Intellectual disciples of the God of Abraham

I was asked to prepare some thoughts for a youth camp, discussing intellectual disciples. I put some thought into it, and although I was not able to attend the camp, I thought that I could at least share my thoughts on my blog so that, just maybe, some person will have some upliftment and draw closer to the God of Abraham as we strive to be His disciples.

Some of my study of Moses 5

I invite us all to prepare ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ whom the Jews and Christians worship as Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Father God, Elohim, Lord, and various names, and whom the Muslims worship as Allah. I write using some scriptures, but the concepts apply to all and can be found in the Old and New Testaments, Torah, and Qur'an. The most important things that I share is that what I write is simply here as a guide to the reader to read his or her own scriptures, ponder how what they are reading applies to situations in their own lives, and then to ask God to guide them in applying what any scripture inspires us to do to change our lives and become more one with the God that Abraham followed.

• All that the Father hath shall be given unto you. D&C 84:38. My younger brother pointed out that this includes all intelligence, His creative priesthood power, glory - it sets a high target for us in this life! We need to prepare ourselves to become worthy to be trusted with that greatest of all powers. (See also scriptures under footnote b, e.g. Luke 12:44, John 17:11-24, Rev 21:7, Rev 78:5-7, 3 Ne 28:10, D&C 132:18-20).

• I looked at For the Strength of youth - if we follow these guidelines, we will have strength, and the aged folk like me can have strength like youth - well, a lot more than we would otherwise - if we follow these basic principles. 

• I would invite who reads this to share things from the FTSOY Guide that they have felt inspiring to help them to achieve greatness, and not just to be;

• Make inspired choices;

• Walk in God's light;

• Truth Will Make You Free;

• Find joy in Christ;

• Temple recommend questions for youth; Young Women Theme; Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Theme; The Ten Commandments;

• Index: Education, integrity.

• I looked at the Children and Youth: Introductory Guide

• Vision; Following the Saviour in All Areas of Your Life; Keep Moving Forward (Gospel learning, Service and Activities, Personal Development); What's Next? Start the conversation.

• Looking at the Youth Guidebook

• You Have a Purpose;

• You Are a Precious Child of God;

• You Can Follow the Saviour (Jesus grew in “wisdom.” You can study in school, learn new skills, and improve your talents);

• A Pattern for Growth (Discover, Plan, Act, Reflect);

• Get Started!

• Impressions and Ideas;

• Things To Remember;

• Ideas for Growing in All Areas of Life (Intellectual);

• Resources.

• I believe that the Lord probably does not see minimum wage earning as our potential. 

• He has provided so much guidance and opportunity to enhance education that I am confident that He would wants us to rise far above slavery. He would want us to rise and shine! But - if we were slaves, as were the children of Israel in Egypt, He would want us to be excellent slaves, having a godly walk and conversation, walking in holiness before Him (see D&C:20:68-69).

• We need not be hopelessly competing with thousands of other candidates for a minimum wage position. The Lord makes many resources available to us to help us to stand out among others - to be a light, like salt, like leaven in the loaf;

• The Lord expects us to make our desert blossom as a rose, to be a blessing in the nations, to eat our bread by the sweat of our face, to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish the Earth, subdue the Earth, and to have dominion over the fish of the seas and the fowls of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth, and so many other challenges that suggest to me that we need to aspire for high goals;

• Our aspiring for higher is not for our own glory, but to add to Zion - our fruit is not for our glory, but to give glory to the true vine, and to seek for riches to help our fellowman. That is the consecration that we give in the Temple. I love how King Charles said in his coronation 'I am here to serve and not to be served'. That should be our intent, not to accumulate glory for ourselves, but to elevate all of His children to become closer to what He would have them become.

• Topics and Questions: Education

• Whether or not we pursue formal education, we need to rise far above just existing. We ought to act and not just be acted upon. 

• Members of the body of Christ are strongly encouraged, and it is made possible to receive a good education. We have to choose to obtain that education.

• That does not mean that everyone must be doctors or lawyers. As my mother often said, 'The world needs street sweepers. But, more importantly, the world needs excellent street sweepers.' I pondered this years later - what if everyone never littered? Then the Spirit pointed out that even if everyone was perfect and never littered, the trees would still drop their leaves and street sweepers would always have a place. If sweeping streets is your passion, then do it - excellently. You will not always remain at the lowest rank if you are excellent in what you do. 

• Choose your love, then love your choice. I suggest that this applies to your life mission as well as to your eternal pal and partner.

