I recently posted a scenario on Facebook on which I want to elaborate a little more. I am not the first to ponder what would happen if you left "immature" beings in a closed society with little to no outside intervention. I have never read "Lord of the Flies" but from what I have read of synopses, it poses that very situation. In the Book of Mormon there is an actual history of just such incidents. The history covered by the entire Book of Mormon relates several hundred years of a civilization mostly separated from other people. A more compact version of this scenario is in the book of Ether, within the Book of Mormon. It tells of a group of people who set out across the wide ocean, centuries before the Pilgrims came to the "New World" and, despite having started out with God-fearing people and moral standards, they neglect to continue teaching such counsel. Without further counsel (scriptures and prophets) from a superior being (in this case, God) managed to completely wipe themselves out in 28 generations. The record was preserved by one remaining righteous prophet whose final outcome we don't know. There were wars, contentions, rebellion, robberies, murders, indolence (laziness), lyings, and -in short- everything we see on the earth today. It's hard to see inevitable results in our future today without being concerned. Good parents try to ward off having their children damage each other by teaching them better ways to resolve inevitable conflicts with occasional punishments/confinements when necessary. God warns and teaches us through prophets, current and past (scriptures). But just as children rebel against parents thinking they don't understand, God's children (all humans on the earth) rebel against God by denying His authority, wisdom, and even existence. As a result, just as chaos reigns in a household when children are not mature in wisdom, chaos is reigning on the earth amid God's children.
I posted a blog over a year ago while serving our temple mission about God "hastening His work". The prophets have been telling us that these are the last days before the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign. (Like when Mom and Dad get home and order gets restored among warring siblings) Prophets have also been warning us that the Lord is currently hastening His work because the time is getting shorter. I saw evidence of this while working in the temple and started to feel anxious that there was so much to do before Christ returns. I was reassured by the reminder that God can do His own work. He is totally capable of accomplishing whatever He deigns to accomplish with or without my help. However, He is happy to have each of us do whatever we can to assist in the work, not to show off or bring honor to ourselves, but to do whatever our little part might be with the glory being God's. Whether we serve other people in our homes, churches, or communities, do work for the previously living (genealogy and temple work), or just try to follow Jesus by perfecting our own character- we are doing a part of what God wants to accomplish: "For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We don't need to fret. God knows about wars and crime. He even knows about climate change. He continues to be in charge despite Satan's best efforts to take control. That doesn't mean we don't need to be at all concerned. Knowing God's goal means we can identify what part we can play in assisting that goal to be reached. If we can't identify our part, all we have to do is ask- and He will tell us. (only if we have real intent- meaning we intend to actually DO what He wants) His goal will be accomplished. We each get to choose whether we want to be a part in accomplishing it, or trying to thwart it. Those are the only 2 choices.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Colors and other labels
One of my daughters is enamored with dogs and has spent time studying about various breeds. There are characteristics that generally hold true through breeds but each individual dog will have their own personality. Chihuahas are usually high strung, labs are family friendly, Great Danes are meek. But not every pit bull is a killer and not every poodle is cuddly.
I recently read a book for a book club written by a black man about black culture. He grew up in what could be called a ghetto area of a US city surrounded by gangs, drugs, anger, and "black culture". He often used phrases identifying people by color, especially in referring to "those who think they are white". My emotions ranged from pity to anger as I read his work. I have a really hard time labeling people by their outward shells. I guess genetically, most dark-skinned people are descended from somewhere in Africa. So, what does an American black man have in common with a black man living in Sudan or living in New Zealand? Does the color of their skin automatically link them? At what point can the world get over things that were done in the past and move on with greater awareness? There are still slaves everywhere in the world. Not every person with dark skin can claim direct descendancy from a misused person dragged from their hut in Africa to be whipped by a New World plantation owner. Not every person with dark skin can claim not being given a job simply because of the color of their skin. I would hope that although there are some with white skin who consider themselves superior to those who simply have a different skin color, I would not be automatically identified as having that same attitude simply because I have white skin. The labels we have for our outer shells DO NOT identify who we are! There are all kinds of skin colors. Does an albino only "fit in" with other albinos? After all, there are Caucasian albinos, black albinos and probably even Indian albinos. I was fascinated by a person I saw who had green skin. I tried to research how someone could have green skin. When I first saw her, I caught a glimpse of her face and thought she had some kind of facial cream on that she had not yet washed off. Later I saw her several more times and any exposed skin was that same color. I never asked her because I didn't want to embarrass her. I know when skin is orange, it indicates an issue with diet and absorbing nutrients. None of that defines WHO those people are!
