You have probably heard the phrase “God helps those who help themselves”, and if you are like three quarters of Americans, you might think it comes from the Bible (as per this newspaper article). Having read most of the Bible but never come across the phrase, I became curious about where it originated, and just how true it is.

I found that the saying is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, but most likely originated from Aesop’s fables circa 500BC:

“A Wagoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddy way. He came to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So the Wagoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. ‘O Hercules, help me in this my hour of distress.’ But Hercules appeared to him, and said: ‘Man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel. The gods help them that help themselves.’”

So much for the idea that the saying comes from the Bible - it doesn’t. But is it a biblical concept? Not really.

It may appeal to our “do it yourself” culture, but spiritual self-reliance is not consistent with Christianity. The Bible teaches that God helps those who trust in Him, who are not able to help themselves - the ultimate example of this being Christ dying in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. God does instruct us to work diligently, and demonstrate our faith by our works, but when he blesses our work it is in response to our heart and our trust in Him, not because of the work itself. Some relevant words which do come from the Bible:

• Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. - Jer 17:5
• He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe - Prov 28:26
• You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. - Rom 5:6
• Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. - Deut 15:10

Even if a phrase sounds biblical, has been around a long time, and many people think it is from the Bible - that doesn’t necessarily mean it is. If in doubt, check it out!

Part Five in a series of tips for flexible non-conformist independent travellers:

Use minor back roads instead of highways

The idea of taking the road less travelled is nothing new, but the majority of people, when travelling from A to B, still tend to follow main roads. This is often the logical and sensible choice, and sometimes the only choice. If, however, there are alternatives to the main routes and you have the freedom to choose, taking a less used back road can lead to unexpected delights, and the joy of “discovering” places that seem unspoiled compared to places on the well trodden paths.

Other benefits are less traffic, fewer people, and the tendency of minor roads to be more scenic than the busy highways. Downsides may include fewer facilities and a lower standard of road, so planning is more important. Also the journey will probably take longer, but if you’re on holiday and enjoying the drive that shouldn’t matter.

My most memorable example of this occurred when driving from Melbourne to Mansfield in southeast Australia. The obvious route would have been the Maroondah Highway, but on the map I noticed a minor road (between Warburton and Jamieson) which looked more interesting. I chose this less travelled route and enjoyed a lovely winding gravel road through remote mountains and forests, historic abandoned mining sites, and a couple of tiny settlements that appeared to have changed little since the gold rush days. I felt like I had travelled back in time, and dug up treasure! Another delightful find was the back road between southern Canberra and Adaminaby - a bit rough in places and prone to snow, but a much more scenic alternative to the well used highway through Cooma.

All you need is your own transport, a decent map, and the curiosity to go beyond where everybody else goes. Not knowing what you’ll find can make the journey more interesting, and even if the back road turns out to be ordinary, it will still get you to where you were going anyway!

I went for a walk recently at Lake Monger and was saddened to find that it’s drying up. It’s normal for Perth’s smaller lakes and wetlands to dry up over summer, but not Lake Monger - it’s one of the largest lakes in the area, and although the water levels rise and fall with the seasons I’ve never seen the levels as low as they are now.

The first photo shows the shallower western side (the wooden posts are normally under water), and the second shows what is normally a channel of water surrounding a small island. The sign advising not to enter the water looks a little out of place! While most of the lake still has water in it, much of this is alarmingly shallow - one bird I saw standing in the middle of the lake had water only up to its knees (or the part of its legs where the knees would be if it had them).

Why is it so? The lake occurs in a low-lying area where groundwater reaches the surface, and so groundwater levels affect the lake depth. A percentage of Perth’s water supply is pumped out of the ground, and this percentage has increased over the last 30 years. Combined with a doubling of the population in this period, and a decrease in rainfall, it’s not surprising that the lake level should be abnormally low. It wouldn’t have helped that last year was our driest on record.

With still another two months of warm weather to get through before the brief rainy season, Lake Monger will undoubtedly get even drier - hopefully not too dry for all the bird life that depend on it when other lakes have dried up.

Have you ever been irritated or annoyed by the culture you live in, or felt discontent with human society in general? If so, it could be a sign that you are sane and well-adjusted! That’s what is suggested by these three quotes from very diverse sources:

• “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti, philosopher
  

• “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. … Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”- Bible, Romans 12:2 (MSG Version)

• “If you aren’t grumpy, that means you are content with the world.
  And who the *#@!* could be that!” - Bob Geldoff

The Bob Geldof quote is from the book “Grumpy Old Men“, based on the BBC TV series of the same name. When I read the book recently (a great laugh, by the way) his words reminded me of the other quote and also the Bible verse. What I liked about them is that each, in its own way, points to the same idea: that our cultures and societies are far from perfect, and that it’s not a good thing to be satisfied with this imperfection or try to fit into it.

What sort of people would we be, if we saw that the world was going down the toilet but didn’t think there was anything wrong with that?