• My sister, a psychologist, shared with me a lot of information about Types and Temperaments. I was struck by the comment that in any school class anywhere in the world, there is likely to be a similar mix of the following temperament types: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine. 

• Temperament refers to behavioural style, the 'how' of behaviour. Personality describes 'what' a person does or 'why' they do things. Long recognized as different, researchers have investigated connections between the biological aspects of behaviour seen in temperament, vs. personality structure and development.

• You will have a basic type and temperament. But - as I went through it all, I wondered - 'Is Heavenly Father deficient in any type or temperament?' and I received the confirmation that He is not deficient, but has a wonderful balance of each.

• There is a place - and need - in the world for each type and temperament. Our goal should be to use our talents as best that we can, to multiply them, to magnify them, and to balance ourselves in them.

• The origin of the four personality types goes back to more than two thousand years. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates termed the types of personality after body fluids: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.

• Think of the messages in the most recent General Conference - and in any General Conference - that encourage us to be more than the world would have us be. I think that just about every talk guides us to elevate ourselves higher than the norm.

• I have shared with a few people how I was once hearing a friend telling how much he was earning - about 4 times what I was earning! I felt sorry for myself, but I loved my work and I remained true and faithful to my employer, and ended up retiring with adequate while it appears that this friend cannot retire yet and will possibly not have as much as I do when he is no longer able to work. We need to seek to earn well, and then to make wise use of what we earn.

• Career Explorer For Teens — an online assessments that is personalised, and offers specific feedback on areas of improvement.

• Finding out your talents, aptitudes and Interests is very important in finding your best potential career, and then using every opportunity that is made available for you to develop those potentials and to use them to build Zion where you are.

In conclusion, I invite each reader to pray to the God of Abraham and ask if this - having all that the Father hath - is indeed your potential, and start now to build foundations on which to structure your life in order to reach that potential. Start today. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today! Please do not underachieve your eternal potential.

Come, Follow Me: The righteous shall Prosper in the land

As I studied the Come, Follow Me material for the week 23 to 29 March 2020 I pondered the question 

What do you learn from these accounts that can help you “prosper in the land”?

As part of my tour and culture guide training that I have done recently, I have been reminded of the absolutely fantastic country in which we live in South Africa. It is suggested that the Khoisan who were encountered at the Cape by Jan van Riebeeck and other European explorers in the 1400s and 1500s are the oldest humans and that South Africa has many of the oldest mountains and life forms on Earth! I love living here.

I love the way that my father described how God, after finishing creating the Earth, emptied out His pockets and tipped out gold, diamonds and many other wonderful resources on this southern tip of Africa. Perhaps he was inspired to refer to Kirstenbosch as being part of the garden of Eden that remained intact. Maybe the four rivers mentioned in Genesis 2:10-14 that flowed from the garden and became into four heads divided what became Africa, Australia, Antarctica and America after the continents drifted... So perhaps Kirstenbosch was part of the Garden of Eden after all... It is such fun to hypothesise... But, I digress...

I suppose that the Khoisan people were prospering in the land in the Cape way back in 1653 - they had sufficient for their needs and were content. They lived in harmony with each other and with the land. 

The Khoisan were surrounded by great wealth of natural resources that include rivers, landscapes, resources such as gold, diamonds, iron and platinum, but they left these gifts or talents from their loving creator buried. However, they did live in harmony with each other and with nature, and that is highly commendable. I believe that they prospered in the land. 

Then other people came and set up a refreshment station for ships travelling between the Netherlands and their trading stations in Batavia. The Dutch and other settlers such as the French Huguenots, the British and others had grand ideas and they irrigated the landscape and extracted resources from the earth and developed infrastructure such as schools, universities, hospitals, cities and dams. They transformed the landscapes as they irrigated and developed vast tracts of land. This put pressure on the Khoisan that meant that they were no longer content and prospering in the land. Infectious diseases, philosophies, ideologies, pressures, dependencies (alcohol, tobacco), sexually transmitted diseases, all sorts of novelties were introduced. There were some definite advantages, but also some definite disadvantages. Similar impacts applied in the case of the Shoshone in northern Utah when the saints came and used the land as I read this past week in Saints Vol 2. Similarly, many other people have faced challenges as strangers entered their lands with novel customs and ideas. This has happened all over the Earth and throughout all of history.

Were the Khoisan better off without universities, hospitals, schools, agriculture, mines, technology?
The command was given to man as stated in the first chapter of Genesis, from verse 28:

 'And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth'.

