Faith and Creativity in Education

Ben Huot

February 7, 2009

1 First Things

1.1 Logo

I should explain what the logo is meant to be representing. The guy is a pen, which is me, which comes from my first poem in Philosophy Core, called Creative Process, where I refer to myself as doing Tai Chi, with my pen being my body. The idea is based on "the pen is mightier than the sword" so I created "the Bible is mightier than the pen".

The Bible is shooting out flames because in Ephesians it talks about spiritual warfare and the Bible is the only armament that is offensive. (It means offensive instead of defensive. These are common terms used in combat. The sword is the only spiritual weapon. All the other armaments expressed in Ephesians are protective and defensive in nature like a shield, a helmet, a breastplate, etc.) The flames are meant as in James when it talks about being purified by fire or struggles with temptation in our lives. Isaiah also was purified by a live coal to his lips by a Seraphim. So the usage of fire is not evil or anything violent. Think of it as purifying.

I would ideally like it to show the sword turned inward to his chest, symbolizing like in many fantasy books that when they defeat the great evil force in the world, they are left with the greatest task, which is to defeat the evil within. The Bible is said to be a 2 sided sword, with the ability to cut between bone and marrow, and show the truth. Christ’s tongue is said to be a 2 edged sword in Revelations, to defeat the Devil with. The reason I didn’t show this is it looks like he is committing suicide.

The spiritual warfare is not against people, ideas, or even spirits. It is about fighting for the purity of our own minds. It is an internal thing. Like the Native American proverb "my greatest enemy is myself." This purity is in regard to our own sins and does not refer to purity in any other sense. But this is a process, not an outcome, as it is not possible for us to live without sin.

This warfare is only spiritual in the sense that it is not militant, social, economic, or political. This is for my own moral and ethical development and consists of practical qualities I try, with Christ’s help, to cultivate like humility, compassion, kindness, and seriousness and do not correspond to anything supernatural.

1.2 Other Books

My text books and picture books contain most of my work over the past 10 years. These include my reading of some 235 books containing the philosophical and religious thinking of the worldÕs cultures for several thousand years and the application of the main themes of some of the major Old Testament Prophets and major works of the New Testament.

The main point of this work is to get people to stopping living their lives with their minds, but instead follow their hearts. I bring a radically different combination of viewpoints that you have not heard of before. I am not asking people to follow what I have written, but rather let the words stir up some sort of emotional response in your heart.

I challenge my readers to come up with their own unique ideas and that can lead the world in a new direction. We need a much broader diversity of ideas in our culture to deal with the problems we are facing in America and throughout the rest of the world.

1.3 For More Information

For more books and information, visit me on the web at http://benjamin-newton.com/

Feel free to send me e-mail regarding the books and website at mailto:ben@benjamin-newton.com I even enjoy constructive criticism

1.4 Cover Graphic

1.5 License

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1.6 Introduction

This book is about education in America. The problems with education today are simple. In an effort to not mix religion with government, we have ended up just penalizing Christianity and let Science and Paganism take over the curriculum.

I am tired of Christianity being bashed by intellectuals without being challenged, so I have chosen to deconstruct Science. We think that Science is unbiased and is a balanced interpreter of truth, but really it gives only a very narrow perspective on life. Science is an ideology as much as religions are. It is not the solution to our problems, and is likely the cause of many.

I have shown that in taking religion out of our education, that we have left out creativity as well. As with my other books, I have shown how another duality exists - that religion and creativity are intertwined. This is not about pushing Christianity alone on the schools, but rather not excluding curriculum just because it is religious in nature. The idea is to spread multiculturalism and the humanities in schools, so that we might have a more balanced curriculum.

We have much to learn from the ancients and non-white cultures, if we would only listen.

2 On the Offense

2.1 Striking Back

2.1.1 What is Rational?

What is the definition of rational?

Believing that man is the highest good

Or that his intellect can grasp everything

Do you think you can disprove God

By quoting a famous atheist?

You win an argument

But just show your own limitations

And your own weak intellect

Not everything is meant to be

Analyzed in the Scientific method

What cannot be disproved

Is greater than that which can be proven

Guess and check can only go so far

And scientists are as bigoted

And resistant to change and new ideas

Than as are any other bureaucrats

The ideas of Science may have

At one time been an area for non-comformists

But it is no longer

Everyone believes in Science

And that is a great weakness

The masses can be convinced of anything

Scientists fail to realize

That it was their community that

Made a fool of Galileo

The first scientist was a smart ass

When your belief system

Can only understand matter-energy

Aren’t you smart enough

To realize that it cannot explain

Anything important

It is not wrong to have a theory

To explain something

But when you use it as an excuse

To hide from spiritual realities

Who is the greater fool?

