The first commandment given in the Ten Commandments is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20: 3)
So, how will having no other gods before God solve problems? First of all, keep in mind the second and fourth requirements. This commandment is for everybody, whether Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Christian, atheist, Buddhist, or what have you. One of the fundamental principles of this commandment is the need to focus on one great goal, and if everybody is working towards that same goal, there is a greater chance for harmony and peace. I might even suggest that we take the world as it is now. There are many different religions, we each believe in a God, yet in perhaps different terms. Following this commandment, as it applies to each individuals religion (as set forth by that individuals standard and set forth religious beliefs), will help those individuals focus on that which is most important. I’m no scholar on any religion but my own, but I think it’s safe to say, if everybody put their God first, as He and their religions truly suggest, then there would be less bickering, less immorality, less deceit, less selfishness.
What I have for you this week are just a few websites that give us access to the past, an historical artifact that uncovers a mystery, and some new ways to do timelines.
World Digital Library
A great resource, hopefully, for scholars. From their website….
“The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.
The principal objectives of the WDL are to:
Promote international and intercultural understanding;
Expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet;
Provide resources for educators, scholars, and general audiences;
Build capacity in partner institutions to narrow the digital divide within and between countries.”
cuneform digital library initiative
Related to the WDL, is the CDLI. From their website….
“The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) represents the efforts of an international group of Assyriologists, museum curators and historians of science to make available through the internet the form and content of cuneiform tablets dating from the beginning of writing, ca. 3350 BC, until the end of the pre-Christian era. We estimate the number of these documents currently kept in public and private collections to exceed 500,000 exemplars, of which now nearly 225,000 have been catalogued in electronic form by the CDLI.”
John Harrison sea clock
And here’s a short read on an interesting historical topic. It seems the history of the longitude will need a small rewrite. What’s most amazing, though, is the skill and craftsmanship of the compass at the heart of this historical debate. Created over 270 years ago, the original parts show no sign of wear and tear, while replacement parts broke down after 80 years. A remarkable piece of history.
The controversy surrounding this clock comes from recent work to replace broken parts from the initial attempt at restoration. It was originally believed that John Harrison created this clock all by himself. He being originally a carpenter, some scholars are a bit skeptic that he could create the intricate brass work needed to create the piece. The most recent repairs have lead people to believe Harrison had help, and probably commissioned out certain pieces. Comprising over 2000 pieces, this sea clock is a marvel of itself, regardless of who made it.
Here’s a poem I wrote to hand out with the chocolate bars we gave to the women folk in the Ward today.
“Because God is not with us now, He gave us each a mother.
And from our birth, throughout the days, she loves us like no other;
To heal a scratch, to wipe a tear, to teach of grace and love.
A mother is a window to the Heaven up above.”
Buried in sand: The abandoned Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse
I came across the site Artificial Owl this week. Artificial Owl finds images of long forgotten, man-made objects, locates them on a map and tells a bit of the story behind the object if possible. I was initially struck by the beautiful images of buildings, ships, airplanes, and automobiles left to deteriorate and crumble back to nature. I love the imagery of nature reclaiming her elements. It’s a definite reminder that man and his creations will not last longer than mother earth.
There were a number of images of airplanes, which I was glad to see, since I like them most. One of them was particularly interesting for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s a picture of a B-29. I love B-29s and B-17s from World War II. The reason, besides them being beautiful airplanes, is because my grandfather was a belly gunner in a B-17 during WWII. He, and an uncle, had numerous models and paintings of B-17s and other WWII fighter planes in my grandpa’s basement. I even put together a model of a B-17 myself as a kid. So, naturally, my interest was peaked. Another reason I was interested in this picture is because I remember hearing about it. The very brief history of this airplane goes like this.