Just because a person has chosen to be a lawyer, or a doctor, or an engineer, or an artist it does not define who they are either. You can have a tender-hearted lawyer or an abrupt doctor. You can have a teacher who is a liar and a thief. There are women who are not good cooks and men who know nothing about cars or sports.
I feel sorry about prejudice of any kind. I really do. At some point, we need to be able to get past the resentment, call people out when they are truly unjustly prejudiced, and just go on. It's sad that some men do not respect women because they can't lift as heavy a weight. It is sad that some builders resent lawyers and think they're all "scum bags". It is sad that artists and ballet dancers are lumped by some as homosexual or incapable of practical skills. Every human being is responsible for his or her viewpoint and treatment of other individuals. I had ancestors who made beautiful baskets but I have no idea how to do that. I have children who are brilliant in science and math. I'm not. I know women who can lift really heavy things. I'm no wimp but I can't lift heavy barbells. I know men who can't fix their cars or figure out how to make a string of Christmas lights work. None of those things identify WHO a person is. We each define who we are by the choices we make in how we treat others, what goals we have, and how well we overcome weaknesses and trials. We can encourage drug addicts to get clean without disrespecting them as human beings. We can treat a wealthy or highly educated person as an equal without feeling intimidated. We can treat our family members with the same respect with which we would treat neighbors or the mayor. We may not be treated with the same respect back but THAT is not our problem or our choice. WE CHOOSE who we want to be regardless of that others may choose. It's not always easy but we can overcome our gut tendency to resent or be insulted or be afraid or be awed by some outward shell label. Every human being, whether they acknowledge it or not, is a child of God. They are a child of a Heavenly Father who loves them and wants them to be the best they can be- whatever that is for EACH INDIVIDUAL. Ironically, as we strive to be the best person we can be, we will become more alike.
I recently read a book for a book club written by a black man about black culture. He grew up in what could be called a ghetto area of a US city surrounded by gangs, drugs, anger, and "black culture". He often used phrases identifying people by color, especially in referring to "those who think they are white". My emotions ranged from pity to anger as I read his work. I have a really hard time labeling people by their outward shells. I guess genetically, most dark-skinned people are descended from somewhere in Africa. So, what does an American black man have in common with a black man living in Sudan or living in New Zealand? Does the color of their skin automatically link them? At what point can the world get over things that were done in the past and move on with greater awareness? There are still slaves everywhere in the world. Not every person with dark skin can claim direct descendancy from a misused person dragged from their hut in Africa to be whipped by a New World plantation owner. Not every person with dark skin can claim not being given a job simply because of the color of their skin. I would hope that although there are some with white skin who consider themselves superior to those who simply have a different skin color, I would not be automatically identified as having that same attitude simply because I have white skin. The labels we have for our outer shells DO NOT identify who we are! There are all kinds of skin colors. Does an albino only "fit in" with other albinos? After all, there are Caucasian albinos, black albinos and probably even Indian albinos. I was fascinated by a person I saw who had green skin. I tried to research how someone could have green skin. When I first saw her, I caught a glimpse of her face and thought she had some kind of facial cream on that she had not yet washed off. Later I saw her several more times and any exposed skin was that same color. I never asked her because I didn't want to embarrass her. I know when skin is orange, it indicates an issue with diet and absorbing nutrients. None of that defines WHO those people are!
Just because a person has chosen to be a lawyer, or a doctor, or an engineer, or an artist it does not define who they are either. You can have a tender-hearted lawyer or an abrupt doctor. You can have a teacher who is a liar and a thief. There are women who are not good cooks and men who know nothing about cars or sports.