It doesn’t matter how good you are at debate

Or how many facts you have on your side

Some things just don’t make sense

Just because the entire Scientific establishment

Believes in one thing, the masses think it is true

No matter how many times

Society confuses facts with truth

The number of believers is growing worldwide

It is interesting that those who think

They are so enlightened

As to be better informed than God

And think that they are the enemy of the establishment

That their ideas resonate best with

The people who create the problems

They are trying to fix

If the same system that said the world is flat

Now even admits they cannot observe

95% of the mass of the universe

Why should I believe them about evolution?

For a community that shuns innovators

And anything unusual or different

And is mainly motivated by prestige

Why would I believe anything

They print in numbers

And collect evidence for?

If scientists would study other philosophies

They would start to realize that the world

Is much bigger than Science

And that the real problems in life

Are not going to be solved by more technology

That we are never going to resolve

The true cause of suffering through education

That the innovation that will bring solutions

Is something that was written down 2,000 years ago

That the most unusual ideas were some of the oldest

That we are just re-inventing what China

Designed thousands of years ago

Without the Scientific method

If the Chinese were not smart enough

To keep the empire going

How are we going to be able to survive

A few more generations of Science?

One of the big problems with Science

Is it has no ethical foundation

Just as you cannot add security onto technology

Not designed with a firm foundation

Ethics are not just an add on

People do not become ethical by

Attending a one semester course

Or even after earning a Ph.D. in philosophy

It is not that we do not know enough

To do find a solution to our problems

But that we need a way to stop

Ourselves from creating more problems

Self control is the key to our survival

But the solution is not an invention

But supernatural intervention

2.1.2 Where Blame is Due

If Christianity is to blame for everything

People claim it is

Then why is there so much more evil

Done by countries which are primarily atheist?

