January 8

Table of Contents

January 8, 2005

Can Planet Earth Be Saved?

Earth’s resources are dwindling at an alarming rate. Who can bring the situation under control?

3 Our Battered Earth

4 Earth’s Dwindling Resources

10 Planet Earth Can Be Saved!

12 The Library of Alexandria Lives Again

15 An Unforgettable Visit to Ngorongoro Crater

20 The Land of Big Money

28 Watching the World

30 From Our Readers

31 “If People Only Knew!”

Is It Weak to Be Gentle? 18

Many today would answer yes, but the Bible indicates otherwise.

Snow Babies of the Magdalen Islands 23

Read of a delightful encounter with a baby harp seal!

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COVER: NASA JSC

Our Battered Earth

IN 1805, renowned explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached the Columbia River in present-day Washington State, U.S.A.a What captured their attention more than the river itself was the sheer abundance of salmon it contained. “The multitudes of this fish are almost inconceivable,” they wrote in their daily log. “They float in such quantities down the stream, and are drifted ashore, that the Indians have only to collect, split, and dry them on the scaffolds.” Indeed, salmon were so plentiful that the Indians dried them for use as firewood!

Today the story is quite different. “Scientists have known for more than a decade that fish are being removed from the ocean faster than they can replenish themselves,” states a Newsweek report. For instance, it is estimated that in the North Atlantic, 90 percent of the wild salmon population is gone.

But it is not just fish that are in short supply. Natural resources, such as fossil fuels, minerals, and forest products, are being used up at an astounding rate. The World Wildlife Fund reports that 30 percent of earth’s natural resources were lost between 1970 and 1995. Harvesting the earth’s resources is often a double-edged sword, for the methods used can destroy natural habitats.

Some people reason that since man created these problems, he can solve them. To cite one example, in recent years air pollution has decreased in many industrialized cities. Do such glimmers of hope mean that mankind is gaining control of the situation?

[Footnote]

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© Kevin Schafer/CORBIS

Earth’s Dwindling Resources

“In nature everything is connected, and we are now being held accountable for our past blunders.”​—African Wildlife magazine.

SOME call it the ecological footprint. It is a measure of mankind’s consumption of natural resources compared with the earth’s ability to replenish them. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global ecological footprint has been running a deficit since the 1980’s.a But that is just one indicator of the immense strain being placed on our environment.

Another gauge is the condition of earth’s ecosystems. The term “ecosystem” refers to the complex interaction of all organisms within a natural environment, including living and nonliving matter. The overall health of these ecosystems​—revealed by the number of forest, freshwater, and marine species they support—​makes up what the World Wildlife Fund calls the Living Planet Index. Between 1970 and 2000, this index plunged about 37 percent.

Is There Enough to Go Around?

If you live in a Western land where store shelves are fully stocked and round-the-clock shopping may be possible, it is hard to imagine that there could be a looming shortage of natural resources. Nevertheless, only a minority of earth’s inhabitants enjoy an affluent life-style. Most are locked in a daily struggle for survival. It has been estimated, for example, that more than two billion people live on three dollars a day or less and that two billion have no access to affordable commercial energy services.

Some people blame the trade practices of wealthy nations for the poverty of developing lands. “In a variety of ways,” says Vital Signs 2003, “the world economy is rigged against the interests of the poor.” As more and more people scramble to grab an ever smaller and more costly piece of the environmental “pie,” those who are economically disadvantaged cannot afford to compete for their fair share. That, in turn, leaves more natural resources for those who can afford them​—namely, the wealthy.

Disappearing Forests

It is estimated that 80 percent of the inhabitants of Africa use wood for cooking. In addition, “Africa has the highest population growth rate [and] urban growth rate in the world,” says South Africa’s Getaway magazine. As a result, the territory around some large towns in the Sahel, a wide belt of semiarid land on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert, has been stripped of trees for over 60 miles [100 km] in all directions. Those trees were not felled for capricious reasons. ‘The overwhelming majority of Africa’s citizens destroy their own environment simply to survive,’ says Professor Samuel Nana-Sinkam.

The situation is quite different in South America. In Brazil, for example, there are nearly 7,600 registered logging companies in the rain forest. Many of them are owned by well-funded international conglomerates. A mahogany tree is worth about $30 to a logging company. However, by the time brokers, traders, and manufacturers make their profit, that same tree can have a value of upwards of $130,000 before hitting the furniture showroom. Little wonder that mahogany has been called green gold.

Much has been published about the destruction of Brazil’s rain forest. Satellite images show that more than 7,000 square miles [20,000 sq km] of Brazilian forest were destroyed each year between 1995 and 2000. “This frightening rate of destruction means that an area of forest the size of a soccer field disappeared every eight seconds,” reports Brazil’s Veja magazine. Interestingly, the United States alone is reported to have imported more than 70 percent of Brazil’s mahogany in the year 2000.

Deforestation in other parts of the world tells a similar story. For instance, half of Mexico’s forests and jungles have disappeared in the last 50 years. The loss of Philippine forests has been even more pronounced. That country loses some 380 square miles [100,000 ha] of forest every year, and back in 1999 it was estimated that at that rate nearly two thirds of the nation’s forests would be eliminated within a decade.

It can take from 60 to 100 years for a hardwood tree to reach full maturity but only minutes for it to be felled. Should it surprise us that our forests cannot keep up?

Vanishing Land

When soil is stripped of vegetation, the bare topsoil soon dries out and is blown away by wind or washed away by water. This process is called erosion.

Erosion occurs naturally and is generally not a serious problem​—unless man accelerates the process through poor land management. For example, the magazine China Today says that sandstorms, along with other factors such as deforestation and overgrazing, “have accelerated the expansion” of desert areas. Unusually arid conditions in recent years have left China’s western and northwestern provinces susceptible to the cold Siberian winds that sweep across the land. Millions of tons of yellow sand and dust have been displaced, some reaching as far as Korea and Japan. Approximately 25 percent of China’s landmass is now desert.

The destruction of African soil has similar causes. “By clearing forest to plant cereal crops,” says Africa Geographic, “farmers have irretrievably destabilised the thin soils.” It is estimated that after a plot has been cleared of bush, within three years it loses up to 50 percent of its fertility. Thus, the magazine adds: “Millions of hectares are already beyond recovery and millions more are heading that way as agricultural yields in some areas decline year by year.”

