Awake!, February 22, 1963
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Why Peace Plans Fail
Planning a Budget
You Are Wonderfully Made
Storms over Thailand
FEBRUARY 22, 1963
THE MISSION OF THIS JOURNAL
Newt sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. "Awake!’1 has no fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It i$ not bound by political ambitions or obligations; if is unhampered by advertisers whose fees must not be trodden on; it is unprejudiced by traditional creeds. This journal keeps itself free that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth.
"Awake!" uses the regular news channels, but is not dependent on them. Its own correspondents ore on all continents, in scores of nations. From the four corners of the earth their uncensored, on-the-scenes reports come to yau through these columns. This journal's viewpoint is not narrow, but is international. It is read in many nations, in many languages, by persons of oil ages. Through its pages many fields of knowledge pass in review—government, commerce, religion, history, geography, science, socio! conditions, natural wonders—why, its coverage is as broad as the earth and os high as the heavens.
"Awake!" pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes ond subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners ond strengthening those disheartened by the failures of o delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of a righteous New World.
Get acquainted with "Awake!” Keep owake by reading "Awoke!”
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CONTENTS
Are You Easily Annoyed?
Why Peace Plans Fail
Love or Hate
When Success Turns to Failure
Planning a Budget
The Historic Khyber Pass
The Way They Say It in Newfoundland 16
You Are Wonderfully Made
Crocodile or Alligator?
Storms over Thailand .
The Nutritious Carob Tree
Election Year in the Bahamas
“Your Word Is Truth”
Is Lent a Christian Institution?
Watching the World
THE way to lose friends and to be avoided by other people is to be easily irritated by small things. Who enjoys being around a person who creates embarrassing scenes because a train is late or a plane flight is postponed or someone for whom he is waiting comes a little later than expected? Who enjoys associating with a person who explodes because he is pushed in a crowded store or because things do not go right with something at which he is working? Who enjoys riding in a car with a person who becomes so upset over a foolish mistake by another driver that he shouts insults at the person or mumbles ahout it for a long time afterward? Who wants to be around a person who objects whenever you whistle a tune or do some other small thing that he finds annoying? The company of a person like that can be very unpleasant. He makes the mistake of allowing small things to conquer him. He actually hurts himself.
Your general health can be affected if you allow yourself to become perturbed over small things. You upset your nervous system, and this can cause numerous ailments. Even your heart can be affected adversely. Besides disturbing your health, petty annoyances can create tensions in your relationship with other persons. If you are married, you can ruin the happiness of your marriage, making living with you intolerable. How can your wife be contented if you are so easily irritated by small things that she docs or says that you are constantly speaking harshly to her or making unkind remarks? How can there be happiness in your home if you or your wife is easily annoyed by the playful antics and even slight noises of your children? Would it not be better for all if you were less sensitive?
gj easily annoyed?
There are many factors that affect your disposition, such as health, fatigue and your general temperament. A tendency toward being nervous and high strung is more likely to cause you to be easily annoyed by small things than if you were relaxed and easygoing. Nevertheless, ability to ignore small annoyances can be cultivated and certainly should be cultivated.
Self-control is what you need to exercise when you feel annoyed at something petty. Nothing is accomplished by getting upset or angry. Keep your emotions under control and try to look at the annoyance objectively, viewing it as inconsequential
, small things other people do or say, make allowances for their imperfections and for the fact that all people are not the same. Consider their peculiarities, not as annoyances, but as the things that make people interestingly different. The exercising of neighbor love should help to overcome any tendency to be easily irritated.
The Bible states that love “does not look for its own interests, docs not become provoked.” (1 Cor, 13:5) It is selfishness to be looking out just for your own interests. If a person wants to hum a tune, why get disturbed about it? Be pleased that he is in good humor. Exercise neighbor love by putting up with his expressions of a happy heart. Rather than giving undue attention to the noises and mannerisms of other people, learn to live with them. Older people tend to find this more difficult than younger persons. They are more inclined to be easily annoyed by small things and should, therefore, make a special effort to show neighbor love by being tolerant of others.
The apostle Paul gave the good advice: Put “up with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:2) When you do that you will not permit yourself to become annoyed over the small things that other people do. Neighbor love makes allowances for others. It is long-suffering and does not expect perfection from them.
It takes real effort to remain calm under the tensions of modern-day life and to refuse to be irritated by small things. The peace and harmony that can be had in a home, the winning of friends, the realization of a more tranquil life are worth the effort to avoid being easily annoyed. By following the good counsel of the Scriptures regarding your relationships with other people you can learn to conquer annoyances rather than letting them conquer you.
and not worth a dispute. When traveling, , for example, if there is nothing you can do to alter the situation, accept delayed plane flights, late trains or breakdowns in your automobile as necessary travel risks. Rather than getting upset by small things, look upon them as things to talk about when relating your experiences to friends.
When a person has a mannerism or uses a certain expression over and over again, try to ignore it. It becomes an irritation when you allow your mind to dwell upon it. His use of it does you no harm. The same can be said about a mannerism of fussing with things such as papers on a desk or pictures on a wall, adjusting and readjusting them. A person in close association with someone who does that might find his fussiness very annoying. It is better to exercise self-control and learn to ignore it than to make uncomplimentary remarks about it that can only lead to bad feelings.
Some persons are easily annoyed by whistling, the tapping of fingers on a table, the rustling of paper, the playing of a radio, and so forth. These things can be disturbing when you are trying to concentrate, but they do not warrant an angry remark or a display of temper. Of course, love should also move a person to avoid making noises that disturb others. So whether you are the one who feels disturbed or are the one doing the disturbing, fellow feeling should govern your actions. Have consideration for the other person and do not think just of yourself.
