Conchshell Chronicles

Intimacy.    In   to   me   see.

"As a human, we all want to be seen, heard, understood and purposed for a felt impact upon the world around us. We desire to feel connected, in touch and in sync with those we love and care for. We are made to be known and to want to know others yet in my experience it does not often feel so natural. The Source of it all needs inquiry on a regular consistent basis if intimacy is to occur between the rest of humanity."

"I often get far away from being a child of the living God by acting like an abandoned orphan lost and without the resources, peace, contentment, and that drive to live in love and intimacy of heart. God is always for me and not against me. He never leaves me or forsakes me and always has my best interests. I can freely talk out any angst I have and know that He is the perfect psychotherapist and trainer who will bring me to the right state of being whether in mind, body, and spirit. The Designer Creator knows. What great comfort I possess in His arms of safety, warmth and understanding."

The art of dwelling on excellence, praise worthy attributes, the right, good, true, honorable, positive and all that I can appreciate is a daily practice of my mind and words. It does not come natural to me. I am often bent to see what I would have, should have , could have and all that I ought to have done better or more. I like to vent.

In relationships, it is easy to focus in on that which is wrong rather than right. It takes work and effort to see properly and speak with wisdom. It Takes discipline and self control to monitor my mind, thoughts, words, actions and deeds. Moments can be added to with meaning and uplifting or they can easily be robbed by ungrateful thoughts and feelings .

The most help has come from the Churches of Jesus Christ on the island and mainland! From many denominations.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars has poured in through churches all across America and been sent to churches on Maui. Feeding centers have been set up; Food banks established and expanded; free clothing stores; counselling services; and many, many volunteers have come out to our island to assist the local church members in serving the needs of these victims.

The Rationalist movement and the Enlightenment in the 17^th and 18^th century proclaimed the ‘goodness of mankind,’ - that men and women were basically good, but had been oppressed by government, religion and society in general. Philosophers like Rousseau, Locke, and Voltaire proposed changes to government, education, economic systems, and social order to give mankind the opportunities to demonstrate their inherent goodness.

One of these champions of mankind’s goodness was Beatrice Webb, who was a member of the Fabian Society, a British socialist society that advocated intervention in economics, education, and government to promote social democracy. She and her husband Sidney, founded and funded the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1895. She worked hard all her life to see mankind walk in the fullness of goodness.

But then there was World War I, where 25% of all British males between ages 20 and 30 were either killed or wounded in that bloody war- over one million casualties. That was followed by a bloody revolution in Russia, where millions were slaughtered by the socialist-communist government.

Beatrice kept a diary, and in 1925 she wrote: “In my dairy in  1890 I wrote: ‘I have staked everything on the essential goodness of human nature,’ but now, 35 years later, I have realized how permanent are the evil impulses and instincts in us and how little they seem to change- like greed for wealth and power and how mere social machinery will never change that. We must ask better things from human nature but will we get a response? No amount of      science or knowledge has been of any avail and unless we curb the bad impulse how will we get better social institutions?”

A remarkable statement from someone who should know!