you may feel you are in the midst of an emotional hurricane. Exhilarating emotional highs may be quickly followed by paralyzing lows. “Sometimes I felt like the happiest girl in the universe, and sometimes I felt like the saddest one,” said Zeina. Unrequited love can be the source of anxiety, sleepless nights, and even depression.

Says the Bible at Proverbs 13:12: “Expectation postponed is making the heart sick.” And when expectations do not materialize at all, it can be devastating! You may find yourself thinking about this person all the time, eager to hear any scrap of news about him. You may concoct ways to attract his attention or flimsy excuses to be with him. And when you are around him, you may find it difficult to behave normally.

Things can get particularly confusing when the object of your affections occasionally singles you out for attention and then at other times acts as though he has no interest in you whatsoever. And if you observe him lavishing attention on someone else or displaying simple kindness and courtesy to others, it can arouse feelings of jealousy in you. Says the Bible: “There is the cruelty of rage, also the flood of anger, but who can stand before jealousy?”—Proverbs 27:4.

Huda admitted: “I felt such indescribably bitter jealousy that if I hadn’t corrected things, I could have lost my mind.” Feelings of self-loathing can also result. Huda said: “I blamed myself for falling in love with someone who didn’t love me and for torturing myself.”

Whereas in Western lands a young woman might feel free simply to approach a young man and express her feelings, not all young women would be so inclined. And in some cultures, it would be considered inappropriate or even shocking for a girl to take such an initiative. What, then, can you do if you have fallen in love with someone who doesn’t return your love?

Taking Stock of Your Feelings

First, try examining your feelings coolly and objectively. The Bible warns: “He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid.” (Proverbs 28:26) Why? Because all too often the judgment of our heart is misguided. (Jeremiah 17:9) And what feels like love often turns out to be something else. “I needed attention and love,” acknowledged Huda. “I needed someone to love me and care for me. From childhood I’d never received love. That affected me deeply.” If you come from an unloving or abusive family environment, you may likewise feel a hunger for love and recognition. But is a romantic relationship necessarily the cure?

Unfortunately, people who feel empty and lonely often make poor marriage mates. They enter matrimony expecting to get what they feel they so desperately need. However, true happiness comes from giving, not getting. (Acts 20:35) And a woman is far better equipped to handle marriage if she feels reasonably good about herself and ‘keeps an eye, not in personal interest upon just her own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of others.’—Philippians 2:4.

When you feel under pressure to get married, you can easily overreact to any attention from the opposite sex. Sometimes a young woman’s desire for romance is nurtured by friends and family. Some societies put great emphasis on a girl’s marrying as soon as she is of marriageable age. The book Women in the Middle East says: “If a woman nears thirty and is still single, she becomes the object of great concern to her family.” Because family honor is involved, a father may try to marry off his daughters as young as possible.

Nevertheless, Bible principles take precedence over culture. And the Scriptures urge young people to wait until they are “past the bloom of youth” before marrying. (1 Corinthians 7:36) So, what if you feel your friends or parents are putting undue pressure on you to marry? The Bible tells us that the godly Shulammite girl solemnly charged her companions ‘not to awaken or arouse love in her until it felt inclined.’ (Song of Solomon 2:7) Perhaps expressing yourself in a similarly firm way would bring results, especially if your parents are God-fearing.

Facing the Truth

Still, you must eventually face the truth regarding the person you feel you love. Doing so may not be easy and may cost you emotionally. But the Scriptures admonish: “Buy truth itself and do not sell it.” (Proverbs 23:23) Ask yourself, ‘Do I have any rational basis for being in love? How much do I really know about this person? What do I know about his thoughts, feelings, opinions, habits, values, abilities, talents, and life-style?’

Another thing to consider is whether or not the person has expressed any real interest in you. Oftentimes, mere kindness or friendliness is misinterpreted. “He was trying to be kind,” said Huda, “but I interpreted his words and actions as personal interest because I wanted that. After I realized that he wasn’t interested in me, I felt humiliated. I felt that I didn’t deserve his interest and that there was something wrong with me.”

Perhaps you have felt the same way as a result of a similar experience. Realize, though, that because you were not just right in this person’s eyes does not mean that you will not be just right in the eyes of someone else. After all, this is not the only young man in the world!

Getting Over the Hurt

Even so, it may take a while to get over your hurt feelings. What can help? One thing is to open up and confide in a “true companion”—a mature Christian who will listen to you. (Proverbs 17:17) Perhaps there is an older woman in the congregation with whom you could talk. Christian parents can also play a big role in providing help and support. Recalls Zeina: “A Christian woman in our congregation noticed my distress and was mature enough to help me. I felt at ease with her and told her everything. She encouraged me to talk to my parents. So I talked to them, and they understood me and helped me.”

Remember, too, the power of prayer. (Psalm 55:22) Says Huda: “My prayers to Jehovah helped me get rid of my pain. I also read helpful articles in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines.” In addition, it is important that you not isolate yourself. (Proverbs 18:1) Get involved with other people. “Another thing that helped me,” recalls Zeina, “is that I kept busy and became a pioneer [full-time evangelizer]. I also increased my association with other women in the congregation. This helped me to progress spiritually.”

