Yesterday we harvested our first jars of honey from the Honey Lake bee hives. We of course are very excited about it and I was amazed at the quantity of honey that we derived on this our very first run. I was talking to my plantation (volunteer) beekeepers yesterday and quizzed them as to whether or not they got stung when they robbed the bees of their honey and neither of them got stung a single time.
Whew!
They told me that there was already more honey available in some of the other hives and asked if I wanted to join them when they removed it.
Huh?
I told them I would observe from the safety of my air conditioned truck and would do so with the windows rolled up thank you very much.
I was talking to a friend of mine who lives not too far from me who is raising her own bees and she tends to them with no fear. I’m pretty impressed that this beautiful dainty little gal will get out there amongst those swarming bees with absolutely no fear.
She told me she is fascinated by bees and is really impressed with how they all work together as a team. Different bees such as the queen, drones, workers etc. have their own individual responsibilities, including procreation, protecting the hive, gathering nectar, waxing, etc. and they go about their work each day with determination. No one makes them get up and go to work; they just do it naturally as God intended.
My son Michael founded a software development company that has developed some fascinating new software that is destined for big things. It basically compares schools on a local, state, regional, national, and worldwide basis and determines which are failing and why, according to established metrics such as graduation rates, test scores, and the like It then determines what needs to be done to improve these failing schools and students and provides a massive research database that enables administrators to access solutions to their school’s/student’s problems with a touch of the finger.
This powerful business intelligence software with its data warehousing and data mining capabilities could be used to determine why banks, or hospitals, or businesses of all types are failing, but I suggested that we begin using it with schools.
Why?
Because one out of three kids don’t graduate from high school in this country. In Florida it’s 38% and Georgia 42% and in Nevada it’s 58%. What pray tell will all those kids do without even a high school education in this high tech world? What are they thinking?
I saw something on the news on the World Wide Web that might give us a clue. A young girl in Chicago had dropped out of school and was asked that very same question. She replied that her grandmother told her that all she needed to do was sign up for welfare and she would get a monthly check, food stamps, public housing and Medicaid. She went on to say that the more children she raises as a single mother the more money she could receive.
How about that for ambition?
Hmmm… All the software in the world won’t solve that problem. Maybe instead of developing software we could research bees and see what makes them want to lead productive lives and work. Perhaps we could come up with a pill that could be taken that would give people the strong drive to succeed.
Yikes, this is a scary country. I really fear for my grandchildren’s well being and wonder if they will be able to remain in this country as adults. How many children are getting their advice from someone like that little girl’s grandmother? How long can a well meaning society continue enabling such a mindset? Where will 1/3 of the nation without even a high school degree obtain a job?
I was working on my Success Seminar that is coming up in November and I was thinking of all of the techniques and methodology that I will be teaching that I have learned and used throughout my lifetime. This knowledge has enabled me to achieve many great things and I think of it as golden nuggets that will benefit others enormously… BUT… then I thought the one thing I cannot do for others is make them become a self starter with a strong work ethic and unshakable desire to succeed. If someone knows where and how to dig for gold but refuses to dig it up, how can I help them?
I used to be fairly adept at motivating people to achieve all they can, but lately I have witnessed some startling failures. I’m not convinced anymore that such drive and ambition can be taught. I think back to the very beginning of the transformation of my life and the verse that revolutionized it; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. I found hope in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, but I had to do my part. I badly wanted to change my life for the better; I wanted to succeed; I longed for a better life and through God’s capable assistance I did just that. We can do all things within God’s will for our lives through Christ, but we simply have to do our parts.
How can we change the thinking in this country to get people to want to improve their lives?
Too tough for me this morning. I go back to my plantation workers and my friend who gather those jars of honey. What motivates them to go out into that hot Florida sun and brave those angry swarming bees to obtain a little honey? Heck I go to the bees themselves who labor to make the honey. What makes them go for the gold?
Can that be taught? I suppose like so many things, prayer is the answer. Those things that seem to big for us should be directed toward our awesome LORD…
Luke 1:37
For nothing is impossible with God.”