Who are we really? Where did we come from? What were our ancestors like? What did they think about? How did they live? Were they farmers or carpenters or fishermen or lumbermen? How much of them do we possess? What did they pass down to us? I suspect there is more of them in us than we suspect!
From my Swedish grandfathers came a love of woods and lumber – the appreciation of smooth finished wood grain. My love of tools and intricate and precisely functioning machines probably comes from my German grandfathers. Throw in a little English and a bit of Irish and you find me. My thoughts and love of books come straight from my father. But ultimately who I am is my responsibility. The interests, inclinations and instincts that I inherit from my fathers are mine to use to master the knowledge and skills with which I want to form my life. By adding education – not schooling but education – real education where intellect, aptitude and the desire to produce come together – to those traits from my fathers and to those other teachers who come across my path I can begin to master skills to make my life count in the world.
As we master skills and knowledge there is another responsibility we bear. We need to teach the skills and knowledge to those whose interests bring them across out paths – whether our own children or simply others who are brought our way. True mastery is never acquired unless tested. And the purest form of testing is not necessarily in the performance of a task so much as it is in the passing on of that knowledge and skill. But not only the knowledge and the skill but also the passion that is required to actually master something. In that the master begins to send out ripples that will far outlive him. No master can ever be satisfied until those ripples are expanding endlessly around him. And he will know true success when those students begin to excel beyond his own skill.
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
As a man lives he must find time to set aside to reflect and to allow God to speak to his soul. Perhaps a busy man can only find 10 minutes a couple times a day for this important exercise. Other times perhaps a whole day should be side aside for this quiet, still water time. Time to read the Bible and pray – not bringing God a list of things we desire but listening instead of talking – time to allow God to instruct us as to how we should “be”. Life is too short to go through it without some serious consideration as to how we spend our days. Questions need to be asked: Am I fulfilling my reason for being? Is my work the best use of my knowledge and skills? Am I keeping myself in condition physically and mentally to live life as it should be lived? This quiet time is a still water time – not a time to making ripples but a time to dive deep into our souls and remember our God. A time to think about our roots and who we really are. A time to ponder the ripples we are sending out. Time to think about how we are affecting the people around us. Still waters are deep and time there is necessary – more necessary than ever as it is so easy to be distracted by busyness in our fast paced world. Time for still water is time to breathe. Time for a quick compass reading to make sure our “true north” principles are in mind as we continue to seek mastery of our chosen skills and knowledge – as we seek to create the ripples that will affect the world for good.
“The lesson which life repeats and constantly enforces is “look under foot”. You are always nearer the divine and your own true sources of power than you think,” John Burroughs
“Be not a slave of your own past – plunge into the sublime sea, dive deep, and swim far, so you shall come back with new self-respect, with new power, and an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Be still and know that I am God” Psalms 46:10
