Indiana Jones and Gandalf

We learn what is essential to know through whatever source is available to us. What we learn is more relevant to who we are in significance than who is teaching.

I will give an example.

In the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. As the climax is reached, the protagonist (Indy) has to decide which of the Cups is the Holy Grail. He says that despite what popular opinion teaches the cup would not be ornate. In the movie, it ends up that he is correct and gets to save the day. But, what he seemed to have been teaching was how hard it is to make a proper choice. 

Next, we have the example from the Lord of the Rings where the fellowship is sort of trapped in a caved in tunnel and they are looking to Gandalf to determine the correct way. He eventually does so, and Frodo asks him if he instantly recalled by some revelation or something, and Gandalf replies in a way that casts all supposition on a lofty wisdom that he is able to discern the correct way using his own sense of smell, and one way just smells fresher. So, the same lesson is taught to a different audience on how to make a choice between things that are hard to instantly, and are of great consequence.

Both examples teach that discerning truth is best not left to popular opinion or even some supposed mysterious intelligence. I would like to assert that the same is true with religions. Different God's are like different protagonists of a story intended to teach a principle that must be known. And to me, it explains why there are so many similarities. Perhaps, they are coming from the same source (origin) .

dirty vegtables

I am swelling on a thought that seems trivial, but it will not keep popping up so, I will write it down and be down with it. It started when I was cutting my lettuce this morning. I wondered what sort of life it had, and to end up in Mississippi? And what's that smell? Is it just dirt? Wonder if I ought to be planting my own garden yet, it might be too cold at night, though we did watch a video this morning about how hardy growing things become after being exposed to adversity...ya da ya da... I ended up thinking as I washed an old dish if maybe that strange earthy smell when I cut vegetables is the introduction of an invasive species into my too clean environment. Maybe if I kill off too many micro organisms the only ones left will be immune to my "cleaning" and it will be a situation like in Dune where the machines meant to help man took over. Perhaps, buying vegetables at the store will make a super soldier parasite that will take over the world! Oh no!

But, now I am laughing as I recall a woman who told a story about the Danes selling shoddy grain to Icelanders who actually ate it and then told some "far out" stories like some weird amalgamation of a bull that ended up tormenting and killing it's creator, and his descendents.

Moral of this story, becareful how much you clean those outsourced vegtables! 😀