While living in southern Ohio I learned of (and visited) a series of Indian mounds that stretched across the state. These were mostly man-made mounds of earth that stood 60-100 feet above the terrain. The mounds were erected for one specific purpose; communication. When these native Americans wanted to communicate to other tribes and villages, a designated team of two or three would climb to the top of this man made hill (mound) with wood and other natural debris, a special heavy blanket, and usually a lit torch.

Once atop the mound the team would use the wood and torch to build a fire. The other debris, grass, leaves, and vines were all items that would create lots of smoke. Then two members of the native team would send the desired message floating into the air using the blanket and smoke from the fire. Holding the blanket over the fire, keeping the smoke at bay, for different segments of time (seconds) allowed the puffs of smoke to relay various signals to surrounding villages.

One of the most interesting things about this to me was every village had members watching for these smoke signals which could come from a mound to the north, south, east, or west. When a signal was spotted in one village coming from another village (which could be 10 miles away), this village’s team sprang into action, repeating the same steps as the team from the first village. Two members of the village would quickly gather the wood, debris, torch, & blanket and make the climb up the sometimes step side of the mound outside their village. The fire would be built and the message would be repeated. This process carried on for as far as the message needed to be carried, potentially from Indiana to West Virginia (on today’s maps).

Driving today’s interstates and highways seeing cell towers every few miles, towering above everything else, I at times wonder, how much consideration was given to former ways of communication while planning and mapping out today’s communication corridors. Whether much thought was given or not, today’s communication, technology and all, still operates off some of the same principles as earlier times.

I am one who believes and teaches we are not to live in the past. Living in the past will drag you to a stand still and not allow you to grow – be it in your personal life, or organization. We are given the past to learn from, not to live in. With that being said, it is true as evidenced in the Indian Mounds and cell tower analogy above, that we can learn from the past.

Perhaps more important than learning from the past is to capture the principles of the past. The same principles that worked in communicating for native Americans, works today. The principles that Jesus Christ used to transform lives 2,000 years ago, are principles that are just as relevant today. The principles used to build a great company or church in Atlanta Georgia, can do the same in Boise, Idaho, or Seattle Washington. The methodology will not be the same, but the principles are constant and stalwart. Methods always change, principles never do.

For more on building a principle based life, church, or organization contact George Yates and pick up your copy of Reaching the Summit at SonC.A.R.E. Ministries.