Awake!, August 22, 1984

Awake! — August 22, 1984

Source: jw.org

Contents

Page Two

Global Holocaust—Growing Concern About Survival

Survivalists—Are They Prepared for the End?

The Only Way of Survival

You Can Be a Better Reader!

That Marvelous Gift—Your Voice

How Can I Get Rid of My Jealous Feelings?

How Reliable Are Bible Prophecies?

A Look at Some of the Birds of Japan

“They Eat a Lot of Corn”

From Our Readers

Watching the World

How Should Children Be Disciplined?

The Mysterious Beasts of Revelation

Page Two

Page Two

Concern about survival is deeply etched in the minds of people in many lands. Some are making serious preparations to survive what they feel is an inevitable global catastrophe, whether from nuclear war, economic breakdown or from some other source. Will such a catastrophe really occur? Should you be making preparations to survive it? There are factors that many are overlooking. Being informed can be a safeguard for you

Global Holocaust​—Growing Concern About Survival 3

Survivalists​—Are They Prepared for the End? 4

The Only Way of Survival 8

Global Holocaust—Growing Concern About Survival

Global Holocaust​—Growing Concern About Survival

ON November 20, 1983, a record one hundred million Americans watched a TV dramatization called The Day After. In a graphic​—and at times terrifying—​manner, the film forced its huge audience to ponder the grim aftermath of a nuclear war. Eerie visual images haunt the memories of many viewers: flame-filled mushroom clouds, nuclear missiles hurtling across the afternoon sky, charred bodies, men and women vaporized and reduced to X-ray images, a child blinded by the nuclear fireball, a once pretty teenage girl balding and covered with radiation burns.

No large-scale antinuclear protest movement, though, has arisen as a result of this film. Nor have tensions between the nuclear superpowers thawed. Nevertheless, concern about surviving a nuclear holocaust seems to be growing. People do seem more willing to discuss​—and think about—​this chilling prospect.

Just a few years ago, however, a random group of 50 people in the United States were asked questions such as: “Do you think there might be a nuclear war?” and “What would you do if there was one?” The interviewers met with a surprising reluctance on the part of people even to discuss such matters. Typical was the response of a hairdresser who said: “These are not things for our concern; let the politicians worry about it.” By and large, people dealt with the threat of global holocaust by means of what researchers call “psychic shutdown,” refusing to think about it at all!

As world tensions increase, though, it becomes increasingly harder to perform this feat of emotional gymnastics and simply ignore the threat. Says Jerome Frank, professor emeritus of psychiatry: “The possibility that the world might be destroyed by nuclear arms is literally cutting out the future for many people. There is an alarming increase in suicides among adolescents, many of whom feel that they can’t look forward to contributing to society.”

There is a growing number of people, however, who refuse to sit back and be consumed by feelings of helplessness. Convinced that global disaster is inevitable, they say that there is but one sensible thing to do: Prepare for survival! Thus they have been dubbed survivalists. But who are they? Do they offer an alternative to annihilation?

Survivalists—Are They Prepared for the End?

Survivalists​—Are They Prepared for the End?

“I’M TELLING people to get out of the cities and move to small towns, because civilization all through the world is doomed.” So warned one advocate of a growing movement that both intrigues and frightens: the survivalists! They are, as their name suggests, a people bent on survival of what they feel is an inevitable global catastrophe​—be it nuclear, natural, social or economic. From where disaster will come matters little to them, for they prepare for any eventuality.

Ominously entitled books such as Life After Doomsday provide them with “eye-opening information about shelters, food storage, home medical techniques, survival psychology, and shelter defense.” Periodicals such as Survive keep them up to date with the latest survival paraphernalia: rifles, freeze-dried foodstuffs, combat gear and prefabricated fallout shelters. These, though, are just a sampling of an array of products that have created what U.S.News & World Report some time ago called “A New Growth Industry.” Some survivalist sophisticates have even invested in underground condominiums so as to ride out a ‘nuclear Armageddon’ in comfort.

Make no mistake. The survivalists mean business. True, for many their military maneuvers and target practice seem a macabre fantasy. Life magazine recently reported on the growing popularity of the “National Survival Game.” Here army-fatigues-clad participants tramp through the woods shooting harmless pellet guns at one another​—a rehearsal for post-disaster guerrilla warfare. So far, “the Game has spread to 38 [U.S.] states,” reported Life.

Childish play? Perhaps to some. But others view such maneuvers as serious business. Explains a survivalist: “When things get tough, people will be stealing from us. . . . People will be killing for a loaf of bread.”

Lunatics or Realists?

Many are nevertheless tempted to laugh off survivalists as charter members of the lunatic fringe, but others feel that they are not so irrational after all. The threats of nuclear war and overpopulation with resulting famine, crime, economic collapse, or even the breakdown of the social order, are not the wild imaginings of neurotics. These problems perplex and deeply disturb even the experts. For example, according to The Auckland Star, a research group called Worldwatch recently published a study claiming that “the world is on the verge of an economic crisis caused by the depletion of natural resources.”

Unlike those who practice “psychic shutdown,” the survivalists try to face these fears. Though they come from a variety of social and economic backgrounds, and though their movement is fragmented by different philosophies and approaches, they are united by this powerful common denominator​—FEAR. They feel that the “system” has failed​—that governments, police forces, courts and monetary systems are simply not equal to solving the mounting problems of this decade. They therefore choose to be self-reliant and trust that their own initiative and abilities​—honed to a fine point by advance training—​will save them when the disaster comes.

A Practical Approach?

But are fallout shelters, freeze-dried foods and caches of gold practical approaches to future survival? How effective would they be in the case of an actual nuclear war? An article entitled “Long-Term Biological Consequences of Nuclear War,” appearing in Science, began by saying: “Recent studies of large-scale nuclear war (5000- to 10,000-MT yields) have estimated that there would be 750 million immediate deaths from blast alone; a total of about 1.1 billion deaths from the combined effects of blast, fire, and radiation; and approximately an additional 1.1 billion injuries requiring medical attention. Thus, 30 to 50 percent of the total human population could be immediate casualties of a nuclear war.”

