Friday, August 26, 2022

"Pretend" and the Sad Lack of Imagination

     A few years ago, I worked as a teaching assistant at a small private school.  Periodically, I was asked to go into the Preschool or the Advance Preschool to work with the children there.  I have always enjoyed working with little kids.  They typically are very inquisitive and amazingly imaginative.  There is something wonderful about the imaginations and innocence of children.  Something disturbed me while I worked with these three, four, and five year olds.  They lacked imagination. 

When they would play, they felt the need to say, “pretend…” followed by whatever circumstance they wanted to be playing.  No one in their right mind would think that five-year-old Tommy and four-year-old Anna were actually married with children.  Instead of just playing, they had to add, “Pretend you are my wife and Ellie is our baby.”  No one in their right might would look out at 80 degree weather and think it was a blizzard, but the children would say, “Okay, and pretend that there is lots of snow.”  These children all had homes, so what was the point of saying, “Pretend we don’t have a home or food for our baby.” They add, “so, pretend, that we have to beg for food and comfort.” Not all of my students would do this.  Some of them would just play, sometimes playing pretend with me.  The children who said “pretend” all played together and they couldn’t play well with those who did not. 

    I mean, I am glad they are playing.  My siblings and friends, at that age, never narrated every move that we made.  We never acted as if we had to say “pretend”, we knew we were pretending.  I used to write my mother notes at seven years old thanking her for taking in the poor desolate orphan off the streets.  Was my mother some generous benefactress? No, she was my mother.  Was I a street urchin? No, I was the first born daughter of my parents.  I loved to pretend that I was an orphan.  My mother would play along.  We never said, “pretend”.  And, today, my children never say “pretend” when they are playing. 

    When my mother would do my hair on Sunday Mornings, she would pretend that she was a French stylist running a beauty boutique.  My mother is a nurse, not a hair dresser.  She is not French.  I, in no way, had the style, grace, or beauty of a runway model.  Did any of that matter? No.  Did anyone get confused over reality and pretend? No. We knew reality and we knew pretend. We were playing, that’s all. 

    My sister has a family she babysits for with three little girls.  They love Frozen. They pretend their mother is Elsa and they are Elsa’s babies.  They pretend that my sister is “Auntie Anna” who comes to play with them.  This mother pretends with her children.  My sister plays pretend with the little girls.  When something goes wrong or they tire of this game, they revert to their true selves and know they are not really Elsa’s babies. 

    I wonder why the children use the word “pretend” to clarify that they really were not mad scientists who learned how to make rockets out of actual rocks?  Perhaps they were not read to enough?  Perhaps their parents did not take the time to kindle the spirit of play in their children?  Perhaps they have watched too many cartoons where the main character of the Disney cartoon explains every move he or she makes?  I am not sure, but I shudder when I hear the word “pretend” when children are playing.  Why can they not just play?


Friday, August 19, 2022

How to Study

 Studying is an oft neglected pastime by the high school or college student.  This is not necessarily because the value of study is not known to them.  Nor is it necessarily because other interests come before school.  Sometimes, instead, study is placed second because the individual does not have good study habits.  

As a homeschool student, I had excellent study habits and awful test taking skills.  I ran out of time during my first college mathematics test because I checked and rechecked the questions, without moving on. I completed about two-thirds of the test, but suffered for not completing the whole.  This was an eye opener to me and I quickly learned how to take a test.  After I learned to take tests efficiently and because I enjoy school very much, I started to tutor.  I have tutored for free, in exchange for some other good or service, and for payment.  One thing I noticed as a consistent problem is that people do not know how to study.  Learning this, there is no wonder that many colleges require a course on “College Success” or “Information Literacy”.  These courses are necessary to take the average high school graduate and give him the skills so he can learn to be a scholar. 


In order to study, many people listen to their music.  They must have their computers.  They may even decide to study in a public place.  Why do people purposely set themselves up to be distracted during study?  Music, internet, and people are all major distractions.  I would guess that it is because they do not know how to study efficiently, so they welcome those unruly distractions.  Do yourself a favor: turn off the music. Leave the computer alone.  Hide your cell phone or leave it at home. Find a quiet, distraction free area, such as a library. Most people cannot multitask as well as they think they can.  It is better that it is not attempted. 


In order to study well, a person should study each subject for many small amounts of time every single day.  Now, studying is not the same as completing homework or writing papers.  These things can find their place in study time, but they should not replace study time.  