Usually the things that annoy people are the small things done by others. Mannerisms, lack of manners, repetitious noises, doing things in a way that appears awkward, inconsistent or different from what you are accustomed to can be sources of irritation if you permit them to be so. Instead of becoming provoked over the
T9§Cb" bespite
W’ E LIVE in stormy times! C o n-stantly restless and unsettled conditions prevailing earthwide remind one of a violent storm at sea. Listen to the long-range forecast of the problems that now confront mankind, as foreseen and recorded in the Bible by the inspired prophet Isaiah: “Ha for the commotion of many peoples, who are boisterous as with the boisterousness of the seas! And to the noise of national groups, who make a din just like the noise of mighty waters!'1 (Isa. 17:12) How aptly these words portray this twentieth century with its turbulent winds of change and waves of violence and upheaval that sweep back and forth to buffet humanity! Two shattering world wars, numerous localized conflicts and rumblings of other possible trouble spots continually in the news have kept leaders and people alike in a constant state of uncertainty and agitation. Let another Bible writer, Jeremiah, express the way you have probably felt at times: “There was a hoping for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but, look! terror!’’ (Jer. 8:15) Such has been the expression of those who have depended on the peace plans that have failed.
IF-pos have been raised con’ imially as frosh efforts have been made to settle the issues. Men have tr;od a number of different ways to overcome the sources of conflict and danger. To this end a whole fleet of peace-plan “ships" have been launched over the years.
One organization after another and innumerable pacts, treaties and agreements have been set in motion, given official approval and publicly acclaimed as “seaworthy” and the answer to the problems, only to end in disappointment. Unforeseen obstacles and extra stresses and strains have heen encountered and the “ships” have foundered and sunk out of sight.
A classic example in modern times Was the League of Nations, launched in January, its high ideals and ambitious plans, it was rendered a total wreck, after struggling along for a few years, by one upsurging wave of Nazi-Fascist aggression that precipitated World War II. Along with it many associate treaties and pacts sank out of sight, forgotten. Twenty-two million lives were lost during the world war when that peace-plan “ship” went down!
The League’s successor, the United Nations, launched in October, 1945, was labeled “the world’s best hope for peace,” among other optimistic titles, and was supposed “to maintain international peace and security.” So far it has managed to weather the stormy years of the postwar era, but there have been many uneasy moments. Former ardent supporters have voiced their lack of confidence in it as a peace-making body. Senator J. W. Fulbright, for example, spokesman for the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated: “The United Nations . . . has fallen far short of the hopes which attended its creation; we must look elsewhere for a system that can unify the forces of freedom effectively.” There is talk of abandoning ship.
In addition to these political efforts to unite the world and guide man’s course to reach a peaceful and secure haven, there have been numerous endeavors to draw the world together religiously, linguistically, racially, economically and educationally by such moves as cultural exchange visits, official missions, trade agreements, conferences and a variety of other programs.
With so many determined efforts made, often by sincere, diligent men and women who devote their time and energy to such a desirable end, why so many failures? Why is the world in fact more divided and stormy than ever? What is faulty about man’s peace plans?
What Is Lacking?
For a ship to survive a stormy transocean voyage it must be fully seaworthy, meeting specific standards as to quality of materials used in its construction and as to structure, its component members being expertly welded or riveted together in a well-designed pattern that will stand the stresses and strains that will be encountered. Vital too is the need for an experienced and courageous crew working under the direction of a capable captain who can navigate wisely and make right decisions under emergency conditions. How do human peace organizations measure up to the requirements for their task?
First, the limitations and imperfections of the human race itself mean that faulty materials make up the organizations themselves. It becomes increasingly clear with each successive failure that man cannot clear up the problems by his own efforts. He must look to a source of power and hope higher than himself. The Bible has maintained this all along, namely, man’s dependence on his Creator, Jehovah God. Jeremiah was one who did; “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.’’ (Jer. 10:23) Wise King Solomon, powerful in his day and successful as a peacemaker, observed: “From Jehovah are the steppings of an able-bodied man. As regards earthling man, how can he discern his way?” (Prov. 20:24) Do the political leaders of the nations earnestly seek the guidance of God and stand ready to apply the clear counsel of His Word the Bible in their dealings with one another? Does any one nation do so? Have they' ever done so? Because a large section of the earth is now represented by godless governments this is no sound reason for other nations to ignore the counsels of Almighty God. Here, then, is our first reason for man’s peace plans failing —imperfect man’s reliance on his own strength and wisdom.
Consider now the structures of the organizations that work for peace. Do the individual nations participating weld solidly together in complete accord? No! Far from it! Selfish interests and widespread distrust and prejudices permeate such arrangements. Any unity achieved to date has been accomplished by halfhearted com-promisc and bargaining. Such is never a strong bond of union. The Bible emphasizes the need to stand firm for righteous principles and thus manifest unselfishness and neighbor love in all such settling of differences, for love is “a perfect bond of union.” (Col. 3:14) In addition to the imperfection of the materials, then, this lack of devotion to righteous principles and this seeking of personal interests constitute further reasons why peace plans fail.
The vital need for experienced crews to man the “vessels” that steam across the treacherous waters has already been mentioned. The men at the helm of world peace organizations have accumulated a measure of experience in administrative fields and studies in political science. They have become adept at negotiation and diplomacy. Yet they are still unable to cope with the complex issues that now face mankind and they often seem bewildered and undecided when new crises arise. Threats more hazardous than ever, issues more far-reaching than over contemplated and situations more dangerous than over before cause many a dilemma and deadlock.