The Bible does speak about “a time to love,” and it may be that in time you will meet someone who returns your affections. (Ecclesiastes 3:8) Jehovah God created humans with a desire to enjoy the pleasures of marital love, and you too may eventually be able to realize this fine provision of our Grand Maker. In the meantime, why not make the most of your years of singleness, which are “free from anxiety,” as the apostle Paul says? (1 Corinthians 7:32-34) In any event, you can be assured of the fulfillment of the Bible promise: “You [Jehovah] are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.”—Psalm 145:16.

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 13]

Sometimes, kindness is misinterpreted

How You Can Avoid Vacation Woes

VACATION time—what thoughts come to mind? Relaxation on sun-kissed beaches, with luxuriant palm trees offering welcome shade? Or perhaps the delight of breathing cool, clean mountain air?

Yet, you may worry about possible bad weather, airport delays, travel sickness, and so forth. Whatever your thoughts, what can you do to make your vacation as enjoyable as possible?

Prepare Well

Wise vacationers plan ahead. They obtain travel and health documents so that these are in order when their journey begins. Inquiries about health hazards likely to be encountered help them decide what preventive medication to take.

In preparation for traveling to areas where malaria is endemic, many start to take antimalarial drugs a few days before departure. As a safeguard, though, it is often advised that they continue such medication throughout their vacation and even for four weeks afterward. This is because malaria parasites incubate in the body for that long. But other precautions are also vital.

Dr. Paul Clarke, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, advises: “Equally important are insect repellants applied to the skin or wrist, and ankle bands, bed nets and an insecticide vapouriser which runs off the electricity supply.” Equipment like this is usually best purchased before leaving for your vacation.

Travel sickness makes any journey unpleasant. What causes it? One researcher claims that motion sickness occurs when the brain is overloaded with new signals that come from being in an unfamiliar setting. If the motion of the ship, the vibration of the aircraft, or the drone of your car’s engine causes this problem, try to fix your attention on something stable, perhaps the horizon or the road ahead. Good ventilation will provide much-needed oxygen. In severe cases of motion sickness, antihistamine drugs may help alleviate the symptoms. A word of caution is in order, though: Beware of possible side effects, such as drowsiness, since under some circumstances these could jeopardize your safety.

Long air journeys have their own health hazards, such as dehydration. For some, inactivity and cramped seating for long periods can increase the risk of a blood clot in the leg. If the clot is dislodged and reaches a lung or the heart, the consequences can be especially dangerous. Therefore, on long flights some may need to exercise by walking in the aisles or by flexing hip and leg muscles while seated. And to reduce dehydration, drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages.

Does the above only confirm your fear of flying? If so, you should take comfort in the fact that flying is relatively safe. It is reportedly 500 times safer than riding a motorcycle and 20 times safer than journeying by car! Others, though, will point out that such statistics are based on comparison of miles traveled and not on the respective amount of time spent during the course of travel.

Traveling with young children presents a special challenge. “Plan your journey with the precision of a military campaign,” recommends broadcaster Kathy Arnold. Even though you may not be able to manage that, take along books, games, or other material to capture the children’s interest. This will make traveling more pleasant for the whole family.

When You Arrive

‘It takes me four or five days to unwind before I begin to enjoy my stay,’ is a comment many vacationers make. True, adapting to new surroundings takes time. So it may be wise not to rush around the first day or two after you arrive. Allow your body and mind to adjust to a different schedule. Failure to do this can cause stress and undermine the good your vacation can do.

According to one estimate, at least half of the several hundred million people worldwide who venture abroad each year suffer some form of illness or injury. Thus, as Dr. Richard Dawood, editor of Travellers’ Health, explains, “prevention is a strategy for health that no traveller can afford to neglect.” Since a traveler’s body needs to adjust to different strains of bacteria in the atmosphere, food, and water, it is especially important during the first few days that you be careful about what you eat.

“Food should never be assumed to be safe,” cautions Dr. Dawood, “unless it is known to have been freshly and thoroughly cooked (heat sterilized)—in the case of meat, until no red colour remains.” Yet, even hot food can be suspect. So, “satisfy yourself that today’s lunch is not yesterday’s evening meal, re-heated and re-arranged.”

Thus, if you are on vacation in an area quite different from where you live, you may not always be able to eat exactly when, where, and what you want. But this is surely a small price to pay to avoid the diarrhea that has reportedly affected two fifths of all international travelers.

As for drinks, bottled water is often safer than what is available locally. To avoid problems, though, it is wise to have bottled and canned drinks opened in your presence. It may also be wise to avoid ice. Always view it as suspect unless you know it to be safe.

Important to an Enjoyable Vacation

After taking a survey of her readers, a travel editor reported: “If weather figured large in your reasons why a holiday was a great or a lesser success, friends figured larger still.” In fact, “good company” was given as the factor contributing to an enjoyable vacation “even more frequently than smooth-running hotels, trouble free journeys, good food, and interesting sights to see.”

But where can you meet wholesome new friends when on vacation? Well, one means of doing so is by writing in advance to the Watch Tower Society office caring for the country where you plan to vacation. They will provide you with the address of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses nearest your destination as well as the time of the meetings there. A few of the addresses of these offices are found on page 5 of this magazine, and a more extensive list can be found by consulting a recent Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Important to enjoying your vacation and at the same time avoiding any regrets is heeding the Bible’s wise counsel: “Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) If you feel any desire to escape from Christian standards and practices while in some remote vacation spot, wisely recognize this as a weakness and ask for divine help to combat that desire. Parents also need to give attention to their children’s activities. Remember, these are “critical times hard to deal with” wherever you are.—2 Timothy 3:1.

