The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/japan...
Picking Cherry Blossoms by Utagawa Kuniyoshi http://www.washacadsci.org/Meadowlark-Ga...
Cherry Blossoms http://www.washacadsci.org/Meadowlark-Ga...
Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law will he exercise him day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the water of life that will bring forth fruit in due season; His leaf shall not wither; and look, whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper. Psalms 1: 1-4
In every culture there are stories and proverbs to establish ethical values with the younger generation and to implant a sense of divine justice into the hearts of men.
We live in a world where evil stalks the streets, old folks are dishonored by thier offspring and frequently children see one parent viciously attacked by another. The world has gone mad. Each day, we open the newspaper to more bad news, international calamities, disasters that overwhelm us and leave us feeling helpless in a swirling sea of evil. Frustrated by watching the bad guys win and the rats devour the mice, we wring our hands and wail our disillusionment, no longer reassured by the words:
"Fret not thyself because of the ungodly; neither be thou envius against the evil doers For they shall be cut down like grass and be withered even as the green herb." Psalm 37:1-2
"But they have shoes and I don't"
"And look at the Mercedes, he's got..."
"Martha Stewart will only be restricted to a mansion-do you call that fair? Is walking around a plantation, prison? Can we trade places? At least there's food in prison. And she's still doing interviews and putting her ugly mug in the newspapers."
"Oh, the injustice of it all."
How true, how true. And there's not always a time when a pep talk cheers a person up. Sometimes, it has the opposite effect, wearing a person down with the burdens of carrying the entire justice system on one's back and being the martyr to the world. Not even the favorite political satirist cheers you up and the best political cartoons stopped long ago when Walt Kelly died and pogo no longer identified the enemy as us. Lil' Abner fell off into the editorial Bottomless Cliff and even that scrawny cat, Bill finally died after the third or fourth time OD'd. That's how tragic life is.
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