Beyond Man's Control
These three reasons for peace plans failing stem from man’s own failings, his own imperfection and inexperience, and lack of devotion to principle on the part of many. To this list the Bible adds another important factor that may not be readily apparent otherwise. It pinpoints the very cause of the stormy situation and much of the blame for man’s failure to succeed with his peace plans as being the powerful spirit creature Satan the Devil. Invisible to human eyes, his existence and his evil intentions are revealed clearly throughout the Bible. Concerning our very generation, the Revelator predicted: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”
(Rev. 12:12) Jehovah God has tolerated this one’s existence for an allotted period from his rebellion, and now the fulfillment of many prophecies indicates his end is near. For this reason his wrath and belligerence have increased. '
Devilish, inhuman and sadistic individual acts of violence and ill-treatment of fellowmen are grim evidences of his influence in the lives of those who become his willing tools. Over and above this, his maintaining of unsettled conditions and wrecking of man’s peace plans are part of his declared intention to embitter and harden people against their God and Creator by causing loss of faith and by sidetracking time and effort away from godly paths. He foments prejudices, misunderstandings and bitter frustrations. His influence may well be described as ‘an ill wind that blows no one any good.’ Ephesians S'. 12 reveals the enmity that exists between man and elements in the spirit world in these words: “We have a fight, not against blood and flesh, but against. . . the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.” His aims and attitude are also expressively portrayed at 1 Peter 5:8: “Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.”
Considering the combination of reasons for the failure of man’s peace plans to date, it is clear that, no amount of experimentation or persistent efforts to establish a united world will succeed. We must look elsewhere for a solution to the problem.
How Peace Will Be Realized
The Bible is emphatic that Jehovah God, “the God who gives peace,” will accomplish his original purpose for this planet by acting to eliminate the very root causes of the trouble. Read a few of the promises of His Word: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." “Jehovah ... is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.” There will be an “abundance of peace . . . from the River to the ends of the earth." “They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war any more."—Rom, 16:20; Ps. 37:11; 46:8, 9; 72:7, 8; Mic. 4:3, 4.
How will such a permanently peaceful earth be brought about? By God’s heavenly kingdom, empowered as a unified world government under Christ Jesus as king to give mankind the needed direction. This established kingdom will not coexist much longer with any other power, spirit or human. Every troublemaking system, organization and individual will be destroyed in the “war of the great day of God the Almighty” at “Armageddon.” (Rev. 16:14, 16) This will be the war to end wars, the storm to clear away storms for all time. Concerning the noisy din made by the “national groups,” Isaiah 17:13 states: “He will certainly rebuke it, and it must flee far away and be chased like the chaff of the mountains before a wind and like a thistle whirl before a stormwind.”
- Frankly considering the failings of man’s peace plans emphasizes the need to accept the Bible’s promises as reliable and to apply its counsel day by day so as to gain God’s approval and his protective care through Armageddon’s storm. The psalmist spoke of those who turn to Jehovah God and his kingdom, saying: “They begin crying out to Jehovah in their distress, and out of the stresses upon them he brings them forth. He causes the windstorm to stand at a calm, so that the waves of the sea keep quiet. And they rejoice because these become still, and he leads them to the haven of their delight.”—Ps. 107: 28-30.
The kingdom of God adheres firmly to righteous principles. It is not restricted by human inexperience and imperfection. It stands out in sharp contrast to human peace plans. It is well equipped to produce and maintain earth-wide lasting peace.
Love or Hate
American author Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote: “It is to the credit of human nature that it loves more readily than it hates.” Is this false or true? True, say researchers. Interviews reported by Harvard psychologist Gordon Allport show that people want to love, are thwarted when they hate. “Man’s natural inclinations all are to love and to respond to love,” says anthropologist Ashley Montagu. "The need for love is as definite and compelling as the need for food.” The first and greatest commandment is to love and the second is like it.—Matt. 22:37-39.
WHEN SU CESS TERNS TO FAILURE
J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, speaks from his many years of experience this truth: "When man ‘leans on his own understanding' . . . when he lives by his own strength . . . when he boasts of probing the mysteries of the atom, the depths of the sea or the secrets of outer space—he forgets God and claims he is his own master. The result is untold suffering.
“Even though one’s position is maintained, even though material wealth increases, success quickly turns to failure when God has been forgotten. There is no peace of mind, no personal satisfaction, no personal experience of inward joy. To ‘trust in the Lord with all thine heart’ is a mark of strength. And it is the only path to happiness, success and true fulfillment.”—Prov, 3:5, 6.
RE you a person who finds it difficult to make ends meet financially? Do you tend
to live over your head? Are you often borrowing from others? Do you often give in to'impulse buying and then wonder where your money went? Are you trying to hold down two jobs, to the detriment of your spirifiial life and Christian privileges? Do you express the sentiment of the cartoon caption, “What does Grandpa know about hardships? He only did without things. He never had to pay for them!” If so, you will do well to give thought to planning a budget.-
But the word “budget” is anathema to many persons, especially debtors who prefer to shun reality. “The perennial debtor is a budget-proof individual who mistakenly attributes his fiscal woes to a shortage of funds,” recently commented the New York Times1 “He has not learned from experience that no matter how much he earns, it is never enough. . . . The reason that the perennial debtor cannot even draw-up a budget, according to the assistant treasurer of a credit union, is: ‘They don’t want to come face-to-face with reality.’ ”
If these “budget-proof” persons would come to face reality, they would discover benefits in a budget. For one thing, they would find that they are likely doing without the things they really want because their money is spent purchasing items they could easily do without.
