I seem to recall that in the former years of China, they used
to say "may the Emperor live 10,000 years". However,
I think the earliest hard evidence of "civilization" in
the form we view as an organized community today with some
form of written records first appeared something just
short of 10000 years ago. So in reflection, it seems that
we have just barely squeezed by the 10,000 year mark (a mere
flicker in the time scale of the heavens).
So at the turn of this milenium, it has made me wonder
what has helped us endure the last 10000 years and what
would help us survive another 10000 years. I'm not
saying this is complete, nor is it well thought out,
it is what comes immediately to mind....
(1) faith that there is purpose in life: a life
without meaning is most surely a life not worth living.
(2) grace: without God's grace and mercy, no culture
would survive long. There are just too many things
that can go wrong (and wrong with the worst kind of
timing).
(3) wisdom: a sense of respect and humility toward
knowledge and understanding. It is not just a "tool"
for bumping off one's competitors. Moreover, it has
carried civilization thus far but it has also brought
many troubles.
(4) a capacity for empathy and love for people different
from oneself. Assyria is a good example of how to bring
a culture to a rapid demise.
It still seems that the best place to find and identify
with this message is in the scripture. It has helped
many to "live", and I can only say that I have faith that
it will help many to "live" in the future as well.
So if I could pass on one thing I think that future
generations need to "live", even above a beginning
physics textbook (the fundamentals of all physical science
from which the rest could in principle be rediscovered),
I would place scripture at that top of the list.
If God's word is written on our hearts, only then
is there real hope of surviving and enduring all things.
by grace alone do we proceed,
Wayne
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