I feel sorry about prejudice of any kind. I really do. At some point, we need to be able to get past the resentment, call people out when they are truly unjustly prejudiced, and just go on. It's sad that some men do not respect women because they can't lift as heavy a weight. It is sad that some builders resent lawyers and think they're all "scum bags". It is sad that artists and ballet dancers are lumped by some as homosexual or incapable of practical skills. Every human being is responsible for his or her viewpoint and treatment of other individuals. I had ancestors who made beautiful baskets but I have no idea how to do that. I have children who are brilliant in science and math. I'm not. I know women who can lift really heavy things. I'm no wimp but I can't lift heavy barbells. I know men who can't fix their cars or figure out how to make a string of Christmas lights work. None of those things identify WHO a person is. We each define who we are by the choices we make in how we treat others, what goals we have, and how well we overcome weaknesses and trials. We can encourage drug addicts to get clean without disrespecting them as human beings. We can treat a wealthy or highly educated person as an equal without feeling intimidated. We can treat our family members with the same respect with which we would treat neighbors or the mayor. We may not be treated with the same respect back but THAT is not our problem or our choice. WE CHOOSE who we want to be regardless of that others may choose. It's not always easy but we can overcome our gut tendency to resent or be insulted or be afraid or be awed by some outward shell label. Every human being, whether they acknowledge it or not, is a child of God. They are a child of a Heavenly Father who loves them and wants them to be the best they can be- whatever that is for EACH INDIVIDUAL. Ironically, as we strive to be the best person we can be, we will become more alike.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Personal tutoring
There are different ways to learn. The two most common are through trial and error and being taught by someone with greater knowledge- either in person or through a book. Trial and error can be really effective, if not downright painful. However, sometimes we don't "get it" resulting in a repeat of a difficult lesson. When being taught by someone we have the chance to either pay attention and decipher how to implement the information or completely ignore it. It's also possible to misinterpret lessons in both instances. My personal favorite way to learn is directly from God through the Holy Spirit. Having said that, I have to qualify that with the point that it is NOT the easiest way to learn. I have explained in previous posts how much effort it requires to be in tune or in connection with spiritual intelligence. The world tends to be VERY loud and persistent and must be shut out to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. I recall a few personal lessons learned through this whisper:
My husband and I joined the LDS Church in 1974. I had always believed in God and that Jesus was my Savior and had attended, with my family, the Methodist Church. When Russ and I were taught the doctrine of eternal marriage, it gave us pause. We looked at each other and said, "Do we really want to be married forever? That's a really long time!" We talked it over and prayed and fasted and determined to go through with it and were sealed in a temple by a man with the authority to seal on earth what would be sealed in heaven. Later my parents joined the church and the opportunity arose to be sealed to them as a daughter forever in the temple. I felt guilty having doubts because there were things about my mother that bugged me- not really serious things, but I wondered how I could kneel at the altar and have a sincere, honest heart in agreeing to be my parents' daughter for time and all eternity. As I once again fasted and prayed to know what to do, the Lord gently but firmly told me, "You must allow her to change." Aha! Just as I hoped to grow and improve and otherwise change, I needed to allow my mother- some day even if not right now- to also change. She would not be a hoarder forever. God was simply reminding me of a principle I knew intellectually but needed to adapt to this particular occasion.
As I have witnessed preparations for the Lord's Second Coming, I have sometimes gotten a bit anxious about "getting ready". I wrote a couple of blogs about the things I witnessed and participated in during my temple mission in Nauvoo. As I got excited thinking about what things still needed to be accomplished, I was shown that God was completely aware and was working on things WAAAY before I thought of them. Also, I was told, again gently but firmly, "All you have to do is your little part." I wasn't going to change the world or accomplish anything great in paving the way for the Lord to govern the world, but I did have assignments that I could do. Whether or not I do my part isn't going to change what the Lord does. It will only change me and how prepared I am.
I go to a scripture study class every week. This morning we were talking about some of the writings of Paul in the New Testament and focusing on unity. I remembered the times I have experienced "tender mercies" of the Lord and heard other people tell about similar experiences. People in the world sometimes label them as "coincidences" but knowing that God is truly omniscient and loves every one of us, He will give us little gifts that one of today's apostles has termed "tender mercies". (It is actually referred to in the scriptures as well but I'm not going to take the time to research the reference.) One time when I had a lot of serious issues weighing heavily on my mind and didn't know how I was going to endure, a song came on the radio. I was listening to a classical station which generally played regular classical music and on rare occasions might play a "religious" piece on a non-Sunday. One of my very favorite songs is John Rutter's "For the Beauty of the Earth" and I had never heard it on the radio before. It surprised me to hear it on a non-religious radio station. That same day, I got a phone call from my bishop (ecclesiastical leader) who just wanted to know how I was doing. He had felt a prompting to check on me. God knew me and wanted me to know! There are also more incidents than I can list of connections between random people sometimes really out of the blue. We are all different yet we are all God's children. He wants us to know each other, think of each other, and love each other. That's the easiest, most direct way for us to understand HIS love for us. He knows we can love as He does more easily when we are reminded of things we have in common. These little connections help us to feel loved and encouraged.
