H. G. Wells
Escaping Distress
Waste Little Time
On Computers
The Crossroads
Quotes
J. F. Kennedy
The Frog and the Fortuneteller
Here is God
Topic : Future
Career in Ruins
Did you hear about the student archaeologist who found his career in ruins'
H. G. Wells
Toward the end of his life, British novelist H. G. Wells grew despairing about the fate of the human race. One evening at dinner, Wells laid out his picture of the future. Mankind had failed because evolution had failed to produce in us the right kind of brain. Therefore, Wells claimed, we will destroy ourselves, die out as a species, and revert to the mud and slime from which we arose. “And we shall deserve our fate,” he said, adding that the human race had only “one thousand years more” to survive.
Escaping Distress
To escape the distress caused by regret for the past or fear about the future, this is the rule to follow: leave the past to the infinite mercy of God, the future to his good providence; give the present wholly to his love by being faithful to his grace.
Waste Little Time
Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility—a development which we should waste little time dreaming about.
On Computers
I think there is a world market for about five computers.
The Crossroads
More than at any time in history, mankind faces a crossroads—one path leading to despair and utter hopelessness, the other leading to total destruction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.
Quotes
- “We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in their market. Guitar groups are on their way out.” - Recording company expert, 1962
- Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. - Corrie Ten Boom
J. F. Kennedy
During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.”
Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we’re to be lights as we watch and wait. - Harry Heintz
The Frog and the Fortuneteller
Fortuneteller, gazing into crystal ball, to frog: You are going to meet a beautiful young woman. From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you—you’ll fascinate her.”
Frog: “Where am I? At a singles club?”
Fortuneteller: “Biology class.”
Here is God
An interesting map is on display in the British Museum in London. It’s an old mariner’s chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored. He wrote: “Here be giants,” “Here be fiery scorpions,” and “Here be dragons.” Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800s. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map: “HERE IS GOD.”