Suppose, though, that a shelter was so fortuitously placed as to escape this immediate annihilation. Newsweek predicted: “Even in the best shelters diseases such as typhoid and cholera could run rampant. Waste disposal would be primitive; medical care would be marginal, and many bodies would decompose long before they could be buried. Most shelters would be dark, cold and cut off from outside communications; an erratic electromagnetic pulse from the blast could destroy radio transmitters. Crowding, panic and uncertainty would heighten the tensions. Latecomers could spread contamination, and acute psychological shock would be contagious in the close quarters.” Yet this grim scenario was of a mere limited nuclear war!

In her book Nuclear Madness, Dr. Helen Caldicott further states: “Those who survived, in shelters or in remote rural areas, would reenter a totally devastated world, lacking the life-support systems on which the human species depends.” The offspring of survivors would inherit a frightening legacy: “Exposure of the reproductive organs to the immense quantities of radiation released in the explosions would result in reproductive sterility in many. An increased incidence of spontaneous abortions and deformed offspring, and a massive increase of both dominant and recessive mutations, would also result.” For how long? For “the rest of time,” claims Dr. Caldicott.

A recent study entitled “Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions” paints an even more pessimistic picture. This report concludes that the massive amounts of dust and smoke even a limited nuclear war would generate “could have a major impact on climate​—manifested by significant surface darkening over many weeks, subfreezing land temperatures persisting for up to several months, large perturbations in global circulation patterns, and dramatic changes in local weather and precipitation rates—​a harsh ‘nuclear winter’ in any season.” In a companion study, a team of scientists reached this chilling conclusion: ‘The extinction of a large fraction of the earth’s animals, plants and microorganisms seems possible, and extinction of the human species itself cannot be excluded.’

No wonder that novelist Nevil Shute imagined that, following a nuclear war, “the living would envy the dead.”

“Us or Them”

The chances of survival-training paying off thus appear dim. But even granting the possibility that the scientists’ predictions are overblown, survivalism still has a fatal weakness: While nuclear war would probably end governments and armies as we now know them, it would not erase the basic cause of war. Realistically, the Bible says: “From what source are there wars and from what source are there fights among you? Are they not from this source, namely, from your cravings for sensual pleasure that carry on a conflict in your members?” (James 4:1) Putting one’s own selfish interests first invariably leads to strife.

Are the ideologies that now bind the survivalists of such an unselfish nature that greed and selfishness would not dominate their thinking when faced with the scarcities that a global catastrophe would generate? The Christian Century recently quoted Jerry Younkins, spokesman of a group of “Christian” survivalists, as saying, “We are Christians first, survivalists second.” By this he meant that when disaster does strike, they will (at least at first) try to practice Christian principles. “We will share what we have to the best of our ability,” he continued. But what about when supplies begin to run short? “We’ll kill them,” Mr. Younkins said. “It’s real simple: It’s us or them in that situation.”

In such a climate of terror, hidden stores of food or gold might spell a survivalist’s death sentence.

Ancient Survivalists

Survivalism is really nothing new. In fact, the survivalists are reminiscent of a group that existed in the first century of our Common Era: the Jewish Zealots. As the seventh decade drew to a close, hostility between the Jews and their oppressive Roman rulers was reaching its flash point. Religious fanaticism, natural catastrophes such as earthquakes and food shortages all fueled fears that the end of the existing system of things had come. (Matthew 24:6-8) Like the survivalists of today, some tried to fortify themselves for the future. When Roman armies under the command of General Cestius Gallus moved against Jerusalem, some Jewish Zealots managed to capture the city of Masada. In their 1,300-foot-high (400 m) rock fortress, the Zealots had a battery of weapons and an ample supply of food and water. Survival seemed secure.

Roman General Titus, however, destroyed Jerusalem in 70 C.E., leaving Masada as the focal point of Roman attack. For seven long months the Zealots held out. But Roman engineers succeeded in constructing a huge ramp that granted their soldiers access to the fortress. Knowing that capture meant a miserable existence as slaves, the 960 men, women, and children of Masada committed mass suicide. Their efforts to survive by taking refuge in a heavily armed mountaintop fortress proved to be futile.

Interestingly, though, there was a group of people who survived this holocaust without employing such survivalist tactics.

[Blurb on page 6]

‘The extinction of a large fraction of the earth’s animals, plants and microorganisms seems possible, and extinction of the human species itself cannot be excluded’

[Blurb on page 6]

Are the ideologies of the survivalists such that greed and selfishness would not dominate in a time of scarcity?

[Picture on page 5]

Is building a fallout shelter and storing up food and gold the way to prepare for survival?

[Picture on page 7]

Efforts of Zealots to arm for survival at Masada did not save them

The Only Way of Survival

The Only Way of Survival

“WHEN you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains.” (Luke 21:20, 21) Thus Jesus Christ instructed his disciples. And what of those who disobeyed Christ’s words? He predicted: “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations.”​—Luke 21:24.

The Zealots would have been repelled by Jesus’ words. According to Abram L. Sachar’s book A History of the Jews, the Zealots “were extremists who shrank from nothing to bring down their heathen masters.” The thought of fleeing would have seemed not only impractical but, worse yet, cowardly! So in 66 C.E., Roman cruelty incited these Jews to open rebellion. After Masada was captured by Jewish rebels, Rome rushed to secure Jerusalem. Jerusalem was now “surrounded by encamped armies.” But when the Roman proconsul Cestius Gallus unexpectedly withdrew his troops, the opportunity opened for residents of Jerusalem to follow Jesus’ advice and flee. Says third-century historian Eusebius: “The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation . . . removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella.” But what of those who remained?

Came 70 C.E., and the Romans returned under the leadership of General Titus. Bent on conquest, they blockaded the city. Flavius Josephus, a former Jewish rebel who now served the Romans, circled the walls of Jerusalem, begging his people to give up their futile fight. “Realize,” he cried, “that you are fighting not only the Romans but God as well.” The result? In his own words: “Yet, though Josephus with tears thus loudly appealed to them, the insurgents neither yielded nor deemed it safe to alter their course.” As a result, hundreds of thousands died by starvation and the sword, and tens of thousands more were hauled off for a wretched life of slavery! Safe at Pella, however, Christians could contemplate the blessing of obeying Christ’s warning.

