In the novel, "The Country of the Pointed Firs," a woman notices a number of painted wooden stakes around the property of a retired she captain, Elijah Tilley. She asks the captain why those wooden stakes are driven in the ground. Tilley tells her that when he first bought the farm and plowed the ground, every once in a while his plow would snag on the large rock underneath the surface of the ground. The snags not only slowed his progress but dulled his plow. So he put up stakes to show where the underneath rocks relocated so he could avoid them. The author says that’s what the 10 Commandments are all about. God has said that these are trouble spots in life. Avoid them and you will not snag your plow.
“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe…. Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not. Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?
Comments