Was it good or evil to transform and develop the land? Exploiting the people in the process was an evil, but does that make everything evil?

The Khoisan would hunt and take animals as they needed them, and would then use the meat, skin and everything that they could, but only what they needed. Many others came and exploited the animals for greed, status, pride, and there will never be enough to satisfy greed - the difference between sustainable and unsustainable utilisation. The Khoisan could enjoy equilibrium and prosper in the land as they utilised the resources in a sustainable manner and the land provided sufficient for their needs. 

The settlers prospered in the land because they used the abundance of natural resources to expand and develop - except that greed overcame them, and greed is never sustainable. Greed always makes one believe that there is not enough to prosper. The people who exploit the land do so in an unsustainable manner because they do not automatically make sustainable harvesting part of their mindset.

In terms of having children, the Khoisan were fruitful and multiplying, but were they being fruitful and multiplying the gifts that they had been given in the form of natural resources? A lot of people today are being fruitful and multiplying in terms of temporal things, but neglecting to have as many children as they might, and then training up those children to be the fruitful, multiplying, replenishing citizens that will exercise wise dominion over the wonderful world with which we have been blessed. Some people dearly wish that they could have children - think of Sarai, Rachel and Hannah in the Old Testament. Some, as one woman told me of her choice in 1973, choose to not bring children into this world that is filled with so much that is evil. Some choose to not have the inconvenience of children in their pursuit of worldly success. Some choose to not pass on problem genes. Some adopt or help others to nurture their children because they cannot have their own children. Being fruitful in leaving a great posterity is not the blessing that all will have.

The settlers who thoughtlessly or thanklessly exploited were being fruitful and multiplying, but failing to replenish with responsible dominion.

I believe that our Father in Heaven desires that we not just be consumers, subsisting on the land without being fruitful and multiplying - I believe that the Lord indicated that the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have the mission of being the blessing in the nations, which includes being fruitful, multiplying, replenishing citizens that will exercise wise dominion over this Earth and its resources.

I guess that each person needs to consider what he or she is doing to be, and to leave a posterity that will be, fruitful, multiply, replenish and have dominion, while being good to other people, living things, and the environment - living in harmony with nature, in harmony with each other - and in harmony with God.

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After pondering this again three days later, my thoughts turned to the greater blessings that the Lord desires to pour out on us. I propose that He wants more than for us to simply exist well on the land. I think that His desire is for us to not just double two talents, but to find the other three talents and double those as well. He wants us to make the desert blossom as a rose. He wants to rebuke the devourer for our sakes and bless our harvest. He wants us to be fruitful, multiply, replenish and have dominion, while being good to other people, living things, and the environment because of our love for and commitment to Him. That is why He could send the Israelites to Israel and the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley - because they would make more out of the desert than simply existing on the land. This includes all that is encapsulated in the ten commandments: our having no other gods before Him; not getting distracted by other things and putting them before Him; lovingly and respectfully honouring His name; making the sabbath a holy day; honouring father and mother - with a promise that our days will be long upon the land that He gives to us; respecting life, respecting sexual purity; respecting the property and rights of others; being filled with integrity; and returning to the Lord and others thanks for the wonderful blessings that we have by not coveting or being greedy. I hope that I can become all that my Father in Heaven wants me to become.

Lessons learned from driving some Cape mountains and passes

Sally and I recently travelled to the Garden Route for a short while in order for us to enjoy some of the wonders that are available there. In the process of traveling about 3100km from Cape Town to Jeffreys Bay and Cape St. Francis and then back to Cape Town, we traveled on about 60 mountain passes (detailed below if you want to read them all), and saw many impressive mountain ranges.

21 August: Original Du Toits Kloof Pass, [Goreeshoogte, Malherbeshoogte], Remhoogte Pass, Bakoondshoogte Pass, Leeuriviershoogte Pass to get onto the N2 at Swellendam to reach Vleesbaai and then Riversdale.

23: Goukou Pass (N2), Soetmelksrivier Pass (N2), Gouritz River Pass (N2), [we did not go on the Mossel Bay Pass this trip although we have often travelled on it], Southern Cross Pass (N2), Hoogte Pass (N2), Maalgate River Pass (N2) to get to George Airport.

24: Gwaing River Pass (N2), Kaaimans River Pass (N2), Heights Road, Silver River Pass (7 Passes Road), Kaaimansgat Pass (7 Passes Road), Swartrivier Pass (7 Passes Road) back to George Airport.