If I spent more time and thought and looked through my journals, I could probably find even more "lessons" I have gotten from the personal tutoring of the Lord through the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for this knowledge and testify that God is real and loves us all. He will let anyone know who cares enough to seek Him out.
My husband and I joined the LDS Church in 1974. I had always believed in God and that Jesus was my Savior and had attended, with my family, the Methodist Church. When Russ and I were taught the doctrine of eternal marriage, it gave us pause. We looked at each other and said, "Do we really want to be married forever? That's a really long time!" We talked it over and prayed and fasted and determined to go through with it and were sealed in a temple by a man with the authority to seal on earth what would be sealed in heaven. Later my parents joined the church and the opportunity arose to be sealed to them as a daughter forever in the temple. I felt guilty having doubts because there were things about my mother that bugged me- not really serious things, but I wondered how I could kneel at the altar and have a sincere, honest heart in agreeing to be my parents' daughter for time and all eternity. As I once again fasted and prayed to know what to do, the Lord gently but firmly told me, "You must allow her to change." Aha! Just as I hoped to grow and improve and otherwise change, I needed to allow my mother- some day even if not right now- to also change. She would not be a hoarder forever. God was simply reminding me of a principle I knew intellectually but needed to adapt to this particular occasion.
As I have witnessed preparations for the Lord's Second Coming, I have sometimes gotten a bit anxious about "getting ready". I wrote a couple of blogs about the things I witnessed and participated in during my temple mission in Nauvoo. As I got excited thinking about what things still needed to be accomplished, I was shown that God was completely aware and was working on things WAAAY before I thought of them. Also, I was told, again gently but firmly, "All you have to do is your little part." I wasn't going to change the world or accomplish anything great in paving the way for the Lord to govern the world, but I did have assignments that I could do. Whether or not I do my part isn't going to change what the Lord does. It will only change me and how prepared I am.
I go to a scripture study class every week. This morning we were talking about some of the writings of Paul in the New Testament and focusing on unity. I remembered the times I have experienced "tender mercies" of the Lord and heard other people tell about similar experiences. People in the world sometimes label them as "coincidences" but knowing that God is truly omniscient and loves every one of us, He will give us little gifts that one of today's apostles has termed "tender mercies". (It is actually referred to in the scriptures as well but I'm not going to take the time to research the reference.) One time when I had a lot of serious issues weighing heavily on my mind and didn't know how I was going to endure, a song came on the radio. I was listening to a classical station which generally played regular classical music and on rare occasions might play a "religious" piece on a non-Sunday. One of my very favorite songs is John Rutter's "For the Beauty of the Earth" and I had never heard it on the radio before. It surprised me to hear it on a non-religious radio station. That same day, I got a phone call from my bishop (ecclesiastical leader) who just wanted to know how I was doing. He had felt a prompting to check on me. God knew me and wanted me to know! There are also more incidents than I can list of connections between random people sometimes really out of the blue. We are all different yet we are all God's children. He wants us to know each other, think of each other, and love each other. That's the easiest, most direct way for us to understand HIS love for us. He knows we can love as He does more easily when we are reminded of things we have in common. These little connections help us to feel loved and encouraged.
If I spent more time and thought and looked through my journals, I could probably find even more "lessons" I have gotten from the personal tutoring of the Lord through the Holy Ghost. I am grateful for this knowledge and testify that God is real and loves us all. He will let anyone know who cares enough to seek Him out.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
I get my best ideas in the temple.............