Before jumping on the bandwagon

And blaming every problem on Christianity

People should actually read what the Bible says

The Bible never says it is ok to mistreat animals

Augustine and Thomas Aquinas hated animals

But their theology is based more on Greek paganism

Than it is on any possible interpretation

Of the Bible come up with by the biggest idiot

The Bible holds humans responsible for taking care

Of the entire ecosystem

Not only are we responsible for what we have done

But we must correct any problems no matter

How they were caused

Unlike what the religious wrong say

The Bible states very clearly in several places

That there is no distinction between man and woman

Or peoples of any race or any other background

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible noes not say

That corporations should control the government

Or that the wealthy got that way because

They were following God’s laws

The Bible says over and over and gives many examples

Of moral people who loved God and suffered terribly

Many times exactly because of it

Contrary to popular belief, claiming to be born again

Does not get you to Heaven according to the Bible

You have to humble yourself before God

And believe you are equal to your fellow man

Before you can be saved

According to the Bible, environmental destruction

And stealing from people’s retirements are sins

And are greater than that of committing adultery one time

Unlike what many people think

The Bible does not tell you everything to do

And is designed for there to be different interpretations

Of many ideas in theology

Similar to Taoism, the theology of the Bible is no-dualistic

Even though many Christians treat Paul’s letters

Like analytical arguments, they are really mystical

Unlike what many Christians believe

The Bible encourages study of other religions and

Being intellectual by Paul’s example alone

The religious ideas the Bible disparages come from

Occult religions like Greek Paganism

Which has been synchronized with Christianity

By Augustine and Thomas Aquinas

2.1.3 God and Country

The religious wrong have long believed

That America was a Christian nation

What America really was and this includes

The religious wrong

Is founded on the idea of

Not wanting to pay taxes

The founding fathers were anarchists

So to follow in their foot steps

Would be to overthrow the current government

The United States has always been

An aggressive and violent nation

Something we inherited from the English

We thought we were better than

The rest of the world

It was our duty to spread our power

No matter what the cost

Following in the footsteps of the English

We held people as slaves even though

We claimed to be a democracy

We used biological weapons on the

Native Americans and dishonored treaties

These are not things a Christian nation would do

They do not honor God

And they do not promote human dignity

Now the religious wrong want us to protect

Humans that are not even born

But thinks it is ok to torture baby animals

In their use for food and experiments

Both of which are unnecessary

They believe that monopolies/dictatorships are good

And that our bill of rights is unimportant

They are against giving to charities

They instead want to tax the poor

And give it to the rich to make bigger weapons with

They are using a couple of attacks worldwide

As an excuse to invade another nation

When it had no intention of attacking anyone

So our dictator could settle an old score

The American House of Bush

Loves to redefine worlds until they have no meaning

They have over written every law against pollution

So a couple rich white men can get even richer

He has held teachers responsible for how

Prepared the kids are for school without

Factoring in different socioeconomic conditions

Which will ultimately destroy the school system

After doing all this our dictator has the audacity

To claim he is a born again Christian

There is absolutely nothing Christian

About the way this creep acts

2.1.4 Medieval Morality

Enlightenment writers love to denigrate

The European Medieval period

By referring to it as the Dark Ages

Because they hated God so much

And they were enamored by material wealth

And advanced technology used in warfare

They blamed all their problems on God

Modern authors refer to the time

As being backwards and violent

What they really hate is that it was

A relative time of material poverty for Europe

After the fall of the Roman Empire

The entirety of Europe struggled to survive

But people don’t see the bright side

Without the wealth to destroy others

And depending on the harvest for their food

People began to rely upon God

And had respect for God and nature

People still had evil in their hearts

But the scale of destruction was

Exponentially less than in "enlightened times"

In fact, although historians love to blame

Christianity for the big wars of the next 500 years

The Church was losing more and more power

As things began to be more and more violent

People saw Science as a way they could

One up God and avoid those inconvenient

Sexual and financial morals

See the main problem with Science is

That it has no formal ethics as part

Of its system of discovery

The superiority of philosophy

Is that it has an ethics

The superiority of religion

Is that is also has a reason

The superiority of Christianity

Is that is also gives a way

2.1.5 A Matter of Faith

Many people believe

That evolution should be

Accepted because

Most scientists believe it

They say it should just be

A matter of evidence

I believe it as a matter of faith

First of all, Science did not

Just arrive out of nowhere

And was not always

The way everything was decided

Neither are we more advanced

For relying on it for everything

Science was invented and came out

Of a particular western philosophical

School called the Enlightenment

Contrary to popular belief

Most technologies of the modern world

Were not invented by Europeans or

By their precious Science

They were dreamed up and produced

First by the Chinese

In fact, the Industrial Revolution

Came about from our discovery

Of Chinese technologies

Invented hundreds or even thousands

Of years earlier

There are many other methods

Of discovery and verification

Jainism has a number all by itself

The five senses, testimony, ESP,

telepathy, and an all knowing ascended being

Mystics have a number as well

Faith, intuition, and prophetic visions

Most schools of Hinduism

Verify knowledge by

Perception, inference, comparison, and testimony

So we see that Science is only

One school out of many

In the panorama of philosophy

Even if I would be convinced

If provided the evidence

In the Scientific form

It would not be possible

For me to accept evolution

Except by blind faith

Because it requires a Ph.D.

In Science to have the background

To make an informed position

Otherwise it is just oversimplified

And I have seen this done

In philosophy and religion

So I would only trust my own

Research into the theory of evolution

2.1.6 Circular Argument

Most people believe anything

Someone with a Scientific education says

How do they prove things?

By facts, of course

How have they proven

That facts are truth?

Because that is Scientific

Facts determine details about

Specific events and measurements

But how does one prove Love?

How does one disprove it?

Many people believe if there

Are no facts for proving something

Than it must not be true

But facts are less important

Than things determined by faith

Things determined by experience

Things determined by reflection

Things determined by immersion

In a particular field of work

Things determined by scripture

Things determined by miraculous

Answers to prayer

If there is nothing to prove

That facts are true

Other than a circular argument

Then why do we base our society

On this shaky ground

And why do we force

This viewpoint on young children?

Our world is getting worse and worse

The more we use facts

To determine policy and direction

Shouldn’t we base our ideas

By what works and what doesn’t

In the real world

With cold, hard truth

Not by just flimsy facts

After all, it’s not like it’s hard

To present lies as facts

2.1.7 Only One Answer

There are few things in life

That only have one answer

This is one of the things

People like so much about Science

But this a false premise

As Science is only one way

Of discovery

And is only applicable

To one way of thinking

Coming from the culture of

One part of the world

Having multiple answers

Is the great thing about art,

Philosophy, and religion

The humanities are the only

Fields that treat other cultures

With dignity and respect

They are the only ones

That explain what being

Sentient is like

They answer the most

Important questions

Better because they can

Have multiple answers

Most things in life are paradoxes

Which aren’t very compatible

With Science and math

How can you reduce

Most fundamental problems

Down to one solution?

How can you explain

Feelings in numbers and attributes?

How do you express mystery

With a system that is designed

To explain everything?

Ever wonder why economists

Can’t predict the future

With mathematical models

Or why it is so hard to

Communicate with psychologists?

Ever wonder why scientists

Are surprised when they

Discover animals are sentient

Or can have mental disorders?