So if you feel a bit cheesed off with the world around you, don’t feel ashamed; a little grumpiness is to be expected among thinking, discerning people in a faulty world. The trick is to not become over-critical and judgemental whingers, and to this end there are plenty of good things in the world we can choose to appreciate, if we look for them among the irritations.

Part Four in a series of tips for flexible non-conformist independent travellers:

Plan to have occasional camera-free days where possible

Cameras are fantastic for capturing memories and documenting a holiday. On a short trip, visiting different places every day, it makes sense to always have a camera handy. On a longer trip, however, it’s likely that not every day will be spent seeing new sights that need to be recorded. Leaving the camera behind on these odd occasions can actually enhance the enjoyment of a holiday.

This is because we see things differently when continually alert for photo opportunities. Even when using cameras in moderation the time spent taking photos - or contemplating the taking of photos - can get in the way of fully experiencing the place or activity being photographed. Just how much cameras can intrude on our enjoyment of the moment is only apparent by going camera-free and feeling the difference.

I first noticed this on a ski holiday over 10 years ago. Carrying both video and still cameras got in the way of skiing, and the time and energy spent using the cameras detracted from the very activity I was there to enjoy, so I made a point of only taking the gear once to each area I visited. Having the images to look back on is great, but so are the memories of the camera-free days, which were the most enjoyable. Since then I’ve made a regular habit of leaving the camera behind occasionally … and it’s strangely liberating. It leaves you free to study the scenery more intensely with the naked eye, soak up the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of a place without being distracted by the process of documenting it, or even the subconscious thoughts of documenting it.

Even if you only get to visit a photogenic spot once, try getting the photography done then put the camera away. Capture the scene through a lens, but also make the time to fully soak it up through your eyes and other senses too … vivid memories are the best souvenirs!

Things we do can make a difference in the lives of others - but we don’t necessarily get to see, or hear or know about it. This truth is pointed out in a book I’m reading:

… we need also to unlearn the idea that our unique mission must consist of some achievement which all the world will see - and learn instead that as the stone does not always know what ripples it has caused in the pond whose surface it impacts, so neither we nor those who watch our life will always know what we have achieved by our life and by our mission. It may be that by the grace of God we helped bring about a profound change for the better in the lives of other souls around us, but it also may be that this takes place beyond our sight, or after we have gone on. And we may never know what we have accomplished, until we see him face-to-face after this life is past.

This is from the epilogue of “What Colour Is Your Parachute” by Richard Bolles, a classic book about career change and finding the right occupation. In this bit the author is talking about finding our mission in life - our purpose for being on the earth, rather than merely what job we do. He makes the point that we should not be discouraged if what we are doing does not appear to be achieving anything or helping anyone. Doing something worthwhile may not consist of any particular activity or accomplishment that others can see. We should do and be what we are made to do and be, enjoying any recognition and feedback that might come … but not depending on it.

There’s a story in the Bible (Luke 17:12-19) of Jesus healing ten lepers and sending them away; only one bothered to return and thank him. The other nine had just as much reason to be thankful, but Jesus got no feedback from them. Nothing much has changed: few people, when helped by someone, go to the efforts of thanking the person who helped them and explaining how they were helped. But lack of feedback doesn’t necessarily mean people haven’t been, or won’t (later on), be impacted by what you’ve done … like unseen ripples in a pond.

Once again a delightful cat story has made the news, reminding us of the incredible abilities of cats to find their way home over long distances.

The cat is Molly (pictured), and her amazing journey was reported here in New Zealand’s Waikato Times the other day. When Molly’s mother and son owners took her away with them on a long weekend visit to the Coromandel Peninsula, Molly went missing. After two days of fruitless searching it was assumed that Molly had gone bush to become a wildcat, and her owners returned home cat-less.

Last Sunday, after a journey of 150 km over four months, Molly delighted everyone by turning up at her Hamilton home - a home she had only lived in for three weeks prior to going missing.

As impressive as this was, other cats have travelled much further in finding their way home. The top 10 longest distances travelled by lost cats are:

1. “Sugar” - 1,500 Miles in 14 months. Anderson, California to Gage, Oklahoma, USA
2. “Minosch” -1,485 miles in 61 days. Turkey to northern Germany, 1981
3. “Silky” - 1,472 miles in one year. near Brisbane to Melbourne, Australia, 1977-78
4. “Howie” - 1,200 miles in one year. Gold Coast to Adelaide, Australia, 1978
5. “Rusty” - 950 miles in 83 days. Boston to Chicago, USA, 1949
6. “Gringo” - 480 miles. Lamarche-sur-Seine to the Riviera, France, 1982-83
7. “Muddy Water White” - 450 miles in three years. Ohio to Pennsylvania, USA, 1985-88
8. “Murka” - 400 miles in one year. Voronezh to Moscow, Russia, 1988-89
9. “ChiChi” - 300 miles in three weeks. New Orleans to Blanchard, Louisiana, USA
10. “Pooh” - 200 miles in two years. Long Island to South Carolina, USA, 1973-75

Their stories can be found here. Two of these cats managed to find their owners in places they had never been to before, which to me suggests that cats are at least as clever as dogs.