When you vacation as a family, do not take it for granted that Mother will do all that she normally does at home. Be willing to assist with the daily chores. Show a cooperative spirit. Such an attitude contributes much to everybody’s enjoyment of the vacation.

Will your vacation be a pleasant one? A few choice photographs, postcards, and souvenirs, perhaps even some local crafts, are sure to bring back happy memories. But especially memorable will no doubt be newfound friends. Keep in touch with them. Exchange letters to relate interesting experiences. There are many ways you can make your vacation one that you will truly enjoy.

[Box on page 17]

Some Vacation Reminders

Before you leave

• Have all necessary valid travel and health documents

• Obtain supplies of preventive medicine

During the journey

• Drink plenty of nonalcoholic fluids, and exercise when on long flights

• Take along interesting material for youngsters

On arrival

• Allow time for your body and mind to adjust

• Restrict your diet to safe food and drink

• Maintain moral vigilance

• Share daily chores with other family members

[Picture on page 16]

When on vacation, watch your associations

Ylang-Ylang—Essence From the Perfume Island

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN MAYOTTE

HAVE you ever heard of it? You have likely used it. At least you have smelled it! What is it? Well, it is both a tree and a perfume.

Ylang-ylang (ēläng-ēʹläng) is a tree that produces an essence used in making luxury perfumes. Some say it originated on the island of Madagascar; others say in Malaysia, where it is also cultivated. But here in the Comoro Islands, between Africa and Madagascar, and particularly on the island of Mayotte, the climate is just right for producing a perfume essence of excelling quality—some say the best in the world.

Mayotte, sometimes called the perfume island, is the source of a large percentage of the total world production of this precious essence. The plantations of ylang-ylang cover the fields and the gentle slopes of the hills of this beautiful island. The first thing one notices, though, is the grotesque forms of the trees. The branches look as if a giant hand bent them down, curving them around the gnarled, light-gray trunks. But this is not natural. It is the result of systematic manipulation.

Once the ylang-ylang tree reaches shoulder height, where the flowers can still be reached conveniently, the branches are forced downward. If this is not done, the tree grows straight and tall, bearing its precious blossoms too high to be gathered easily. Then, the tree is good only for lumber.

Even before you can pick out the ylang-ylang tree from the surrounding tropical greenery, its heady scent attracts your attention. Although its flowers are not outstanding, their strong perfume is unforgettable. Actually, the unaccustomed eye will find it difficult to spot the flowers, as they can hardly be distinguished from the leaves. Only when the flowers mature do they take on a soft yellow hue. And when that happens, it is time to gather them.

On our tropical island, the ylang-ylang tree starts to produce flowers at two or three years of age. The abundance of its flowers is a wonderful example of the Creator’s generous spirit! Between May and December, gatherers relieve each tree of from two to four pounds [1-2 kg] of flowers every 15 days. Flowers are also produced from January through April, but these are spoiled by the tropical rains.

When the flowers are being gathered, all in the family lend a hand, especially the women and the children. The gathering is easy, as the branches are low. The flowers are gathered into a kangas—the local term for a large basket made from plaited coconut leaves. Can you picture a child carrying on her head a pliable kangas overflowing with flowers? The mass of 50 or 60 pounds [20-30 kg] of flowers appears to swallow up her little head as she and others walk single file along the road to the place where the essence will be distilled.

Now begin 24 hours of intensive work to distill the essence. Under an enormous alambic, or still, a fire burns continuously. Inside the alambic, 440 pounds [200 kg] of mature flowers float in 18 gallons [70 L.] of boiling water. The distillation coil must be cooled to just the right temperature for the essence to be of the highest quality. Up to a quart of highly concentrated essence can be extracted from this quantity of flowers, the exact amount depending on the region they are from. Additional essence of a lower concentration can also be extracted from the same boiling. Finally, the essence is exported to Europe to be used in blending luxury perfumes.

Perhaps now you can understand why the island of Mayotte is called the perfume island. Truly, the delightful fragrance of ylang-ylang in the air of our island adds much to our appreciation of the Creator’s handiwork.

[Maps on page 18]

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AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

COMORO ISLANDS

Great Comoro

Mohéli

Anjouan

Mayotte

[Picture on page 18]

Flowers of the ylang-ylang

[Pictures on page 19]

Plantation of ylang-ylang trees

A Promise I Am Determined to Keep

AS TOLD BY MARIAN TSIBOULSKI

IN February 1945, I was a 20-year-old soldier in the Soviet army, which had driven the Germans back hundreds of miles to their own country. Daily I had seen the horrors of war, with comrades dying all around me. We had reached the approaches to Breslau, Germany, now Wrocław, Poland. There one evening, tired of the slaughter and the suffering, I promised God that if he would let me return home safely, I would dedicate my life to doing his will.

Three months later, Germany was defeated. After being discharged from the army, in December 1945 I trudged into Rogizno, a village near Lvov (now Lviv), Ukraine, my father’s hometown. The next morning I met one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was given a thorough witness about God’s Kingdom. Although I already knew something about the Bible and had even read some Witness literature, my heart was now touched. I realized that this meeting had something to do with my promise.