I make no secret of the fact that I loved serving a mission where I was in the temple nearly every single day for a year and a half. I miss it. The reason I miss it is because I feel so aware and in tune and intelligent in the temple and now that we only go once a week, I don't get the connections I used to have so much of the time. Recently I read a book in the New Testament at home. Most of it just went right over my head. Today I had the opportunity to read it in the temple. It was like reading a totally different book! It really requires effort to shut out this world and connect with the spiritual realm. It's real but it's far from the thoughts and doings of the physical world. Here we worry about how foolish the president is, how much the weather is changing, what style clothing or hairdo we should have so we look our best, what to do with our excess time because our life is really simplified by not having to chop wood and grow crops to sustain our life, and what to do with our excess money because after our food which is so cheap and other than stuff we really don't NEED to sustain life, we have funds left over. God is so happy to bless us. He is also happy when we use whatever excess we have to try to bless others, but we don't always know the best way to do that. We just end up obsessed with all the wrong things- temporary temporal things. As a result, despite all of our blessings, we aren't happy. We quarrel with others, we get anxious and depressed. So many things need to be fixed! Changed! Oh no!! It's just not how our Father in Heaven wants us to feel.
One of Paul's main points in his letter to the Galatians is that we simply can not earn our way to perfection and back to being with God, which is the ultimate in being content. The children of Israel were given rules by Moses to guide them in the right direction but "the law" can never sanctify or justify ANY one. Paul points out, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." In other words, if you plan to try to live a perfectly holy life, you will never achieve your goal because as long as you are amiss in even one tiny part of the law, you are not perfect, you are cursed. The point for our mortal experience is not to achieve perfection. It's to simply change from a rebellious, independent, self-centered child to a humble, loving child sincerely desiring to learn to be better rather than just seeking justification for being the way we currently are. When you add that, what is called "repentance", to faith that God loves us enough that He gave us the unfathomable gift of His only Begotten Son to atone for us- THAT is when we achieve sanctification. That is how we have the "peace that passeth all understanding", the "unspeakable joy". No matter how many laws we add or alter, no matter how much money we raise or spend or save, no matter how many words we multiply, we will never achieve heavenly peace and happiness. There is no point in looking around with anxious, critical eyes. We can't change anyone but ourselves. None of us are in charge of the world so we can't change the world. All we can do is change ourselves. We just need to prepare ourselves to meet the Savior and stand before God. Sure, part of that involves helping others- in fact that's a major, essential part in following the example of Jesus Christ. We can learn more from strengthening a spiritual connection to an omniscient Being than we ever will by reading books and listening to wisdom put forth by other mortals. If we combine our earthly education with a sincere effort to learn from God through the Holy Ghost, now that will result in some success!
One of Paul's main points in his letter to the Galatians is that we simply can not earn our way to perfection and back to being with God, which is the ultimate in being content. The children of Israel were given rules by Moses to guide them in the right direction but "the law" can never sanctify or justify ANY one. Paul points out, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." In other words, if you plan to try to live a perfectly holy life, you will never achieve your goal because as long as you are amiss in even one tiny part of the law, you are not perfect, you are cursed. The point for our mortal experience is not to achieve perfection. It's to simply change from a rebellious, independent, self-centered child to a humble, loving child sincerely desiring to learn to be better rather than just seeking justification for being the way we currently are. When you add that, what is called "repentance", to faith that God loves us enough that He gave us the unfathomable gift of His only Begotten Son to atone for us- THAT is when we achieve sanctification. That is how we have the "peace that passeth all understanding", the "unspeakable joy". No matter how many laws we add or alter, no matter how much money we raise or spend or save, no matter how many words we multiply, we will never achieve heavenly peace and happiness. There is no point in looking around with anxious, critical eyes. We can't change anyone but ourselves. None of us are in charge of the world so we can't change the world. All we can do is change ourselves. We just need to prepare ourselves to meet the Savior and stand before God. Sure, part of that involves helping others- in fact that's a major, essential part in following the example of Jesus Christ. We can learn more from strengthening a spiritual connection to an omniscient Being than we ever will by reading books and listening to wisdom put forth by other mortals. If we combine our earthly education with a sincere effort to learn from God through the Holy Ghost, now that will result in some success!
Tuesday, March 07, 2017
Wax on, Wax off.....
Most Americans over the age of 20 have either seen or at least heard of the movie "Karate Kid". It's the story of a lonely boy befriended by a Japanese older man who helps him deal with bullies. In preparation for teaching him martial arts moves, the older man has the younger boy do such strange tasks as washing and waxing a car, trying to catch flies with chopsticks, and balancing on a post- all of which make no sense to the boy. The older man knows that the skills have to be backed up by strength, balance, agility, and speed. The young boy just wants to focus strictly on karate moves figuring other stuff is inconsequential. By the end of the movie, the young boy has reached a point where he recognizes the value of the "trivial" things the old man had him do. He starts to become a master of martial arts.