They would find, too, the complaint, ‘It is too tedious and dreary to live by a budget; it stifles joy in living,’ to be a misconception. The trouble usually lies in the fact that they do not know what a budget is. They think it is mere penny-hunting record keeping. Not at all! Some persons do keep track of every cent they spend, only to find that they still cannot make ends meet. But they are not budgeting. A budget is essentially a matter of planning, not record keeping. It is a plan for distributing income so as to give you and every member of your family the utmost satisfaction from money spent; it is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went; it is a device to help you fit your spending to your life’s goals and purposes. Little wonder a budget has been compared to a dam. A dam holds back the undirected flow of the stream in order to turn the waters into channels that supply power generators, so that electric current may be provided now here, now there, as needs arise.
Since a budget does the.same thing with the flow of income as a dam does with the incoming waters, many families have found budgeting no boring experience. They find it far more interesting than spending money impulsively. They find that concentrating their combined thought power on getting things they need and want most is more interesting than looking at a television program.
A budget, then, should not be a stiffer of joy. It safeguards one from the loss of joy caused by a financial crisis. There tends to be apprehension rather than joy when there is no money for things really needed. Besides providing for one’s individual or family needs, financial planning also may make luxuries attainable without the unpleasant feeling that they cannot be afforded.
Neither Extravagance nor Miserliness
A budget copes with both of these problems. It helps eliminate wasteful spending. It shows you leaks through which too much of your income is draining without significant returns to you. When the leaks of extravagance are identified, one can plug them and divert the stream of cash to something that is truly wanted. If one depended solely on impulse in buying, he might spend so much money extravagantly that he might lack basic necessities. With so much installment buying today one can easily go hopelessly in debt. There is one case of a woman who bought so many things on easy payments that the total of each month’s payments was greater than her husband’s monthly income. A budget enables persons in debt to pay off their debts from regular income and remedy the situation of borrowing money at high interest rates, which in many instances is flagrant extravagance,
A budget, on the other hand, need not make one a miser, a penny-pincher and a self-centered person. No, a budget is designed to take into account and provide for gifts and contributions and for showing hospitality. A budget helps many Christians live up to the Bible counsel; “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” (1 Pet. 4:9) A budget should steer one safely between the whirlpool of extravagant spending and the rock of miserly grasping.
Cooperation and Preliminaries
To get the full benefits of a budget, if it is for a family rather than an individual, there must be cooperation. Husband and wife must work together. The wife may be a good financial manager and the husband may turn over to her some responsibility, but the entire load should not rest on one person. Both should share it, and in many instances the children can learn how to cooperate. The budget system eliminates the “give me a dime, please,” way of things, because under it children are usually given an allowance, In harmony with the family income and the child’s needs. The child is told what this allowance is intended to cover and is taught by the parents how to draw up, in turn, a personal budget. Thus the children, by getting financial training early in life, are better able to avoid both miserliness and extravagance.
One easy approach to budgeting is to purchase a budget booklet. These are available in many stores and are often given free of charge by banks and other financial institutions. Sometimes a ready-made book requires more record keeping than is necessary, and many persons have found it better to make up their own budget plan, merely using sample budget books as sources of ideas rather than as final tools to be used from beginning to end. A budget plan can be both effective and simple.
The first major step in planning a budget is to find out what one’s expenses are. Find out what you spent during the previous month under such headings as food, housing, household operation, transportation, clothing, and so forth. For some persons the easiest way of estimating certain classes or expenses sucn as ciotnmg co SIS is to start with expected annual costs and divide by twelve to obtain a monthly figure. One could use receipts and canceled checks to help estimate expenses. If you do not have a fairly accurate idea of where and how money is being spent, then keep a spending record for at least a month or1 two. With the actual record of your1 expenditures, you will have the basis for a budget.
It is quite a shock to many persons to learn, after1 a few weeks of recording expenses, how many dimes go out for coffee, or soft drinks, how many quarters go out for magazines and how many coins end up in coin machines. It is surprising to learn how much is flowing out in small, almost unnoticeable amounts. Of course, there is nothing wrong with small personal expenses, whether it be for coffee, ice cream or snacks, but when you know how much is being diverted to small expenses, you may find that they are running much higher than anticipated. A record of expenses for a month, then, may be very revealing. If one has an auto, he might keep a notebook and pencil in the car to jot down car expenses as paid out.
After one has determined what one’s expenses are likely to be per month, then one can take the second step: Make an estimate of income for a certain period, a month or a year. Be realistic. Do not count any chickens before they are hatched.
Setting Up the Budget Plan
Knowing what your income is for a set period, you can now allot money for your needs and wants in proportion to their importance, First consider your necessities. Basically, these are food, clothing and shelter. It is up to you to determine how much to spend on these. Some budget books list fixed percentages for these needs, but many persons find they do better by fixing tneir own ngures. Budget dooks snow some families spend 25 to 40 percent of their income on food. Depending on what country and in what locality you live, you can adjust the food bill to your own circumstances. If a family finds the food expense is taking 30 percent of their income, they may be able, by more careful shopping, by buying larger quantities at the right time and by less impulse buying, to reduce the food expense to 25 percent, and still provide a well-balanced diet for all the family.
Some money specialists believe that there should be enough categories of expenses in your budget plan to cover main expenses: Food, clothing, shelter, house operation, medical, transportation, recreation, gifts and contributions, insurance, personal care, taxes, and so forth. However, one should guard against too many headings, getting too involved. In fact, one authority on money management suggests just six categories for simplicity, that is, food, clothing, housing, house operation, advancement and savings. Advancement would include gifts and contributions, auto, books, magazines, recreation, health, personal grooming, vacation, travel, and so forth. But a budget should fit your needs and may require more than six headings. Gifts and contributions are often desirable as a heading, allowing one to make provision for his religious interests.
