This week I want to talk about a certain kind of friend; an unlikely friend: the opponent. In his biography, Abram Poljak “ wrote, “I realized at a young age that enemies do more good than friends.” About his life’s work, he also comments, “The defeats were often more beneficial than the success!” Of course, we want to succeed, but isn’t success the result of what we learn from a succession of defeats? Isn’t defeat then the tool which helps us succeed, that is, if we do not give up? The same philosophy can be applied to those things, situations, or people who oppose us. As we naturally aim to organize ourselves to arrive at a place where we can sit and enjoy a little ease, destiny often seem to take us out of our comfort zone. In fact, it often feels that life takes pleasure in bringing us to difficult places. I heard once of an experiment scientists tried with lions. A first pride was set in an area of the reservation where everything was supplied for them. Life was easy. A second pride was set in difficult conditions. They had to hunt for their food and contend with other predators for water and territory. After a while, the scientists noticed that the first pride of lions had gotten lazy and unmotivated. Their fur, overall outlook and demeanor was unhealthy while the second set of lions who had to fight for their survival were very active and looked very healthy. It seems that opposition, contention and difficulty make us stronger. Isn’t this the whole principle of training and even of playing games? In training, we partner with gravity and speed in order to strengthen our muscles. And if life itself was not enough of a puzzle, we play games in which we create complex situations or scenarios that we have to solve, sometimes even adding self imposed speed. All these things contribute to keep our body strong and wits sharp. I heard of a group of nuns in New England who were all over 100 years old, active and intelligent . They agreed to allow themselves to be studied to see what was the reason of their longevity.. At death, their autopsies showed that many had full blown Alzheimer’s, but the disease had never affected them in their lifetime. What did these nuns have in common? They were all teachers and had spent their days learning, doing crosswords and playing games that required them to process and think, sometimes with speed. The trials of life can be compared to a friendly enemy. As we learn to wisely deal with difficult relationships at home or at work, we strengthen the social skills that make us a more complete person. Every time we have to contend with the ever speedily changing technology, we learn the skills that help us navigate through our ever changing modern world. Whenever we conquer a bad habit, a vice, or a temptation, we strengthen our resolve to live decent lives. In fact, any time we come out of our comfort zone and enter unfamiliar territory in order to do or learn something new, we not only strengthen our humility muscles, but we add to our knowledge bank. In all those situations, our failures become our special teacher that is, if we do not give up! http://vineofdavid.org/remnant-repository/abram_poljak/
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Recently, I was reading in the Book of Numbers about the time when 12 Israeli scouts went to scout the Land of Canaan for a possible invasion. When they returned, though two of the scouts were optimistic about the prospect, ten were vehemently against it. They were against it because the current inhabitants of Canaan were so big in size that beside them, our scouts felt they were no bigger than grasshoppers. They should have heard about what happened this week on my property. I was away on an interpretation assignment when my wife sent me a text telling me the power was off because a big fir tree fell and took the power lines down. We have many trees on our property, so this is a bit of a concern for us. When PGE came, they said that this enormous, this 2-feet diameter tree, this tree that could give us wood for the whole winter, fell because of termites. Because of tiny termites! I wish I could tell that story to those scouts. If I could, I would tell them that no matter how small you are, you can be up to the task, especially if you work patiently in unison with a dedicated team. Nothing is impossible to those who patiently work with others, keeping their eyes on the mission at hand. I would tell them, “Tiny termites can fall a fabulous fir.” I would also tell them that it is not about the size of the dog in the fight, but about the size of the fight in the dog! Patrick G. Lumbroso Chaplain Supervisor Estacada Rural Fire District No. 69 Station Phone: 503.630.7712 Cell: 503.515.2033 Fax:: 503.630.7757 www.estacadafire.org www.facebook.com/EstacadaFire To Unsubscribe from this Email: 1) Open the outlook web app: https://mail.estacadafire.org/owa 2) Log in using your EFD user name and password. Your username will need to have the domain in front of it. See the below example a. Username ex: EFD\Jdoe b. Password: This is the password you use for email or computer access 3) In the upper right corner of the screen click on the gear icon and select “Options” 4) On the left side of the screen click “Groups” 5) Double click on the “EFD Chaplain Newsletters” Group 6) Click “Leave” 7) This will remove you from receiving these newsletters Today I went to the Timber Festival in Estacada. The Timber Festival is a celebration of our lumberjack culture. At the festival, contestants compete in how fast they can saw with a chainsaw or a buck saw. They also compete in staying steady on a log on water. It was very interesting and reminded me of the early beginnings of our state. Last year I taught American history in school. It was very interesting for me who wasn't born in the United States, to study more deeply about the primeval notions that make this country what it is today, to study the origins of our political system and of its international policies. I very much liked delving into the Constitutional Convention. It was enlightening also, to understand the Monroe and Truman doctrines. I have travelled in many countries and one thing I appreciate the most about America is the parks. Parks are usually clean and respected by all. Even today, I was impressed as I walked out of timber festival park where the festival was held. Hundreds of people had come with their families, but the area was left clean with hardly any trash on the ground. This is something special to America I would say. It is also a testament to progress in civism, as even in America it wasn't always like that. I am sure our parents can remember a time when people left their trash on the lawn after they had a picnic. America has grown to be a country of law and order, a place with a vision of civility and progress where many people came, and still come, in order to escape poverty and to look for greater freedom opportunities. This progress in civism and law and order has come at heavy costs and is a privilege for those who live here. In the history book that I used to teach my students, there is a quote that reminds of our responsibility for these privileges . It says, "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
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