Survival Today

What occurred in Jerusalem was merely a small-scale example of what will take place in our time on a global scale. But what is at stake this time is the existence of not just a city but the worldwide system of things!​—Matthew 24:21.

It is God himself who will bring about this global calamity. But for what reason? So as to “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) God, “the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, . . . did not create it simply for nothing,” and he will not allow man to bring it to ruin either by pollution or by nuclear destruction. (Isaiah 45:18) But it will take His intervention to prevent the man-made cataclysm that survivalists fear. Nevertheless, Jesus said that it is possible to “succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur.”​—Luke 21:36.

Since Jesus’ followers today are spread out all over the earth, it would be impossible for them to flee to some physical location, as did Christians in the first century. Today, survival will depend upon obeying the Bible’s advice at Zephaniah 2:2, 3: “Before there comes upon you people the burning anger of Jehovah, before there comes upon you the day of Jehovah’s anger, seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.” And the Bible further states: “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe.”​—Joel 2:32.

True, some Bible translations obscure the meaning of this text by rendering it: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered.” (Authorized Version) But the original-language text shows that more than an appeal to a nameless “LORD” is required. In many Bibles, texts such as Psalm 83:18 plainly show that the personal name of that “LORD” is JEHOVAH. (AV; American Standard Version) Calling upon his name means more than using it in a ceremonial way. One must “seek” Jehovah by studying the Bible and getting to know him as a person. (John 17:3) This knowledge moves a right-hearted person to respect Jehovah’s authority as Universal Sovereign, to conform to his standards and to imitate Jesus in ‘making God’s name manifest’ to others.​—John 17:6.

Simply going to the church of one’s choice is therefore not the route of survival. How could it be, since the churches not only fail to use God’s personal name but often even discourage the use of it and treat lightly God’s commandments? Remember, the prophet Malachi says that God has “a book of remembrance” for “those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.” (Malachi 3:16) Among all the religious groups that claim to be Christian, which one freely uses God’s name, Jehovah, puts full trust in him and his promises and boldly encourages its members to be witnesses of him? (Isaiah 43:10) Without a doubt, these are the ones ‘seeking Jehovah.’ They urge others to join with them in learning the only sure way to survive the coming global holocaust.

[Blurb on page 9]

“The whole body, however, of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a divine revelation . . . removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella.”​—Historian Eusebius

[Blurb on page 9]

Simply going to the church of one’s choice is not the route of survival. “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe.”​—Joel 2:32

You Can Be a Better Reader!

You Can Be a Better Reader!

NO ONE would be satisfied with an automobile that had just one working gear. If a car had only a low gear, it would not move fast on a level highway. If it had only a high gear, it would have trouble on steep inclines. To be a good reader, you also need to be able to “shift gears.”

You would not read the Bible or Shakespeare at the same speed as you would read a newspaper or the comics, would you? But perhaps you read just to enjoy yourself, not worrying about speed. If that is the case, you might be compared to a ‘Sunday driver,’ unconcerned about where he is going or when he arrives.

Driving like that may be delightful, but not every day is Sunday. And not all our reading is leisure. Some of it may be for educating ourselves, for broadening our horizon, or as part of our work. To avoid wasting time, we must be able to change “gears.” Let us start with “high gear.”

Skimming​—“High Gear” of Reading

Skimming is getting the essence of material without reading it word for word. You allow your eyes to travel over a page quickly, stopping here and there to detect the main thoughts.

By itself, however, skimming will never allow you to discern the flavor, emotional tone and pleasurableness of good literature. Too much is missed. Nor will it aid your memory, because your mind is not given a chance to digest the material. But most of what is written is not great literature and does not need to be remembered. A businessman, for example, can save himself hours each week simply by skimming.

Would a course in rapid reading help you to get necessary reading done? By means of commercial courses, people have doubled and tripled their reading speed, some claiming up to thousands of words per minute. They learn to read word groups and phrases (not word by word) and seldom notice “it,” “be,” “the,” “a” and other small words. But when anyone claims to read thousands of words per minute, he is skipping more than a few details.

This calls to mind the experience of a Columbia University reading teacher, as reported in the magazine Across the Board. He prepared a one-page test for a roomful of “speed readers.” Amazingly, they read his test at almost 6,000 words per minute. To make sure they understood what they read, he asked them to read it again, and then again. Their speed slowed down to 1,700 words per minute​—still impressive. Then the teacher broke the news: What they had read had absolutely no meaning, being just random lines from various magazine articles.

The lesson? Do not get “hooked on speed.” As Mortimer Adler wrote: “Great speed in reading is a dubious achievement; it is of value only if what you have read is not worth reading.”

Previewing​—A Key to Good Reading

There is a method that improves reading comprehension and retention while using skimming techniques. It is called previewing.

Every explorer knows that looking over the terrain from some lofty point and checking charts before setting out into unfamiliar territory is the course of wisdom. Similarly, the reader who familiarizes himself with his “terrain” by skimming will set his sights in the right direction, identify the high points and keep himself from getting lost in a maze of words.

How is this done if the material is detailed? One method is outlined in the box on this page. Previewing should take only a minute or two, but it is time well spent.

Now let us shift to straight reading, a “lower gear,” so to speak.

Read Actively!

“The surest way to remember what you read is to read structurally, sensing the orderly unfolding of the author’s thought,” says The Art of Book Reading. Without question, your being able to follow the author’s development of ideas will help your comprehension. In turn, comprehension will aid retention.

Train yourself to distinguish main points from subpoints and details. Look for the topic sentences found in most paragraphs. As one reading expert put it, soon you will be able “to see the main sentences as if they were raised from the page in high relief.” Also, learn to anticipate what you will read next and summarize what you have already read. In short, be an active reader!

If you employ the technique known as questioning, this can help you to anticipate what is coming and to improve your comprehension. How is it done?

Factual reading material is usually divided into sections by chapter titles and subheadings. As you reach each new heading, turn it into a question. Then as you read, look for the answer.

If your questions are significant, most of the main points will be included in your answer. And if you give special attention to the main points, you will remember the details better than if you treat all sentences as of equal importance.