What about the “savings” category? Many money management authorities now recommend that there be two types of savings funds. The first would be for emergencies that arise, those expenses that cannot always be anticipated. There may be a sudden doctor hill, unexpected auto repairs, something you simply must buy but have not provided for. An emergency savings fund need not be allowed to grow too big. Many persons keep it within one to two months’ income.
The other savings fund would be for long-range goals, for specific things you need or would like to have but which you do not have money for now. One might be saving up for a vacation, travel to a convention, needed household furniture, a new refrigerator or for some luxury that could not be obtained without advance planning and which if obtained on credit or installment would put the family in debt and result in high interest payments.
The savings fund, wisely used, can relieve a family of much tension and high-interest expense. Highlighting the benefits of a budgetary savings fund, an editor of Fortune magazine tells about two mythical couples: The Frugals decide to defer all but necessary purchases for enough months to accumulate $500. Then they will have a fund from which they can make cash purchases, and instead of paying out a fixed amount each month in installment loans, they will use these sums to replenish the $500. The Joneses, with precisely the same income, do not put off purchases but instead regularly commit themselves to many installment loans. At the end of ten years, says this editor, the Joneses would have paid out about $800 in interest. The Frugals, by contrast, would have earned interest on their savings fund— $150 or more. Not even counting the extra benefits they would have reaped by buying for cash, they would be, in toto, about a thousand dollars better off—and would be free of ten years’ tension because of being in debt.
When you set up the budget, study the list of needs and wants. The individual or family should make certain the needs are really necessities. Then look over the list of wants and decide on their relative importance. Next apportion your month’s income in such a way as to take care of your needs, using the remainder or discretionary money as seems most important to you.
In a simple form, then, a budget is; (1) An estimate of income; (2) a grouping of all expenditures into a few major classes; (3) a monthly estimate, prepared in advance, of total payments that you expect to make in each of the specified groups and (4) a record of the payments actually made in each of the groups. When budget expenditures run close to income, one must realize there is little room for impulsive buying.
Revising and Planning Ahead
After the budget has been in use a month or more, some questions need to be asked: Does it plan for food spending to protect the health of the family? Or is if too extravagant? Does the plan provide for other health needs? And what about the family’s spiritual health? Have you provided tor Bible-study aids and funds to advance your religious interests ? Have you considered hospitality to others? Is there something for moderate recreation? Is there a straining to save too much? Do not be surprised if your budget requires revision. Revise your estimated expenditures until you arrive at a workable plan. Do not make it too tight; if it is, one might consider a suggestion by one financial institution that recommends a budget category called “Oil," amounting to about 2i percent of the total income: ‘‘That’s oil for the troubled waters, ft will cover mistakes and save personal headaches. It will cover the ... $5 you spend on impulse when the budget makes no allowance for it."
A budget is often thrown out of balance by what some people call ‘‘blockbusters’’ —big expenses that come along once or twice a year, such as insurance payments or real estate taxes. The way to deal with potentially devastating expenses is to plan ahead. If it is a once-a-year insurance payment or tax, divide the total due into twelve payments and start a reserve fund for fixed future payments. Set aside something every month. Likewise with seasonal expenses: In climates with cold winters, the big outlay for heating a house is confined to about six months. If all fuel expenses have to come out of that period’s income, it might be difficult: but if an estimate of annual fuel costs is made and
divided by twelve and then laid aside every month, the situation is in balance.
Simplified Systems
Tailor the budget to your needs or the needs of your family, not someone else’s family. If it is kept simple, it will not be necessary to spend more than a minute or two to make records of expenses. Some persons avoid keeping records of small expenses by making a personal allowance to each member of the family. No accounting for the use of this allowance is called for, though the individual may wish to keep a personal budget.
There are also a number of simplified versions of the budget. One is the envelope system. Each envelope is marked for the purpose it represents, such as ‘Tent,” “food,” “transportation,” and so forth. Every payday the income is transformed into bills and coins. Then it is distributed among the envelopes so that when bills become due the money will be there. As one spends, no record is kept of expenditures. When a small balance is left in the envelope, it may be transferred to a “savings” envelope or it may be retained for next month’s use. If one envelope is consistently exhausted before the end of a period (say the food envelope), you can either
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE Determining Your Moat Vital Needs. Working Wiwee and Mothers « Wonder Vessels of the Sea. # What's in a Name? * Distance'Conquering
to
draw from the savings envelope, or if you think food costs have been larger than they should be, you might try to reduce them by more careful shopping.
The envelope system has the advantage of simplicity, but one must firmly resist borrow from another envelope when convenience so urges, upsetting the budget. Some persons find the envelope system good for some categories of expenditures, such as food, classes.
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Communications.
rather than for
all
Another simplified system is to put the monthly income in the bank and to use checks to pay all important expenditures. One can later sort the canceled checks out, total each category and see whether he has kept to his budget or not. Also, one might combine features of the envelope system with the checking account system. One might keep only small amounts of money in envelopes and the rest of the money in the bank. The envelopes representing larger expenses might contain only a card on which is recorded how much money is in the bank and allotted to that category of expenditures. Thus one could devise a simplified system that best fits his circumstances.
The simplified, systems, though nut as useful generally as a modest budget book, still go far toward a budgetary goal of freedom from financial tension. Whatever system is used, remember that a budget is mainly a plan for spending, not simply a record of expenses. Planning a budget, telling your money where to go, will enable most people to live more in harmony with their life goals—yes, and to live within the Scriptural injunction; “Do not you people be owing anybody a single thing, except to love one another.”—Rom. 13:8.
THE crossroads of Oriental civilization.
The gateway to Pakistan. The way of merchants with their camel trains, of pilgrims, of exiles. The route of conquering armies, of Alexander the Great, and Genghis Khan. Yes, ail these describe the Khyber Pass, one of the most famous highways of the world.