It's like that for us and God. We can't understand what keeping the Sabbath holy has to do with being Christlike. Why should we avoid wine and strong drink? Why should we cease to sleep longer than is needful? With God being our Father and wanting us to follow the example of His Only Begotten Son, we might think there must be "more important" mysteries He could be teaching us. I want to know how to make a sun! Or maybe how to have the wind and waves obey me! Now that would be cool! Can you imagine the chaos that would result if any of us very unwise mortals could have the power God has? Can you imagine what we would do to our eternal siblings who might tick us off? How about what we would do to the weather or the planets "just because we can??
We have all the information we need to begin our training to be like our Savior- it's in the scriptures and the words of living prophets. In a couple of weeks, there will be yet another opportunity to hear more instruction especially for our day during the sessions of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There isn't likely to be any earth-shattering new directives. None of us have mastered all of what our Father has already given us. The Ten Commandments Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were just the very basic beginning of what the Lord would have us do. The Mortal Christ gave us more during His time on earth, and there has been more given since then. We need to treat others as we would like to be treated. If we don't have charity (the pure love of Christ) we are nothing. If we are not masters of ourselves, we will never be able to succeed in being masters of a universe or anything like unto it. We need to keep doing the "wax on, wax off" tasks before we can become masters.
It's like that for us and God. We can't understand what keeping the Sabbath holy has to do with being Christlike. Why should we avoid wine and strong drink? Why should we cease to sleep longer than is needful? With God being our Father and wanting us to follow the example of His Only Begotten Son, we might think there must be "more important" mysteries He could be teaching us. I want to know how to make a sun! Or maybe how to have the wind and waves obey me! Now that would be cool! Can you imagine the chaos that would result if any of us very unwise mortals could have the power God has? Can you imagine what we would do to our eternal siblings who might tick us off? How about what we would do to the weather or the planets "just because we can??
We have all the information we need to begin our training to be like our Savior- it's in the scriptures and the words of living prophets. In a couple of weeks, there will be yet another opportunity to hear more instruction especially for our day during the sessions of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There isn't likely to be any earth-shattering new directives. None of us have mastered all of what our Father has already given us. The Ten Commandments Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were just the very basic beginning of what the Lord would have us do. The Mortal Christ gave us more during His time on earth, and there has been more given since then. We need to treat others as we would like to be treated. If we don't have charity (the pure love of Christ) we are nothing. If we are not masters of ourselves, we will never be able to succeed in being masters of a universe or anything like unto it. We need to keep doing the "wax on, wax off" tasks before we can become masters.
Monday, March 06, 2017
Another book read.......
I just finished reading a book called Drunk Tank Pink, a catchy title referring to a color discovered by scientists in the 1970's that has a calming effect. Quote from the book, "Even if a person tried to be angry or aggressive in the presence of pink, he can't. The heart muscles can't race fast enough. It's a tranquilizing color that saps your energy. Even the colorblind are tranquilized by a pink room." The book analyzes a wide range of elements in our environment that impact us, some obvious and some totally sub-conscious. Some are not really surprising, for instance: living in noisy, crowded conditions retards learning and having litter around makes it more likely that people will litter whereas when in a pristine environment they are very unlikely to litter. (I feel so validated for teaching my children to pick up after themselves and never, ever litter!) Some are quite surprising, even bordering on questionable despite the "scientific evidence" backing it up. If you can catch a tv show called "Brain Games" ( I know it's on Netflix.) it includes several of the same observations.
The one I particularly want to share concerns the urban/rural issue. Russ and I make no secret of the fact that we are NOT city people. In this book there is evidence to back us up for this preference.
What is it that sets natural environment apart from others? Why shouldn't a quiet streetscape have the same effect as a quiet natural landscape, for example? Architecture has its own beauty, and some people prefer urban environments to natural environments, so why does nature seem to have such powerful restorative effects? The answer is that natural environments have a unique constellation of features that set them apart from man-made locations. Just before the dawn of the twentieth century, William James, one of the early giants of modern psychology, explained that human attention comes in two forms. The first is directed attention, which enables us to focus on demanding tasks like driving and writing..... The second form is involuntary attention, which comes easily and doesn't require any mental effort at all..... Nature restores your mental functioning in the same way that food and water restore your body. The business of everyday life......is depleting, and what man-made environments take away from us, nature gives back. There's something mystical and, you might say, unscientific about this claim, but its heart actually rests in what psychologists call attention restoration theory, or ART. According to ART, urban environments are draining because they force us to direct our attention to specific tasks (e.g. avoiding the onslaught of traffic) and grab our attention dynamically, compelling us to "look her" before telling us instead to "look over there!" These demands are draining - and they're also absent in natural environments.
