ALONE IN THE ROOM

(WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR THE HARD OF HEARING)
I went to a "real" Sunday School class a few days ago. It was "real" in the sense it was in the presence of other people and not on a computer or TV screen. But it was difficult for me because of my hearing handicap. It was a big room with a lot of people. When there are a lot of people, they make a lot of noise because they all talk at once. When there is a lot of noise it is exceedingly difficult for me to make out any one person. They must be speaking directly to me, looking at me and speaking loud enough so I can hear distinct words. Plus, there was loud music being performed in another part of the building which bled into our space.

The speaker had a microphone, but it was difficult for me to hear him. I lost the thread of what he was saying whenever he used too many verbal pauses like "ers" and "ahs" and "sos". I assume those sounds are supposed to be words, but they are not. Whenever he used a parenthetical expression, and I don't catch on that the speech subject was temporarily on a siding, I lose the thread of the topic. Once I am forced off the subject it is hard for me to keep track of the course of the topic.

There were others near us not paying attention and speaking among themselves, thus distracting me. When anyone else speaks at the same time as the principal speaker I cannot hear both, so I hear neither.

So, the cumulative effect of all this is that I go, I sit, I cannot understand what is being spoken. The result is I am effectively alone in a room where there are other people and I must sit quietly for a half hour or hour until they get done. Then I can leave.

LIGHTS AND GATHERING

When God set lights in heaven their purpose was to divide: night and day, signs, seasons, days, and years.

At creation was darkness and God created light making for day and night - - "Evening and Morning" - - but there were no "lights". By using the lights (Sun, Moon and Stars) men would be able to organize time into days (as of the days of the month), and years, and seasons. With just light and dark they could not do that.

Dividing of the waters may be the establishment of an atmosphere. What we see as the firmament (Sky) occurs because of the atmosphere being held close to the earth by gravity. It could also mean the first existence of the different states of matter, as in solid, liquid, gas. Without any water vapor and "lights" there would be no "firmament" to perceive - - only blackness of space. When God made a firmament maybe he "split" water vapor from liquid water. The "gathering together" of waters may have resulted as heaver liquid water descended and land was pushed up from below.

When standing on the earth, air, water vapor and lights appear to be stretched out as a dome overhead. As we progress up through it the gas gets thinner until it contributes no longer to the appearance of a firmament. The fact that this is no solid surface, as a dome stretched out over the earth, may say something about the nature of the difference between the physical and spiritual.