Then, too, the intent to remember will improve your reading. Students who know that they will be tested on what they read, for example, always retain more than those who know they will not be. In harmony with this, there is another “gear” you can shift into that will enhance the effectiveness of your reading. It is similar to an automobile’s “reverse.”

Immediate Recall as a Memory Aid

To remember what you read, more than comprehension is required. You need to “back up” and focus on the most important points you have read. Does that mean rereading the material? Sometimes. But there is a better way​—known as immediate recall.

To demonstrate its effectiveness, a group of students were asked to recall information immediately after they read it. Seven days later they were able to remember 83 percent of what they had learned. But when another group was asked first to recall the information one day after their reading it, they remembered only 45 percent after seven days. The conclusion? It is best to review what you read immediately after your reading, even during your reading.

Using a review method such as the one outlined in the box on this page is so effective that, according to one study, more can be remembered after two months than could ordinarily be remembered after one day without a review. In another study a college professor demonstrated that one minute spent in review would double retention. That is not too much of a price to pay, is it?

Here are a number of other tips: Remember ideas, not words. Take down a few brief notes on the main points. And review the information periodically instead of trying to learn it all at one sitting.

Of course, not everything you read needs to be remembered. Well has it been said: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” To gain the most from your reading experience, be selective. Develop an appetite for deeper literature in addition to light, entertaining reading. In particular, include the Bible as a prominent part of your regular reading.

There are many reading skills available to you. Learning them will take a little effort. You will need to practice. But you can be a better reader!

[Box on page 11]

PREVIEWING NONFICTION

1. Change the title into several questions that represent what you expect the article or chapter to cover.

2. Read the first paragraph or two.

3. Now read the subheadings.

4. Also read the first sentence of each paragraph. As you do, watch for sentences with italicized words and boldfaced type.

5. Examine illustrations, charts, diagrams, numbered sequences and other striking features.

6. Now ask yourself: What are the major points that the author is making? How is the material organized?

[Box on page 12]

RECALL AND REVIEW

1. After reading each section, ask yourself: What is the main point? Recite the answer. Only if you cannot answer satisfactorily should you look back.

2. Finally, when you complete your reading, test yourself on the entire article or chapter. Recite the main points, one section at a time. Look back only if you cannot remember.

[Graph on page 12]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

HOW MUCH IS REMEMBERED?

AMOUNT RETAINED

With immediate review

With review after one day

With no intervening review

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

DAYS

[Picture on page 10]

With so much to read these days, how do you cope with all of it? Here are some suggestions

That Marvelous Gift—Your Voice

That Marvelous Gift​—Your Voice

‘BUILT into your respiratory system are the essentials of many musical instruments. Your diaphragm is a resonating drumhead. Your vocal cords, vibrating when you speak or sing, are violin strings. Your breathing system, involving air passing from lungs through windpipe, larynx, nose, teeth and lips, produces the sounds of wind instruments. Your body encases an orchestra.’

Our voice teacher, in her precisely articulated words and richly resonant tones, always talks to us like that. ‘Think of your voice as an incomparable musical instrument as we explore some of the complexities that go into its production.’ She points to a large illustration on the wall.

Protected by the rib cage are two spongelike lungs. They are closed off from the abdomen underneath by a dome-shaped muscle, the diaphragm. ‘The diaphragm.’ She draws a deep breath and kneads stiff fingers into her midriff. ‘Feel it,’ she puffs. ‘Feel your diaphragm expand when you breathe deep down. It’s important to know where your diaphragm is and what it is.’

When we breathe, we learn, our diaphragm draws down and flattens horizontally. At the same time, the muscles between the ribs lift and open the rib cage front and back. Air pressure inside our lungs is lowered. Outside air pushes in. We have inhaled.

Then the diaphragm relaxes. Organs underneath it press upward. Rib-cage muscles relax. Ribs press inward. The lungs are squeezed. Air is forced out. We have exhaled.

How does that exhaling air produce voice sounds?

‘When the doctor peers inside your mouth with his examiner’s mirror,’ says our teacher, ‘he sees deep in the pit of your throat a kind of triangle. Two sides of it are bordered by free-standing membranes called vocal cords. They vibrate during breathing. The sounds they make is your voice. That triangular structure is your voice box, your larynx.’

The length and breadth of our individual vocal cords account in part for each voice differing from another. The cords can adjust for variations in pitch. Volume depends on how we amplify the vibrations. We speak and breathe without conscious effort. But the more we understand this wonderfully designed “valve,” and how it is served by our entire respiratory system, the better we can use and control our voice.

Is your voice naturally pleasing to listen to? Is it vibrant? Resonant? Varied? If it lacks some desired quality or is flawed by some unpleasant characteristic, chances are that by conscious effort you can make improvements. Voice control involves breath control, posture and conscious training of vital muscle areas in the face, jaw, tongue, lips, neck, shoulders, in fact the entire body.

For instance, strain on the larynx, as from a tense jaw, or tense neck or shoulder muscles, can distort tone quality. Couple that with faulty breathing and poor posture and your voice can suffer in countless ways.

Diaphragm Breathing

Good “orchestration” involves attention to the entire respiratory system. But let’s begin with the role of the diaphragm. In ordinary breathing we inhale about a pint of air, about one eighth of our lung capacity. How can we make use of the remaining capacity?

Well, we must literally get to the bottom of it. That is, we must breathe deep down to the bottom of the lungs. The larger areas of the lungs extend below the rib cage. Throwing out the chest and swelling the shoulder area has little to do with deep breathing. Deep breathing means to feel our midriff area swell first, with the chest area merely expanding along with it. That is diaphragm breathing. The air is allowed to reach the base of the lungs and remains there as reserve breath, allowing for an easy, balanced flow of air in and out. Cushioned by this reserve of air, the diaphragm can swing up and down freely. The air cushion helps maintain an easy lift in the entire upper body. But to keep it there we must maintain a good upright posture. Correct posture may require some exercises.