It is said that Brazil loses 500 million tons of soil every year to erosion. In Mexico the Department of Environment and Natural Resources says that 53 percent of the scrubland, 59 percent of the jungles, and 72 percent of the forests are affected by soil degradation. All told, says a report by the United Nations Development Programme, “land degradation affects perhaps as much as two thirds of the world’s agricultural land. As a result, agricultural productivity is declining sharply, while the number of mouths to feed continues to grow.”

Water​—Free, yet Priceless

A man can live about a month without food, but he will die in about a week without water. Hence, experts claim that declining supplies of fresh water will be a source of increasing tension in coming years. According to a 2002 Time magazine report, worldwide more than a billion people do not have easy access to clean drinking water.

Water shortages occur for a variety of reasons. In France, pollution plays a role and is a growing source of concern. “French rivers are in a very poor state of health,” says Le Figaro. Scientists have traced the problem to nitrate-rich runoff, which comes primarily from fertilizers used for farming. “French rivers discharged 375,000 tons of nitrates into the Atlantic in 1999, almost twice as much as in 1985,” states the paper.

The situation is similar in Japan. In order to provide a steady supply of food in that country, “farmers had no choice but to rely on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to meet society’s demand,” says Yutaka Une, head of a nonprofit farm safety organization. This has led to underground water pollution​—which Tokyo’s IHT Asahi Shimbun calls “a major problem across Japan.”

In Mexico, 35 percent of illnesses “have their origin in environmental factors,” reports the newspaper Reforma. Furthermore, a study by the secretary of health revealed that “1 out of every 4 inhabitants does not have a sewer; over 8 million get their water from wells, rivers, lakes, or streams; and over one million obtain water from tanker trucks.” Little wonder that 90 percent of Mexico’s diarrhea cases are attributed to contaminated water!

“Rio’s beaches offer more than hot sun, white sand, and blue sea,” states Brazil’s Veja magazine. “They also harbor high levels of fecal coliforms and occasional oil spills.” That is because more than 50 percent of Brazil’s sewage flows directly into rivers, lakes, and the ocean without being treated. The result is a chronic shortage of clean water. The rivers around Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, are so heavily polluted that drinking water is now brought in from some 60 miles away.

On the other side of the globe, much of Australia’s water shortage stems from a process called salinization. For decades landowners were encouraged to clear their land in order to plant crops. With fewer trees and shrubs to soak up the groundwater, water tables began to rise, bringing with them thousands of tons of subterranean salt. “Some 2.5 million hectares [6.2 million acres] of land are already affected by salinity,” says Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). “Much of this is Australia’s most productive agricultural land.”

Some believe that if the Australian legislators had not chosen profit over public interest, the salinity problem might have been avoided. “Governments were told from as early as 1917 that Wheatbelt soils were especially prone to salinity,” says Hugo Bekle of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia. “The impact of clearing on stream salinity was publicised by the 1920’s, and its effect on a rising water table was accepted in the Agricultural Department by the 1930’s. A major report was undertaken for the [Australian] Government by the CSIRO in 1950, . . . yet governments persistently ignored these warnings, dismissing scientists as prejudiced.”

Survival Threatened

Without doubt, many of man’s actions have been well intended. But as is so often the case, we simply do not know enough about the environment to predict the consequences of our actions accurately. The results have been devastating. “We’ve so upset the balance of life here that we threaten the very land that supports us and, through that, our own survival,” says Tim Flannery, South Australian Museum director.

What is the solution? Will mankind ever learn to live in harmony with the environment? Indeed, can planet Earth be saved?

[Footnote]

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Every Drop Counts

A few simple steps can conserve gallons of water.

● Repair leaky faucets.

● Keep showers short.

● Turn off the water while shaving or brushing your teeth.

● Reuse bath towels two or three times before laundering.

● Wait until you have a full load of clothes before using a washing machine. (The same principle applies to automatic dishwashers.)

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Waste Not, Want Not

● Even though Australia is the world’s driest continent, over 90 percent of its irrigation water is “applied to crops by simple flood-and-furrow irrigation,” reports The Canberra Times. This is the same “technology in use when the pharaohs were still building pyramids.”

● Worldwide, the average water use per person (including water used in agriculture and industry) is about 145,000 gallons [550,000 liters] a year. The average North American, however, uses nearly 423,000 gallons [1,600,000 liters] a year. A former Russian republic uses the most, averaging over 1.4 million gallons of water [5.3 million liters] per person annually.

● According to Africa Geographic, “on average, each South African consumes 4.0 global hectares a year whereas the country can afford only 2.4 global hectares per person per year.”

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Deforested Sahel landscape in Burkina Faso. This area was thick with trees 15 years ago

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© Jeremy Hartley/Panos Pictures

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Slash-and-burn agriculture is destroying rain forests in Cameroon

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© Fred Hoogervorst/Panos Pictures

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Auto pollution is still a cause for concern in the United States

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Some 7,000 square miles of Brazilian forest were destroyed each year between 1995 and 2000

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© Ricardo Funari/SocialPhotos.com

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More than two billion people live on three dollars a day or less

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© Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos Pictures

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The groundwater supplying this village well in India has been polluted by local prawn farms

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© Caroline Penn/Panos Pictures

Planet Earth Can Be Saved!

THE preceding articles have made it clear that man cannot continue to consume earth’s resources at the present rate. True, world leaders have made commendable efforts to curb pollution, deforestation, and other environmental problems. Starting with the UN Conference on Human Environment in 1972, and followed by other conferences at regular intervals, up to 163 nations have met to endorse action plans. But what has been the result? “Unfortunately, this rich body of treaties, action plans, and other instruments has not reversed global environmental decline,” says David Hunter, executive director of the Center for International Environmental Law. In fact, adds Hunter, “virtually every major environmental indicator is worse today than it was at the time of the 1992 UN Conference.”

Why such meager progress after more than 30 years of addressing environmental issues? One reason is the need for economic growth. The nations’ economies are driven by consumer spending. That requires businesses to produce, and that, in turn, takes raw materials. It is a vicious circle in which the environment ends up the loser. What, then, is the solution?