We have an ancient heritage

Of wisdom and understanding

That is aware of things

Science can only dream of

To rely on a system that

Ignores questions of the spirit

Or things that cannot be tested

Under controlled conditions

To guide society into a better world

Shows that our world no longer

Values the truth and is only looking

For easy solutions and doesn’t care

About how bad the consequences are

2.2 White Curriculum

2.2.1 White Current Events

Our country is so obsessed

With the barely 200 years

Of current events that

From what is often called

American History

The big focus is on whites

Both women and men

And there is a tiny bit

About slavery and civil rights

As if these are the only things

Relevant to people of color

The back is especially padded

How virtuose were the white settlers

Escaping religious persecution

You mean the same ones

Who massacred the indigenous population

Because they thought they were

Gods people and it was His divine plan?

Maybe they should send those

People to the moon without life support

We were told how bad it was that

They had to pay taxes

So they decided to revolt

Today we would call them anarchists

We talk about how awful slavery was

And it sure was - too bad there

Weren’t any photographs in our text books

But Irish immigrants were treated

Just as bad in the North

We talk about the Civil War

As if it was about slavery

But Lincoln didn’t talk about that

Until half way during the war

What he did was start the war

By reinforcing Fort Sumter

Because he didn’t believe

People had the right to choose

Which nation they wanted

To be part of

He wanted to destroy the South

If I was fighting,

I would fight the first half for the South

For state’s rights and the second half

For the North, to end slavery

The main focus being on the first half of

American current events

Is clearly a matter of we only care

About rich white men

2.2.2 White Pagan Role Models

Europe and America are still

Falling over themselves about

How wonderful the

Greeks and Romans were

In fact, most Christian theology

Is based more on Greek Paganism

Than on the Bible

The Church respected Rome so much

That they made their capital there

They made their cathedrals like

Roman palaces in design

They made their songs patterned

After Roman songs

They used the language of the Romans

And they helped preserve the pagan

Philosophies and literatures

We don’t need more ideas

On how to destroy other nations

Have more sex and violence in our

Entertainment and popular culture

We don’t need our children

Memorizing the names of pagan gods

And the deeds of the evil spirits

We would never even think of

Letting the Bible into our classrooms

Because that would cause

A conflict between Church and State

Even though it affected

English literature more than Greek writings

But it is ok to promote the religions

Of pagans because we basically

Hate God and Christians

Because we want to live lives

Of hedonism and have no limits placed

On how much deviant sex and violence

We can dream up

2.2.3 White Stories

Instead of picking from the hundreds

Of texts of classical literature from

Any of the major civilizations of the world

Mostly not white

And in easy to read modern translations

Out of the at least thousands of years

Of recorded history

We confine ourselves to 200 years

Of rich white male writers

We are a nation of immigrants

Except for the Native Americans

But the only culture we think worth

Preserving is 19th century America

From the point of view of

Rich white men

We are making a value judgement

That we don’t value non-white cultures

We say we care so much about

Multiculturalism but when it actually

Comes to the work part, we all bail out

And really, you can’t say

Hemingway is a better writer than Chuang Tzu

Or that Emerson knew more about Hinduism

Than the writer of the Ramayana

Don’t teachers get bored by narrowing

Themselves to such absurd and ridiculous

Conditions on what they teach?

Don’t they enjoy learning?

They are after all in the profession of education

Which they supposedly got trained in

And chose instead of careers in higher paying fields

Because they actually care

I guess not 

Maybe it was just for the summers off

2.3 Cultural Patterns

2.3.1 Technology of False Gods

There seems to be an endless

Fascination with the monuments

Of the ancient world

Especially how people could

Construct on such a large scale

Without the technology

We have today

We are learning that the

History of technology

Is not linear and progressive

What is interesting is the

Cultural similarities of

All the different ancient cultures

Most of them worshipped

A snake god and were experts in

Mathematics and astronomy

From Stonehenge to Angkor Wat

From the Easter Islands

To the Valley of the Kings

From Machu Picchu

To the Seven Wonders

It seems we value the same things

As these pagan cultures do

We are slaves to technology and violence

And we would do anything

To preserve this way of life

We really are a pagan culture

Here in America

2.3.2 Enlightened Literature

It would be better for us

To be fascinated with literature

From the major cultural centers

Of the Asian continent

Instead of digging up

Places the ancient cultures

Worshipped false gods in

And slaughtered in their names

We seem to think ancient

Greece was civilized

But no culture can compare

To the humanity of China

Their entire system of government

Was based on a subsistence economy

They didn’t try to make

The rest of the world into subjects

Like the Europeans did

Leaders were encouraged

To study ethics, poetry, and history

People were promoted

Based on their character

And their education

Rather than by force or fraud

China’s weakness is that it

Wasn’t violent enough

To stand against the Europeans

What if that were the worst thing

They could say about America?