I don't think it's "mystical" at all. I think God is perfect and He made a perfect environment for us. As children, we don't yet know all He knows. In our efforts to "improve" things, we kind of make a mess: pollution, drought, weather change, the extinction of living things, etc. I realize that tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes are not our fault and they also make a mess of things. But I am really grateful for the beauty of mountains, rivers, lakes, flowers, trees, animals, etc. Some day the Lord has promised us that "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6) So even the currently more scary elements of nature will one day be totally peaceful and lovely. I certainly look forward to it!
The one I particularly want to share concerns the urban/rural issue. Russ and I make no secret of the fact that we are NOT city people. In this book there is evidence to back us up for this preference.
What is it that sets natural environment apart from others? Why shouldn't a quiet streetscape have the same effect as a quiet natural landscape, for example? Architecture has its own beauty, and some people prefer urban environments to natural environments, so why does nature seem to have such powerful restorative effects? The answer is that natural environments have a unique constellation of features that set them apart from man-made locations. Just before the dawn of the twentieth century, William James, one of the early giants of modern psychology, explained that human attention comes in two forms. The first is directed attention, which enables us to focus on demanding tasks like driving and writing..... The second form is involuntary attention, which comes easily and doesn't require any mental effort at all..... Nature restores your mental functioning in the same way that food and water restore your body. The business of everyday life......is depleting, and what man-made environments take away from us, nature gives back. There's something mystical and, you might say, unscientific about this claim, but its heart actually rests in what psychologists call attention restoration theory, or ART. According to ART, urban environments are draining because they force us to direct our attention to specific tasks (e.g. avoiding the onslaught of traffic) and grab our attention dynamically, compelling us to "look her" before telling us instead to "look over there!" These demands are draining - and they're also absent in natural environments.
I don't think it's "mystical" at all. I think God is perfect and He made a perfect environment for us. As children, we don't yet know all He knows. In our efforts to "improve" things, we kind of make a mess: pollution, drought, weather change, the extinction of living things, etc. I realize that tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes are not our fault and they also make a mess of things. But I am really grateful for the beauty of mountains, rivers, lakes, flowers, trees, animals, etc. Some day the Lord has promised us that "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6) So even the currently more scary elements of nature will one day be totally peaceful and lovely. I certainly look forward to it!
Saturday, March 04, 2017
Family and other groups
Although my extended family, and even the family of my siblings, is relatively "large", Russ's family is not. Up until the summer just before my dad died, there was at least one family reunion every year. (At this point the family is just too spread out for the attendance to be worth trying to plan reunions.) For Russ's family any time spent together has been more often on an individual basis. So last night we had the relatively (pun!) rare opportunity to spend the evening with two of Russ's cousins and it was delightful. It has been a number of years since we had spent time with either of these cousins and their spouses. One cousin is nearly 20 years older than Russ, the other 6 years older. The facts of age difference and very different life experiences did not detract from the warm affinity of family relationship. I thought about "The Family A Proclamation to the World" put out by the First Presidency of the LDS Church in 1995. Here is a brief quote from it:
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities......We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote these measure designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
None of Russ's cousins, and none of mine, are LDS. That's okay. Russ's cousins still live those principles listed above. (As do many of mine.) They believe in God and prayer and attend their churches and try to be helpful and active in their communities. His cousin who is 86 recently had a knee replaced and has had back problems but still rides long distances on a bike.
On the other hand, these days there is much said about families being just about any combination of people you might want to name. To me, it's a little like "everybody gets a prize" taking away from those who have truly earned a prize. To be defined as a family must require some sort of genuine effort. Legal adoption is definitely an effort that can designate family. Time can also define family. For instance, several decades ago Russ and I, and our children as well, brought a young man into our family followed by a wife and 5 children. They are at our family gatherings. They have been an immense assistance in more ways than I could count. The children all consider each other as cousins despite the fact that there is no legal or genetic relationship. There has been considerable time invested to make it a family relationship. We even talk about our church (ward) unit as being a "family". That means we acknowledge a relationship with each other involving a certain willingness to reach out, to accept, to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort", and to be able to truly count on each other.
