Unbelievble

Unbelievable

 

            Many, many years ago I read, in a magazine and in my newspaper (back when both were credible) articles that left a profound effect on my thinking. I have not forgotten either to this day.

            The newspaper carried the story of an experiment where the head of one monkey was attached to the body of a second monkey. The combined monkey lived for three days. It was able to blink it’s eyes and raise a paw. About thirty years later I learned in a Science magazine that the experiments have progressed. Now the animals can function with another’s brain, or two heads, or six legs, and other serious abnormal conditions.

            I realize it is this kind of freak operations that have made open heart, heart transplant, liver and kidney transplant surgery safe and common and saved so many human lives. Yet it makes you wonder, Where Will Science Stop? Or will they?

            Science tells us that they have already successfully cloned a sheep and that sheep had one offspring. That news was reported at least twenty to thirty years ago. Can you imagine what has been done since then that they have not made public? Could the ancient myths of a centaur (a  man with a human head, upper body and arms, and a horse’s body and legs) a minotaur (with the body of a human and the head of a bull)  the satyr (with pointed ears, short horns and legs of a goat) and possibly the mermaid (the head and arms of a woman and the body and tail of a fish) be the result of scientific experiments gone terribly wrong?

            As chilling and upsetting as the animal story is this second story that I only read about once in a very reputable magazine and documented as true, bothers me more. As I said it was a long time ago. I have forgotten some of the details. For instance, I can’t remember the name of the magazine so there is no way that I can research to affirm the facts of the things I have forgotten.. I can’t tell you the nationally of the people who paid for the safari, the reason they were there, or the country they were in. You don’t know me so I imagine you will be skeptical and find this hard to believe. I assure you the story that I will repeat is true to the best of my knowledge and remembrance. And as I said it made a lasting impression on me.

            I assume this was an African Safari. A couple hired a guide to handle details and hire needed laborers. Several days on the trail the couple complained to the guide that personal items were missing. He was concerned that there was a thief among his crew.

            That night the guide gathered the entire crew around the blazing camp fire. He congratulated them on the way that they were handling their duties. The meals were tasty, the tents were raised and taken down efficiently. The supplies were kept in order. Everyone was doing a fine job.

            “I hired each one of you because you came highly recommended as good workers and good men of faith. However, I am sorry to tell you that we have a thief among us. Some items belonging to the people who are paying our salary are missing. Would the guilty man wish to confess? No punishment, just return the items.” Of course no one did..

            Now comes the impossible part; the part I will never forget.

            The guide said, “One among you is a thief. We will find out who!” He then placed a rod in the fire and touched the red hot rod to the forehead of each of the crew. Actually branding each man the way that a cowboy brands a cow.

            Can you imagine the panic that would cause in us? We wouldn’t just sit still and wait for our turn. We would run away screaming. Or it would take six man to hold us down while we kicked and squirmed and screamed at the top of our lungs.

            There was no pain, no scarring, no reaction on any of the crew- except- for the blister on the guilty man’s forehead. Isn’t that amazing!!!

            Granted it wouldn’t work here and maybe it would no longer work there. They may have become more civilized by now. They were men of faith and they firmly believed that because they knew that they were innocent no harm could come to them. That is the kind of trust and faith every Christian should have  Wouldn’t this be a much better world if we all believed so deeply in God’s care and security!

            The whole story did make me realize how thinking controls our lives. We can easily fool others and sometimes fool ourselves and ignore our conscience to some extent- but our guilty conscience gives us away sooner or later. The guilty man knew of his guilty deed and his guilty conscience gave his away. Maybe we won’t have a burn on our forehead but our guilt will rat us out every time. Police will tell you that they don’t catch many criminals, the criminals give themselves away.

            In our modern, civilized, cultured, dignified world we tend to look down on the culture of other countries. We pride ourselves on knowing science and technology and living better then they do. But if they have the trust in God that the men on the safari did they are richer and happier then we can ever with only our wealth and comfort

            .. Control your thoughts in the first place or they will control you in the second place.  We are what we think!

 

            960 words   Loretta Ellen Edwards