Plan: Using the course guide or syllabus as a reference, decide what you need to study and how much studying you need to complete per day.  Be reasonable here, because too little time and effort will be ineffective.  Too much time will become overwhelming.  Depending on the subject, it might be necessary to spend two fifteen minute blocks of time per day to study, as well as the necessarily length of time to complete homework in addition.  For other subjects, it may be necessary only to have one half an hour block of time per week.  Plan according to the subject and your personal needs. Try to break study and homework time into reasonable lengths of time.  Study for the allotted amount of time and move on to the next subject.  You may even want to set motivational goals to assist in this planning stage, that way you can measure how much you’ve learned.  


As a note, when studying languages, it is important to spend at least 10 minutes a day reviewing vocabulary in addition to normal study habits. 


Supplies: Studying really involves the learner, the book, the notebook, and flashcards.  Remember a pen or pencil, otherwise the notebook and flashcards may prove useless.  There may be times that a computer might be a needed study aid, but when the internet can be avoided, it should be avoided.  The internet has a habit of trapping its victims for hours on social media, wikipedia, and entertainment websites without remorse.  


Environment: Study in a well-lit place that is open, comfortable, and quiet.  This can be outside, in your dorm, or in the library.  Study areas can also include coffee shops, trains or buses, or quiet corners of fast food restaurants. If you are a social butterfly who strikes up conversation with everyone you meet, public places may be places to avoid.  As long as you will not be too distracted by the surrounding area, you can study almost anywhere.  


The How-To

Sit down in a comfortable, supportive position.  You can follow the principle of sitting at a desk: feet flat on the floor, good back support. 

Look over class notes, reviewing important information as needed. 

Open the book to the appropriate page and skim.  Take note of any keywords in your notebook.  Only skim 3-5 pages at a time, trying to break at natural points.  

Review all of the tables, captions, and text boxes, this information has been highlighted for a reason.  

Write definitions, equations, or tables as needed to help you remember.  In your notebook, try to write these in your own words to understand them.  

Copy the definitions, equations, and tables precisely onto flashcards and use these later when you have five minutes to review between classes, on your break at work, after meals, etc. 

Read the full page of what you have just skimmed, understand the concepts in context.  Add important or helpful information to your notes.  

Use the flashcards whenever short times of five minutes appear for quick study sessions.  


Homework: If homework is needed to be completed, allot this time in addition to normal study time. Homework can be done after the chapter or lesson has been studied, but should not take place of this study.  Homework should also not take place of review time.  


Time: Only study the amount that is needed to understand the subject, then review often.  Trying to intensely study or memorize the book will not help, but hinder the goal of learning.  Try to study in blocks of fifteen to thirty minutes per subject, then move on.  Try to review daily, even if study is restricted to specific days.  Remember to come back to the subjects that not enough time was spent or the concepts are harder to understand.  

Review: Review the material learned often, sometimes going back to earlier material until you are familiar with all of the lessons.  Remember that repetition is the mother of learning, according to the Latin proverb (repetitio est mater studiorum).

Friday, August 12, 2022

Days of Joy

 Days of Joy

Days of sadness

Days of woe

Earthly troubles and petty cares

Only better prepare us for 

Our Heavenly Home


Through the sorrow

Ever be

Lessons present

So Thy love

May I gain from Thee


Ever more,

Ever bless

May I endure all my trials

With no bitterness


And when Thou

Hast decided 

To call

Me Home…


May this life have served me well

That I might come to enjoy

Heavenly Joy


Friday, August 5, 2022

She Calls

 Days which fade into the black,

come and go like love's first breath.

Plans and hopes,

so feebly formed.

They too are destroyed.


Our plans might work

but oft they fail

our claims are taken away.

These days of trial will end so soon

just like the break of day.


Too many times we think we fail.

Never to know because of the limits we place

whether we live or die.

Can we know whether to stay or go?

It is not our choice, it is His.


Through prayer and thought unmatched this day

we discover something strange

the greatest part of this life on earth

is contained in the last hours.

There we realize what we've done

the good, the bad, it all.


So stop pretending,

stop running away.

You change your mind a million times,

but His plan is here to stay.


Embrace it, embrace it all

True happiness is this

to give yourself, your love, your all

unconditionally to Him.


He is guiding you toward your path

the path in which you must run.

If you don't you'll surely fail

at this race for the eternal light.


His lady is so lovely now,

Our Mistress through and through

obey her every order now

as He showers favor down on you.


Life is precious to a fault

which is why we must treat with care,

our every word, our every deed

for He is everywhere.


He calls us all for different tasks

sometimes we are fools

thinking we can hide from Him

yet in the end, She always wins.


The Mistress calls you sweetly now

you answer, not looking back

tear stained cheeks will watch you go

knowing you're already claimed.