What a wonderful culture

2.3.3 Art Museum

I approach the museum

From the front

Walking across sidewalks

In an open grassy area

Flanked on 2 sides by

Old brick buildings

With moss planted on the walls

The carvings on the front

Are ornate and abstract

The building is well kept up

I walk up several cement stairs

And I go into the lobby

There is a series of stairs

Behind swinging glass doors

I pay and get my badge

I assume this is some way

Of tracking me by radio waves

I go up the marble staircase

Most the exhibits are on the second floor

In the front, there are exhibitions

Where the museum rents art

And has to return it after a few months

Then you pass by

Their collection are in back

An icons of Russia collection

Of original gold painted illustrations

Of various saints and the Trinity

In the foyay there are small items

From India and Southeast Asia

There is a fairly big Siva stone carving

As well as smaller carvings in stone

Of various gods

There is always a large Chinese

Throne room, jade pagoda,

And imperial clothing and artifacts

On the left side are the Japanese rooms

There is a suit of Samurai armor

And traditional Japanese swords

In the far room

In the nearer room, there are

Small paintings or woodblock carvings

The Korean section is on the right

It has giant watercolors of landscapes

And there are several calligraphy exhibits

They also have a painting of a

Traditional design of a tiger

Downstairs they have a store

Where sometimes you can find prints or books

Of exhibits and a fancy French cafe

3 Good Memories

3.1 Nostalgia

3.1.1 American Literature

American Literature has little depth

To it compared to Asian Literature

But I have good memories

Of when used to study it

Maybe it was because it was just

That I enjoyed writing or it was

Just preferable to math class

I remember mostly how I felt

It opened up ideas that were new to me

And new ways of looking at the world

It was something I felt very safe with

I guess I felt like Hemingway’s

Short story - A Clean, Well Lighted Place

The naturalism writings were new to me

And I enjoyed their cynicism

I remember reading Ken Follet

And James Clavell about other countries

They are obviously overly simplistic

But at the time were exciting

I always enjoy just learning new things

And books even if I don’t like

Their subjects

I was also very good at writing

I won a national peace essay contest

For the State of Oregon

3.1.2 Running

I didn’t like running at first

But as I got more endurance

I began to enjoy it

It is true that it is difficult

And often painful

But it makes you feel

Like nothing else

You often feel like you

Are out of your body

And that your legs are moving

By their own will

Running really takes commitment

To really get better

And to stay in shape

It is best to run every day

Even on the weekends

When you first start running

You get slower and slower

For about 3 weeks

Then, starting from there

You start to get better

The key to training to run fast

Over a long distance

Is to train over short distances

Repeatedly after short breaks

But keep increasing the length

Of the distances and shortening

The amount of rest time

3.2 The Here and Now

3.2.1 That Feeling

It is a certain feeling of jubilation

It exists in memories and dreams

It is how I felt in high school

I cannot locate the source

Was it the anticipation of the holidays?

Was it the cold silence and darkness

Of a winter night?

Was it the freezing rain of winter?

Was it the smell that accompanies the rain?

Was it a memory of a park the church met at

And played frisbee golf?

Was it the memory of the pain in my side

And the cramped up leg muscles

I felt in Cross Country and Long Distance Track?

Was it the memory of waking up

When it was still dark out

For Speech tournaments?

Was it the colleges I toured?

Was it the feeling I get when we go to

Downtown Portland?

Was it the joy I felt using Mac OS 7.5

And using Photoshop for the first time?

Was it the exhilaration I felt

When graduating from high school?

Was it the feeling when I ran

In Basic Training?

Or our long march home

From Field Training Exercises?

Or when I shipped off to duty station?

Or when I woke up in Hawaii

And we went to the beach

On a warm sunny day in February?

Or when I went to a new church?