Misdirected Steps

The Bible explains why man’s efforts to govern himself have been such a miserable failure. The prophet Jeremiah said: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) Those words have proved to be true indeed!

Have you ever visited a garden or a park? How we appreciate the beautiful array of trees, shrubs, and flowers! A well-arranged garden, though, does not just happen. Skilled gardeners spend many hours trimming trees, manicuring lawns, and maintaining flower beds in order to make them presentable. Imagine what our earthly home would look like if the entire globe received the same kind of loving care that goes into a garden.

Actually, our Creator purposed that our planet receive that kind of care. According to the creation account in God’s inspired Word, “Jehovah God proceeded to take the man and settle him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15) Moreover, the human family received a commission not only to take care of Eden but to expand that original Paradise until it filled the whole earth.​—Genesis 1:28.

Sadly, by their disobedience Adam and Eve became imperfect and lost out on the opportunity of caring for and expanding the boundaries of Paradise. (Genesis 3:1-6, 23) As offspring of that first human pair, we have inherited their sin and imperfection. (Romans 5:12) Mismanagement of the earth’s natural resources is just one example of man’s misguided efforts at self-rule. Clearly, mankind’s problems are beyond their ability to solve. Outside help is needed.

The Road to Recovery

While on earth, Jesus taught his disciples to pray: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) The Bible teaches that under God’s heavenly Kingdom, the earth will be brought to a paradisaic condition. (Psalm 37:10, 11) At that time trees and plants will give their full yield in a clean environment. (Psalm 72:16) Under God’s direction the earth will also be cleansed of pollution, and mankind will learn how to live in total harmony with the environment. How can we be sure of that?

The Bible says that the earth “will not be made to totter to time indefinite, or forever.” (Psalm 104:5) In God’s due time, all those living will enjoy everlasting blessings, including good health, abundant food, and good housing. Would you like to learn more about God’s purposes? Speak to any one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They would be glad to help you to see from the Bible how planet Earth can​—and will—​be saved!

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Under God’s direction, mankind will live in harmony with the environment

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Girl and farmer: © Jeremy Horner/Panos Pictures

The Library of Alexandria Lives Again

IT WAS one of the most famous libraries of its time. It made its host city, Alexandria, Egypt, a mecca for the world’s greatest minds. When it disappeared​—how, no one knows for sure—​gone with it were priceless works whose absence adversely affected scholarship. Now, that grand library has, in effect, been brought back to life.

The rebuilding of Alexandria’s famous library has produced a structure of unusual shape. The main building of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as the new library is officially called, resembles a giant tilted drum. The glass-and-aluminum roof (1)​—which is nearly the size of two football fields—​is slit with north-facing windows that illuminate the main reading room (2). The broad, truncated cylinder contains the main public spaces and extends partly below sea level. The building’s flat, shiny surface slopes gently down from a height of seven stories to carve out a deep well. From a distance, with sunlight reflecting off its metallic surface, the building looks like the rising sun.

The outside of the central drum presents a sheer, sweeping curve of gray granite, carved with rows of letters from ancient and modern alphabets (3). Arranged in tiers, the letters fittingly represent the building blocks of knowledge.

An open, multitiered reading room fills most of the cylinder’s interior (4). Storage space for 8,000,000 volumes is tucked into the building’s underground recesses. Other features include exhibition spaces, lecture halls, special provisions for the visually impaired (5), and a planetarium​—a separate spherical structure resembling a satellite halted in mid-orbit (6). Sophisticated computer and fire-extinguishing systems complete this state-of-the-art institution.

The Making of a Legend

In ancient times the city of Alexandria was known for such lost marvels as the Pharos​—a lighthouse said to be more than 350 feet [110 m] high and considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—​and the tomb of Alexander the Great. The Greek dynasty of the Ptolemies inherited Egypt from Alexander and ruled the country until Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra in 30 B.C.E. Under the Ptolemies, Alexandria was transformed. Indeed, it “became for a time commercially and culturally the center of the world,” states the Atlas of the Greek World. At its peak, Alexandria was home to some 600,000 people.

The city’s greatest attraction was its royal library. Founded early in the third century B.C.E. and lavishly patronized by the Ptolemy family, the library along with the Mouseion (Temple of the Muses) became a center of learning and invention in the Hellenic world.

It is believed that the library contained 700,000 papyrus scrolls. In comparison, in the 14th century, the library of the Sorbonne​—which boasted the largest collection of its age—​housed just 1,700 books. Egypt’s rulers were so intent on enriching their collection that they had soldiers search every incoming vessel for texts. If some were found, they kept the originals and returned copies. According to some sources, when Athens lent Ptolemy III the priceless original copies of the classical Greek dramas, he promised to pay a deposit and copy them. Instead, the king kept the originals, forfeited the deposit, and sent back copies.

The list of great thinkers who worked in the library and museum of Alexandria reads like a roll call of ancient genius. Scholars in Alexandria are credited with great works on geometry, trigonometry, and astronomy, as well as language, literature, and medicine. According to tradition, it was here that 72 Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, thus producing the famous Septuagint.

A Library Vanishes

Ironically, chroniclers felt little need to describe Alexandria’s institutions in detail. A statement of Athenaeus, a third-century historian, is typical: “Concerning the number of books, the establishment of libraries, and the collection in the Hall of the Muses, why need I even speak, since they are all in men’s memories?” Such comments frustrate modern scholars, who yearn to know more about this intriguing ancient library.

By the time of the Arab conquest of Egypt in 640 C.E., the library of Alexandria probably was no more. Scholars still debate exactly how and when it vanished. Some say that many of its contents were probably lost when Julius Caesar set fire to part of the city in 47 B.C.E. Whatever the cause, the library’s demise meant the loss of a wealth of knowledge. Forever gone were hundreds of works of the Greek dramatists, along with the first 500 years of Greek historiography with the exception of some works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon.

Between the third and the sixth centuries C.E., the city of Alexandria was often in tumult. Pagans, Jews, and so-called Christians frequently battled one another and fought among themselves over arcane points of doctrine. On numerous occasions the church itself encouraged rioters to sack pagan temples. Countless ancient texts were destroyed in the process.