Bernice Loren, in her book Effective Speaking, says exercises for correct posture and speech training are strikingly similar to those “recommended in beauty magazines for double chins, poor shoulder lines,” and so forth. Her initial lesson for correct body alignment and breathing requires, not effort, but a simple “letting go.” “Let the head fall forward and rebound eight times from the point at which the base of the skull meets the spine.” Then let it fall farther forward from the junction of neck and shoulders; then let the head and upper chest fall forward from a point between the shoulder blades; then let the head and rib cage fall from the waistline; then bounce the body, hanging loose, at the knees; and finally come up slowly from the ankles, then knees, thighs, to a total standing position, unfolding every vertebra in the spinal column.

An excellent way to relax jaw and facial muscles is to smile freely. Keep the tongue soft and down in the back. Think of the tongue as though it were connected to and extending from the diaphragm. That frees tension in the jaw, neck and shoulder muscles.

The Lips and the Tongue

A special word about the tongue. It is the most active member in speech making. It is a complex mass of muscles. It can move in many directions, change into many shapes. It can adjust to a different position for every vowel, and it forms more than half the consonants.

This should not, however, mean that the lips remain stiff and as motionless as a duck’s bill. The upper lip especially should be performing constant gymnastics, shaping arches, circles, expanses, now exploding, then imploding. Lip movements round out or complete many vowels. The lips are the “end of a trumpet,” forming the finishing touches to several consonants. They, too, must be relaxed, flexible and agile.

The Making of Resonance

With our posture corrected so as not to obstruct free and easy breathing, deep down into the diaphragm, let us check to make sure we are not in any other way obstructing our voice production. We draw a ‘diaphragm breath.’ Jaw, neck and shoulders are totally relaxed. We begin releasing breath, making an hhhhhhhh sound, then combining it with an mmmmmmmm sound. Imagine the hhhmmm is passing all the way up the throat and over the roof of the mouth, full range into the bridge of the nose. Lightly the tips of the fingers trace the vibrations in the collarbone, the throat, the nasal area. We are producing resonance.

As our voice teacher vibrantly illustrates, ‘A free and pleasant voice is the orchestration of all the speech-making body. Its owner visualizes the action of the diaphragm as though it were attached to the facial muscles with nothing in between. He speaks from the diaphragm right up to the eyes.’

Our marvelously intricate voice system may embody the principles behind a whole array of musical instruments. But each man-made instrument is a product of design. Would it be reasonable to think that our voice came about without a Designer? “Who gives man his mouth?” Jehovah once asked a man and then answered, “It is I.” Our voice and the ability to communicate by speech is indeed a marvelous gift from God. (Exodus 4:11, Today’s English Version)​—Contributed.

[Blurb on page 15]

One way to listen to yourself is to speak into a corner with both hands cupping your ears. A tape recorder would be even better

[Box/​Pictures on page 14]

YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR VOICE

Make good posture a habit

Fill the lower part of your lungs first. Do not simply throw out your chest

Practice diaphragm breathing

Relax your jaw, neck and shoulder muscles

Keep the tongue soft and down in the back. Lips must be relaxed, flexible, agile

Train your tongue and your lips

[Picture on page 13]

LUNGS

DIAPHRAGM

How Can I Get Rid of My Jealous Feelings?

Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Get Rid of My Jealous Feelings?

‘Carol was enjoying a noonday break in a coffee shop when she blurted out the good news that she was promoted to a new job with a fabulous raise in pay. Her friend nearby almost choked on her cheesecake when she heard the news. But she managed to pull herself together and pretend that she was happy for Carol. However, deep down inside she felt sick to her stomach. You see, she had tried for the same job and had been turned down. Carol, she felt, had nowhere near the qualifications that she did​—and yet Carol got the promotion! That did not seem fair. Her friend thus began to look upon Carol as a rival. Feelings of jealousy overwhelmed her. What was she to do? How could she overcome her jealousy?’

SCENES such as this one, portrayed by author Mary Long in Family Weekly, are quite common. Few of us are able to suppress an occasional secret envy at a friend’s good fortune. But when one is continually suffering from jealousy, it is more than a momentary discomfort. In severe cases jealousy is able to restrict, distort and blacken all that a person does or feels. As one writer put it: “Jealousy hurts: It seems to take us over, body and soul. Few feelings are quite as overwhelming​—except, perhaps, for love.” Jealousy has thus been referred to as a deadly sin. The Bible book of Proverbs asks: “Who can stand before jealousy?”​—Proverbs 27:4.

Since all of us are imperfect, there may be traces of such jealousy in each of us. It has a way of showing up in indirect aspects or under special circumstances. Our responsibility is not to ignore harmful jealousy but to learn to suppress it and bring it under control by the power of God’s spirit. (Galatians 5:25, 26) Doing so is a sign that, although young, you are a mature Christian.

Jealousy​—Good and Bad

On the one hand, jealousy can mean a proper zeal for what is right. Even Jehovah is referred to as “a jealous God,” which means he is zealous for his good name, for truth and for righteousness. His devoted servants are also on occasion described as jealous.​—Exodus 34:14; 2 Corinthians 11:2.

On the other hand, all too often jealousy is wrongly motivated or is misdirected. The jealous person may suspect others without cause or resent the attention that others receive, feeling that he alone is entitled to it. Elizabeth, for example, finds herself jealous over the attention her sister receives. Says she: “The fact that [my sister] is so together at her age and can do a lot of things I’ll probably never be able to makes me jealous . . . I get angry at myself for being angry because I know I shouldn’t feel that way.”

Whatever its cause, improper jealousy has destructive power. It can rob a person of sleep, cause anguish, be responsible for stomach and mental disorders. It can also breed anger and hatred and even lead to a serious crime. Cain allowed his jealousy to lead him to murder his brother Abel!

Jealousy can ruin the best of relationships. Normally we do not like people who are openly jealous. The Bible tells of how Rachel got jealous of her sister Leah. This disturbed their sisterly relationship. (Genesis 30:1) Joseph’s brothers were likewise jealous over the relationship Joseph had with his father. Only after many years and much heart searching were their differences resolved. (Genesis 37:4; Acts 7:9) King Saul of Israel allowed his jealousy to flare up when the women of Israel acclaimed David their champion. “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” they sang. (1 Samuel 18:7) Saul’s jealousy filled him with rage, suspicion and hatred. He finally lost all reason in the pursuit of David. The sad fact was that there was no reason for such behavior. David was no threat to Saul’s kingship.

