September, 1987
THE IMPORTANCE OF 'IMPORTANCE'
Every person, whatever their age or sex, has their own
idea of 'importance', and of the amount of it that is inherent in each situation,
event or possession with which they are concerned. Most people attempt to
direct their lives according to the ratio of importance which they attribute to
each aspect of it. A typical example of this habit might be illustrated by the
case of the Doomsday fanatic who met a professor of astronomy on the street one
morning. The fanatic was waving his arms and shouting, "Repent!, repent!
The entire earth will be destroyed at noon tomorrow!!" To which the
professor of astronomy calmly replied, "Why get so excited? After all, it
is not as though the earth was one of the major planets." (In this
case, the Doom Prophet was, by force of habit, thinking of the population as
the most important element in the predicted event, whereas the astronomer was,
by force of habit, thinking only of the relatively minor astronomical importance
of the planet to be lost.)
The importance of events or situations, are usually
divided into three classes, individual, local and general. The winning of a
large lottery prize, or a severe automobile accident, might be events of great
importance to a single individual, or his immediate family, but of little
importance to others, and so would be classed as an event of single importance.
A gold strike or a forest fire could affect the lives of many in a given area,
and so would be termed of 'local' importance, while War, a national economic
boom or depression, would be of 'general' importance. The degree of the
importance would, of course, depend upon the effect the event or condition had
upon the person or the population involved.
It is natural for most young people, when planning their
lives, to hope to become 'important people', seldom realizing that to become an
important person one must think important thoughts and do, or become connected
with important things. This does not require exceptional ability or intelligence,
but may, and usually does, require more effort than most people are willing to
make, and thinking that begins where other's thinking usually ends. An example
of this kind of thinking was shown when a new recruit was being examined at the
enlistment station. During the questioning, the officer asked the new recruit
if he would be willing to die for his country. "I certainly would not
if there were any possible way to avoid it," the recruit replied. Wars
are not won by fools who die for their country. Wars are won by the country
which best helps the fools on the other side to die for theirs! This may
seem to be a rather callus example of factual thinking, but it is probably one
of the best arguments against war that has ever been uttered in so few words,
and if everyone would spend a little time thinking about it, would
probably end war forever. (At least it would wipe out the last of the phony glamor
that is still associated with war by some youthful adventurers.)
The one talent that most surely brings importance to an individual,
is the ability, in ones youth, to choose tasks and goals that are important to
everyone, in one way or another, and to follow the tasks and goals through
life. This course can bring fame and fortune, or it may bring persecution and
even death, as it did to Abraham Lincoln and many others, but in any event it
will bring importance!
What lie behind us, what
lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
(handwritten) Put you hand in the hand of God & be secure!
Cleona 9/1/87