Living Up to Past Glory

The rebuilt library opened in October 2002, and it contains some 400,000 books. An elaborate computer system allows access to other libraries. The main collection focuses on eastern Mediterranean civilizations. With space for 8,000,000 books, the Library of Alexandria aspires to enhance the stature of this ancient city.

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A WHO’S WHO FOR ANCIENT ALEXANDRIA

ARCHIMEDES: Mathematician and inventor, third century B.C.E. Credited with numerous discoveries and early scientific efforts to compute the value of pi (π).

ARISTARCHUS OF SAMOS: Astronomer, third century B.C.E. First to speculate that the planets revolve around the sun. Used trigonometry in attempts to calculate the distance to and the size of the sun and the moon.

CALLIMACHUS: Poet and a chief librarian, third century B.C.E. Compiled the first index to the library of Alexandria, a work that established the canon of classical Greek literature.

CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY: Astronomer, second century C.E. His geographic and astronomical writings were standard texts.

ERATOSTHENES: Polymath and one of the first librarians of Alexandria, third century B.C.E. Calculated the earth’s circumference with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

EUCLID: Mathematician, fourth century B.C.E. The father of geometry and a pioneer in the study of optics. His work Elements was the standard geometry text until the 19th century.

GALEN: Physician, second century C.E. His 15 books on the science of medicine became the standard texts for over 12 centuries.

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All photos, both pages: Courtesy of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina: Mohamed Nafea, Photographer

An Unforgettable Visit to Ngorongoro Crater

By Awake! writer in Tanzania

“IF ANGELIC photographers had been at work in the Garden of Eden, their wildlife pictures would not have looked much different from those one can take in the Ngorongoro Crater today.” So writes Reinhard Künkel in his book about this fascinating attraction in Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater is indeed a beautiful place, and it is teeming with thousands of wild animals. Come along with us and enjoy the sights!

A Breathtaking View

After traveling four hours by car on dusty roads, we finally arrive at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. We take in the magnificent view from the balcony of our hotel. The panorama is truly unique. Naturalists have even called it “the eighth wonder of the world,” and we can see why.

Where did the name Ngorongoro come from? No one knows for sure. According to the Conservation Corporation of East Africa, some say that Ngorongoro was the name of a Masai cattle-bell maker who lived in the crater. Others claim that the name came from a valiant group of Datogo warriors who were defeated by the Masai after a battle in the crater 150 years ago. The origin of the name suddenly seems irrelevant, though, when we spot some zebras grazing near the parking area. As we climb into our vehicle, we come very close to them, but they do not seem to notice us. We drive down toward the crater floor to explore more of the wildlife.

The crater stands 7,335 feet [2,236 m] above sea level and is the largest unbroken caldera, or collapsed volcano, in the world. It measures 12 miles [19.2 km] across and has a surface area of 115 square miles [304 sq km]. We slowly descend the 2,000-foot [610 m]-high crater wall, with our heads sticking out of the car windows so that we can take photographs. When we were on the rim, the morning air was cool and crisp. Inside the crater, however, it is surprisingly hot.

As our driver slowly takes us around the crater floor, we pass the small saline lake with its many pink flamingos. The now-distant crater rim is sharp against the blue sky, and as we listen to the sounds made by zebras and wildebeests mingled with other exotic sounds, we cannot help but be stirred. Indeed, this is a paradise!

Wildlife in the Crater

In Ngorongoro Crater we expect to see buffalo, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, black rhinoceroses, and vervet monkeys, and we are not disappointed. Predators including cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, and black-maned lions are also roaming about. In a small pond, hippos cool themselves. They do not seem to mind posing for a photograph.

Suddenly our driver stops! He points to a black rhinoceros crossing just a few yards in front of us. The black rhino seems at home in the crater, and it is a rare privilege to see one at such close range in its natural habitat. These fear-inspiring beasts are close to extinction; the population in the crater is estimated to be fewer than 20. Poachers have been caught here killing rhinos for their horns, which are illegally sold for making dagger handles and for medicine. Rangers regularly patrol the crater to keep poachers away.

A lover of birds can expect to see a variety of beautiful winged creatures, including ostriches, kori bustards, crested cranes, egrets, herons, secretary birds, red-billed oxpeckers, and countless pink lesser flamingos. The crater is home to more than a hundred species of birds that are not found in the neighboring Serengeti National Park. There are bearded woodpeckers, yellow-breasted apalis, brubrus, and paradise flycatchers. The rosy-breasted longclaw can be seen in the tall grass, and even the rare Cape rook has been spotted.

Although most animals will take no notice of us, we have to stay in our vehicle. However, the Masai people, who live in traditional mud huts with grass roofs just outside the crater, can roam in the crater with their herds. It seems that the wild animals have accepted them.

The beauty and tranquillity of Ngorongoro Crater is indeed extraordinary and fills us with awe. Our visit is an unforgettable experience.

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Rhino

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Masai herdsmen at the crater’s edge

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Masai woman

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Cheetahs

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Crested crane

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Flamingos

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Hippo

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Ngorongoro Crater

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Zebras

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Buffalo

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Elephants

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Vervet monkey

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Is It Weak to Be Gentle?

“A slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all.”​—2 TIMOTHY 2:24.

LONG before we are born, our developing skin becomes sensitive to touch. From birth we crave our mother’s tender caress. During childhood our tendency to smile, our ability to develop emotionally, and even our desire to master communication skills are influenced by the amount of affection we receive from our parents.

The Bible foretold, however, that during the last days, people would be “disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection.” Gentle qualities such as kindness and compassion would be sorely lacking, since men would be “lovers of themselves” and “fierce, without love of goodness.”​—2 Timothy 3:1-3.

Many today feel a need to be tough and emotionally callous. They claim that being gentle is a sign of weakness. But is it?

Gentle, yet Powerful

Jehovah God is described as “a manly person of war.” (Exodus 15:3) He is the ultimate Source of all power. (Psalm 62:11; Romans 1:20) Yet, Jehovah’s strength did not prevent him from being “very tender in affection and merciful” when rewarding the faithful man Job. (James 5:11) In his dealings with Israel, Jehovah described the most tender of relationships by likening his feelings to those of a nursing mother who pities “the son of her belly.”​—Isaiah 49:15.

