A Vessel of Great Value
In ocean transportation, there exists one painted line that stands of great importance, if crossed the vessel is not worthy for the open sea. This line is referred to as the Plimsoll Line, if you drive by a ship, you will likely have to look twice to see it. It is small and looks rather insignificant on such a massive ship. But make no mistake, this circle with a line through it, is of great importance to the captain and all who sail aboard. This is the line that ensures effective buoyancy to traverse the perils that could lie ahead.
But the origination of this line did not come from science or forethought, instead, this line was born out of tragedy. It came during an age of sea transportation where the desire to continue to push the envelope stood at greater importance than safety. Cargo loads kept increasing inch by inch, pound by pound, until January 6th 1866, when the SS London destined for Melbourne, Australia set out from Plymouth, England. She was heavy laden with cargo and passenger. And like most cruises spirits were high as noted in a poem by William McGonogall.
Twas on the 11th of January they anchored at the Nore;
The weather was charming -- the like was seldom seen before,
Especially the next morning as they came in sight
Of the charming and beautiful Isle of Wight,
But the wind it blew a terrific gale towards night,
Which caused the passengers' hearts to shake with fright,
And caused many of them to sigh and mourn,
And whisper to themselves, We will ne'er see Melbourne.
This was not the first time that this ship had tested fate. It was a new ship having been built just two years prior in 1864, complete with all the bells and whistles of its age. It was thought to be able to carry significantly more payload than other sailing vessels, which proved to be true. But with no thought given to it's limitations, it loaded at each dock. There it always found one more bundle to add on, one more bale to take. On multiple occasions the ship was forced into a bay where the storms tempest fades. The money rolled in with each successful journey, it's appetite for more ever growing. On January 6th loaded with railroad track, coal and passengers, the London headed down the Thames where an old sailor said as it passed, "She is too low down in the water, she will never rise to a stiff sea." But alas this proved to be too little and far too late as the ship made its fateful journey to Australia.
The seas turned violent and the ship lacking the buoyancy necessary to remain above water succumbed to the storm. And as the waves crashed upon the deck its fate was sealed. Without radio or coast guard and with but one working lifeboat the crew of 19 floated off into the dark distance as the passengers were left to go down with this good ship that was heavy laden.
Upon learning of the many deaths on the SS London parliament was in a hustle. It was during this time that Samuel Plimsoll's push for the high water mark was accepted and the Plimsoll Line was born. While in its infancy it only required that a ship be painted with a line by its owners. Most painted this line on the funnel, but it soon became a scientific measurement that took into account both seasons and water types. As seen below, there is a line for each type of water, tropical fresh water being the least buoyant. A ship loaded with the same tonnage will sit lower in this type of water than in the highly buoyant winter North Atlantic. This measurement prevents a ship from loading in the North Atlantic to the Plimsoll line only to find when it arrives in the warmer water of the South Pacific or Mediterranean that it is ill prepared for the storm. In simpler terms, it is preparation for what "might" come.
As I was thinking about this I could help but see the correlation between this maritime principal and my own life. As a whole we are a flawed people, and I am no different. Each of us have much in common with the cow who uses all of its potential in vein as it reaches its head over the barb wire fence for grass, when its feet are grounded in green sod. Too often spend time poorly wasted seeking dreams that do not endure and information that lacks wisdom. My life has a tendency to get inundated with possessions and the pursuit of gain. I wish I could say that I have not been guilty of looking at the situation of others in envy. Yes, I have pushed the limits and sunk my Plimsoll Line for the sake of vein glory.
This past week my family took part in going without technology in an effort to clear some of this unneeded weight. No rich, clear 1080 advertisement blanketing my family with thoughts of where we should be, what we should look like and how happy we would be if we just had a Capital One card. No TV shows making us laugh and keeping us entertained when we are fully capable of laughing, sharing and entertaining one another. No Facebook keeping us updated on what the rest of the world is doing, when the only world that matters is inside my fence. It was a far more productive week for me than usual and by the end of it I became clear, my priorities needed a little adjusting. Over time, I had picked up too many unnecessary burdens, technology usage that steals valuable time and constructiveness that leaves me under-connected to the connections that matter most. I chose to recognize and correct these behaviors so that I may fully rise to whatever sea of life that we may face.
The principle of the origin of the Plimsoll Line should not be lost on any of us. How many relationships have become so heavily laden with emotional baggage that they end up tipping over spilling their hoards of worthless bags with labels reading "things he said", "Things she should have done" and "I'm sorry's never spoken" spread out all across the sea? Leaving them to later realize that those bags of no real enduring value, saved only to prove a later point or justify a future decision, have taken with them bags of untold value. Buried below deck were the bags long since forgotten marked, "Courtship", "Child Birth", "Sunsets", "Future Dreams","Warm Embraces" and "Promises Made." All in the name of one more score to settle, all for the sake of being right, and all as a result of failing to pay attention to their relationships. Building slowly over the ever disappearing Plimsoll Line as these items of unimportance filled the hull.