They'll pray for you

your family and your friends

and when you meet them again

a different person you will be

but they'll love you all the same.


Her gentle hand

this queen of ours

guides you kindly still

through all your obstacles

until she leads you to your Master

in His celestial home.


Minister to Her every word

obey Her just command.

Eventually, with glory seen,

She will open for you the gate

the gate of everlasting love


So love those who love you

be kind and be true

valiantly defend the ones

who may not do the same for you


Obey the words that were taught of old

be faithful to the prayers

learn to love, to cherish Her

the mediator of all your prayers.


Follow her now

do not look back!

Obey Her every word.

We'll meet again, I know for sure

in this life or the next.


May God bless, protect, and keep you in His care all the days of your life until He calls you to His

presence and gives you your just reward. May He guide your every move and give grace to protect your

immortal soul lest you fall into sin gain the fate of all men who benefit not, due to their own choice, from

the saving blood of Christ. May God show you favor in every way as long as you obey His most holy

words. May He make you to walk in His paths and show to you the true meaning of Eternal Life.

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

The Assumption of Mary

 The feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos is celebrated on August 15 (in the West, this is known as the Feast of the Assumption). 


From the Greek Orthodox: The Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15 each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and in the Greek kimisis) or "falling-asleep" of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos. Information on the Icon of the Feast.

A line drawing of the Icon for coloring is found on pg. 5. 

According to New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, nothing is known for certain of Our Lady's death. Pious tradition is that she died between three and fifteen years after Our Lord's resurrection, and she was surrounded by the remaining apostles save Thomas who did not make it back from India in time. St. John of Damascus (P.G., I, 96) thus formulates the tradition of the Church of Jerusalem:

St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.

Further from New Advent: 

By promulgating the Bull Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared infallibly that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic Faith.






Friday, July 29, 2022

An Accomplishment with the Elements

 

One of the greatest accomplishments of mankind is the understanding of the elements, as is made evident through the use of the periodic table. The history of the periodic table is interesting and shows a sense of scientific inquiry in how the universe works. The information in the periodic table shows careful measurement, as well as understanding of the elements of themselves.  Knowledge of the elements, through the use of the periodic table, is an essential requirement for anyone to grasp who is interested in the purposes of the physical sciences, which is to understand the functions of the universe. 

The history of the periodic table has gone through many stages of evolution, starting around the mid-seventeenth century and continuing until today.  The need for organization, or rather for something like the periodic table, began with the discovery of new elements.  Although Dmitri Mendeleev is considered the "father" of the periodic table, the need for a classification system arose before him and the resulting periodic table is a result of the hard work of many scientists (Western Oregon University 1). In the year 1669, a German amateur alchemist and merchant, Hennig Brand, attempted to make a stone that turned metals to gold, called a “philosopher’s stone” (“Periodic Table History” 1). His attempts failed, as would be expected, but he did discover a new element.  His discovery was of phosphorus and in 1680, Robert Boyle also discovered and publicized this element (“Periodic Table History” 1). The known elements would continue to increase and by 1869 science knew of 63 elements (Western Oregon University 1).  By this time also, characteristics and similarity in the elements was being noted, causing them to be placed in different classification.  Meanwhile, science continued to discover new elements, which also had to place placed in these different classifications.  It was said that “as chemistry advances towards perfection, by dividing and subdividing, it is impossible to say where it is to end” so were the discoveries happening so quickly (Lavoisier 1). By 1817 Johann Dobereiner noticed that “the atomic weight of strontium fell midway between the weights of calcium and barium, elements possessing similar chemical properties” which led to the foundations of the Law of Triads (Western Oregon University 1). Following him, many other scientists studied this concept and in 1862, A.E.Beguyer de Chancourtois, a French geologist, published the first periodic table (Western Oregon University 1).  A paper written in 1863, by English chemist John Newlands, proposed a classification of the 56 known elements into 11 groups based on similar physical properties.  He published his own version of the periodic table, as well as introduced the Law of Octaves, in the year of 1864 (Western Oregon University 1).  In 1869 and 1870, Russian Dmitri Mendeleev and German Lothar Meyer, respectively, published very similar periodic tables independently of each other into the scientific community (Western Oregon University 1).  By the time 1894 came, Sir William Ramsay and Lord Rayleigh discovered the noble gases and these were added to the periodic table as group 0 (“Periodic Table History” 1). The trend of discovering, measuring, and adding elements has continued as science advances. 