Following Through on My Promise

Soon I got a job teaching at the elementary school. But less than two years later, when the head of the district education office ruled that children must be given an atheistic education, I was fired. About the same time, May 1947, I began to share in the public preaching work with Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Witnesses encouraged me to move south to the town of Borislav, where I quickly found work as an electrician.

In Borislav, I met people who had become Witnesses in the 1930’s. They had many Bible publications, which I read extensively, including volumes of Studies in the Scriptures and most of the books written by Joseph F. Rutherford, a former president of the Watch Tower Society. I also read old copies of The Watchtower and The Golden Age (now Awake!), which some Witnesses had. But what impressed me the most was a collection of letters written by German Witnesses who had been sentenced to death under the Hitler regime. These letters had been translated into Polish, mimeographed, and then put into booklet form. Later, remembering the integrity of those German brothers, I found strength to endure trials.

Finally, in 1949, I was baptized in one of the lakes of Borislav, thereby formally carrying out the promise to serve God that I had made on the battlefront. But now it was a promise based on accurate knowledge.

My Trials Begin

Soon I was fired from my job. So in February 1950, I moved to the nearby city of Stry, where I again found work as an electrician. I was warmly received by my Christian brothers and was even invited to conduct the annual Memorial in commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ that was held a few weeks later.

At this time, provocation of the Witnesses and threats against them intensified. We were followed by members of the KGB, the State Security Committee. So we exercised caution as we prepared for possible arrest and interrogation. Singing Kingdom songs at meetings helped us stay strong spiritually.

On July 3, 1950, I was asked to sign the Stockholm Appeal, an appeal against nuclear armaments that was reportedly signed by over 273,000,000 people, mainly citizens of Communist countries. When I refused to do so, explaining that I was politically neutral, I was once again fired. Following this incident I was arrested, tried, and sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment in a labor camp.

From Camp to Camp

In December 1950, many of us were loaded into a cattle car and sent about 2,000 miles [3,000 km] away to an area near the northern Ural Mountains, which partially divide Asian Russia from European Russia. There I was incarcerated in one camp after another. It was the same everywhere—hard work and scanty meals. Two or three months were enough to turn young and healthy men into living corpses. Many died. We didn’t dare dream of survival, especially those of us who had lengthy sentences.

The year that I had no Bible literature and no contact with other Witnesses was most trying for me. The isolation was sheer torment. But I was strengthened spiritually when some prisoners listened as I spoke with them about God’s Kingdom. Finally, my heartfelt prayer was answered, and I was transferred some 1,500 miles [2,000 km] southeast to a large complex of camps at the newly founded city of Angarsk, in eastern Siberia. There a large chemical plant was under construction, and most of the work was being done by prisoners.

I was assigned to Camp 13, near the construction site. There I immediately met other Witnesses, who handed me the latest copies of The Watchtower and the Informant, as Our Kingdom Ministry was then called. What a spiritual feast! But where did it all come from?

In April 1951, thousands of Witnesses in Ukraine had been exiled to Siberia, many of them to areas not far from Angarsk. These brothers obtained and secretly reproduced copies of The Watchtower and other publications, and then they smuggled them into the camps. We were able to obtain a Bible too. We divided it into sections, which we distributed among ourselves. Thus, in case of a search, only part of the Bible would be lost. We even conducted a Watchtower Study and a Theocratic Ministry School in the camps!

Late in 1952, I was transferred to Camp 8. The following March we celebrated the Memorial in a small room where prisoners kept their personal belongings. Only 12 were present—3 Witnesses and 9 interested persons. The authorities somehow found out about our meeting, and I was banished to penal Camp 12 for being what they termed “a malicious agitator.” Five other Witnesses, who were also being punished for their preaching, were already in this camp. While there, we were forced to dig a large foundation area with just picks and shovels.

Many prisoners in Camp 12 were the worst kinds of criminals. The officials obviously thought that putting us with them would crush us. But we talked about God’s Kingdom with them, and in the barracks we sang Kingdom songs. Once, after we had stopped singing, the ringleader in the camp was moved to approach a Witness and say: “Let anyone touch you, and I will knock his head off!” Even some of the criminals learned our Kingdom melodies and sang along!

In mid-1953, many Witnesses were transferred to Camp 1 from other camps. To begin with, we had 48 Witnesses in Camp 1, but in less than three years, our number had grown to 64. Yes, in that time 16 took their stand for Bible truth and were baptized! Although camp officials were always on the lookout for evidence of religious activity, we were able to hold our meetings and baptisms in the camp bathhouse because the one in charge of it was a Witness.

Freedom, and a Family

In 1956 most Witnesses in the camps were released, thus scattering messengers of the good news to all corners of the vast Soviet territory. My 25-year prison sentence had been reduced to 10 years and eventually to 6 years and 6 months. So in February 1957, I too was freed.

I first went to Biryusinsk, a town in Siberia, about 350 miles [600 km] to the northwest of Angarsk. Many Ukrainian Witnesses had been deported to that area, and I enjoyed sharing experiences with them and learning about fellow Witnesses whom we knew in common. From there I moved back to Borislav, in Ukraine, where a Ukrainian Witness named Eugenia Bachinskaja lived. She had been released from prison the year before I had.

Eugenia was a stalwart Witness who had been sentenced to death in 1950 for her preaching activity. However, after 18 days on death row, her sentence was reduced to 25 years in a special camp. Toward the end of 1957, when I returned to Ukraine, we were married. After our marriage, we intended to settle in Borislav, where I had been baptized nine years earlier. Instead, I was given 48 hours to leave Ukraine!