Mastering Jealousy

How, then, can you bring jealousy under control. Well, when Cain was jealous over the success of his brother Abel, God said to Cain: “Turn to doing good . . . But if you do not turn to doing good, there is sin crouching at the entrance, and for you is its craving; and will you, for your part, get the mastery over it?” (Genesis 4:7) Jealousy cannot be mastered apart from doing good. Cain refused to do good. He did not listen to God’s advice. He murdered his brother. When jealousy comes over you, will you listen to God’s sound counsel: “Turn to doing good”?

The Bible further shows that intense love is essential for gaining mastery over jealousy. We read: “Love is not jealous.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) There is more self-love in jealousy than there is love for others. But forcing ourselves to think well of​—even pray for—​those who arouse jealousy in us has a way of cooling down jealousy. It tends to bring it under control.

Reassurance from others is another way of controlling jealousy. If parents see jealousy at work in their child, they often try to reassure the child of their love. They remind the child that he or she has gifts that others do not have, and that in the end all things have a way of balancing out. And if the child locks herself in her room because her sister seems to be the center of attention, the mother can help the child get a balanced and proper view of herself. She can embrace her and speak a few encouraging words, such as: “Your sister is popular, but God has given you gifts too. He has gifted you with a wonderful personality, which is a rare beauty all of its own. It is a beauty that husbands love.”

If feelings of jealousy afflict you, should you feel you are too old to benefit from the reassurance of your parents? No doubt they have much to say that can help you enjoy the success of others. They can help you show feelings of love and affection toward people who arouse envy in you.

Sometimes people of a more sensitive nature brood when jealousy strikes. Such ones need to talk out their feelings. Draw jealousy to the surface. Bring it out in the open. See what is biting or irritating you. It does more harm to the spirit if you suppress jealousy than if you allow others to know how you feel.

Helping Others

Your friends, too, often need reassurance. If, for example, you begin a new acquaintance, you can assure your closest friend, “Do not worry about my relationship with Ann, for nothing can replace our friendship.” A few words like that may be all that is necessary to prevent jealousy from taking root. When Eldad and Medad received God’s spirit apart from Moses’ presence, Joshua became jealous for his master Moses. Moses corrected Joshua with reassuring words: “I wish that all of Jehovah’s people were prophets, because Jehovah would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:10-29) Joshua was content with that.

So be helpful. Try to avoid arousing jealousy in others. Girls often flaunt their clothes, women their engagement rings. People boast about promotions. Women lauded David’s exploits in a song giving David greater honor than King Saul. Consider the effect your words and actions may have on others. This will do much to help you to control jealousy and preserve good relationships.

[Picture on page 18]

Some feel jealous when they see a close friend begin to show attention to someone else

[Picture on page 19]

At times we can help a friend overcome jealousy by reassuring him or her of our loyal friendship

How Reliable Are Bible Prophecies?

How Reliable Are Bible Prophecies?

IT IS natural for man to be interested in the future. But what human really knows what the future holds? Is it not true that human predictions often fail because of unforeseen occurrences or because of things that people desperately hope will not happen and so refuse to include in their calculations?

Does this mean that no one can foretell the future? What about the Bible’s numerous predictions? Are they reliable? Some of these prophecies concern the rise and fall of world empires. There are scores of prophecies regarding the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. Others refer to conditions on this earth during the conclusion of the system of things and foretell that this marked time period is to be followed by a new order under the rule of God’s Kingdom.

Were Some Written After the Fulfillment?

This is the conclusion that atheists have come to. Take, for example, Jesus’ words regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, foretold to take place within the generation of those who heard him. Regarding this, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, which promotes atheism, says: “On the basis of a number of allusions in the Gospels to the Jewish uprising of A.D. 66-70, it is apparent that they could not have been written before A.D. 70. Furthermore, a papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John, dating from around A.D. 125, has been preserved. Consequently, it seems reasonable to assume that the Gospels were written sometime around the turn of the second century A.D.”

It is true that the Gospel of John was written “around the turn of the second century,” about 98 C.E., but this is not so respecting the other three Gospels. The testimony of numerous early Christians and their catalogs of Bible books, all testifying that these accounts are genuine, is a matter of historical record. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke were written before the Roman attack on Jerusalem in 66 C.E., which was foretold in each one of them.​—Matthew 24:15, 16; Mark 13:14-20; Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24.

Interestingly, museums the world over are full of Bible manuscripts containing prophecies written hundreds of years before their fulfillment. For example, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia says that the Dead Sea Scrolls “were written between the second century B.C. and A.D. 68.” To what conclusion would that lead a thinking person?

Well, one of the oldest of these Dead Sea Scrolls is the Isaiah manuscript (MS. 1). Respecting it, the renowned professor of archaeology Yigael Yadin recently said: “The scroll . . . has all the chapters of Isaiah from chapter one to sixty six . . . It is the oldest complete Biblical manuscript existing in the world today. Not more than about five or six hundred years elapsed between when the actual words of Isaiah were said and this scroll was copied in the 2nd century B.C. It is an amazing thing that although the original scroll in the museum is more than 2,000 years old how close it is to the Bible we read today either in Hebrew or in the translations which were made from the original Hebrew into English or other languages.”

Consider points 1, 10, 11 and 17 on the chart on pages 22 and 23. These are some examples of prophecies recorded by Isaiah and that were fulfilled long after the Isaiah Dead Sea Scroll was copied. These and other facts prove that Bible prophecies were indeed written in advance. But, you may ask:

Are They Vague or Specific?

Fortune-tellers, like Nostradamus, often use ambiguous words that can be taken in many different ways. This is done to protect themselves from embarrassment when their predictions fail. Can the same be said about Bible prophecies? Are they vague or are they specific?

In considering the chart, you will notice that the predictions made are specific. It was clearly foretold that Babylon and Edom would become permanently desolate, whereas the land of Judea would suffer a temporary desolation, in fact, for a specific time​—70 years. (Jeremiah 29:10) The very name of Babylon’s conqueror, Cyrus, was predicted by Isaiah over 190 years in advance. Regarding the Messiah, Isaiah prophesied that at his death he would be associated with the wicked ones and also with the rich class. The Gospel accounts clearly describe that Jesus was put to death with two criminals and later buried in a rich man’s tomb.​—Isaiah 53:9; Luke 23:32; John 19:38-42.