Something that makes the periodic table so useful is the careful measurements of the properties of the elements. Measurements and observable facts are foundational to any scientific understanding in all branches of science. As quoted in a Christian High School Science text, William Thomas, Lord Kelvin states the following in regards to measurement:

When you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express in in numbers, your knowledge is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely (Steele et al 5).

Based on the premise presented here by William Thomas, because the elements are arranged in measurable and observable value the scientific community knows something about the elements.  The elements are sorted in the table based on similarities in physical properties and in order of Atomic Number, or how many protons are in the atoms of the element. Also included is the atomic mass, the chemical symbol and the name of the element. From the placement of an element on the periodic table, many chemical properties can be discerned, such as the number of valance electrons and the charges of the elements. Further, also using the periodic table, the changing of an unstable element (natural or isomer) to a stable element (natural or isomer) in nuclear radioactive decay can be predicted. Thus, having a grasp of understanding of the elements organized in the periodic table opens up a wide range of possibilities for the scientific community. 

Today, over one hundred types of elements are known, each possessing a different makeup in the atomic structure of protons, neutrons, and electrons (Bennett et al 114). This in itself provides for a vast topic of study, yet to truly understand something, the history of the subject in question is often employed.  The method in which the elements were formed is called the nucleosynthesis. This is the process of making new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, usually through the merging of hydrogen nuclei to others.  This happened in two stages: with the origin of the universe and inside stars (“Formation of the Elements” 1). The origin of the universe is found in the Big Bang theory, which is based on the application of the laws of physics to the idea that everything that exists began as an “incredibly tiny, hot, and dense collection of matter and radiation” (Bennett et al 474). Hydrogen and helium was quickly abundant after the Big Bang, at different amounts, throughout the universe. Gravity began to clump amounts of these two elements together.  These clumps eventually formed galaxies and stars.  Higher mass elements were formed by the merging and bonding of nuclei, through nuclear fusion. Then, with the death of a star, during the nova or supernova, these “high mass elements, along with … massive nuclei created … were thrown out into space to eventually become incorporated into another star or celestial body” (“The Formation of the High Mass Elements” 1). The formation of the elements eventually led to the formation of the planets, including the planet Earth. This leads to many more concepts and potential disciplines to study, and to think the basis of life started with the stars. 

Learning about the elements and the periodic table help to form a better understanding of the order and functions of the universe. If it was not for the many great thinkers of centuries past, the origin of the universe and knowledge of the physical sciences would be extremely limited.  They were able to find, identify, measure, and classify the basic building blocks of the world and of life. From their hard work in developing a classification system, many new chemical laws were discovered. With the accomplishment of the classification of elements in the periodic table, a wider perception of scientific inquiry can be explored.  






Works Cited

“A Brief History of the Development of the Periodic Table.” Western Oregon University. 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch412/perhist.htm 

Bennett et al. The Essential Cosmic Perspective (6th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson Education, 2012. Print. 

“Formation of the Elements.” The Smoot Group, 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/element.html 

“Formation of the High Mass Elements.”  The Smoot Group, 2012. Web. 28 July 2012 from http://aether.lbl.gov/www/tour/elements/stellar/stellar_b.html 

Lavoisier, Antoine. “Elements of Chemistry.” David M. Knight, ed., Classical Scientific Papers--Chemistry, Second Series, 1970. Web.  1 August 2012 from http://web.lemoyne.edu/~GIUNTA/lavtable.html 

“Periodic Table History.” Lenntech. 2011. Web. 29 July 2012 from http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/history/history-periodic-table.htm

Steele, DeWitt and Gregory Parker. Science of the Physical Creation in Christian Perspective (2nd Ed.) Pensacola: A Beka Book, 1996. Print.

Friday, July 22, 2022

Leading to Salvation

 

Christianity was a strange and novel religion in which the believers refused to worship more than their own God.  To the Romans, this concept of unrelenting monotheism was radical and absurd.  For centuries, the Romans had encountered every form of religious sentiment from the mystery religions in the Orient to the Cult of Isis toward the South in Africa.  For some of these religions, the Romans would incorporate the elements which were not too offensive into their own religion. When Christ instituted the Religion of All Ages, the Romans, who had already encountered every sort of strange religion, were shocked and perturbed by the belief held by the Christians, ultimately persecuting them, indicating that there is fundamental difference between this new religion and every other religion throughout history. 