I moved to the Caucasus, in southern Russia, where Eugenia met me later. However, after living there in a small shed for about six months, we left for Biryusinsk to join our exiled Christian brothers and sisters. There were about 500 of them in Biryusinsk and five congregations, and I was appointed presiding overseer of one of the congregations. In 1959 our daughter Oksana was born, and Marianna followed in 1960. From infancy they were always at the meetings, and they grew up to the spiritual rhythm of congregation activity in Siberia.

The Siberian authorities were relatively tolerant of our congregation activities, at least in comparison with the severe restrictions placed on our work in Ukraine. Still, it was not easy for our whole congregation to meet together. Funerals provided us opportunities to get together in large numbers. On these occasions, several brothers would give instructive Bible talks. But when the authorities became aware of what was happening, they took action. For example, on one occasion, a funeral procession was stopped and the coffin was taken by force to the cemetery and buried.

Back to Ukraine

In 1965 we returned to Ukraine, settling in Kremenchug. This city, nearly 500 miles [800 km] east of Borislav, had only 12 Witnesses. We lived there for about five years; during most of that time, I served congregations as a traveling overseer. In 1969, when our girls were nine and ten years of age, we were asked to move south to help the brothers in the small town of Molochansk.

In Molochansk I was summoned by the KGB to a discussion that lasted several hours. In fact, I was summoned six times! During each discussion, I was promised a bright future if I would renounce my ties with the “Jehovists.” Finally, the patience of the KGB wore thin, and another Witness and I were sentenced to a year in prison.

After serving my sentence, in 1973 I moved with my family to a small village near Kremenchug. We secretly held Christian meetings in our home, including a celebration of the Memorial of Christ’s death, in 1974. The next morning our home was searched, and I was arrested.

A Trial, Labor Camp, and Exile

My trial was closed to the public, attendance being by invitation only. Those present were top officials and community leaders, the cream of society. I chose not to have a lawyer and was given 45 minutes to present my own defense. The day before the trial, Eugenia and our daughters knelt in prayer, asking, not that I be given a softer sentence or a pardon, but only that a good witness be given to the Kingdom and to Jehovah’s holy name.

The trial got under way with the judge reading several passages from Watchtower and Awake! magazines. The reaction of the audience was not what the judge expected. As the people heard that this wicked world would pass out of existence at Armageddon and that God’s Kingdom would rule the earth, they were confused—unsure of what to believe. The judge soon realized his mistake, and during my closing arguments, he tried to redeem himself by continually interrupting my presentation. Yet, by reading directly from our publications, the judge had helped to deliver a fine witness, and my heart swelled in gratitude. Nevertheless, I was sentenced to five years at hard labor, to be followed by five years in exile.

I spent the next five years among hardened criminals in the far north at the Yodva labor camp in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. During that time I had many opportunities to give a Kingdom witness to about 1,200 prisoners as well as to the camp administration. After my release in 1979, I was sent into exile in Vorkuta, above the Arctic Circle. Soon after I found a job and a place to live in Vorkuta, my family joined me.

Vorkuta is known for having been built on the bones of its prisoners, including many Witnesses who were inmates of earlier decades. Today it is a normal city, and labor camps are nowhere to be seen. But in the permafrost in and around the city are the bodies of countless martyrs who gave their lives in praise of Jehovah.

The Joy of Religious Freedom

In 1989 we traveled from Vorkuta to Poland to attend two international conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We were not ashamed of the tears of joy we shed as we watched tens of thousands of Christian brothers and sisters in Warsaw and Katowice enjoy happy fellowship without fear of arrest. A dream had come true. We returned to Vorkuta with renewed determination to serve Kingdom interests.

However, the climate above the Arctic Circle is severe, and Eugenia’s health had suffered. So later that year we moved back to Kremenchug, where we rejoice in our service to Jehovah with the greater freedom we now enjoy. Both our sons-in-law are elders in the congregation here in Ukraine. And our daughters, although raising four children, are pioneers, as full-time ministers are called.

From time to time, I still recall the battlefront of 1945 and the promise I made over half a century ago. So that I would be able to keep it, Jehovah provided me with accurate knowledge, the same knowledge that has enabled millions of others to make a similar promise—to serve Jehovah forever.

[Map/Picture on page 23]

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RUSSIA

Vorkuta

Lviv

Borislav

UKRAINE

Kremenchug

Molochansk

Caucasus

Biryusinsk

Angarsk

With our two daughters, their husbands, and their four children

[Credit Line]

Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

How Dangerous Is Television?

On December 18, 1997, newspaper headlines reported that a television cartoon had sickened many in Tokyo, Japan. Hundreds were taken to hospitals. “Some children vomited blood and others had seizures or lost consciousness,” reported The New York Times. “Doctors and psychologists warn that this episode is a stunning reminder of how vulnerable children can be to certain contemporary television shows.”

The New York Daily News said: “Panic gripped Japan yesterday after an animated TV monster flashed his red eyes and hundreds of children collapsed in convulsions across the nation.

“Nearly 600 children and a few adults were rushed to emergency rooms Tuesday night after watching . . . a TV cartoon.” Some were admitted to intensive care units, with breathing difficulties.