25: Victoria Bay Pass, Gwaing River Pass (N2) again, Groot Brak Hoogte (R102)

26: Outeniqua Pass, Beveraas Kloof Pass, Perdeskoen Draai Pass to get to Oudtshoorn.

27: Brakpoort Pass, Attakwaskloofpas, Robinson Pass, Brandwaghoogte, Groot Brak Hoogte to go Oudtshoorn to Mossel Bay and George and Montagu Pass (gravel), Paardepoort (P1646 (gravel)) back to Oudtshoorn.

28: Schoemanspoort Pass, Swartberg Pass (gravel), Witkranspoort (R407) to reach Prince Albert.

29: Kredouw Pass, Meiringspoort, Rooikranspoort (R341) Uniondale Heights, Uniondale Poort, Prince Alfred Pass (gravel) to Knysna.

30: Brenton Pass in Knysna vicinity.

31: Keyters Nek, Phantom Pass (7 Passes Road) in Knysna vicinity.

1 September: Plettenberg Bay (missed Plettenberg Bay pass), Sedgefield Mountain Road.

2: Keurboomsrivier Hoogte, Stormsriver Pass to Jeffreys Bay.

3: Cape St. Francis.

4: Stormsriver Pass, Grootrivier Pass (R102), Keurboomsrivier Hoogte (N2), Keytersnek Pass (N2), Goukamma Pass (N2), Swartvleihoogte (N2), Kaaimans River Pass (N2), Gwaing River Pass (N2) , Maalgate River Pass (N2), Hoogte Pass (N2), Southern Cross Pass (N2), to Mossel Bay

5: Gouritz River Pass (N2), Soetmelksrivier Pass (N2), Goukou Pass (N2), Houw Hoek Pass (N2), Coles Pass (N2), Sir Lowry’s Pass (N2) to home

What might be of interest to you as parents, teachers, or friends is the slow process of making mountains... To take the Swartberg Mountains as an example, they are sandstone made up chiefly of sand-sized particles with some smaller cementing particles that sedimented below water some thousands of years ago, then after time, and chemical interacting processes doing their work, this extensive series of rocks of hundreds of kilometers long and tens of kilometers wide, and about 8 km thick was lifted from the floor of a rift valley to being above the surrounding landscape and massive portions of the rock were folded (hence the name Cape Fold Mountains) forming an impressive barrier to travellers wanting to get from one valley to another. 

A panoramic view at the high point of the Swartbergpas.

Just as the rocks were formed by individual grains of sand or other sediment, then took some time to settle, then experiencing serious upheaval, so our life experiences are established one small experience, one converting incident, one trial, one insight, one peaceful moment, one difficulty, one challenge, one any individual process at a time. Eventually we stand firm so that others might be impressed to sing as my mind did 'Firm as the mountains around us' as we drove through these stalwart and brave mountains to reach the Karoo town of Prince Albert.

It is amazing to see the folds in Table Mountain Sandstone.

It is fascinating to see the track that is made on the slope of the mountain, with many hairpin bends and supports built to make it possible to travel over the mountains.

We need to help those that we teach or influence to have these small experiences that will build their testimonies and enable them to cope with the challenges, upheavals, folds, choices, temptations that will work at crumbling them. But, with the support of the Holy Ghost they can stand firm, strong, bold and choose the good when presented with a choice between good and evil. Daily studying and pondering and praying about what they are learning, and upheavals to 'lift them above the waters' is important in becoming that solid rock that will form their testimony.

Another important lesson is that someone came along and saw those terrible barriers and they charted a course, and established a mountain pass that would enable themselves and thousands of other travelers to pass over the barriers. We, as the seed of Abraham, have a challenge to be those innovators, those engineers that see opportunities and not just challenges. Our challenge as the seed of Abraham, and as the seed of Isaac, is to be a blessing to the nations - bringing temporal blessings as we overcome temporal challenges and pave the way for thousands to follow us over those barriers.

But there is more - the wonderful biodiversity, the beauty that we saw with thousands of species of flowers, birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, fungi, lichens, amphibians and other kinds of organisms as they work together to form a wondrous web of life. I made the following observation in my scripture study notes about a year ago as I pondered verses 13 and 14 in 2 Nephi 30:

2 Nephi 30 2 Nephi 30

'Plants are able to produce food through the process of photosynthesis. Animals depend on what the plants did, being consumers. In the web of life each producer and consumer will become decomposed and will provide food for some other consumer, but only plants are able to produce something from 'nothing'. With light, carbon dioxide, and water, they produce oxygen and carbohydrates, fats and proteins, all of which we need.