Maybe it is a feeling of great accomplishment

Or satisfaction with where I am now

Or an excitement about the future

I have felt this way in and off

For half a year

The trouble is that I do not know

What to do with it

3.2.2 Colors

I paint with the colors

That live in my mind

I paint with the hot pink

Of a picturesque sunset

I don’t stop to see

Often enough

I paint with shades of green

Of avocados in burritos

And kiwi shakes

When I have enough money

I paint with the bright yellow

Of the penetrating heat

Of the summer sun

That keeps my inside

In the air conditioning

I paint with the deep brown

Of a intimate local cafe

I frequent when I am

Out too early for lunch

I paint with the bright blue

Of the brilliant summer skies

I paint with the orange red

Of numerous pizzas ordered

When I don’t have the energy

To walk to the store

I paint with the dark blue

Of the pen I mark the date on

My backup CD-ROMs

3.2.3 Plush Ideas

I don’t know how it happens

But my stuffed cows

Talk to me continually

They are as close to me

As a regular person’s

Child or pet animal

I hear them with

Separate and distinct voices

They keep me company

Even when I leave them

They enjoy watching me work

On the computer

Watching TV with me

And listening to me read

They really like animated cartoons

I don’t take them with me

Except to my parents’ house

In order to keep them

From getting lost or dirty

My big fear is that they

Will get taken by some kid

Or left outside to grow mold

They get new outfits and DVDs

For their birthdays and Christmas

They started out with shirts

Then they got onesies for preemies

And then khaki pants and shirts

Then they got job uniforms

Now they have artist clothes

They got a bale of hay this year

They want to learn to read

But I am not sure they

Will still be interested

Several years from now

They seem to like most

Small children, so they like

To watch programs small children like

They say they like them

Because they learn from them

I think stuffed toys

Have many attributes of non-dualism

They also have more Fruits of the Spirit

Than even regular pets do

They are great examples of patience

And they would make great monks

They say God gives them magic

Which they store for emergencies

This is how they move

My cows are born again Christians

But they are very well behaved

The lead cow runs the herd

Like a constitutional monarchy

He collects taxes on magic

For when someone needs more

They like it when I give them

Money to hold for a while

I am afraid if they wander off

They will ask for grass and

Someone might give them drugs

I tell them to be very careful of fire

Because I could back up files easy

But not their plush souls

4 Education History

4.1 Boredom in School

I really believe that my formal

Education was so useless

That I had to unlearn everything

I was taught in school

4.1.1 Elementary School

I remember living as if in a dream

All throughout elementary school

The teacher would keep on repeating

What is a verb? What is a noun?