Jesus likewise combined strength with gentleness. He forcefully denounced the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. (Matthew 23:1-33) He also vigorously drove the greedy money changers from the temple. (Matthew 21:12, 13) But did Jesus’ hatred of corruption and greed make him callous? Not at all! Jesus was known for being gentle with others. Indeed, he even likened himself to a mother hen that “gathers her brood of chicks under her wings.”​—Luke 13:34.

Hard Shell or Inner Strength?

True Christians are encouraged to imitate Christ by putting on “the new personality which was created according to God’s will.” (Ephesians 4:20-24) We are told to “strip off the old personality with its practices,” just as a crab sheds its old shell so that it can grow. (Colossians 3:9) However, unlike a crab whose body soon hardens again after the old shell is discarded, we are commanded to clothe ourselves permanently with “the tender affections of compassion, kindness, . . . and long-suffering.” (Colossians 3:12) Gentleness, then, should characterize us.

Clothing ourselves with tender qualities is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it requires that we become “mighty in the man [we] are inside with power through [Jehovah’s] spirit.” (Ephesians 3:16) For example, a man named Lee says: “Not long ago I was a brutal, evil person. Even my appearance was threatening, since I had jewelry pierced into my body. I was determined to make a lot of money and would not hesitate to use foul language and violence to get my way. I had no compassion.” Nevertheless, Lee started to study the Bible with a workmate and came to know and love Jehovah God. He has stripped off his old personality and has learned to exercise self-control. Now he expresses his love for people by volunteering his time to help them study the Bible.

At one time the apostle Paul too was “an insolent man” who resorted to violence to achieve his goals. (1 Timothy 1:13; Acts 9:1, 2) Yet, when Paul came to appreciate the mercy and love shown him by Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, he responded by striving to imitate those qualities. (1 Corinthians 11:1) Although Paul stood firm for Christian principles, he learned to be gentle in his dealings with others. Indeed, Paul was uninhibited in expressing tender affection for his brothers.​—Acts 20:31, 36-38; Philemon 12.

Gaining the Strength to Be Gentle

As the experiences of both Lee and the apostle Paul show, learning to deal gently with others does not require that one become weak in character. In fact, the opposite is true. It requires real strength to transform one’s thinking and actions and to fight the fleshly tendency to “return evil for evil.”​—Romans 12:2, 17.

We too can learn to become tenderly compassionate by regularly reading God’s Word and meditating on the love and mercy that Jehovah God and his Son, Jesus Christ, have already extended to us. By doing so, we will allow the power of God’s Word to soften our hearts. (2 Chronicles 34:26, 27; Hebrews 4:12) No matter what our family background or how harsh our life experiences, we can learn to be “gentle toward all.”​—2 Timothy 2:24.

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A good father is gentle with his children

The Land of Big Money

By Awake! writer in Guam

OUT in the vast Pacific Ocean, you will find Yap. Tropical beauty and a comfortable climate make this cluster of islands a welcome port for travelers in search of privacy. But visitors are often quite surprised at the fact that people leave their savings out in the street. And this is big money!

Throughout the islands, you will notice stone disks in front of buildings and along paths. Those disks, called rai in the local language, make up the native currency of Yap. Although some people keep their stone money at home, most use village “banks.” At these institutions, no security guards are on the watch and no tellers are helping customers. You may not even find a building. Instead of securing money in vaults, these “banks” hold their assets outside. There, leaning against coconut trees and walls are more stone disks, each with a hole at its center. These pieces are up to 12 feet [4 m] in diameter and can weigh more than five tons.

Where you live, you may carry change in your pocket, but here, coins are so big that they cannot fit in a car. None of this stone money has been made since 1931. Yet, it is still legal tender on the islands. How did this curious currency come into existence?

A Difficult Acquisition

Legend has it that in the distant past, a group of Yapese voyagers landed on the island of Palau and obtained some beautiful stones. They took them back to Yap, and there the people decided to use them as currency. They began carving the stones into disks the shape of the full moon but with a hole in the middle.

The Yapese were very particular about the material they used. They preferred minerals that we now know as aragonite and calcite. Aragonite, found in deposits in the ground, is a substance also found in pearls, and calcite is the main component in marble. Both are attractive when skillfully carved, but neither is found on Yap. So the Yapese continued going to Palau to obtain stones. Palau lies some 250 miles [400 km] to the southwest of Yap, a journey of five days across dangerous seas in outrigger canoes.

On Palau, the Yapese obtained the local chief’s permission and then went about the work of quarrying solid rock. Using primitive hand tools, they cut slabs of stone from underground caves and carved the slabs into a disk shape. To carve just one piece of money, the hammering and chiseling continued for months and sometimes even years!

Holes were cut in the rocks to accommodate stout poles on which the stones could be carried down to the shore. There the newly carved money was loaded onto canoes or bamboo rafts. To transport a large piece, the workers stood it up in the water and then built a large raft around it. With wind in the sails and strong arms on the oars, they then towed the raft carrying the newly carved wealth back to Yap.

All this work was done by hand, and the process was dangerous. Indeed, many were injured or killed while cutting and moving massive chunks of rock on dry land. And the voyage back to Yap held its own perils. Stone money is visible on the ocean floor around Yap and Palau, proof that not all the treasure nor everyone doing the hauling made it to Yap safely. That sunken money, however, belongs to someone on Yap. It has value just as the stone disks on dry land do.

How Much Is It Worth?

After carrying out a business deal in which rai changes hands, the new owner generally leaves the stones where they are. Many have been in their present location for decades and are a long distance from the homes of their current owners. Stealing is not a problem.

If a thief had his eye on a stone coin, he would first have to find the strength to take it and then be brazen enough to do so. The latter would be more difficult, since the neighbors know who owns each stone wheel, and they have deep respect for property rights.

How do you determine the value of a piece of stone money? First, you note its size, its natural beauty, and the quality of its sculpture. Then you consider its history. How old is it? Was it very difficult to quarry and carve? Were lives endangered or lost when men took it on the voyage to Yap? Finally, what is the social status of those involved in the transaction? Stone money in the hands of a chief has more value than that owned by a commoner.