Many families and individuals are bogged down under the weight of great debt, their vessels filled with possessions that will not endure. We all know the dangers of this, all in the name of, "It's only $10 dollars" or "I really need it." Are we all not a little like the three year old in this Cathy Tempelsman quote? "The three-year-old who lies about taking a cookie isn't really a liar after all. He simply can't control his impulses. He then convinces himself of a new truth and, eager for your approval, reports the version that he he knows will make you happy." It is easy to actively engaging ourselves in a fictional narrative, where in, our decisions are justified If we tell it to ourselves enough, we will begin to believe it. We will tell it to ourselves because it is what we want to hear, not what we need to hear. In engaging these impulses we risk kicking the can down the road, accumulating burdensome debt that carries with greater and greater weight.
Don't lose hope or come to believe your effort is futile. One of the things that cancer taught me was that I am valuable. In a world with billions of people this is not easy. Most of our bodies are similar, two eyes, two arms etc... We are for the most part the same, the economic theory of scarcity would not deem the human body as scarce. In fact, environmentally there might even be considered a surplus of people on this planet. But it never has been, nor ever will be quantity that determines the value of the human body, it is only the product of that body, that produces value. Yesterday, while driving home with my family all asleep and I found myself pondering my hand. I find how it works to be mesmerizing and the fact that even with all of our scientific know how we cannot come close to replicating it. I look at my hand and see divinity at work, this is a hand that has shot millions of basketballs, has shook the hand of great friends and powerful leaders, it has touched ancient relics and fancy new technology, fixed houses and automobiles. But what matters most to me when it comes to my hands have far less worldly value. These hands have felt the spark when I first held my wife's hand, caused me to sob like a baby at the first touch of our first born, fallen asleep under peaceful slumber of the woman I love, turned the door knob thousands of times to the bouncy greetings of my greatest joys and have felt the longing for one more touch of life fading.
You are priceless and the the beauty that you bring to this world cannot be painted on canvass or captured through camera lens. But my belief is that each of use a very small portion of our actual potential to produce miracles. Your value is not in where you go, what you wear, where you live or your status or position. It is the joy you feel, the love you share and the difference you make that in the end determines the value of your legacy. So if I may challenge you, it would be to do a little spring cleaning this week. Turn off the technology for the week and get introspective. Talk to your loved ones, clear the baggage that you don't need and cast it as far off behind you into the sea as you can. You simply don't need the baggage. In it's place spend some time watching a sunset and spend the evening counting your blessings, my guess is that morning will come before you get done thinking of the them. Help a complete stranger for just the joy of service. Forgive. Speak with a family member that you have not listened to often enough and learn something knew from them. Write a journal of your thoughts and delve into a new hobby. Walk a little taller from now on and know that there is no grass greener than what is under foot.
I believe I am always divinely guided. I believe I will always take the right road. I believe God will always make a way where there is no way. ~William Robert Anderson
But the origination of this line did not come from science or forethought, instead, this line was born out of tragedy. It came during an age of sea transportation where the desire to continue to push the envelope stood at greater importance than safety. Cargo loads kept increasing inch by inch, pound by pound, until January 6th 1866, when the SS London destined for Melbourne, Australia set out from Plymouth, England. She was heavy laden with cargo and passenger. And like most cruises spirits were high as noted in a poem by William McGonogall.
Twas on the 11th of January they anchored at the Nore;
The weather was charming -- the like was seldom seen before,
Especially the next morning as they came in sight
Of the charming and beautiful Isle of Wight,
But the wind it blew a terrific gale towards night,
Which caused the passengers' hearts to shake with fright,
And caused many of them to sigh and mourn,
And whisper to themselves, We will ne'er see Melbourne.
This was not the first time that this ship had tested fate. It was a new ship having been built just two years prior in 1864, complete with all the bells and whistles of its age. It was thought to be able to carry significantly more payload than other sailing vessels, which proved to be true. But with no thought given to it's limitations, it loaded at each dock. There it always found one more bundle to add on, one more bale to take. On multiple occasions the ship was forced into a bay where the storms tempest fades. The money rolled in with each successful journey, it's appetite for more ever growing. On January 6th loaded with railroad track, coal and passengers, the London headed down the Thames where an old sailor said as it passed, "She is too low down in the water, she will never rise to a stiff sea." But alas this proved to be too little and far too late as the ship made its fateful journey to Australia.
The seas turned violent and the ship lacking the buoyancy necessary to remain above water succumbed to the storm. And as the waves crashed upon the deck its fate was sealed. Without radio or coast guard and with but one working lifeboat the crew of 19 floated off into the dark distance as the passengers were left to go down with this good ship that was heavy laden.
Upon learning of the many deaths on the SS London parliament was in a hustle. It was during this time that Samuel Plimsoll's push for the high water mark was accepted and the Plimsoll Line was born. While in its infancy it only required that a ship be painted with a line by its owners. Most painted this line on the funnel, but it soon became a scientific measurement that took into account both seasons and water types. As seen below, there is a line for each type of water, tropical fresh water being the least buoyant. A ship loaded with the same tonnage will sit lower in this type of water than in the highly buoyant winter North Atlantic. This measurement prevents a ship from loading in the North Atlantic to the Plimsoll line only to find when it arrives in the warmer water of the South Pacific or Mediterranean that it is ill prepared for the storm. In simpler terms, it is preparation for what "might" come.