The reason why Bible prophecies are specific is that they come from a source higher than man. The Creator, Jehovah God, who inspired men to record these predictions, knows how humans are made and what motivates them to act the way they do. He can accurately foretell the outcome for people who obey his righteous commands and for those who try to ignore them. He knows what his own purpose is, and he has the power and wisdom to ensure its fulfillment. He says: “From the beginning I foretold the future, and predicted beforehand what is to be. . . . I will do whatever I choose.”​—Isaiah 46:9, 10, The Jerusalem Bible.

Points 14-17 on the accompanying chart direct attention to evidence that we are living in what the Bible terms “the last days.” “The last days” of what? The entire global system of things that rejects Jehovah’s universal sovereignty, either ignoring God or distorting his ways. The Bible shows that hypocritical and false religion will be the first to come to its end​—this by the hand of earth’s political powers at God’s appointed time. (Revelation 17:16, 17; 18:2-8) Following that, God’s Kingdom itself will crush all human governments​—all of which have a record of bloodshed and put their own desires ahead of God’s commands—​and will bring about a united world under God’s rule.​—Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14.

Under God’s Kingdom, earth’s survivors will at last enjoy real peace and there will be an abundance of food, not just for some nations and social groups, but for all mankind. (Psalm 37:10, 11; Isaiah 25:6) Sickness and death will come to be things of the past. (Revelation 21:3, 4) Even those of the human dead whom God remembers will be resurrected.​—John 5:28, 29.

Will all these marvelous prophecies really come true? There is no valid reason for doubt. Hundreds of past prophecies have proved reliable, so we can have absolute confidence in the fulfillment of these too.

How can you survive the predicted destruction of this old system into God’s New Order? The prophet Zephaniah answers: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth . . . Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”​—Zephaniah 2:3.

[Chart on page 22, 23]

Some Bible Prophecies and Their Fulfillment

Content of Prophecy

1. Babylon, which was yet to become the capital of a glorious world empire, would eventually become desolate, never to be reinhabited. Isaiah 13:19, 20

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

900 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“Babylon lost its primacy and finally left the historical arena by the second century A.D.”​—The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1974 English ed., Vol. 4, p. 8.

Content of Prophecy

2. A ruler named Cyrus would conquer Babylon.

Isaiah 45:1-3; 47:1-5

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

193 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“The Persian king Cyrus II captured Babylon in 539 B.C.”​—Ibid., p. 9.

Content of Prophecy

3. Babylon would be followed by the Medo-Persian Empire, pictured by a ram with two horns, the taller of the two coming up second. Daniel 8:1-4, 20

WHEN STATED

About 551 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

12 years later, in 539 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

The Median power came first, but the Persian power that followed surpassed it in strength.​—Encyclopædia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 15, p. 172 and Vol. 17, p. 550.

Content of Prophecy

4. The two-horned Medo-Persian Empire would be broken by a one-horned he-goat, picturing Greece under a mighty king.

Daniel 8:5-7, 21

WHEN STATED

About 551 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

217 years later, in 334 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Alexander the Great inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persian Empire, thus establishing the Grecian Empire.​—The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells, 1921, p. 321.

Content of Prophecy

5. This mighty king of Greece would be broken at the zenith of his power. The empire would not pass on to his offspring; instead it would be broken into four parts. Daniel 11:2-4

WHEN STATED

539 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

216 years later, 323 to 301 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

At the age of 33 Alexander died of malarial fever; shortly afterward his only two sons were murdered. After wars among his generals, the empire was finally divided between Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Cassander.​—Ibid., pp. 336, 337.

Content of Prophecy

6. The wealthy port city of Tyre would be conquered by King Nebuchadrezzar. So thorough would the destruction be that the dust of the city would be scraped away and fishermen would dry their nets there. Ezekiel 26:4-7

WHEN STATED

607 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

275 years later, in 332 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Nebuchadrezzar destroyed the mainland city. Centuries later, Alexander scraped Tyre’s ruins into the sea, forming a causeway to the island city, capturing it. Today fishing nets are sometimes seen drying there.​—Encyclopædia Britannica, 1959, Vol. 22, p. 653.

Content of Prophecy

7. The Judean kingdom would be desolated, its treasures and its subjects taken to Babylon. (This prophecy was given in the time of the mighty Assyrian Empire, when Babylon was merely a vassal state.) Isaiah 39:5-7

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

125 years later, in 607 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“‘Diaspora’ denoted the existence of Jews outside Palestine, especially after their exile by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II.”​—The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1975 English ed., Vol. 8, p. 198.

Content of Prophecy

8. Babylon’s conqueror, Cyrus, would release the Jews. They would rebuild Jerusalem and its temple, becoming living witnesses to the fact that Jehovah is the God of true prophecy.

Isaiah 43:8-10, 14; 44:26-28

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

195 years later, from 537 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

“The Jews . . . returned . . . to Jerusalem from Babylonia in the time of Cyrus.”​—The Outline of History, by H. G. Wells, 1921, p. 230. The first-century historian Flavius Josephus recorded the fulfillment in his Antiquities of the Jews.

Content of Prophecy

9. Israel’s long-awaited Messianic King would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2

WHEN STATED

Before 716 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

714 years later

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:1-14 confirm that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 2 B.C.E.

Content of Prophecy

10. He would be born of a virgin. Eventually, as the exalted ruler of God’s choice, he would call to account all human rulers, much to their amazement, and bring permanent peace to the earth. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6, 7; 52:13-15

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

730 years later, in 2 B.C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Matthew 1:18-23 and Luke 1:26–2:14 record the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus. Even the Koran of the Muslims acknowledges this in sura III, verses 40-48. Soon, at Armageddon, he will destroy the world’s entire system of political rulership.

Content of Prophecy

11. First this Messianic King would be humiliated and put to death by his own nation, in spite of his curing them of sicknesses. His death would atone for man’s sins. Isaiah 53:3-12

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

760 years later, from 29-33 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

The four Gospel accounts testify to the miraculous cures performed by Jesus as well as to his suffering and death at the hands of the Jews. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) In his name salvation has been preached worldwide.