B29 Kee Bird, on frozen lake near Thule, Greenland
In 1947 the Kee Bird (as it was called), was on a top secret spy mission. It made an emergency landing on a frozen lake near Thule, Greenland. The crew were all fine and rescued, but the airplane was left. In the 1990s, a few older gentlemen decided they would rescue the airplane. After lots of money and time (nearly a year), they repaired the engines and minor damage to the plane, and prepared to take off. As they taxied around the bumpy frozen lake, one of the generators used for power broke loose and started a fire in the airplane. All of the crew escaped, but the airplane was destroyed by fire. When the lake melted in the summer, the plane sank to the bottom, never to be seen again.
All of this got me thinking that this would be an awesome way to do history. There is so much information connected to this one airplane, that it could easily fill a book or documentary. I haven’t read either of them, but either would definitely be an interesting read. It would be fun to research the history of the plane, the details and reasoning behind the flight, the biographies of the crew, and all that jazz. There is so much history that can be incorporated into the story of this airplane.
This could be done for all of the images on Artificial Owl, in fact for any abandoned man-made object. As I reflect on that, this is precisely what I want to do with my dissertation. I want to focus on one abandoned tunnel in Halberstadt, Germany. It was used by the Germans before, during and after WWII. It think telling the story of this tunnel can incorporate many aspects of German history around it. Time will tell on how that works out.
Well, I’ll leave you with a few more pics of possible historical tales…
B29 Kee Bird, abandoned plane, near Thule, GreenlandAbandoned old planes at La Paz - Jfk International (El Alto) Airport - BoliviaShipwreck of the Galant Lady on Bimini island, BahamasAntonov An-8 at rest in Russian woods.
(All images courtesy Artificial Owl, used without permission – thanks!)
I think this might be the final point or qualifier before I actually delve into the Commandments themselves. The final point to keep in mind when applying the Ten Commandments to all of the problems in the world, is that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.
Elder Dieter Uchtdorf spoke about the way of a disciple of Jesus Christ in the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference a week ago. The first part of his message fits nicely with my thoughts on how the Ten Commandments can solve all world problems.
3. Participation and patients is required.
In order for the Ten Commandments to solve all of the problems in the world, they must be actively applied by all individuals, each and every day. This also requires an understanding that solutions will not come instantly, but will require time. Dieter Uchtdorf explains these principles while talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ generally, but they also apply to the Ten Commandments.
I will continue to look at the Ten Commandments and how they can solve all of the world’s problems. I am relying heavily on a talk given by Steven R. Covey at Brigham Young University on 27 May 1975 (see here), for introductory parameters that must be kept in mind for the Commandments to supply the answers to the world’s problems. This is simply because it happens to be the talk I was listening to when this idea came to me. I will use other talks, scriptures, and such throughout this series. The first post looked at how the Ten Commandments are but a stepping stone to receiving more detailed and personal revelation. This post will look at how the Ten Commandments can, and should, be followed by everybody on the planet, at all times of human existence.
Well, so much for doing this weekly. But here’s another go at it!
For making some pretty snazy presentations, or graphical representations of data, you can use http://prezi.com/ From their site: “With the help of Prezi you can create maps of texts, images, videos, PDFs, drawings and present in a nonlinear way. Move beyond the slide, it only takes 5 minutes to learn how to use Prezi.” I imagine this being very useful for historians as a way to visualize their narrative. Move from quote to image to video to audio. You could take a book and condense it down into a 10 minute presentation, using appropriate quotes, some images, and movies if you got em. A good way to introduce a topic, I would think. Perhaps I’ll throw together something and post it back later.
Quietube – send links to youtube, but without all of the comments, ads, and other videos to clutter and distract. When you visit a youtube video, just click the quietube link you previously added to your bookmarks folder. All of the distractions vanish!
An interesting way to let others know where you are in a book, and which books you are reading. You can use it for yourself too, if you don’t have one of those old fashioned paper book marks.From their site: “bkkeepr lets you track your reading and bookmark on the go, via the web and SMS. Want to remember what you read? Want to share your dog-eared pages, and see what everyone else dog-eared? Love LibraryThing, but are always forgetting to add your books? bkkeepr helps you do it, wherever you are.” So, basically, a way to let a website keep track of what books you’re reading and where you are in the books, made simple by sending a quick SMS.