As I was thinking about this I could help but see the correlation between this maritime principal and my own life. As a whole we are a flawed people, and I am no different. Each of us have much in common with the cow who uses all of its potential in vein as it reaches its head over the barb wire fence for grass, when its feet are grounded in green sod. Too often spend time poorly wasted seeking dreams that do not endure and information that lacks wisdom. My life has a tendency to get inundated with possessions and the pursuit of gain. I wish I could say that I have not been guilty of looking at the situation of others in envy. Yes, I have pushed the limits and sunk my Plimsoll Line for the sake of vein glory.
This past week my family took part in going without technology in an effort to clear some of this unneeded weight. No rich, clear 1080 advertisement blanketing my family with thoughts of where we should be, what we should look like and how happy we would be if we just had a Capital One card. No TV shows making us laugh and keeping us entertained when we are fully capable of laughing, sharing and entertaining one another. No Facebook keeping us updated on what the rest of the world is doing, when the only world that matters is inside my fence. It was a far more productive week for me than usual and by the end of it I became clear, my priorities needed a little adjusting. Over time, I had picked up too many unnecessary burdens, technology usage that steals valuable time and constructiveness that leaves me under-connected to the connections that matter most. I chose to recognize and correct these behaviors so that I may fully rise to whatever sea of life that we may face.
The principle of the origin of the Plimsoll Line should not be lost on any of us. How many relationships have become so heavily laden with emotional baggage that they end up tipping over spilling their hoards of worthless bags with labels reading "things he said", "Things she should have done" and "I'm sorry's never spoken" spread out all across the sea? Leaving them to later realize that those bags of no real enduring value, saved only to prove a later point or justify a future decision, have taken with them bags of untold value. Buried below deck were the bags long since forgotten marked, "Courtship", "Child Birth", "Sunsets", "Future Dreams","Warm Embraces" and "Promises Made." All in the name of one more score to settle, all for the sake of being right, and all as a result of failing to pay attention to their relationships. Building slowly over the ever disappearing Plimsoll Line as these items of unimportance filled the hull.
Many families and individuals are bogged down under the weight of great debt, their vessels filled with possessions that will not endure. We all know the dangers of this, all in the name of, "It's only $10 dollars" or "I really need it." Are we all not a little like the three year old in this Cathy Tempelsman quote? "The three-year-old who lies about taking a cookie isn't really a liar after all. He simply can't control his impulses. He then convinces himself of a new truth and, eager for your approval, reports the version that he he knows will make you happy." It is easy to actively engaging ourselves in a fictional narrative, where in, our decisions are justified If we tell it to ourselves enough, we will begin to believe it. We will tell it to ourselves because it is what we want to hear, not what we need to hear. In engaging these impulses we risk kicking the can down the road, accumulating burdensome debt that carries with greater and greater weight.
Don't lose hope or come to believe your effort is futile. One of the things that cancer taught me was that I am valuable. In a world with billions of people this is not easy. Most of our bodies are similar, two eyes, two arms etc... We are for the most part the same, the economic theory of scarcity would not deem the human body as scarce. In fact, environmentally there might even be considered a surplus of people on this planet. But it never has been, nor ever will be quantity that determines the value of the human body, it is only the product of that body, that produces value. Yesterday, while driving home with my family all asleep and I found myself pondering my hand. I find how it works to be mesmerizing and the fact that even with all of our scientific know how we cannot come close to replicating it. I look at my hand and see divinity at work, this is a hand that has shot millions of basketballs, has shook the hand of great friends and powerful leaders, it has touched ancient relics and fancy new technology, fixed houses and automobiles. But what matters most to me when it comes to my hands have far less worldly value. These hands have felt the spark when I first held my wife's hand, caused me to sob like a baby at the first touch of our first born, fallen asleep under peaceful slumber of the woman I love, turned the door knob thousands of times to the bouncy greetings of my greatest joys and have felt the longing for one more touch of life fading.
You are priceless and the the beauty that you bring to this world cannot be painted on canvass or captured through camera lens. But my belief is that each of use a very small portion of our actual potential to produce miracles. Your value is not in where you go, what you wear, where you live or your status or position. It is the joy you feel, the love you share and the difference you make that in the end determines the value of your legacy. So if I may challenge you, it would be to do a little spring cleaning this week. Turn off the technology for the week and get introspective. Talk to your loved ones, clear the baggage that you don't need and cast it as far off behind you into the sea as you can. You simply don't need the baggage. In it's place spend some time watching a sunset and spend the evening counting your blessings, my guess is that morning will come before you get done thinking of the them. Help a complete stranger for just the joy of service. Forgive. Speak with a family member that you have not listened to often enough and learn something knew from them. Write a journal of your thoughts and delve into a new hobby. Walk a little taller from now on and know that there is no grass greener than what is under foot.
I believe I am always divinely guided. I believe I will always take the right road. I believe God will always make a way where there is no way. ~William Robert Anderson
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