Naturally, the Lion depends on animals as their food, requiring many more hectares per Lion than the hectares required per secondary consumer buck or prey.

We are now dependent on death to balance birth so that populations do not increase. If there is no death, aging, decay, then what input would we require in terms of food or sustenance? Would we require oxygen, water, protein, fats, carbohydrate, etc?

I love the details of the web of life, so wonderfully laid out by our loving creator.'

May the Lord bless you as you help others to build a strong mountainous testimony, 'Firm as the mountains around us'.

Students throwing tantrums about the weaknesses of their seniors rather than working to change the world themselves

South African institutions of higher learning, the students attending them, and others have been seriously impacted over the past few weeks by students demanding that fees must fall. Somehow they feel that it is not reasonable that fees increase although inflation erodes the value of the currency, and government have been reducing their financial support for universities. I guess they are as yet ignorant of the realities of life, and that life simply does become more expensive and that they have the choice of being proactive and preparing for tough times, or just moaning that there are tough times.

I am concerned that the students who are effectively throwing tantrums (an immature thing to do) should rather be working really hard to get themselves well qualified and able to go out and lead South Africa in the way that they are frustrated that the older generation are failing to do.

When they are the older generation they will probably realise that things in 2015 were not as bad as they were led to believe. I have no doubt that the a very big problem is a small group of trouble-makers who are telling the masses that the masses are unhappy. Certainly they are not as happy as they would be in the perfect world, but the world is not perfect – and that comment is not limited to the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, or even South Africa. They will in due course notice that the entire world has problems and is not perfect. I suggest that they should get over it, and become people who will help to make a better world by building on, rather than causing more problems by destroying, the tremendous good that there is.

Anyone who destroys is undermining the very thing that they say they are trying to achieve. Burning or damaging buses or property is, in my view, not defensible. Showing disrespect towards others is not acceptable. We have seen a lot of this in these riots and demonstrations. Of course, now that they have caused damage, some of the money that could go to supporting students has to go into repairing the damage. 

We need a nation of builders and agents of change, not tantrum-throwers who just complain because others are not building the nation and being agents of change, that everyone else is not perfect. Let them work to become more perfect themselves and make the difference that they want to see. Let them be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

The king and queen and their baby girl

The king and queen and their baby girl 1

Once upon a time there was a king, who was a very just, loving, fair and good king who loved his people and he wanted what was best for them.

He and his wife were excited with the arrival of a baby girl. Their greatest desire was for this baby girl to become ready to take over the throne one day, ready to be just, loving, fair and good to the people of the kingdom. So what they decided to do was to send the baby girl to live with a couple in the city and there to have the couple teach her that she was a princess, but that her role was to learn to love the people, to feel for them in their challenges and difficulties, and to experience life as they experience it. At any time she was welcome to go into the palace and speak to her parents and they would love her to do that. They would confirm to her that she was a princess, and what was their vision for her – to become ready to inherit the throne. She loved her surrogate parents and she loved her real parents, the king and queen. She did her best to learn to love the people, and to serve them. Her parents were delighted to welcome her back into their presence when she reached an age where she could take care of herself and not just expect to be served by a servant in the palace. She was mature and prepared to work for herself and do all that her parents wanted her to do. She had become like her parents.

The king and queen and their baby girl 2

Once upon a time there were a king and queen who loved their people and wanted the little girl who was born to them to inherit the throne. They loved all the people and they wanted each and every one of them to be equal and to be worthy to inherit the throne, to sit on the throne at any time, to be that kind of person, and to do things for the sake of the kingdom, and each person to be the kingdom, striving to do things for the benefit of the kingdom and not for themselves. Those who didn’t like that way of life were free to leave the kingdom, but as long as they were in the kingdom the king and queen wanted them to be selfless, caring and kind. In fact the royal couple very often invited people to come and help in making important decisions and be part of the court of the king. They had a wonderful kingdom. Everyone was working for the good of each other. Those that weren’t comfortable with that way of life left the kingdom, and they were happy enough ouside the realm, but there were also rules there and they would work and strive for excellence, have their businesses and compete with each other, building their own little empires. They weren’t at all bad people. They were good people in their own way, and anyone living in their community and their society was very happy. They did not tolerate people who murdered or lied or cheated. If someone murdered they would be punished by death. If someone lied or cheated, they would be dismissed from the society to live amongst people who chose to live that way. But as long as they lived by the rules of their society, they were welcome to live with them. But it was a society in which individuals strove against individuals, and competed and were sometimes less than generous to each other than they should be, but it was a generally happy society.