Yukiko Iwasaki, the mother of an eight-year-old, explained: “I was shocked to see my daughter lose consciousness. She started to breathe only when I hit her on the back.”

Producers of television programs for children were at a loss to explain how an animation technique that they say has been used “hundreds of times” could be responsible for such a dangerous, violent reaction.

Aware of the dangerous effects of watching television, some parents have carefully monitored TV viewing or have even eliminated the TV from their home. One parent in Allen, Texas, U.S.A., noted that before TV was removed from their home, his children displayed “short attention spans, irritability, lack of cooperation, and chronic boredom.” He went on to explain: “Today, nearly every one of our five children—who range in ages from 6 to 17—are straight-A students. Off TV, they quickly developed a variety of interests including sports, reading, art, computing, etc.

“One particularly memorable event happened about two years ago. My son, then 9, called from a friend’s sleep-over party, wanting to come home . . . When I picked him up and asked what the problem was, he said, ‘It’s so boring. All they want to do is sit and watch TV!’”

A Robot Explores Mars

MY FAMILY and I watched excitedly as the rocket carrying the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft blasted off from its launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. We wondered, ‘Will it land successfully on Mars? What new discoveries await?’

Concern for the success of Pathfinder was based in part on the previous two missions to Mars, by Mars Observer and Mars 96, both of which failed. Moreover, Pathfinder was to attempt an unprecedented hard landing.

The spacecraft began plunging into the Martian atmosphere at nearly 17,000 miles per hour [27,000 km/hr]. After deploying a parachute to make it decelerate and then descending to an altitude of about 320 feet [98 m], it fired rockets to slow itself even further. Meanwhile, a protective cushion of large air bags filled with gas was provided for the spacecraft. On July 4, 1997, at a speed of 40 miles an hour [65 km/hr], Mars Pathfinder impacted the Martian surface.

The first bounce lifted the spacecraft some 50 feet [15 m]. After bouncing like a huge beach ball another 15 times or so, it came to rest. The air bags then deflated and retracted. Although designed to right itself if necessary, Pathfinder happened to land right side up. Finally, it unfurled its flowerlike petals, revealing scientific instruments, radio antennas, solar panels, and a rover named Sojourner.

Investigating Mars

Soon Pathfinder’s camera surveyed the surrounding landscape. Nestled in a broad plain named Chryse Planitia, meaning “Plains of Gold,” near an area called Ares Vallis, or “Mars Valley,” Pathfinder revealed a rocky, rolling surface and distant hills—ideal for exploration by Sojourner. This able little robot, 25 inches [65 cm] in length, was to perform visual investigations with its camera and measure the amounts of chemical elements in rocks and soils with a spectrometer.

The mission scientists and engineers initiated the exploration by Sojourner. Since radio signals take many minutes to travel between Earth and Mars, mission operators could not drive Sojourner directly. Sojourner therefore relied heavily on its own ability to avoid hazards of the Martian terrain. It did this by using laser beams to determine the size and location of rocks in its path. Then its computer would direct it either to drive over the rocks if they were small enough or to take a detour if they were too large.

Adventure and Discovery

Reports in newspapers and magazines treated millions to Pathfinder’s pictures of the Martian surface. As new scenes from Mars arrived, people on earth were entertained by the antics of the wandering rover, intrigued by color panoramas of the rocky and hilly landscape, and enthralled with views of clouds and sunsets in the Martian sky. During the first month of the mission, the Pathfinder’s Web page on the Internet recorded more than 500 million “hits” by people interested in the activities of the spacecraft.

Pathfinder produced a flood of data, even surpassing the expectations of mission scientists. This in spite of operating in temperatures ranging from about freezing, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, to a frigid -110 degrees Fahrenheit [-80°C]. What did this mission reveal?

Cameras and instruments discovered rocks, soils, and airborne dust of varying chemical compositions, colorations, and textures, indicating that complex geologic processes have operated on Mars. Small dunes in the surrounding landscape testified to the accumulation of loose sand deposited by northeasterly winds. The sky displayed predawn clouds made up of particles of water ice. As the clouds dissipated and dawn arrived, the sky acquired a reddish hue because of fine dust in the atmosphere. Occasionally, dust devils, swirls of wind and dust, passed over the spacecraft.

Mars Pathfinder has treated us to an experience that is literally out of this world. The United States and Japan plan more missions to Mars throughout the next decade. An orbiter, Mars Global Surveyor, has since arrived at Mars to conduct other scientific investigations. Indeed, Mars will become an increasingly familiar sight as we tour the red planet through the eyes of robotic spacecraft.—Contributed.

[Pictures on page 26]

Takeoff

Landing

On Mars

[Credit Line]

All pictures: NASA/JPL

Watching the World

Poverty and the Environment

Despite economic growth, more than 1.3 billion people worldwide still survive on less than two dollars a day. Poverty, says a UN report, is not only persisting but worsening. More than a billion people earn less today than 20, 30, or even 40 years ago. This, in turn, contributes to environmental destruction, as “poverty demands an immediate exploitation of natural resources that defies any long-term conservation effort,” says UNESCO Sources magazine. “At present rates, forests in the Caribbean will have completely disappeared in less than 50 years . . . On a national level the situation is even worse: The Philippines have 30 years of forests remaining, Afghanistan 16 years, and Lebanon 15 years.”