On the surface, it would seem that there are not that many differences between Christianity and other religions. The Jewish people claimed to be monotheistic.  The love for the dead, or at least for relics, is a practice that has been employed in human religion and is associated “with many other religious systems besides that of Christianity” (Thurston para. 1).  The Gospel, or the Message of Christ, when written down does contain some similarities to other religions.  It can be argued that the Gospel is deeply rooted in the Jewish Religious traditions through the mention of the Law, Festivals, and the governing Hebrew scriptural passages associated with the Judaism of the day (Davies 391). Still, the Gospel is situated in the Greco-Roman world soundly as that it appeals to the “Greek religious intelligentsia…in documents called The Hermetica” (Davies 398).  Some of the Greeks who followed the discipline of Hermetica adapted a philosophical amalgam in a “synthesis of Platonism and other philosophies” (Davies 399).  The Hermetica, like the Gospel, empathized knowledge, truth, true life, and the Word who is “The Son of the Primal God” (Davies 401).  Thus, the themes of the Gospel are embedded in both the Jewish Religion and Greek Philosophy.   

Following Greek thought, there was an element of stoicism which the Christians possessed.  They looked toward the second coming, ignoring the cares of the world.  Some Christian communities had such a radical position on this that a Christian leader has to rebuke the Christians saying, “The charge we gave you on our visit was that the man who refuses to work must be left to starve” (2 Thess. 3:10).  Because of the Greek influence all over the known world, conquered by the Romans, quickly after the form of Christianity, there was influences by the Greeks.  Gnosticism, which was one of the first challenges of the Church, proposed the concept that human beings gain salvation through special knowledge (Harris 258).  The speculative idea that man needs to know in order to gain salvation is reflected in the thinks of Greek society. 

Christianity is even not without its sacrifice.  Jesus is the “Lamb of God” and His death a fulfillment of the “ritual slaying of the paschal lambs” (Harris 256).  The worship of the Christians is an unbloody continuation of the ultimate sacrifice at Calvary where the Incarnate God took on the fault of all men and died.  This is the most perfect sacrifice from which all life springs forth.  This sacrifice, although in reparation, was not needed by God.  Instead, this was a gift freely given.  The sacrifices of the pagans were demanded.  

Many religions typically worship toward a direction, but for Christians, it is different than Islam and Judaism. The Muslims worship toward Mecca and the Jews worship toward the Temple in Jerusalem.  Christians pray toward the rising sun, as Christ will return as the Sun of Righteousness. St. John of Damascus stated: 

It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature…being sharers in the Mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit…Since, therefore, God is spiritual light, and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness and Dayspring, the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship (“Why We Pray Facing East” 1). 

So, as it can be seen, there are elements which false religions share with the True Religion, these are purely external.  The real differences lie not in the liturgical practices of the religion, but the belief.  

One striking fact which took place in the Modern Age is the Protestant Persecution of the Catholics is that these English Catholics would rather face death than pray with those who were unpleasing to God.  The early Christian martyrs took this one step further.  Although they could have simply offered incense to the gods of the pagans.  Like the English Catholics who refused to pray the Lord’s Prayer with the Protestants, the Early Christians refused to fall into this trap.  In the words of Justin Martyr, “No right-thinking person falls away from piety to impiety” after the Roman prefect said, “Let us, then, now come to the matter in hand, and which presses. Having come together, offer sacrifice with one accord to the gods” in the account of his martyrdom (Ante-Nicene Fathers).  This shows his strong fidelity to the Faith.  

The Faith established by Christ, the beliefs of the Christians, is different than every other religious belief system throughout the history of the world.  Because, as St. Paul wrote, this shows “that the obligations of the law are written in their hearts; their conscience utters its own testimony,” all religion points to the truth of the Christian Faith (Roman 2:15).  This idea is acknowledged by the Church herself as she references the Sibyl, ancient seerers of the gods in antiquity, in the Dies Irae of the Requiem Mass.  The elements to the pagan religions which hold similarities to the True Faith are due to the fact that the Truth is written in the hearts of men.  All creation was preparing for the coming of her Creator and Lord which was echoed in the bits of truth in the pagan religions.  There are those who might even argue that Socrates found truth before Truth was born.  Christianity is fundamentally different than every other religion; however, the religions of man often have elements of the Truth attached to them.  This provides for an interesting and insightful study of the history of religion and how this applies to man today. 

Works Cited

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) 7 Dec. 2013 http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0133.htm. Web. 

Davies, W.D. Invitation to the New Testament. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1966. Print.

Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament (7th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print.

Thurston, Herbert. "Relics." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 5 Dec. 2013 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12734a.htm. Web. 

“Why We Pray Facing the East”. (2013). Orthodox Prayer. 7 Dec. 2013 http://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Facing%20East.html Web. 


"Pretend" and the Sad Lack of Imagination

       A few years ago, I worked as a teaching assistant at a small private school.  Periodically, I was asked to go into the Preschool or t...