Mini-Bible-Philosophy-Worldview Study (16) Of The Day- On Persistent People And Desperate Times
Verse Of The Day
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9)
Related Quotes
“I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.”- Wilma Rudolph
“Never lose the childlike wonder. Show gratitude… Don’t complain; just work harder… Never give up.”- Randy Pausch
“Paralyze resistance with persistence.”- Woody Hayes
Questions For Discussion
What is your greatest strength?
What is your biggest weakness?
Are you a person who seeks challenges?
Is there any value in setting the bar low in your life?
Bonus Verses
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:9)
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)
Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. (Isaiah 49:13)
Commentary- On Birds And People Banging On Glass Ceilings
Craig note- People have been writing me with questions on evaluating social media success and failure. It is easy to get discouraged.
On Early Morning Writing And Noisy Birds
I awoke over my winter vacation about 2:30 a.m.There was no reason to be up at that hour. But, my inner writer called me to write something.
What? You don’t do that?
Truthfully, I did not have it in me that morning. My computer called me again. So, I wrote a blog post or two. After I finished, I went back to bed.
But, I could not fall asleep.
There was a sparrow outside my condo window. He kept chirping. It was cold outside. I imagined the little bird was calling out to me, “Let me in! Let me in! It’s cold outside.”
I thought about opening the window. But, I did not.
Years ago, another little bird flew repeatedly into my bedroom window. Time and time again, the little bird would fly full speed into that glass pane. One supposes it mistook its reflection for another bird.
At least, I hope so. Otherwise, it was one dumb bird.
This went on for several weeks. It annoyed me to no end. We lived in the woods, so I begrudgingly got used to it. But, back in those days, I worked long hours. The little sleep I got was a precious thing to me. One morning I did not hear the bird.
Truthfully, I was glad.
I got ready for work, and I walked out the front door. There on the cold, grey sidewalk was the little bird. It was dead. In fact, it had been shredded to pieces (no doubt by another wild animal living in the woods).
And, I was sad.
On Desperate Birds
(Fast forward.)
A few years ago, I worked in a countryside school in Japan. A sparrow built a nest near the door to one of the old school buildings. The bird flew full speed into the upper glass of the building door every morning.
Everyone was told to, “Be sure and shut the door, so the bird does not get into the school.”
Of course, somebody did not shut the door, and the little bird got inside the building. Worse for the bird, nobody noticed it was hiding inside a classroom during winter vacation. That did not end well for our little friend.
I returned after the break to find the English classroom covered in white bird poop of varying sizes. The bird had been in quite the panic to escape the locked building. I found its blood-covered, dead body lying on the hallway floor.
But, the worst part: It was a half meter away from an open widow and to its freedom.
It got me thinking about social media and life success. It is easy to want to be more (on social media and in life). I try to focus on the tasks at hand.
But, I would be lying if I said I did not keep some eye on book sales, blog numbers, and Twitter engagement levels. At times, I question if my enormous effort is really worth it.
Of course, I enjoy writing. And, as I wrote to another content creator in Japan, “I have shared Japan from the first day I came here.” This is also something I enjoy doing.
But, I do question the value of writing and sharing with no real endgame (sustainable income, fame, or whatever). There must be something more productive I should be doing with my limited free time.
I end up feeling very much like those dear departed little birds.
There is no point in banging on the social media or life success glass ceiling. Yet, I cannot help but keep trying.
I am left to wonder if social media and life success is not for me or: “the birds.”
Grey, Grizzled, and Gaijin