The Danger of Despair

“Scientists . . . say that despair can do as much damage to the heart as smoking 20 cigarettes a day,” reports The Times of London. “A four-year study of nearly 1,000 middle-aged Finnish men found that despair led to a greatly increased risk of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.” The study showed that one’s state of mind can have a substantial effect on health. “We are consistently finding that psychological and emotional states play a role in health,” said Dr. Susan Everson, who led the research. “Physicians need to realise that hopelessness has a negative impact and adds to the burden of the disease. People need to recognise that when they are feeling hopeless and have this sense of despair they should try to seek help.”

Years in Traffic

Inhabitants of the principal cities of Italy spend a lot of time traveling from their home to work or to school and back again. How much time? According to Legambiente, an Italian environmental association, citizens in Naples spend 140 minutes in transit each day. Assuming that an average life span is 74 years, a Neapolitan will thus lose 7.2 years of his life stuck in traffic. A Roman, who spends 135 minutes traveling each day, will lose 6.9 years. The situation is almost as bad in other cities. People in Bologna will lose 5.9 years, and those in Milan 5.3 years, reports the newspaper La Repubblica.

Middle Eastern Time

Time changes can get complicated in the Middle East. A case in point is Iran, which for years has “set its clocks three and a half hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time rather than on the hour, the way most countries do,” says The New York Times. “In order to listen, say, to a 5 A.M. bulletin from the BBC World Service, you must tune in at 8:30 and do your best to ignore those Big Ben chimes that try to make your watch a liar.” And while the regional custom is to go off daylight saving time on the last weekend in September, this past year Israel made the change on September 13. Determining the weekend is also difficult. Most countries in the Persian Gulf region take Thursday and Friday off. However, in Egypt and most of its neighboring countries, Friday and Saturday make up the weekend, while in Lebanon it is Saturday and Sunday. “A traveler who plans to arrive in Abu Dhabi, say, on Wednesday at noon, then fly on to Beirut on Friday evening will guarantee himself a four-day weekend. The workaholic need only plot the rough reverse,” notes the Times.

Fears for French

Representatives from the French-speaking world recently attended a three-day conference held in Hanoi, Vietnam, to celebrate “the universality of French,” reported the Paris daily Le Figaro. French is regularly spoken by over 100 million people. In its heyday in the 17th century, French was the language of international diplomacy. “In a divided Europe, wars and skirmishes ended with peace treaties written in French,” says the newspaper. Now, though, the French language is “searching for its place in the world.” The decline in the use of French can be attributed to the rise of English, particularly as the language of commerce. In an attempt to reduce this gap, the French president encouraged the promotion of the French language on the information superhighway. However, one politician, in expressing his fears for the future of French, said: “The use of the French language throughout the world does not inflame public opinion, the media, or politicians. This disinterest is probably even more marked in France than in other countries.”

Seeking to End Bribery

In China it is huilu; in Kenya, kitu kidogo. Mexico uses the term una mordida; Russia, vzyatka; and the Middle East, baksheesh. In many nations, bribery is a way of life, and sometimes it is the only way to do business, to procure certain items, or even to get justice. Recently, however, 34 nations have signed a treaty aimed at eliminating bribery in international business dealings. They include the 29 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, along with Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, and Slovakia. Also taking steps against official corruption are the world’s top financial organizations—the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. These steps were taken after a World Bank survey showed that 40 percent of businesses in 69 countries were paying bribes. The two organizations now allow for cutting off funds to countries that ignore corruption.

Caterpillar Craze

Mopane caterpillars have long been part of the diet of poor people in rural South Africa, where they are depended on as a source of protein. Offspring of the emperor moth, they get their name from the mopane tree on which they feed. In April and December, women gather the caterpillars and, after gutting them, boil them and then dry them in the sun. Their protein, fat, vitamin, and caloric values compare favorably with those of meat and fish. Now, however, the mopane caterpillar is becoming a popular food fad in South African restaurants. This fad has also spread to Europe and the United States, and this has alarmed the rural people of Africa. Why? “As demand grows there is concern about whether the species will survive,” states The Times of London. Already, “mopane have disappeared from large areas of neighbouring Botswana and Zimbabwe.”

Smoking Damage Irreversible?

Damage to arteries from smoking may be permanent, says a recent study. In The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reported that both cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can irreversibly damage arteries. The study followed 10,914 men and women between 45 and 65 years of age. The group included smokers, former smokers, nonsmokers regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, and nonsmokers not regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Researchers using ultrasound measured the thickness of the carotid artery in the neck. These measurements were repeated three years later.

As expected, regular smokers had a significant increase in the hardening of their arteries—50 percent in the case of subjects who, on average, had smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 33 years. The arteries of former smokers also narrowed, at a rate 25 percent faster than those of nonsmokers—some even 20 years after they quit. Nonsmokers who were exposed to secondhand smoke showed 20 percent more arterial thickening than those who were not exposed. According to the study, an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 deaths each year in the United States alone can be attributed to exposure to secondhand smoke.

No Face-Lift

After seven years of restoration work, the Sphinx in Egypt is finally free of the scaffolding that surrounded it. “One hundred thousand stones were used between 1990 and 1997 to restore the Sphinx,” said Ahmad al-Haggar, director of antiquities for the area. However, he added that the meticulous restoration work did not include the damaged face of “the half-lion half-man limestone colossus.”