The pass begins near Jamrud, ten and a half miles west of Peshawar in Pakistan, and winds through hills for about thirty-three miles in a northwesterly direction into Afghanistan. It lies along the bed of a torrent consisting of slate and so is subject to sudden floods. These occur usually during the months of July and August; then once again in December and January. The pass begins in the foothills of the Suleman range and gradually rises to an elevation of 3,500 feet above sea level. The name Khyber is also applied to the range of hills through which the pass runs.
The Khyber Pass is wholly in Pakistan. However, because Afghanistan is a landlocked country she was given the right of unrestricted passage of her goods from the seaport of Karachi to Peshawar by rail, and then by truck from Peshawar to Kabul through the pass. So for many years goods flowed freely through the pass and a flourishing trade passed between the two countries. Fruit, particularly, was exported from Afghanistan to Pakistan, and many Pakistanis enjoyed the luscious green grapes that came.
However, today there are many difficulties between the two countries. One day the country of Afghanistan closed her holders and stopped all trade between the two. For many days goods flowed to the border and then had to be eventually disposed of. Fruit rotted for lack of transport. Travel by tourists was restricted. Today only international tourists are allowed through.
When the shah of Iran visited Pakistan recently he offered to mediate the dispute. However, so far nothing has come of it. It is to. be hoped that someday the trouble will be cleared up and once again trade and tourists will flow freely over the ancient Khyber Pass. Meanwhile, the tribesmen still guard the tribal area between the tw'o countries.
Tribes
There arc three main tribes in the Khyber valley. These are the Afridis, the Shin-waris and the Mullagoris. They are divided into many clans. Some of these clans have fertile land and so can live on their resources the year round. However, many have to migrate to the plains in the winter. This is a sight to behold. In the fall long lines of tribesmen, all their worldly possessions on their camels and with their families at their side, wend their way down to the plains.
Wherever one goes he meets the Afridi Pathans, celebrated in the writings of Kipling. Their land is one of suffocating heat and eroded hills of beauty and discomfort. If one is ever there when a dust storm strikes, he never forgets the swirling, choking dust that covers everything. Yet the people are a happy people. Many have gone to the nearby city of Peshawar. There they can he seen in their colorful clothes, their baggy trousers, talking excitedly in the bazaar's. They are the traditional guardians of the border and can be formidable enemies. However, if you win their friendship they can be fiercely loyal.
The tribes are constantly busy in private wars and feuds. Many times members of one family will be locked in bitter squabbles and hatred. Each fears losing his small piece of land or inheritance, so there is mutual distrust. But let an external danger threaten and all the tribe will unite. Then all personal difficulties are set aside and all fight for the common good.
As one drives through the Khyber area the tribesmen are ever in sight. There are watchtowers on many of the high hills, and the tribesmen are armed. They have their own tribal gun factories just south of Peshawar. Here tribesmen make rifles, pistols and revolvers by hand. They make copies of foreign arms and turn out products that can barely be distinguished from the original. In fact, tourists greatly prize these weapons and buy them in abundance.
Conquerors
Many conquerors have passed through the Khyber Pass seeking land and wealth. Tn 1500 B.C. the Aryans came. In the sixth century B.C. the Persian armies crossed into the Punjab. Also, the Scythians, the Parthians, the Mughals and the Afghans came down through this great northern route to what was then India, And, of course, in the fourth century B.C. the armies of Alexander came.
Alexander defeated the armies of Persia and then turned his attention to India. He moved to Kabul in Afghanistan and then divided his army into two divisions. He sent the main body of his troops along the south bank of the Kabul River. Then he himself took a small column of troops and proceeded through the Kunar Valley and Chitral. Both armies finally met in the Punjab in northern India and defeated its ruler. And so another conqueror came to stay.
However, while various empires conquered the plains, they rarely brought the hill tribes under their domination. The tribes remained free, not subject to any government or any system of taxation. Even today a tribal form of society exists.
The British advanced into the Khyber in 1839. In 1842 they used it as a great military highway when General Pollock marched through with three divisions. Much trouble followed, and finally in 1879 a treaty was signed between the British and Amir Yakub Khan. This agreement stated that the British would take control of the Khyber Pass. In exchange the Afridis received 87,540 rupees (about $18,430.00) per annum. The actual management of the pass was still left with the tribesmen, who, through their local maliks or leaders, guarded and kept the pass open for the British. At this time the forerunner of the famous Khyber Rifles came into existence. These originally consisted of four hundred men responsible for escorting caravans safely through the pass. A few years later these four hundred became two battalions of six hundred each, fifty of them mounted and under British officers.
Transportation
Today, one may comfortably drive through the Khyber Pass on a good hardsurfaced road. However, this has not always bpen the case. In fact, for many centuries the winding, twisting trail through the pass was hard to traverse even by camels or horses. The first real road was built in 1581 and is attributed to the Mughal ruler Akbar. This same Akbar was obsessed with power and in 1579 issued a decree that declared himself the supreme arbiter in al) civil and ecclesiastical cases. This did not go over well with all and finally led to rebellion. In the ensuing war the road was built for vehicular traffic.
If you drive along the road today you must remember to go in daylight hours, as you are not allowed through at night. Also, there is one more thing to keep in mind, Pakistan follows the British system of driving on the left side of the road. On the other hand, Afghanistan follows the American way. Therefore, when you come to the border it is vital to remember to change sides.