We would cover every possible factor

Of the American Revolution and

Of the American Civil War

Over and over again

Our text books were so dry

They literally put me to sleep

I talked constantly in class

As I was so bored

They put my name with a

Check mark by it in permanent ink

I stayed after school for detention

Almost every day

The only thing I remember being enjoyable

Was reading for book reports

And doing art projects

For some reason I began learning

Viola in the orchestra class

But we never got to play anything

That sounded like anything on the radio

Most of the pieces were all numbered names

I hardly ever practiced and I was terrible at it

On my tests I placed at 12th grade comprehension

But only 3rd grade reading level

I was too bored taking tests

So I didn’t get into advanced classes

Until later on

4.1.2 Middle School

In middle school the other kids

Picked on me so much

That I dreaded going to school

Especially on the buses

They wouldn’t let me

Sit down on the buses

And kicked and hit me

On the buses

And in shop class

We spent the first several months

Learning safety procedures

Before we could touch any of the tools

In our shop class

One kid put the welding flux

Chemical cleaner in his eyes

Deliberately to prove he was tough

I remember one kid putting my

Math book in another desk

So I had to buy a new one

And I found out about it months later

I also had these very large warts

That we had burned with acid

Which would burn for 8 hours

And we had to use finger nail polish

Remover to neutralize it

I then had my warts freeze burned

Which was excruciatingly painful

As they were on the end of my fingers

And under the nails

I finally had them cut out

As much as putting Novocain in the

End of your nails hurts, it was much

Better than the freezing

I also dreaded wrestling as I had to do it

When my warts were being removed

The other person would touch my hand

And I would give up just so

The pain would stop

As they were very sensitive as they healed

4.1.3 High School

High school was much better

I enjoyed my literature class the most

What kept me going was

All the activities I was involved in

If I hadn’t been in so many clubs

I would have dropped out long before graduation

I was involved in 12 different activities

My Junior year

I enjoyed most of all Model United Nations

Where each school represented a different nation

I was the President my senior year

And also ran a committee

I enjoyed going on Speech tournaments

Because we got to go see most of the colleges

Around Portland, the nearest big city

I didn’t practice much and lost every time

I enjoyed the Future Business Leaders of America

Because we got to stay at the Hilton

I wanted to do acting, but I didn’t get selected

For the part I auditioned for, so I thought

That I wasn’t good enough although later

I was told I was very good

I also enjoyed Cross Country

As we were able to go to the coast

Or other places in the area on invitational meets

We got to eat out there too

I also enjoyed cheerleading which

Was a total surprise to me when I made it

As I could not remember dance moves or cheers

And I still don’t know what first in ten means

I was asked to do it the next year too

I got people more excited about the games

But I needed to focus on getting in shape

For the military my senior year

I also designed the military section of my

High school’s orientation CD-ROM

With Sony Disc Manufacturing

I also got some invitations to some cool colleges

One was Bennington which I think

Was one of those colleges that you can

Make up your own degree

And another one in Pennsylvania which was

A private Christian college but much cheaper

4.2 Safe and Sound

4.2.1 The Recruiter

I took a long time deciding

Whether or not to join the military

One of my interests in it

Was that I could do something

Interesting just out of high school

And go to a much better college

And not be in debt from student loans

I was also stressed out with all the reading

We did my senior year and I was looking

Forward to have some time away

From a rigorous academic program

I chose to go enlisted because I wanted

To get my military service out of the way

Before I went to college

Because even then I didn’t

Think it would be very enjoyable

I found out later that there is little

A person can do to prepare for Basic Training

Except getting into good over all physical shape

I had run most years of high school in

Cross Country and Long Distance Track

And my senior year I worked out all summer

And took an intensive conditioning course

The last half of my senior year

I signed up a whole year in advance

So I got an interesting job in the Army

Working with computers

I remember asking my recruiter directly

About the NBC training

And whether or not our enemies would be

Using chemical weapons in combat

He directly denied it

I wasn’t afraid of being killed

But I didn’t want to be burned alive

The brochures painted one side of

Someone’s imagination of military life

But being in the Army is very different

The only thing I had really known

That was correct was that it didn’t

Require much brain power even for

The most advanced engineering job

4.2.2 Basic Training

The first thing that shocked me

Was how much easier the physical training

And how more friendly my fellow soldiers were

Than I had expected

The downside was that I didn’t

Rise to the occasion as much as I had hoped

The first 2 weeks of Basic Training

You get yelled at a lot from the Drill Sergeants

And you learn to march

As well as watch films on all sorts of things

Like the military judicial system (UCMJ)

And a scare film about STDs

You also get issued gear during this period

It is really easy to get out then

But there is nothing very stressful yet

Next you learn the Manual of Arms

How to move the rifle in ceremony and safely

I had to drop and do push-ups

Each time any procedure was explained

As I seemed to keep on getting it wrong

Then we had a confidence building course

That we had to repel and climb through

Various towers somewhat like an obstacle course

Then they do pictures and no one is allowed to smile

Of course that wasn’t hard as we were to go

To the gas chamber in a few days

I was told the gas chamber didn’t cause any pain

And that you only had to

Hold your breath for a few seconds

You go in this small dark room

With your mask on and you feel

Your hands are burning painfully

Then you are told to take off the mask

Not only can you barely breathe

But it feels like your

Lungs and eyes are on fire

We were kept in there for at least 5 minutes

And we were the last platoon in

So we had much more of the CS gas

In the room at the time

As they put another stick in each time

Another platoon went in

This is when I realized the

Risks I was taking by enlisting

After that, we spent 2 weeks

Learning how to shoot the M-16 (BRM)

I thought I would never pass

But the drill sergeant gave me a lane

Where the 300m target jumped up

And down and counted for me

No matter if I hit it or not

We then trained with a live grenade

I freaked out about this

Until I got the live grenade and then

It just felt like throwing a baseball

Except after you throw it you dive

Down in your foxhole and put

Your head between your legs

For training we didn’t have a foxhole

But we had a cement wall

We stood behind, we wore a kevlar

Helmet and vest and the sergeant

Jumped on us to make sure we were down

These grenades are safe as long as you aren’t

Standing up as they explode at a high angle 

Then we went to field training exercises (FTX)

I didn’t do very good at digging a foxhole

But my battle buddy slept while I

Watched for the Drill Sergeant

One time, the Drill Sergeant pulled my rifle

Out of my hands, so I had to low crawl

In the dirt, but later I gathered

That she was saving me from the

Other Drill Sergeant who was going to throw

CS gas into my foxhole

I slept with my protective mask on that night

Then we did a big test on everything

We learned for combat survival

I failed the clearing a rifle from a jam test (SPORTS)

And I left the test button connected when

I set off my claymore mine and yelled "claymore"

I was supposed to be punished for that

But it didn’t happen for some reason

During the last week, the head Drill Sergeant

For the platoon announced in front of everyone

That if I wasn’t already promoted as high

As she could promote, then she would have

Chosen my above all the other soldiers

The only thing that happened the same every day

Was that we woke up once the lights were turned on

We jumped out of bed and ran into formation

When we finished training under the football lights

We went to breakfast as it was getting light

And this was in the middle of the summer

On Sundays we got a few hours off to write letters

And we could go to church or we could do chores

We were also allowed a little time to call home

4.2.3 Advanced Training

Going to advanced training was a big relief (AIT)

I was shocked to see my roommates

Watch TV and play video games

I was also shocked that we had Drill Sergeants

In advanced training as well

And these ones were out of uniform

The first month or two we did details (chores)

We went to school in rotating schedules

We had morning, swing, and graveyard shifts

Every few months, our class rotated

I went to school with all the other services

I developed allergic pink eye (Conjunctivitis)