From Our Readers

The Gift of Hearing I want to express my appreciation for the article “Your Hearing—A Gift to Be Treasured.” (September 22, 1997) Before reading the article, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what went on in the ear and how we hear. However, I didn’t realize how ignorant I was. The illustration on page 23 was marvelous! I am amazed at the amount of thought and effort that went into creating that illustration of the ear. I am even more amazed at what it took to create the real thing!

A. S., United States

My friend and I are both medical specialists, and we sincerely believe that in our many years of secular study, we have never read an article that so simply and accurately described the ear. This article makes us agree with the words of Psalm 139:14: “In a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made.”

M. B. and Z. B., Venezuela

I was the victim of a drunk driver. After one month in a coma, I awoke to a silent world. After 18 years I am still legally deaf, but with the help of hearing aids, I am able to hear to some degree. This timely article really helps those who can hear to empathize with those who have a hearing impairment.

K. C., United States

Kilimanjaro I truly enjoyed the article “Kilimanjaro—The Roof of Africa.” (September 8, 1997) I saw Mount Kilimanjaro in January 1994 while attending an international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kenya. I was truly moved at the sight and thanked Jehovah for his marvelous handiwork as our loving Creator.

E. J., United States

No Part of the World I just loved the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: ‘No Part of the World’—What Does It Mean?” (September 8, 1997) After studying it, I decided to stop using the expression “worldling” to describe non-Christians. After all, 30 years ago, I myself was not yet a Christian. If the person who first introduced me to the Bible had taken a supercilious attitude, then I might never have wanted to speak with a Witness again!

B. G., United States

Swindlers I did not take the time to read the series “Beware of Swindlers!” when I first received the September 22, 1997, issue. The next day, four of us were victimized by a seemingly friendly taxicab driver who preyed on our ignorance of the city. We were made to pay a very large amount of money and were dropped off far from our destination. If only we had applied the words of Proverbs 14:15, quoted at the end of the articles: “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps”!

J. P., Philippines

Crusades I was doing some research on the subject of the Crusades when along came the October 8, 1997, issue, with the article “The Crusades—A ‘Tragic Illusion.’” We really receive information at the proper time! I was reminded of the importance of reading the magazine immediately when I receive it.

T. K., Finland

Trouble-Free Paradise I am nine years old, and I want to thank you for the article “A Trouble-Free Paradise—Soon a Reality.” (October 8, 1997) The article really touched me because my dad has been out of town, and at night my mom and I have been afraid even to open a window because someone might break into our house. So when I read about how Jehovah promises to remove all crime and violence, I felt comforted.

D. M., United States

A Sheriff’s Apology

Tom Will Lane was the sheriff that Edward Michalec told about in the December 22, 1996, “Awake!” article “Strengthened to Face Trials Ahead.” In the story, Michalec related:

“The sheriff of Wharton, Texas, U.S.A., was furious. Taking me off to jail for the fourth time, he yelled: ‘Why don’t you comply with orders?’

“‘I have a perfect right to do this,’ I replied impulsively. This enraged the sheriff even more, and he started beating me with a blackjack. Other officers joined in, hitting me with their pistol butts.”

Recently Mary Perez, a woman who worked for Sheriff Lane in the early 1960’s, wrote: “He knew I was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He told me of how he had persecuted Ed Michalec. He asked me to tell other Witnesses that he was sorry for his actions. He said he was ignorant of the fact that the Witnesses were good, law-abiding people. He was sincerely sorry.”

Mary added: “Although the sheriff died some years ago, I hope that this letter will convey his apology.”

She then described how she became a Witness: “Brother Michalec’s persecution happened in the early 1940’s. Because of this I was determined to listen to the Witnesses when they came to my door. Soon we started studying the Bible. My husband and I were baptized in 1949.”

This is yet another example that illustrates the far-reaching effect that a person’s stand for Christian principles can have on the lives of others. How many, for instance, have been deeply affected by the courageous stand taken by Peter and the other apostles in the first century?—Acts 5:17-29.

[Pictures on page 31]

Ed Michalec and Mary Perez, in the 1940’s

Why Didn’t She Believe in God?

OLESYA, a young woman in Rustavi, Georgia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, showed two visitors a picture of her parents and exclaimed: “If there were a God, he would not have permitted my parents to die when they were so young!” After Olesya’s husband, Tamazi, came home, the visitors left them the brochures Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! and “Look! I Am Making All Things New.”

When a return visit was made on the couple, Olesya had read the “Look!” brochure and wanted to study the Bible. She liked what she read. During the discussion that followed, she was quick to open the brochure and read the parts that she had marked. The sound arguments had impressed her.

For example, the brochure says: “The glorious wonders that surround us—the flowers, the birds, the animals, the marvelous creation called man, the miracles of life and of birth—these all testify to the invisible Master Intellect that produced them. (Romans 1:20) Where there is intellect, there is mind. Where there is mind, there is a person. The supreme intellect is that of the Supreme Person, the Creator of all things living, the very Fountain of life. (Psalm 36:9) The Creator is indeed worthy of all praise and adoration.—Psalm 104:24; Revelation 4:11.”

Olesya confided later that God’s promise to resurrect dead loved ones moved her to want to study the Bible. We believe that you too will benefit from the faith-strengthening information contained in these brochures. If you want a copy of Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! and “Look! I Am Making All Things New” or would like to have someone call to conduct a free home Bible study, please write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483, or to the appropriate address on page 5.