To come right down to it, we are all children of God. All human beings are one gigantic family. In each segment of our family there will be some who struggle with feeling included. My brother sometimes doesn't seem to want to be included in the warm, close relationship my sisters and I enjoy. My dad had a sister who always seemed to be a little more distant than other siblings. Every ward has members who don't come to social events or maybe even only attend some meetings and only half-heartedly. Among God's family there are some who will claim to be different from others in a way that precludes any trust or close relationship. There are those who would agree and, as a result, ostracize others because of their "differences". I know I'm being a broken record but it all comes down to our choice. If a person chooses to be included in God's family, they can choose to be a part of God's standards or expectations or program. If a person wishes to be included in any community, they can choose to participate in the programs of that community. We are not required to be a part of any family we don't want to be a part of. However, if anyone ostracizes himself, he has no grounds to complain about feeling left out. I am not concerned about not feeling a part of neo-Nazis or ISIS or any community that espouses principles and standards I don't choose to agree with. On the other hand, I would not accept someone with those standards demanding that any other community embrace their standards. The Book of Mormon (if you haven't ever read it, I highly recommend you do) is full of "all manner of 'ites'", meaning groups of people who separate themselves according to beliefs and customs. That is by choice. There are occasions in history when a separated group, or at least some members of it, decide they don't want to be separate anymore. The way to overcome that is to give up those standards and principles that separate them, not to demand that the other group adopt their standards. The choice can be offered, but not demanded. God has given all of His children the freedom to choose.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities......We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote these measure designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
None of Russ's cousins, and none of mine, are LDS. That's okay. Russ's cousins still live those principles listed above. (As do many of mine.) They believe in God and prayer and attend their churches and try to be helpful and active in their communities. His cousin who is 86 recently had a knee replaced and has had back problems but still rides long distances on a bike.
On the other hand, these days there is much said about families being just about any combination of people you might want to name. To me, it's a little like "everybody gets a prize" taking away from those who have truly earned a prize. To be defined as a family must require some sort of genuine effort. Legal adoption is definitely an effort that can designate family. Time can also define family. For instance, several decades ago Russ and I, and our children as well, brought a young man into our family followed by a wife and 5 children. They are at our family gatherings. They have been an immense assistance in more ways than I could count. The children all consider each other as cousins despite the fact that there is no legal or genetic relationship. There has been considerable time invested to make it a family relationship. We even talk about our church (ward) unit as being a "family". That means we acknowledge a relationship with each other involving a certain willingness to reach out, to accept, to "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort", and to be able to truly count on each other.
To come right down to it, we are all children of God. All human beings are one gigantic family. In each segment of our family there will be some who struggle with feeling included. My brother sometimes doesn't seem to want to be included in the warm, close relationship my sisters and I enjoy. My dad had a sister who always seemed to be a little more distant than other siblings. Every ward has members who don't come to social events or maybe even only attend some meetings and only half-heartedly. Among God's family there are some who will claim to be different from others in a way that precludes any trust or close relationship. There are those who would agree and, as a result, ostracize others because of their "differences". I know I'm being a broken record but it all comes down to our choice. If a person chooses to be included in God's family, they can choose to be a part of God's standards or expectations or program. If a person wishes to be included in any community, they can choose to participate in the programs of that community. We are not required to be a part of any family we don't want to be a part of. However, if anyone ostracizes himself, he has no grounds to complain about feeling left out. I am not concerned about not feeling a part of neo-Nazis or ISIS or any community that espouses principles and standards I don't choose to agree with. On the other hand, I would not accept someone with those standards demanding that any other community embrace their standards. The Book of Mormon (if you haven't ever read it, I highly recommend you do) is full of "all manner of 'ites'", meaning groups of people who separate themselves according to beliefs and customs. That is by choice. There are occasions in history when a separated group, or at least some members of it, decide they don't want to be separate anymore. The way to overcome that is to give up those standards and principles that separate them, not to demand that the other group adopt their standards. The choice can be offered, but not demanded. God has given all of His children the freedom to choose.
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