Content of Prophecy

12. The inhabitants of Jerusalem who murdered him would see their own city surrounded by encamped armies. This attack would not bring about the immediate destruction of those in the city. It would be a sign for Jewish followers of Jesus to flee out of the city and Judea. Luke 21:20-24

WHEN STATED

33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

33 years later, in 66 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Chronicles​—News of the Past, by Dr. Israel Eldad and Moshe Aumann, gives a historical account of the 30th of the Jewish month Tishri, 66 C.E.: “Romans advance on Jerusalem, begin siege of city.” Later, the publication reports: “ROMAN ARMY ROUTED . . . nearly 6,000 Roman soldiers and horsemen . . . wiped out.”

Content of Prophecy

13. The next time these armies would prove successful. They would besiege the city and build around it a fortification of pointed stakes. The inhabitants would be killed and the temple would be razed. The very generation to which Jesus preached would be called to account for shedding the blood of God’s prophets.

Luke 19:43, 44; 21:5, 6; 11:47-51

WHEN STATED

32 and 33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

37 years later, in 70 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Chronicles​—News of the Past, describes the 10th day of Ab, 70 C.E.: “JERUSALEM FALLS; TEMPLE IN FLAMES . . . Death Toll Over Million . . . Some parts of the Temple were still burning . . . The rest had been reduced to a mass of smouldering rubble.” See also the eyewitness account of Flavius Josephus in Wars of the Jews.

Content of Prophecy

14. A sign that the end of the present system is near​—great warfare, widespread food shortages, earthquakes, the worldwide preaching of the good news of God’s incoming world government. All of this, including “the end,” would come within one generation. Matthew 24:3, 7, 14, 21, 32-34.

WHEN STATED

33 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,881 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Since 1914 the world has experienced the only two world wars in history. A quarter of the world is hungry, 40 million persons dying annually. This century has also experienced a marked increase in earthquakes. In 1983 alone, Jehovah’s Witnesses spent approximately 436 million hours preaching the “good news” worldwide.

Content of Prophecy

15. During these “last days” there would be a sharp increase in immorality, pleasure-seeking, crime, family breakdown and juvenile delinquency. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

WHEN STATED

About 65 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,849 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Crime, violence and terrorism plague the world today. The divorce rate is rising sharply and venereal diseases are epidemic. Young people, generally, resent authority.

Content of Prophecy

16. Many would ridicule all the evidence that “the last days” of the present system had arrived. 2 Peter 3:3, 4

WHEN STATED

About 64 C.E.

When Fulfilled

1,850 years later, since 1914 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

It has become increasingly popular to view the Bible with skepticism. The idea that the end of wickedness is near is scoffed at by many.

Content of Prophecy

17. But in “the final part of the days” people out of all nations would eagerly help one another to learn Jehovah’s ways; all of these would cease to participate in or learn war. Isaiah 2:1-4

WHEN STATED

Before 732 B.C.E.

When Fulfilled

2,666 years later, since 1935 C.E.

Confirmation of Fulfillment

Upwards of 2,600,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in 205 lands, devote time to helping others to learn Bible truths. It is well known that this large international brotherhood does not participate in warfare.

A Look at Some of the Birds of Japan

A Look at Some of the Birds of Japan

By Awake! correspondent in Japan

I HAVE walked many miles in the countryside of Japan, from its mountains and terraced fields to its seashores. Along the way, I have had numerous opportunities to observe some of its 500 types of birds. Allow me to introduce a few of them to you.

LONG-TAILED TIT: It was winter and the ground was frozen. I was glad to have warm boots and thick stockings as I explored the hills near Chiba City.

In a clearing I spotted a flock of about 15 long-tailed tits​—what we call the enaga. But when I tried to get close they eluded me. Tired of the pursuit, I sat down under a low-lying tree. And to my surprise the flock returned and came to rest in the very tree under which I sat. I didn’t move.

The enaga are beautiful, petite birds with a white head and a body of pink, black and white. They seem to flow rather than fly through the trees in a never-ending game of leapfrog. THE BLACK-EARED KITE, called tobi in Japan, is a year-round resident. This bird is big​—two feet (60 cm) long, and thick-bodied with long wings and fork-tipped tail. Though dark brown, he is easy to see when he slowly and gracefully soars in the sky. The tobi particularly likes hillsides near the seashore, although he can be seen almost anywhere. His diet is one of fish and mice. But he also helps keep the countryside clean by eating carrion.

One day, when taking a winter walk by the ocean, I saw some large tobi sitting on some old fence posts. I could see their big, taloned feet and sharp-hooked beaks. And I must admit it was a bit disconcerting to see them staring at me.

THE HOUSE SWALLOW is more or less a summer visitor. I first saw these daredevil pilots in the town of Takasaki, where they would fly down the street, often at head level. They seem to be oblivious to people. On narrow streets just crammed with bicycles, motorbikes, cars and rushing shoppers, they dart in and out. At the very last moment they swoop right over a person!

THE DAURIAN REDSTART, known here as jō-bitaki. It was near the town of Mobara​—an excellent bird-watching area—​that I first saw this impressive bird. First I saw the male​—about six inches (15 cm) long, bright-colored (predominant hues of black, orange and white) and handsome. Then, the female​—sleek and demure, light olive in color. This attractive couple often pay a visit to a person’s garden.

The jō-bitaki comes as a winter refugee from Siberia. While other birds head farther south, the jō-bitaki is happy to spend its winter in Japan. After Siberia, the winter winds of Japan must seem balmy.

THE JAPANESE CRANE, which we call tanchō, can be found in the marshlands and fields. These beautiful cranes, few in number, are protected by law. Six other varieties of cranes share the marshlands with the tanchō, but he is the only permanent resident.

WHITE EGRETS are very much a part of the Japanese countryside. During the summer, they are found in flooded rice fields and in shallow river water. They are usually busy catching little things to eat. But they have a particular fondness for fish and frogs. Taking slow, deliberate steps, they stir up their “meal.” And if they spot something worthwhile, their long necks and slender bills move fast.

…