In 1960, when a foreign bank purchased a piece of stone money measuring five feet in diameter, the history of that piece became known to the outside world. Apparently it had been in circulation since the 1880’s. It had once served as payment to workers for the construction of a house. On another occasion it had been given by people of one village to neighboring villagers for their performance of a special dance. And later a householder had exchanged it for a supply of tin roofing. All these transactions were carried out without moving the stone from its original location, and no written records were kept. The coin’s ownership and history were common knowledge on Yap.

Bigger Is Not Always Better

When rai was introduced hundreds of years ago, the stone coins were so rare and valuable that only chiefs could own them. Then, in the late 19th century, iron tools and cargo ships made it possible to carve and transport many more of these coins, including the large ones. While the newer pieces are larger than the older ones, they are less valuable, since they were not produced in the traditional, more painstaking way.

In 1929 an official count revealed that there were 13,281 stones​—numbering more than the population of the islands! World War II changed that. Troops confiscated much of the stone currency and broke some of it up to construct airstrips and fortifications. Only half the stone disks survived. Then souvenir hunters and private collectors made off with many of the disks. Today, the government regards the stone money as a cultural treasure and gives it legal protection.

On Yap, money does not grow on trees, nor are the roads paved with gold. But the people still leave their wealth on the street for everyone to see!

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Japan

PACIFIC OCEAN

Philippines

Saipan

Guam

Yap

Palau

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

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Stone money “bank”

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Some pieces of money on Yap can weigh more than five tons

Snow Babies of the Magdalen Islands

TEARS filled my eyes as I stared at the furry white creature directly in front of me. Fulfilling a 20-year dream, I could hardly believe I was actually there, sprawled out on the ice literally inches from a tiny harp seal’s face! As I gazed into its coal-black eyes, a chill ran up my spine​—not from the ice but from the sheer excitement of the experience. I did not want to miss a single blink, breath, or whisker twitch of this little fur ball before me.

Our tour group was 70 miles [100 km] out on an enormous ice floe in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, between Newfoundland and the Canadian mainland. My wife and I had flown to the Magdalen Islands, near the whelping grounds of the harp seals’ largest herd. Our guides had assured us that our fluorescent-orange insulated suits would not frighten the baby seals.

What Is a Harp Seal?

Harp seals are pinnipeds, meaning that they have flippers for limbs. The name harp seal comes from the distinct harplike pattern on the back of the adults.

Harp seals are mammals, so they breathe air, give live birth, and have mammary glands for nursing their young. They spend most of their time in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. But these hearty seals are well-equipped to cope with their icy habitat. Adults average 300 pounds [135 kg] and grow to about five and a half feet [1.6 m] in length.

With their sharp front claws, harp seals can pull themselves across the ice and cling to breathing holes scratched through the ice cap. Their hind flippers are larger than their front flippers and are used primarily for propulsion. Remarkably agile in the water, these pelagic creatures may travel up to 5,000 miles [8,000 km] in a year.

Harp seals are called earless seals, but this does not mean that they are deaf. Instead of having external ears, the harp seal has a small hole on each side of its head. They close when the seal submerges. Harp seals have keen hearing. They can pinpoint a sound source underwater​—something that humans cannot do!

The eyes of harp seals are large and prominent, enabling them to see well in the dim light underwater. In the bright glare on the ice, their pupils contract to a vertical slit, allowing them to see comfortably there too.

Life as a Pup

In the herd we observed, the females had come down from Greenland past Northern Canada to whelp. Their floating ice nursery serves as a protection against predators. Pups are delivered quite rapidly, often within one minute! By the time you get your camera ready, the new pup may already be staring up at you! Immediately after delivery the mother turns around and lines up nose to nose with her newborn. She is memorizing, or imprinting, the unique smell and sound of her pup. Thereafter, she will nurse this pup​—and no other—​for about two weeks.

Baby harp seals quickly search for nourishment from Mama’s teats. When hungry, the pups sound as if they were crying, “Ma, Ma.” After eating, they wedge themselves into a crevice in the snow and ice for a nap. By repeatedly sleeping in the same spot, their body forms a cozy “ice cradle.”

At birth, harp seals usually weigh about 22 pounds [10 kg] and are about 36 inches [90 cm] long. At first, they have no blubber to keep them warm, but this changes quickly! During the first 12 days or so, harp seals gain from three to five pounds [from one to two kilograms] per day. Their rapid growth is the result of their mother’s rich milk, which consists of up to 50 percent fat.a In less than two weeks, a pup will weigh in at a whopping 80 pounds [35 kg]!

Changing Colors

You can easily estimate the age of a harp seal pup by the color of its pelt. By the end of its first day, a newborn pup dries off, revealing a fluffy coat. Now the pup is called a yellowcoat. The yellowish color is from the amniotic fluid and fades in the sunshine within three or four days. Once the yellow disappears, the pup is called a whitecoat. After some two weeks, Mom disappears and never returns.

The pups call out, but their cries go unheeded. Sometimes, seeking comfort, the pups crawl toward one another and gather in small groups on the ice. Soon gray patches start to appear on their white fur. Days 12 through 21, they are transformed into graycoats and then, by the end of their first month, into ragged jackets. By this time, all the furry white hair has fallen out and has been replaced by a sleek, gray waterproof coat.

Beaters and Bedlamers

Harp seal pups survive by living off their own fat until hunger finally forces them into the water in search of food. But, alas, when they enter the water, their fat, buoyant bodies won’t sink! Instinctively they beat their little flippers, splashing on top of the water. Hence, at this stage they are called beaters. All this activity strengthens their flippers for swimming. At the same time, it burns off fat and eventually reduces their buoyancy to the point where they can submerge. Now their raging appetite can be satisfied, for the waters teem with krill, as well as capelin and other small fish.

At one year of age, the seals molt and are called bedlamers. At three to seven years, they become sexually mature, and they are easily identified by the harp design on their back. The harp seal may live up to 35 years.

A Face-to-Face Encounter

After donning our survival suits and making sure we have warmer packs for our boots and hands, 17 of us board helicopters and fly about 50 miles [80 km]. Looking down, all we can see in every direction is a sparkling-white icescape fading to a blue horizon. Finally, we touch down on the frozen sea. We strap on our cleats and trek out as quietly as the crunchy surface under our feet will allow. Look! Behind that mother is a fluffy snow baby​—a yellowcoat! It resembles a large, furry inchworm struggling to keep up with its mama. For me, it is love at first sight!