The king and queen and their baby girl 3

Once upon a time there was a king and queen who were just and fair and good people, and they were excited about the arrival of their baby daughter. They wanted her to learn to love the people and serve them. They felt that the best way to do this would be to have go out and live with a couple in the town, who would love her and rear her, reminding her of her royal heritage. At any time she was welcome to go into the palace to speak to her royal parents, and her parents wanted her to do that, and she did occasionally do so. But she had a jealous sister who wanted the throne. She did not want to be like her parents, and did not want her sister to compete with her for the right to the throne. She was a good princess but she wanted to have her own way and she wanted the kingdom run the way she wanted it run. So she whispered in her sister’s ear that she wasn’t actually wanted back by her parents, that they wanted her to be good and kind and everything but that she would never actually inherit the throne. She said that that was not their desire for her. Unfortunately she was persuaded by her sister that perhaps the price she was paying in having to be different to those around her and make choices differently from her friends, wasn’t quite worth it. And so she didn’t achieve the greatness that her parents desired of her.

Now, of course we can relate these three stories to our Heavenly Parents and their desire for us to grow and develop and become like them. What they desire more than anything is for us to learn to serve each other, to think and be and make choices like they do. They want us to become like them because we are their children and that is the natural heritage that a child has, to become like its parents. It will never become its parents, never replace its parents, never take the place of the parents, but they can achieve the greatness that their parents achieved. And for every bit of good that they do they add to the greatness of their parents, and for every decision that they make that does not contribute to the kingdom, it’s just that much less glory and success to the parents and to the kingdom. And so we can relate this kingdom to the Celestial kingdom, and the society – that wonderful society where they were good people to the Terrestrial kingdom, and that where people chose to lie and cheat and so forth, to the Telestial kingdom.

But the important thing to remember is that more than anything else our parents in Heaven would love us to return to them, being like they are, making the kind of decisions that they make, doing the kind of things that they do, loving and serving and being as they are. They want to say, “Well done, our good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things. We’ll make thee ruler over many.” They want to give us the promise that we read of as ‘joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17). They want us to achieve our absolute greatest potential. But there is a jealous brother who doesn’t want us to add to the glory of our Father in Heaven, and he whispers in our ears that that’s not their desire, that it’s a deception that we can become like our Father in Heaven, that we can become as He would have us become, that it’s not achievable and that it’s not something that our Father wants us to achieve.

The candidate dancers

There was a dance instructor who had a class, and he had someone come to the class with whom he was very impressed. He seemed to just have a feel for the music, and he could pick up dance steps very nicely. He introduced himself to this young man, who said that his name was James. The instructor felt that James was material for world class championships, and he wanted James to be a part of his class.

Then, there was another young man in the class, but he didn’t seem to have the same flair. He had great desire and determination, but he just didn’t seem to feel the tempo. The instructor spoke to him, saying “James”, but the young man said, “No, John”, so he responded, “Okay, John. You seem to be battling tonight but keep going. You’re working hard. That’s great.”

Then in another class, he saw the young man again and he saw that he was dancing beautifully again and he was really impressed as he watched him displaying the moves and the tempo. Then he saw James with James -- or John with John -- and he realised that they were brothers –James and John – who looked very much the same. James had the feel for dance and music which came naturally to him, while John was a hard worker who unfortunately didn’t have quite the same flair for dance as his brother. He noticed that James had a scar and John had something on his ear so learned to distinguish between the two. But he found that James frequently skipped classes, or when there was a competition he would simply not come. John would always be there and he worked hard. He didn’t do as well as his brother but he worked hard.

The day arrived for the national championships in which members of the dance school were going compete. He entered both James and John into the competition. As first time competitors, they were entered in the Beginner category. When their turns came and they went onto the floor to dance, the instructor realised that James had been absent when he had explained the rules, that dancing at the beginners’ level, the participants should not use moves or steps from an intermediate or advanced level, and definitely not from bronze, silver or gold levels. But James had seen some stunning moves when he watched dancers on TV, so he slipped in a move from the intermediate level, and he slipped in a move from the advanced level, and he even slipped in a move with great flair and success from the gold level. He was thoroughly startled when the judges marked him down. John, on the other hand, who had worked really hard and put forth his best effort and did the very best he could, received scores of 9’s and 10’s from the judges.

Now which of those two people would you most like to have on your team when you’re aiming for the world championships?