Almost everyone these days know what number to call in case of an emergency, 911. But, have you heard of 411? If you have already celebrated your 45th birthday, you remember this ancestor of virtual assistance like Siri or Alexa. If you are younger than 45, settle down in a comfortable chair. Maybe, you might grab a glass of water, or a blanket, or a stuffed animal, or all three. It’s time for a story.
In the days before email was common and cell phones were used by the wealthy or military, Google and other information gathering web sites did not exist. If people wanted to gather information on a topic, they would go to the library and read an encyclopedia entry to gain the knowledge that they sought. Or, if they wanted more information than the encyclopedia contained, they would look to see which books the library had that would help with their research by using a card catalog.
But, what if you had procrastinated on your research project and the library was closed and it was too late to call your friend who had a set of encyclopedias that their grandparents had bought from a door-to-door salesman. (Encyclopedia salesmen, because back then the only door-to-door salespeople that were women sold cosmetics, would convince grandparents of infant grandchildren that their precious grandbabies would grow up ignorant and unable to get a job in the highly competitive post- World War 2 job market without the knowledge contained in the 28 volume genuine faux leather bound books of knowledge. So, the grandparents would put $1.00 down for these gleaming beauties with gold-edged pages. Then, these loving grandparents would send the encyclopedia publisher fifty cents per week until the grandchildren were teenagers and then the entire set of encyclopedias would be theirs, outright. These books of information were so pricey that only a few houses would have a set.) So, the procrastinating student of yore was stuck with an incomplete project, because there was no way to learn the population of Persia before the paper had to be turned in to their teacher? Not quite.
There was a special number that could be called on the telephone and a person would retrieve the information for our hapless student. The number was 411. Most people used this number as a way to retrieve a phone number or time of day. But 411 operators would also give out basic Civics information like populations, languages spoken, and what type of system of government a country used.
Information has been used by people of power for a very long time. If one person knew more than another person, than the more knowledgeable person would create rules and laws to govern society. As information became more widespread with more children going to school and more grandparents buying encyclopedias, things changed. More people than ever had a roughly equal amount of knowledge. it was no longer enough to know what everyone else did, higher learning became standard and adults sent their children to college in droves.
People now have access to more information than before more quickly than ever before. Now, masters degrees are de rigeur and PhDs are only slightly more prestigious. Most people know at least ten advance degre holders, not including their doctor.
Where am I going with this story? Good question! Maybe I will just keep writing until the end presents itself! I am just joking. Sort of.
The Western Hemisphere is more educated than ever before. YouTube has millions of videos to demonstrate how things work or impart other bits of knowledge. But, with all of this education and knowledge that people need to be powerful and in charge, there is something missing, for the most part, in today’s culture.
The missing piece is understanding which leads to loving. It has been said that people are more compassionate than ever before. The number of businesses with charitable branches and donations has increased. But, does giving money and goods to others increase understanding of one another? No.
Sadly, today, it is too easy to make judgment calls about people who are different. After all, the knowledge is out there and opinions that support yours are plentiful. It’s much better to take the time to get to know people as individuals, rather than learning about a culture, race, religion, or political party and labeling each person you encounter.
There are no perfect all~knowing people alive today. I believe that there’s only One that has ever existed. This month a fair number will celebrate his birthday while others will use the celebration as an excuse to party more, drink more, spend more, eat more, and even fight more. To this second group, I encourage you to drop any preconceived notions and speak with someone from the first group that you already know to find out more information about Who they celebrate and why.
Knowledge and power are not strength. Love is strength. Humility is strength. Kindness is strength. A wise man once wrote, ”And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.“
1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/1co.13.13.AMP
Love is the greatest force ever known. It is not an emotion, but a daily action. A person cannot go wrong if they are motivated by unselfish love.
Journey with Monica 