Which I continued to have for 3 more years

I think I was more stressed out by

Having to identify who are the officers

And who are the NCOs and their ranks

Than I was afraid of the real potential

Of being exposed to chemical weapons

We had much better food as we were on

A Navy base and after the Air Force abandoned

Their "dormitories", we inherited them

They were like the Hilton to us

But they were not up to Air Force standards

The Marines really hated us

As they trained on an Army base before

And they didn’t have a good experience

We gradually got more and more privileges

After every few months

We were eventually allowed to leave the base

When I shipped off, everyone was being sent to Hawaii

People graduating a month or 2 before me

Were sent to Bosnia and Korea

4.2.4 Permanent Duty Station

I graduated on Valentine’s Day

And arrived at the air port

In the middle of the night

I took a taxi as the Drill Sergeant told me

On arriving to the base

I did not know where to go

Ironically, I was dropped off in exactly the right spot

I had to do details my first few weeks

After doing processing at the base

There was a bus that drove

All around the island (Oahu)

So I could see all the sites on my days off

We worked on a rotating swing and graveyard

So I would always have different days off

I attended different churches on the base

In town nearby, in Honolulu, and across the island

It was so beautiful even in the winter

After working a few months, I got mononucleosis

I also got staff eye infections

One day, half delirious

I went to the commanding officer

And asked to get out of the military

I didn’t even care if it was honorable or not

I was referred to the counseling center

They determined that I had a personality disorder

I never even saw anyone other than NCOs

A psychiatrist (a Major) signed off on it at the end

Later I found I had Schizophrenia, but that

The military wanted to save money,

So they didn’t diagnose me properly

Before I left, I ran a half marathon through

Kole Kole Pass to a Naval Seal base

I also took some tests that got me credit

For a year of college

And a few months before took some classes

Which in combination, gave me

An entire year as transferable credit later on

So I never was a college freshman

I also had seen most the major tourist sites

Before I left the military

I got out in 5 weeks after talking to the CO

And I got an honorable discharge

This never happens that fast

Even with a dishonorable discharge

God was sure looking out for me

4.3 College and Mental Illness

4.3.1 Community College

I tested out of my first year in college

While still in the military

So I started out at Community College

In town as a sophomore

I had even got money from the Army

For college but the biggest financial aid

Came from not counting my parents income

Against me so I could get grants

Grants don’t have to be paid back

I had to live at home because I only

Had enough money for school

I started out with a Business Major

I took Calculus and Economics

I had a lot of trouble with Accounting

I took it 5 times before I passed it

I learned about Postmodernism

In my required English class

I hated Business but I was trying

To be practical about my major

I wasn’t able to study much

Because I was in so much pain

From the allergic pink eye

4.3.2 University

The next year I attended the

University in town as a Junior

I continued studying business

I took a Chinese Literature class

As my business breadth requirement

And I enjoyed it immensely

This was my first introduction

To Eastern Philosophy

I also started several other classes

But had to drop out

As I was still in so much pain

From my allergic pink eye

This was about the time

When I started my website

I had to move out that Spring

And lived in a fixed up garage

For a few months

And this was when I first

Installed Linux

After reading about it for 6 months

My motivation was to try to

Fix Microsoft Office so it would

Crash less and all programming roads

Seemed to lead to Linux

I had to attend summer school

As I didn’t complete enough courses

I took an Existentialism and an Ecofeminism

Course that summer

As that was all that was left

This was my first introduction to

Existentialism

The end of that summer I worked

At a phone survey company

Previously I had tried selling

Long distance phone service

And doing canvassing for

Our local Public Interest Research Group

I changed my major to Journalism

I took a grammar course

And a graphic design for journalists course

As well as a class in mass media

And a philosophy course about Beauvoir

Someone told me she was the lover

Of Foucault which is not true

4.3.3 My Breakdown

At the end of the winter semester

I had an emotional breakdown

I thought I was dealing

With spiritual warfare

I tore up my copy of the Second Sex

And I burned a bunch of my books

I thought I was a prophet

And ended up in the local

Private hospital’s mental ward

I tried to take courses that Spring

After I was released for several months

In programming and social science

But that didn’t work out

I started reading philosophy again

Starting with Existentialism

And Zen Buddhism

Along the way

I spent about a year in a group home

With 8 other mentally ill men

I spent a couple years in a retirement home

And had in home care a number of years

I now am completely independent

5 Human Nature

I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

¹

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

²

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?  I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?  Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

³

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

⁴

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?  For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?  The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?  All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart

⁵

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?  All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?  Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit. That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he. Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?  For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

⁶

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?  Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?  It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

⁷

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?  Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

⁸

For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

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Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?  The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!  Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!  By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

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Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

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6 Children’s Instruction

6.1 Deuteronomy

Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?  And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

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Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

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Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it; And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey. For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full. Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him; Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you. Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh? For ye shall pass over Jordan to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you, and ye shall possess it, and dwell therein. And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.

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And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

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6.2 Others

And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.

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And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

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I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness. For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress. There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces. There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

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Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

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And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

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