Tag Archives: learning

Discovering Truth: Lessons from Apples and AI

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Golly! The month of September is quickly coming to an end and the seasons are about to change again! Seriously, the older I get, the faster time flies! Can I get an “amen?”! Sweater weather is creeping up on us, but we are making the most of the warm, sunny days we have left. We visited a local apple orchard this weekend for a quick pick – 20 lbs of apples later and I am wondering when I am going to get a chance to do something with them all. Apple crisp coming up.

Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Pexels.com

Fall is apples to me… despite the popular pumpkin vibe, I decorated my front porch with apples this year. Had to gather a few imitation ones from the dollar store (surprisingly not in the fall section. “Crafts” is where they are housed, should you care to gather fake fruit in the future.) Imitation apples, not only to keep them from spoiling, but also to keep the squirrels from stealing them… although I did find one down in the garden. I’m not sure if it was an attempted robbery or simply a roll away fruiting.

Speaking of fake apples… have you heard about the big A.I. (artificial intelligence) scam streaming across Canada’s social media? Purple apples engineered in Saskatchewan. A deep royal hue and supposedly tasting of cinnamon and all things lusciously fall. Fake. Not real. Apple aficionados duped by computer generated photos of fake news. The computer wizards win again.

A.I. Generated picture of “Purple Apples” (Photo via CTV News)

Which brings me around to my muse of the week: Truth. It’s a big and deep and wide subject. It goes beyond a few non-harmful photos of purple apples. It’s life choices and life changing. The difference between truth and deceit is not as simple as little white lies and fake news. Sometimes truth or “untrue” can lead us down a path of endless hurt. Ask anyone involved in unfaithful marriages or children of divorce.

It’s hard to stand up for truth. The end of September marks The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, originally and still colloquially known as Orange Shirt Day in Canada. It’s a day of memorial to recognize the atrocities and multi-generational effects of the Canadian Indian residential school system. A day for truth to be told. Like many black marks in history, these Canadian atrocities were often done “in the name of Jesus”. Nothing could be farther from the Truth.

Which allows me thoughts of “What is truth?” “Who is the right way?” ” Am I narrow minded and bigoted if I say there is only One way to truth?” Big questions with difficult answers. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that the Bible is my guide to ultimate Truth. Obviously, not everyone feels the same way. I feel for the powers that be in politics that have to weed through the fake news and A. I. generated (or simply socially generated) opinions of the masses. It is hard to seek truth when decisions of consequence are on the line… or someone’s life is on the line. Even Pilate had trouble with truth:

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.”

John 18:37-38

So, what’s a person to do? When truth is so tricky? Admittedly, it’s going to be tough. Purple apples are pretty cool. Discernment, wisdom and a whole lot of digging, will lead you to the truth. The Bible tells us that if we seek, we’ll find. It’s all I can encourage you to do. Test the waters. Ask. Seek, make mistakes, try again. Aim for integrity and honour. Ask God. I think the One who made real apples will show you the fake ones, and warn you that despite what others may say… the real thing is way better than the fraud. And I am sure my apple crisp will prove it.

What about the Weather?

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As I sit here, the wind is howling, and there has been a steady, misting rain all day. The rain is supposed to continue all night into tomorrow. Last weekend was beautiful though… the Mitton crew had a nice family getaway where we just “hung out” and spent time with each other. The sun shone on the lake and we enjoyed cool evenings under a full moon. On my way to work the other morning, the landscape was actually mesmerizing… a dense fog hovered over the corn fields, the sun was deep and orange as it climbed over the horizon to begin its day and the sky was quiet and fairy-forest like. Crazy. Soon the snow will cover the ground. Canadian weather keeps us on our toes. And Canadians have a habit of chatting about it all the time. It’s our small talk. And it’s what I am musing about this week.

My drive to work the other morning…

Have you ever thought about the difference between fog and mist? (Here’s a hint… it has to do with how far you can see). What about how rainbows are made? Why different snowflake shapes? Seasonal consequences like falling leaves, coastal tidal waves and hibernation? Hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms. Have you ever stopped to wonder about how we went from a planet of steady weather (before Noah’s flood) to an ever changing planet of potentially cataclysmic daily events? Not to mention hemispheres of constant weather like polar regions and deserts. Climate change aside, the weather serves to function perfectly to keep our world growing and changing. Seasons change and the natural world adapts and uses those changes to its full potential. Only God could design such a thing, I suppose.

