LESSONS OF FOOTBALL VALUES, A SPIRITUAL DECK OF CARDS AND AN INTERVIEW WITH GOD

Football: More than just a game: Why is football so popular? Because it exemplifies heroism and purposefulness, said an Ayn Rand Institute senior writer.

"The essential value of spectator sports, like football, lies in their capacity to illustrate, in a dramatic way, the process of human goal-achievement," said Thomas Bowden. "They do this by making the process shorter, simpler and more visually exciting than it is in daily life -- and by giving us heroes to admire."

In America, traditional sources of inspiration have dried up, but football gives a rare, direct glimpse of heroes in action, said Bowden.

He noted that sports in general illustrate the standards to which our society should aspire:

* Athletes earn their way onto the field by proving their superior ability, not by demanding a handout.

* Rules are explicit, known in advance, and fair to everyone, not arbitrary and enforced at someone's whim.

*n Athletes take an unapologetic, selfish pride in their abilities and achievements.

"In a world of life-and-death conflicts, spectator sports give us a time out -- an opportunity to relax and celebrate human skill, dedication, and success in a spirit of simple joy," said Bowden.

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Ten most powerful two-letter words: If it is to be, it is up to me.

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A deck of cards: This is a story about a soldier in the North Africa Campaign in World War II. After heavy fighting, the man returned to camp. The next day being Sunday, the chaplain had set up church service. The men were asked to take out their Bibles or prayer books.

The chaplain noticed one soldier looking at a deck of cards. After service, he was taken by the chaplain to see the major. The chaplain explained to the major what he had seen. The major told the young soldier he would have to be punished if he could not explain himself.

The young soldier told the major that, during the battle, he had neither a Bible nor a prayer book, so he decided he would use his deck of cards and explained:

"You see, Sir, when I look at the ace, it tells me that there is one God and no other. When I see the "2" it reminds me that there are two parts to the Bible, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The "3" tells me of the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The "4" reminds me of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. When I see the "5" it tells me of the five unwise virgins who were lost and that five were saved. The "6" makes me mindful that God created the earth in just six days, and God said that it was good. When I see the "7" it reminds me that God rested on the seventh day. As I look at the "8" it reminds me that God destroyed all life by water except for eight people, Noah, his wife, their three sons and their three sons' wives. When I see the "9" I think of the nine lepers that God healed. There were ten lepers in all, but only one stopped to thank him. The "10" reminds me of the Ten Commandments carved in stone by the hand of God. The jack makes me remember the Prince of Darkness. Like a roaring lion, he devours those he can. When I look at the queen I see the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. As I look at the last card, the king, it reminds me that Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

"There are 365 spots on a deck of cards, and that is the number of days in each year. There are 52 cards to a deck, and that is the number of weeks in a year. There are 12 picture cards, and that is the number of months in a year. ..."

The young soldier then said to the major, "You see, Sir, that my intentions were honorable. My deck of cards serves as my Bible, my prayer book and my almanac."

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U.S. anti-missile defense achievable Cohen: A limited U.S. missile defense can be achieved despite last month's test failure but would not weaken the U.S. commitment to Europe or threaten Russia, Defense Secretary William Cohen said.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that effective limited defenses are technologically achievable," Cohen told European officials concerned about a U.S. plan to deploy ground-based interceptors against missiles fired by rogue states.

"Will missile defenses protecting the United States weaken our defense commitments to allies? No, just the contrary," he said in a speech presented to the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy.

"They will make it clear that even in the face of rogue long-range missiles, U.S. defense commitments -- including those to NATO -- will be upheld," Cohen said.

Europe is worried about a U.S. missile shield and arms-control problems that might be caused by any U.S. breakaway from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile treaty with Russia.

The U.S. military failed in January to shoot down a dummy warhead in its second $100 million test over the Pacific Ocean.

But the first test in October was successful, and a third is set before President Bill Clinton's planned decision in July on whether to begin building a system.

Cohen said the second interceptor missed by less than 100 feet, and the third test would be crucial to his advice to Clinton to form an interceptor base in Alaska or hold further tests.

He said that neither Europe nor Russia should stand in the way because they also faced a looming missile threat from states such as North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

Growing threat from "rogue" states: "For America and Europe, the threat of missiles from rogue nations is substantial and growing," Cohen said. "They want long-range missiles to coerce and threaten us."

Russia has refused to agree to Washington's call to amend the anti-ballistic missile treaty, fearing that the new defenses might one day neutralize its massive nuclear arsenal.

Moscow has also warned that if the United States pulls out of the treaty it would threaten Moscow's cooperation in nuclear arms reduction agreements such as START-1 and START-2.

Europe is worried about that. But Cohen stressed that Washington did not want to pull out of the ABM pact. He said the limited anti-missile system would be only a shadow of former president Ronald Reagan's 1980s dream of a massive space-based Star Wars missile shield against the then-Soviet Union.

"We have made clear that we do not want to abandon the ABM treaty," he said, noting that the pact allows for amendments. "The threats that we will soon face were not envisioned when the treaty was signed 28 years ago."

"There is no reason to force a choice between arms control and strategic stability, on the one hand, and defending our population from rogue-state missile threats on the other."

Cohen also urged Europe to improve its defense capabilities with more "smart" weapons, military communications and troop transport ability.

But spending on defense should not derail European promises to help provide civilian police in Kosovo, where NATO-led peacekeeping soldiers face increasing crime and ethnic violence.

"To date, there has been a clear failure by participating nations to provide the United Nations with sufficient numbers of police for public security duties in Kosovo," Cohen said.

U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark said this week in Washington that only about 2,000 of a needed 6,000 police were now in Kosovo and the European Union had not sent $35 million it committed to support the force. -- Charles Aldinger, Reuters

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I don't exercise at all. If God meant us to touch our toes, he would have put them further up our body.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I don't jog very fast. It makes the ice jump right out of my glass.

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I dreamed I had an interview with God: "Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview me?"

"If you have the time," I said. God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything. What questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

"What surprises you most about mankind?"

God answered: "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived."

God's hands took mine, and we were silent for while. Then I asked:

"As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile: "To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved. To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis. To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least. To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them. To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness. To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings. To learn that money can buy everything but happiness. To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different. To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them and likes them anyway. To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for awhile enjoying the moment. I thanked him for his time and for all that he has done for me and my family, and he replied, "Anytime. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer." -- Author Unknown

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian and other newspapers.