There is also a railway line now through the pass, which is considered a real feat of engineering. It runs through the pass and ends at Landi Khana, thirty-two miles from Peshawar. In 1890 the first survey was carried on through the hills, but it was not until 1925, after much difficulty, that the railroad was finally opened. As Sir C. Hindley said at the time, “The great engineering difficulties which have been overcome and the standard to which the railway has been built render it a technical achievement ranking with the greatest engineering works carried out by any of our predecessors,”
Archaeological Sites
The area around the Khyber and the city of Peshawar is rich in archaeological findings. Many pieces of Gandhara sculpture that have been found show that a Buddhist civilization flourished here two thousand years ago. Many of these pieces of stone and stucco sculpture, as well as ancient pottery, coins and old manuscripts, can be seen today in the Peshawar museum.
On the outskirts of Peshawar have been found the remains of a huge stupa or cylindrical mound or tower that was once 550 feet high, and was built in the second century. In 1909 Buddha’s relics enshrined here were discovered. They were given to the Buddhists of Burma, but a replica of the famous casket can be seen today in the Peshawar museum.
Yes, the Khyber has been rich in history. Conquerors have eome and gone. Great civilizations have been there. Yet today the area and its tribesmen are much as they have been for centuries.
The Way They Say It in Newfoundland
'‘Arn?” “Nam." These quaint expressions are considered to be by some the shortest conversation between two fishermen in Newfoundland. The first asked,
‘‘Are there any (fish}?” and the other replied, ‘‘Not even one.” The mariner’s way of life is further seen in these expressions: “Douse the killoek,” meaning throw the grapnel overboard; and "going down nort to the ice,” used when seal hunters go out on pans of floating ice seal hunting.
Around the home you will hear, “She's as saucy as a crackie” or “stunned as an owl.” Women and girls of all ages are called “maid.” while men of all ages are called “my son.”
Reflecting some Irish background are the oft-heard sayings, “Don’t be talking,” or, on the bus, “You’re after passing your stop sure.”
JVLANY men marvel at the complex mechanism of a watch, which consists of some 135 to 140 pieces, but there is another timepiece that is infinitely more complicated and absolutely indispensable to life, namely, the human heart. Men are awed at a camera that can take and develop a picture in ten seconds, but what of the eye that instantaneously presents them with a flow of pictures in living color. Men know a great deal about steam, gasoline, electrical, atomic and other types of engines, but they know practically nothing about the most marvelous engine of all—the human body.
It astounds the average person to learn that in twenty-four hours the heart beats 103,689 times or about three thousand million times in an average lifetime: that in twenty-four hours the heart pumps 4,320 gallons of blood through 60,000 to 100,000 miles of blood vessels, a distance of two to four times around the earth, supplying oxygen and nourishment to some 300 thousand million cells. If the distance traveled by each blood cell were recorded, its total mileage in a single day would be very great. On an average, each day a man breathes 23,040 limes, inhales 438 cubic feet of air, eats about 3} pounds of food, drinks some 2.9 quarts of liquids, speaks about 4,800 words, moves over 750 muscles and exercises approximately 7,000,000 brain cells. So wonderfully does the body operate that man is hardly aware of any of this activity.
This most incredible of all known ‘'machines” is composed of some 100 organs, 200 bones, 600 major muscles, thousands of millions of cells and innumerable atoms. It manufactures, improvises and completely overhauls itself at regular intervals. Il has illimitable reserves. It is powered by complex electrical and chemical reactions and is coordinated by the brain through an intricate network of nerves. 11s digestive system accomplishes in two hours what would take over twenty hours to accomplish in a fully equipped laboratory. Yet it requires little care.
The human body is durable. To give you some idea of its ability to absorb punishment and still function, Dr. Peter J. Stein-crohn writes: “The average man can get along without his gall bladder, spleen, tonsils, and appendix. He can dispense with one of his two kidneys, one of his two lungs, I wo out of his four or five quarts of blood, two-fifths of his liver, most of his stomach, four of his twenty-three feet of small intestine, and half of his brain. He can go on despite arm or leg amputations.’’ In fact, so impressed was the late Walter Cannon, Harvard University physiologist, with the body’s durability that he enjoyed making this statement: “When you understand a great deal about the human body and its resources for health, you wonder why anyone is ever sick.”
Almost everything about the human body is a marvel. Take, for example, the Iwo fist-size, reddish-brown organs located on either side of the spine at the level of the lowest ribs. We call them the kidneys, but they are really master chemists. J. D. Ratcliff mentions a few things they do. He says; “They maintain an exact proportion of water in the blood. They keep us in exact mineral balance—a little too much potassium would stop the heart as effectively as an electric chair. They control the acid-alkali balance—a swing too far in either direction is lethal. They dispose of urea which, if permitted to accumulate, would be as deadly as cyanide. In a day’s time the kidneys sweep clean of wastes over a ton of blood. And as a built-in safety feature they have about nine times the capacity needed to maintain health: thus if it is necessary to remove a diseased kidney, the remaining healthy one does double duty with ease." Even a grafted kidney, although its nerves are cut, starts to work at once to give man efficient and unfailing service.
Such marvels inspire praise to man’s Creator. King David of ancient Israel declared; “O Jehovah, you have searched through me, and you know me. For you yourself produced my kidneys; you kept me screened off in the belly of my mother. I shall laud you because in a fear-inspiring way I am wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, as my soul is very well aware." (Ps. 139:1, 13, 14) Men are stiil impressed and moved to praise then-Maker when they witness the wonders of the human body.
Your Garment of Scales
Another marvel of the human body is the skin. It is the largest of all organs and can be adapted to more purposes than any other part of the body. Man can feel ft, study it, admire its design and flexibility, thrill at its strength and beauty, and yet with all his ingenuity he cannot reproduce so much as a little bit of it.
