From My Perspective - - -

For those who were born in the 1920s and 1930s, there is the memory of summertime and a truck with bells jingling riding down the street – it was The Good Humor Man. The treat was a bar of ice cream covered with chocolate that came on a stick for five cents. On a hot summer day, this was a much-anticipated treat. On the Good Humor Webpage is this statement: “The Good Humor name came from the belief that a person’s humor, or temperament, was related to the humor of the palate (sense of taste). And we still believe in quality tasting products...” As time passed, there was the development of 85 Good Humor products available. As with many things, the nostalgia of the Good Humor Truck driving down a hot city street ended in 1976 when the fleet of trucks was sold and distribution of the product changed to availability in Super-Markets.

The statement of purpose for the company is intriguing – “…the belief that a person’s humor, or temperament, was related to the humor of the palate (sense of taste)…” Humor and Temperament are connected as is humor and the palate (sense of taste). The way words are used today would cause confusion rather than clarity. Humor is: “a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement”, and Temperament is: “the combination of mental, physical, and emotional traits of a person.” While the literal definitions of today do not fit the description of The Good Humor Man and his Truck with Ice Cream treats, perhaps the nerve that should respond is the diversion from the tense and mundane to the good tasting and refreshment – even if it is only a brief moment.

The Message Translation gives this reading for Ecclesiastes 2:1-3, “I said to myself, Let's go for it - experiment with pleasure, have a good time! But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke.  What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it? With the help of a bottle of wine and all the wisdom I could muster, I tried my level best to penetrate the absurdity of life. I wanted to get a handle on anything useful we mortals might do during the years we spend on this earth. I Never Said No to Myself…” with a life abandoned to self and the pleasures of life, the one searching could not and did not find happiness – just vanity – more emptiness and meaninglessness in and for his life. Despite the effort of some to write about The Pursuit of Happiness that flows from the implementation of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), even there is frustration if one tries in his own strength to embrace, follow and include those eight instructions as the pattern of and for daily living.

There is gap and variance between Happiness and Real Joy. It is apt to draw a conclusion that happiness is temporary and reflects how one may feel as a result of what is happening in his or her life. Negative happenings will evoke sadness and sorrow; Positive happenings will evoke a happy and good response. It is also apt to draw the conclusion that joy is permanent and a reflection of one’s relationship to the source of joy. In Psalm 37:7, one is reminded: “fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” Focus should be upon the Lord who allows the righteous to realize Psalm 37:23-27, “…The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever…” The choice is an obvious one – either the temporary that provides pleasure for a brief moment, or the permanent that provides everlasting joy now and for all eternity. The temporary is based upon happenings for a passing moment. The Good Humor Man has parked his truck. The permanent is based upon a forever relationship with Jesus Christ. He is always present.  Consider These Things With Me.