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Co-exist
By Julie Terry Cartner
Some people delight in facts and figures, numbers and calculations, while others feel their eyes rolling back in their heads at the first indication of equations and exponents. Some people are okay with math until numbers suddenly have letters added to the equations, while others delight in the unknown, but not unsolvable statements like (f)x=ax+b, a2xb2=c2 or A= mc2, unsolvable for some and a rush for other.
Some people delight in discussing the point of view, plot, or various themes of a work of literature or expounding on the beauty of the onomatopoeia, alliteration, or personification in a poem while others see nothing but weirdly placed words.
Still others delight in the words of the Scriptures, studying the words of the Holy Bible, whether it be the stories of Noah’s ark, Moses in the bullrushes, or the events and encounters of Matthew or Mark or the many others in their interactions with Jesus.
For some, math and science are a foreign language, for others, the analysis of literature is equally so, and still others are baffled by the words of the scriptures. Many, however, are as fascinated by one as they are with the others.
On our recent trip to Northern Ireland, one of my must sees was the Giant’s Causeway. To some this geological formation may just be a pile of rocks, but to most, the science and the stories behind this formation are fascinating.
Around 60 million years ago two events occurred in Northern Ireland, massive volcanic activity and a shifting of the Earth’s tectonic plates. The shifting of the plates allowed basaltic lava to escape from the Earth’s interior to cover that coastal area. More and more lava escaped, creating layers of hardening lava. As it cooled, the igneous rock contracted, creating cracks, not just on the surface, but down through the many layers of stone, ultimately forming over 40,000 basalt hexagonal columns. In some areas, the surface is relatively smooth and looks like a giant, black, mosaic tile floor, and in other areas, the columns vary in length and resemble steppingstones leading down to the Irish Sea.
The scientific information is fascinating. How could that have happened, so perfectly? I understand both the volcanic activity and the shifting of the plates but am beyond amazed at the perfect symmetry of the columns. Equally fascinating, however, is the myth behind this landform.
Legend tells us that Finn McCool made his home in Northern Ireland, and Benandonner lived across the Irish Sea in Scotland. When Benandonner threatened Ireland, Finn grabbed huge chunks of rock and threw them into the sea, creating a path from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Then Finn ran across the path to confront Benandonner. Unfortunately for him, Finn discovered that Benandonner was much larger, so Finn ran back home, soon followed by his enemy. His wily wife came up with a plan, and disguised Finn as a baby. When Benandonner saw the baby giant Finn, he assumed that if the baby was that big, his father must be huge, and thus he returned posthaste to Scotland. As he traversed the sea, he destroyed as many of the causeway stones as he could to keep Finn from following him, but the stones on the Northern Irish side were left intact.
And finally, the religious answer is stated in the simplest of terms, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth…” Genesis 1:1 … “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so…” Genesis 1:9
Legends are stories, often created to explain things that seemed unexplainable. They were passed down, generation to generation, embellished and re-defined over the years to create fascinating tales. The artist’s brain looks at something and wonders, and in doing so, creates – whether a painting, song, or story.
Science is defined by data created by factual information. It is objective in nature and is constructed through evidence.
Religion is based simply on faith. Christianity is based on the teachings of the Bible and the Triune God.
Who’s to say one is “right” and another is “wrong”? Can’t science, legend, and religion co-exist, each in its own place? Similarly, can’t we all co-exist, each with our own diversity?
 
I Wonder Why
By Gaye Hoots
Scanning the headlines on the internet leaves me pondering much that I read. Recently what was labeled art consisted of a banana duct taped to a canvas. The signature was “Comedian.” This did make sense to me, but the fact that this item sold for over six million dollars was mind-boggling. The person who purchased it had made their money dealing with cryptocurrency, another thing I do not understand and would be afraid to invest in. I know little about it, but my friends invested and lost significantly. I know of no one who made money with it. Perhaps he paid for it in cryptocurrency that may become worthless, if so, that would be ironic. He stated he planned to eat the banana but that the artist had given instructions on replacing the banana with a fresh one and retaping it with duct tape.
Other puzzling articles are about sexual scandals, not just among the rich and famous but also among teachers, preachers, and other professionals. The accusations are not just men, but women also, and often parents are accused of abusing their children, some under one year old. This week I read that the head of a private school for preschoolers that costs almost forty-five thousand dollars a year was charged with child abuse and publishing videos of the acts. Perhaps he felt no one would believe a child that young. It is a problem across all socioeconomic levels. Interspersed with these articles is “news” about well-known females wearing see-thru dresses, low-cut and revealing attire, and descriptions of partial nudity. They did not include pictures of men exposing their bodies, I looked to see.
We are still arguing over whether bathrooms should be designated by sex or gender. It has just become an issue in Congress as a trans person has been elected. The solution I would prefer is a single bathroom with a door that locks and may be used by either sex or gender. The best solution I have seen for large public buildings, like schools, is a row of single stalls that latch, with a row of sinks and no doors leaving the area between the stalls and sinks visible from each end so the area can be monitored.