I lie down on the ice, since standing might cause a seal to mistake me for a polar bear. Mother seals can be quite aggressive, so I wait for the one I am watching to go down into a hole in the ice. Her little pup, whom I have named Sadie, is sleeping peacefully about 20 feet [6 m] away from me. I crawl closer and closer. Her eyes slowly open.

Now Sadie’s eyes are firmly fixed on me. I scarcely move a muscle. Suddenly, Sadie wants to investigate! She wiggles toward me a lot faster than I thought she could. She looks so big coming toward me, yet it seems by the color of her pelt that she is only two or three days old. Sadie halts just inches from my face and slowly sways from side to side while twitching her little nose. I can hear her sniffing. She comes right up and graces me with little wet “kisses” all over my face and neck!

Amazingly, this beautiful little baby cuddles up next to me and falls asleep! She even allows me to rest my hand gently on top of her. Her soft little hairs are sticking up between my fingers. I am surprised at how warm she feels. I stroke and cuddle Sadie until it is time to board the helicopter to go back home. Sadie does not move as I quietly rise.

I tearfully walk away in awe, silently thanking our God, Jehovah, for creating this gorgeous little creature. To have an encounter with a baby harp seal seemed nothing short of miraculous. This experience causes me to recall the words of the psalmist: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. . . . As for this sea so great and wide, there there are moving things without number, living creatures, small as well as great.” (Psalm 104:24, 25)​—Contributed.

[Footnote]

[Box on page 26]

Did You Know?

◼ When threatened with severe storms or unfavorable ice conditions, female harp seals can delay giving birth for several days while they look for a suitable location.

◼ Harp seals can dive 800 feet [240 m] and can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes.

◼ Seals can sleep underwater. Every five to ten minutes, they raise their head above the water to take a breath. Then they sink back below the surface​—without waking up!

[Box on page 27]

Delayed Implantation

“Except for three weeks of each year,” notes the book Seasons of the Seal, “an adult female harp seal is always pregnant. Her true gestation period lasts seven and a half months.” How can this be? “After conception,” the book explains, “the fertilized ovum divides, divides again and again, and then stops. The blastocyst, still smaller than a pinhead, ceases to grow. It floats in its mother’s womb, a mote of suspended life. Eleven weeks later, the blastocyst implants and resumes active growth.” The apparent reason for the delayed implantation? “It is imperative that she have pups at nearly exact one-year intervals so birth will coincide with the maximum extent and thickness of the breeding ice.”

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CANADA

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

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Satellite photo of the Magdalen Islands

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NASA JSC

[Picture on page 24]

Yellowcoat

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Whitecoat

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Ragged jacket

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© IFAW/David White

[Picture on page 25]

Beater

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© IFAW

[Picture on page 26]

A harp seal pup with its mother

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© IFAW/Igor Gavrilov

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An adult harp seal swims beneath a thick layer of ice

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© IFAW

Watching the World

Introduce Your Children to Reading

“It has been noted that the children of good readers follow their parents’ example,” states neurolinguistics specialist Beatriz González Ortuño, as reported in the Mexican newspaper Reforma. Since children have a great capacity for learning, it is good to encourage their interest in reading even before they can identify vowels. For example, stories can be read to them that will help them to develop their imagination. The newspaper gives the following suggestions for introducing children to reading: “Sit down together. . . . Allow them to turn the pages, to interrupt when they wish, and to ask questions. . . . Ask them to talk to you about the objects and characters that appear in the story. Answer all their questions. . . . Relate the book to the life of the children.”

Elephants and Chili Peppers

Elephants in Africa’s game parks have long been the cause of conflict between conservationists and farmers. Fences, fires, and drums have all failed to keep elephants within park boundaries. Roving elephants have repeatedly destroyed crops and have even trampled people to death. At last, however, a deterrent has been found​—the chili pepper plant. Where these are cultivated along park borders, reports South Africa’s newspaper The Witness, elephants draw back in disgust because they are “repulsed by the plant’s odour.” Relieved park rangers now no longer have to “push elephants back inside the park,” and damage to the crops of local farmers has been reduced. The chili peppers may also prove to be a lucrative source of income.

Text Messages Disturb Sleep

“Text messages disturb young people’s sleep,” reports the German health newsletter Apotheken Umschau. During a study conducted at Leuven University, Belgium, 2,500 youngsters, aged 13 to 16, were asked how often they were awakened by incoming text messages on their cellular phones and how tired they felt at various times. Ten percent reported being awakened by messages at least once a week. The sleep of 3 percent was interrupted in this way every night. According to one of the researchers, the “findings suggest that mobile telephones may be having a major impact on the quality of sleep of a growing number of adolescents.” The newsletter recommends: “Parents should make sure that their child’s mobile phone is switched off at night.”

How Fish Swim Upstream

According to a study published in Science magazine, brook trout and other varieties of fish exploit turbulent flows swirling around stationary objects in the water to minimize effort and give themselves an energy-saving boost against the current. By altering their body position and synchronizing movements with the eddies they encounter, says New Scientist, trout save so much energy that they do not have to use their main swimming muscles. “It’s a very low-energy way of moving through a turbulent environment,” explains one of the authors of the study, George Lauder, a biomechanician at Harvard University. In effect, says New Scientist, “the fish were bending their bodies into wing-like hydrofoils to catch the eddies, like a sailboat tacking upwind.”

The Elderly Not a Burden

“Instead of focusing only on the costs of an older population, it is important to take into account the positive contributions and savings generated by the unpaid work of older people,” states a report published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. “Much of the unpaid work of older people provides support that would be difficult to provide using market-based services.” The study revealed that “Australians aged over 65 years contribute almost $39 billion [$27 billion, U.S.] per year [to society] in unpaid caring and voluntary work.” Such volunteer activities include caring for children and nursing sick adults, as well as domestic work. Such unpaid labor, the authors point out, “can act as a social ‘glue’ that helps bind society together.” Its value cannot be measured only in dollars and cents.