Which adds the next level in my muse: How many times does the Bible reference “the weather”? I haven’t found a definitive answer, but there certainly is a lot of times verses mention weather, rain, wind, volcanoes, mist, storms… you name it, I am sure it’s in there. Consider Job 36:

26 “Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him;
Nor can the number of His years be discovered.
27 For He draws up drops of water,
Which distill as rain from the mist,
28 Which the clouds drop down
And pour abundantly on man.
29 Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds,
The thunder from His canopy?
30 Look, He scatters His light upon it,
And covers the depths of the sea.
31 For by these He judges the peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
32 He covers His hands with lightning,
And commands it to [h]strike.
33 His thunder declares it,
The cattle also, concerning [i]the rising storm.”

NKJV

Still, above all that, there is a God who is in charge of it all. One who can calm the storm and send fire and brimstone from the heavens… yet whispers in the still small voice of a misty morning. Do ya feel it, friend? Anyone can feel the power behind a crack of thunder just a little too close. We marvel at foggy days and rejoice under the warm sun of a summer day. We humans also benefit from God’s meteorology. We need the sun to warm our bodies and grow our food. We function under the cycles our earth creates. Anyone who works shifts knows how important night versus day is.

Jesus calms the storm

Perhaps God designed a mono-climate in the garden of Eden to keep things simple, but He certainly makes us aware of His presence these days with the crazy weather — which keeps us Canadians in plenty of choices for small talk. And so I encourage you — next time you’re sittin’ on the old porch chair chit chatting about the weather and the storm that’s rolling in… consider the source. Marvel at the mist. Listen to the still soft whisper in the wind. And know that there is a bigger God who calms the storm and designs each snowflake by hand.

Trapped

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I want you to imagine you’re me for a moment. It’s early morning before work. The sun is up, but not quite fully awake, much like your own brain at this hour of the day. It’s time to do morning “farm chores”. Bunny basket is loaded with fresh veggies and fresh water, snacks for the chickens are there too. You’ve made your way through the barn in the dark and loaded up on pellets for the rabbits. Gathering up your stuff, and squeaking in your wet Crocs, you head for the side doorway… there’s no real door, just a passage under the old beams. Just before you make it to the dew laden grass, it smacks you square in the face: a sticky spider web!

If you’re like me, you recoil back, and in disgust, pull the dusty string from your eyelashes and hair, hoping it didn’t get in your mouth or contain its creepy maker, who may be halfway down your t-shirt by now. Now, I don’t have a problem with spiders. They are welcomed here as mosquito eaters and horse fly catchers. They don’t freak me out, in fact, I find the arachnids quite fascinating. You’ll recall how enamoured I was with our garden spider last year (read about it here). Spiders are cool, and neat to watch, but the webs in the barn are strong, sticky and huge! And when you don’t see them and get an eye-full, it is just a little bit unnerving!

In terms of strength to density ratio, a spider silk is 5x stronger than steel. So, although I am able to peel the sticky stuff off my face, the ingenuity of the creature and its trap is surely one for the books. So, let’s muse for a bit. Which side of the web do we wish to be on? Morticia Addams, of the iconic Addams family, once said, “What is normal for the spider, is chaos for the fly.” Perspective is everything. Let’s face it, no one likes to be trapped. Especially if your trapped in something 5x stronger than steel and beady little eyes are staring you down with lunch in mind. Alas, people aren’t often targeted for lunch… but we certainly feel trapped from time to time.

Perhaps it’s a job you hate. Maybe it’s a trying relationship, or a financial struggle you just can’t seem to pull yourself out of. Many suffer from ailments and are in constant pain. It’s hard to help when someone you love is struggling with health or mental illness. Depression can be just as real as broken bones. It’s everywhere. People are so trapped in darkness, that we so often just give up and allow ourselves to be wrapped in the “death cocoon” waiting to be devoured completely. Like the fly, we are stung and paralysed by our own circumstances, rendering ourselves incapable of getting free.

If you’re there, my friend, I encourage you to seek help. We need each other to pull us out of the muck and mire. Call a friend or find guidance in a program or your local church. God is so much bigger than any situation we face, but He uses people to do His good work. Sometimes seeking help is hard though, too. I don’t like to share with others or ask them to pray for me. It’s being vulnerable, and I have to “think it through”, removed from my emotions, to get there. That’s why relationships are worth the effort. It makes the asking easier. Did you know that if a bee gets tangled in a web and returns to her hive, the other bees will surround her and peel the sticky bee free until she is able to spread her wings again? What a picture of what our churches should be like!

And so, we come to another week of pondering life’s little mysteries. As usual, I have little answers to share, but thoughts nonetheless. I try and learn the lessons presented to me as they come, even when it’s being trapped in dusty, icky spider webs in an early morning barn! Welcome to the journey, my beloved. See you again next week!