What a garment your skin is! It is ranked with the brain, heart and lungs in its importance to life. It is punctured by millions of tiny holes called pores, still it can withstand heat and cold, wet and drought, acid and alkali, microbic invasion and stand up under a hundred years of wear and tear. It is self-sealing, self-cooling and exquisitely sensitive for your protection. It effects its own repairs, eliminates body wastes, regulates body heat and even presents a seasonable protection of pigment against increased sunrays. It has been fittingly called the Jack-of-all-trades.
Your skin is made up of some twenty or more layers of scales, that is, dead cells. As skin cells are made in the lower part of the epidermis the new cells push the old ones upward. On the way up the cell dies and turns into microscopic specks of scale we call skin. By wash and wear invisible amounts of scales are rubbed off and replaced. The average man of seventy sheds about forty-five pounds of skin in his lifetime.
But what prevents the skin from becoming dry and scaly? There are about two and a half million oil glands that secrete oil. These keep the scales from drying out. There are also numerous elastic fibers that draw the skin closely and provide the body with a skintight fit. Your skin has also a built-in protective and repair system. When the skin wears dangerously thin, the body sends a fluid between the outer and inner layers as a protection to the tender tissues beneath. Doctors call this a bulla, but its more familiar name is “blister.” If the skin is allowed to accustom itself slowly to the wear, the cells will increase their production to a point where dead cells pile upon one another to form a callus to protect the area that is receiving extra wear.
Your skin is a remarkable storehouse too. If you weigh about 150 pounds, within your skin is stored about twenty-five pounds of fats, water, sugars, salts and other materials. When the body needs these materials, the skin releases them to the bloodstream for transportation to depleted cells that have signaled for supplies.
Your skin and blood work together to form a unique cooling system. Hot blood coming from other organs flows through the skin at a rate of fifty to eighty gallons an hour and is cooled. The blood vessels of the skin aid in keeping the temperature of your body normal. When it gets too hot, the vessels expand so that more blood flows to the surface of the skin, where it is cooled. When you get cold, the skin’s blood vessels close up, less blood enters the skin, internal heat is conserved. Your body is kept warmer. Wonderful, wouldn’t you say? You ARE wonderfully made.
Magic Building Blocks
Imagine seeing two bricks in a vacant lot merging together into one brick. Then without instructions from anyone this one brick begins to make other bricks and they, in turn, produce other bricks of varying sizes. Some of these join themselves together to form a foundation, others form walls, still others shape themselves into windows, kitchen, bedrooms, lighting, heating and cooling systems. In a matter of days a complete house appears. What would you think? Fantastic, you say. Isn’t life so? Consider.
Man comes from a single cell. At the instant of fertilization this single cell begins to multiply until, about nine months later, a child is born with organs, bones, muscles and trillions of working cells. Each cell is made up of three parts: a nucleus, cytoplasm and outer membrane. Each cell nucleus contains about forty-six chromosomes, with two exceptions. The egg and sperm cells have only half that number. So when these combine into the fertilized egg, the normal number of chromosomes is reached. Each chromosome has a number of genes, which are thought to be the seeds of inheritance.
Inside the living cell is another world. According to Professor J. A. V. Butler, the average cell contains over a quarter million protein molecules of all sorts, including all the minerals and metals in the earth. Since each molecule usually has about 20,000 r^oms, this means that an average living cell, independently functioning like a world of its own, carries about five thousand million atoms. Pictures of cells enlarged thousands of times reveal within them a kind of order we find in the universe above.
Glance now inside the nucleus of the cell. There we find an acid made of deoxidized sugar. Chemists call this deoxyribonucleic acid “DNA” for short. Molecules of DNA are long thin strands, constructed like a twisted ladder, with the rungs made of joined chemical compounds. This molecule has a marvelous memory. It has all the information about you. It carries hereditary information, just as sounds are recorded on magnetic tape. In every living cell, and there are trillions of them, whether in your heart, hair or liver, the DNA molecule carries the full history about you. And at the right moment it directs the use and purpose of all cells and synchronizes their operations throughout life.
The first cell at the moment of conception has all the coded directions. Its DNA knows when to start building the heart, the liver, the eyes, the nose, the lungs, the bones and the blood—all of you. In fact, according to DNA authorities, that one cell held advance reservations for all the body functions of the life-span. The number of jobs in man that DNA is estimated to perform are said to be well over seven hundred thousand.
DNA authority George W. Beadle estimates that if the tapes inside the nucleus ot a single human cell were uncoiled and laid end to end they would extend five feet —this packed inside an ultrainicroscopic speck! Dr. Beadle says that if it were possible to put the DNA code of a single human cell into English letters and a typist copied them, they would fill a 1,000-volume encyclopedia! It is also estimated that if all the DNA strands in the human body were placed end to end, the resultant magnetic tape instruction for human life would reach beyond the moon. Surely we do not know all about the human cell, but what little we do know is enough to convince us that we are wonderfully made,
Vo Lazy Bones
There is no such thing as a live lazy bone. Bones are living, growing tissues in the body. Actually they are among the busiest living organs in the body. Ratcliff writes: “They are thriving manufacturing plants which make red and white blood cells 24 hours a day. Every minute about 180 million red cells die. Your bones must replace them with healthy young cells, or you face anemic death. It takes six to eight weeks for the marrow to restore the red blood cells after a pint of blood has been removed.
“Bones have other major responsibilities: they produce the white blood cells which fight off infection, and they act as one of the body’s storehouses for reserve nourishment. In their marrow they husband fats and proteins for time of need. And they contain nearly all the body's vital calcium and phosphorus. Calcium is necessary for the clotting of blood, the beating of the heart, the contraction of muscles and the functioning of the nervous system. By an intricate self-regulating system, calcium from milk drunk today is deposited in the bones, and calcium deposited last week or last year is withdrawn.”
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