Oldest Surviving Printed Book

The British Library is now home to what is believed to be the oldest surviving printed book in the world, reports BBC News. A Buddhist text called The Diamond Sutra bears the date 868 C.E. and was found in 1907 in a cave in Dunhuang, China. “It consists of a scroll of grey paper printed with Chinese characters, wrapped around a wooden pole,” says the report. The book and other items found with it are thought to have been “part of a library which was walled up in the cave around the year 1000AD.” The scroll predates the introduction of movable type into Europe by hundreds of years, but as the BBC report notes, “paper making and printing were already well established in China at the time.”

Noise Slows Reaction Time

“The louder the noise, the slower you react,” says The Toronto Star. These are the results of a study conducted at Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada, by researcher Duane Button, who had people perform physical and mental tasks while listening to noises at various levels. He found that exposure to office background noise of 53 decibels slowed a person’s reaction time by 5 percent, while industrial-strength noise of 95 decibels slowed it by 10 percent. Although the differences in reaction time are counted in mere fractions of a second, the report points out that “those fractions make a big difference on the road.” Even a delayed response of .035 of a second, Button says, can be a significant factor in either having an accident or not having one.

Church Doors Closing

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., has announced that it will close 65 of its 357 parishes​—almost one fifth of the total. Some 60 churches and 120 related buildings will be sold. According to The New York Times, this restructuring is “caused partly by declining attendance and increased financial problems that were worsened by the sexual abuse crisis among clergy members.” The newspaper quotes R. Scott Appleby, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at Notre Dame University, as saying that “the scandal has put a drain on the financial resources of the archdiocese” to such an extent that it cannot “keep parishes afloat.”

From Our Readers

Suffering Thank you so much for the article “Young People Ask . . . Why Does God Let Us Suffer?” (March 22, 2004) I am 14 years old, and two people that I was close to​—my grandpa and my aunt—​passed away recently. I knew that God was not to blame for their deaths. Satan is the one to blame, and he has only a short time left. This article really comforted me. Please continue writing such articles. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

B. B., United States

Recently, the girl I was going to marry died in a car accident. It was a terrible tragedy​—for me, for the congregation, and especially for her parents. I thank Jehovah for helping me to come out of my state of deep grief. And I thank you for the article “Why Does God Let Us Suffer?” It came at just the right time.

I. D., Germany

At first, I did not want to read this article. I thought the contents would be gloomy. Two years ago my older brother died of an illness, and I still have emotional scars. But the article reminded me that Jehovah is the Giver of good things. I felt that my scars were rapidly being healed, and I gained courage to go on living in this unstable world.

S. H., Japan

Sugar I have been told by a number of people that the article “The Sugars of Life” (March 22, 2004) was by implication promoting a popular health product that is supposed to cure ailments, including cancer. I take no exception to your article but do take exception to people using it for financial gain or to promote their ideas.

P. K., Australia

“Awake!” responds: The article “The Sugars of Life” merely reported the findings of biologists regarding the important role of sugar in health. In no way was it intended to be an endorsement of a particular product. When reporting on health matters, “Awake!” does not recommend to its readers any particular approach to treatment. It is up to individual Christians to make sure that any regimen they follow reflects soundness of mind and does not conflict with Bible principles.

Lactose Intolerance For some years I have been suffering from the symptoms mentioned in the article “Understanding Lactose Intolerance.” (March 22, 2004) This led to my taking a hydrogen breath test, which indicated that I am lactose intolerant. When I showed the article to the internist, he thought it was very well researched, and he encouraged me to thank you for writing such a good article. He wasn’t aware of ever having read Awake! before.

E. S., Germany

Overdrinking Thank you for the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: Is Overdrinking Really That Bad?” (March 8, 2004) I now realize that my use of alcohol has been the source of disputes between my wife and me, and I realize that I have wasted much money on alcohol. Today I drink less and less frequently.

G. K., Tanzania

Crossword Puzzles I enjoy doing the crossword puzzles published in Awake! They are instructive. At first, I had to consult the Bible often to find the right word. Now I seldom have to. I owe this to my program of Bible study. And it was the crossword puzzles that encouraged me to have one!

W. K., Poland

“Awake!” responds: The crossword puzzle that appears in “Awake!” is replaced in some language editions with a Bible quiz entitled “Do You Know?”

“If People Only Knew!”

AFTER finishing high school, when many youths set their sights on material goals, David had other ideas. In September 2003, he and a friend moved from Illinois, in the United States, to the Dominican Republic.a Davey, as he was called by friends and family, decided to learn Spanish and join the Navas Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in their Bible-teaching work. The congregation embraced him. “Davey did whatever was asked of him,” says Juan, the only elder in that congregation. “He was always expending himself for others, and the brothers loved him.”

Davey loved his assignment. “I am having the time of my life here,” he wrote to a friend back in the United States. “The ministry is so refreshing! We talk for about 20 minutes at each door because people want to hear all you can tell them. I already conduct six Bible studies, but we still need help. At one meeting our congregation of 30 Kingdom publishers had 103 in attendance!”

Sadly, on April 24, 2004, an accident claimed young Davey’s life and that of another young man from the same congregation. Up to his death, Davey brimmed with enthusiasm for the work he was doing, and he encouraged other youths back home to join him. “It will change how you look at things,” he told one young Witness.

One change of view that Davey himself experienced was with regard to material things. “During a visit home,” recalls his father, “Davey was invited to go on a ski trip. He inquired how much it would cost. When he was told the amount, Davey said that there was no way he could spend that much on skiing when he could live for months in the Dominican Republic on the same amount!”

Davey’s zeal affected others. “When I heard all that Davey was doing and how happy he was,” said one youth back home, “it made me realize that I could be accomplishing things like that too. Davey’s death has made me ponder what people would say about me if I died and if I would have such a positive impact on their lives.”

As Jehovah’s Witnesses, Davey’s parents and siblings have every confidence that God will resurrect Davey in the coming new world of righteousness. (John 5:28, 29; Revelation 21:1-4) Meanwhile, they gain comfort from knowing that Davey used his life in the best way possible​—to serve his Creator. (Ecclesiastes 12:1) Reflecting on his decision to serve where there is a greater need, Davey once said: “I just wish that every young person would do something like this and feel what I feel. There is nothing better than to serve Jehovah with all we have. If people only knew!”

[Footnote]