There are daily descriptions of both celebrities and others dying, many in dramatic ways from drug overdoses. In the case of the celebrities, charges are being brought against those who provided and administered the drugs. The news has frequent references to millions of dollars’ worth of drugs being intercepted and this is a small fraction of what reaches our country and is distributed. We lost my granddaughter to a drug overdose after three separate inpatient rehabs and multiple outpatient treatment programs. Close friends have lost family members also. It is heartbreaking and once introduced into this culture few recover. We were fortunate that a detective with the Mocksville force did pursue a conviction and the dealer who sold my granddaughter the drug is now incarcerated. We know of Mexican cartels and now Haitian gangs and others that contribute to this. Our government has been ineffective in stopping the supply, and with education and experience working with substance abuse prevention and treatment and psychiatric disorders I was unable to save my granddaughter.
Recent articles concerned chemicals included in our food as additives and preservatives that other advanced countries do not permit. I assumed the FDA regulated these, but they left a loophole for GRAS or generally accepted additives which are controlled by food companies and not reviewed by the FDA. One example is Froot Loops cereal; the US version includes food dyes and preservatives that Canada and some European countries do not allow. I am interested in this as there are many food items I must avoid or pay the price. Some are meat tenderizers. low-fat milk products, and oriental sauces. This may be a factor in ADHD also.
I also learned that while we have no gold backing the US dollar, the US has over 8000 tons of gold stored here, some belonging to other countries. The gold the US treasury stores is now valued above five hundred and forty-five billion based on internet info. The last info I saw on our national debt was above thirty-three trillion. Can you imagine the trouble we could get ourselves into if we had an open-ended credit limit?
Being retired may be a dangerous thing as you don’t have time to consider these issues when working, managing a household, and raising a family. Many of the issues I have raised have been present most of my lifetime and have varied little under either political party, and these remarks are food for thought for all of us regardless of party affiliations.
 
Special Words
By Marie Craig
When I was about 10 or 12, I read a library book about efficiency experts. I’ve never been the same since as I put into practice all the time and energy saving methods that I learned about. One aspect of this is being able to vocalize a complicated situation with just one or two words. I’ve learned that such words are my good friends. I’ll list some examples here.
SANG FROID. I learned that this is pronounced San frwa’. The definition is coolness and composure especially in trying circumstances. A good place to remember this term would be when you have a bad temper boiling inside you, when you have to give a speech, or when you ask the bank for a loan.
EGUE is pronounced seg’ way and means a smooth transition. In a conversation, topics sometimes flow from one idea to another in a logical manner. Most of the new topics begin with “that reminds me of…” Potential authors are taught to segue from one paragraph to the next.
SERENDIPITY is another of my favorite words. You go on a search for something and stumble across something else that is more significant. You could call this a surprise delight. Maybe you’re looking for something in your junk drawer and discover an object that you thought you’d lost.
CLOSURE is an important word. Perhaps you’ve held a grudge or ill feelings about someone. If you just forget about this, or better still, talk to the person and settle this in your mind, then you can move on through life with fewer negative feelings. It might also describe finally finishing that quilt you’ve been making for so long or completing your Christmas shopping list. That gives a great feeling of relief.
VALID means “It works. It is true.” There are some truths that can’t be escaped. If you smoke, you increase your chances of having lung cancer. If you don’t wear your seatbelt in your car, you could be seriously injured or killed in a wreck. If you have a bad temper and don’t control it, chances are, your child will have the same bad characteristic.
SYNERGISM is a great word which means working together and getting more done in a shorter time than if there was individual effort. Picture making up a bed by yourself with clean sheets. Now picture two people on opposite sides of the bed putting on clean sheets. You’ve eliminated lots of walking back and forth and saved time and effort. When I was a student at Western Carolina College, there was a blind girl and a girl in a wheelchair. They became good friends and went everywhere together. The blind girl pushed her friend’s wheelchair, and the other girl told her where to go. They could not have functioned without each other. When all of us help each other, we get more done.
FOCUS is a word we were familiar with as we used cameras with film. There was a mechanism that we turned until the subject was sharp and well-defined. While doing this, we weren’t involved with any other task—just focusing. Sometimes we are proud of being multi-taskers, but it’s also important to be able to focus on one thing and tune everything else out.
SIGODLIN is a mountain word that I had forgotten about until I had a mild case of Covid a few years ago. While recovering by relaxing in my recliner, I had a little folding table beside me that had one leg shorter than the others. When I put something onto the tipsy table, in my stupor, I said out loud, “This table is sigodlin.” I had forgotten all about that wonderful word. Another good mountain phrase is CATTY SLAUNCHWISE, meaning not straight up and down.
SESQUIPEDALIAN, a lover of big words.
Enough said.