Recent statistics concerning advancement of technology, medicine, space exploration, alternative energy exploration, etc. have shown that the United States is falling behind several other nations. Since this nation was founded, it has often attracted the best minds who found the freedom and potential prosperity here to be helpful in their desires to find a "better way". Major inventions, scientific discoveries and advancements have occurred in various places all over the world. In the past century, the United States was taking the lead. It's not that there is some kind of competition. Hopefully, stopping the spread of disease, discoveries of better and safer ways to do things is for the good of ALL mankind, wherever they live. My gripe is not that "we are losing" at all! It's more that I am concerned with the direction this country is headed. It's a great blessing to not have to struggle to find food to avoid starving or to build and maintain shelter to keep us out of the elements. We have a wide variety of "labor saving" devices. That allow us more time--------- for what exactly???
I am concerned that the increase of "free" or "leisure" time is being used in ways that ultimately spell disaster to our society. At this point, I think the only "resource" the United States leads in is the number of entertainers! We have movie stars, music stars, sports stars, film makers, video game designers, tv announcers and all related personnel in numbers far beyond any other nation. Well, maybe Japan is doing pretty well in that department, too. Most teens spend far more time on their phones/computers playing games or engaging in social media than studying actual educational material. For that matter, it appears many adults would rather watch old sitcom reruns that a documentary. Sci-fi or fantasy books are more popular than biographies or books with helpful information or history. Golf is more popular among seniors than charity work. It's not that I think entertainment is totally evil. It's only becoming disproportionate. It's like the food pyramid or plate or whatever device you may use. Fruits and vegetables should far outweigh fats and sugars in our diets but too often they don't which is resulting in an epidemic of obesity and related health problems. (I'm not even overly concerned with life expectancy- just quality of life- like not having to be on countless medications and visiting medical facilities on a regular basis because of lifestyle choices.) Time spent on frivolous entertainment or recreation should be a similar limited option. Too many people feel like that out of a 24 hour period, they should spend 10 sleeping, 3 or more eating, 2 personal grooming and hygiene, 5 or so actually performing a labor, and the rest having fun. We really only need 8 hours of sleep. And why is it more desirable to sleep from midnight to 8 am than to go to bed at 10 and get up at 6? If you are the food preparer, that could be considered time spent in labor. If you are not, like when you go to restaurants, than you really don't need more than an hour for each meal, if even that much. As for watching television or playing video games or checking Facebook or Twitter or whatever social media you might choose, that should not occupy more waking hours than constructive labors, whether physical like housecleaning, lawn mowing, or paid employment work, or if it is more mental, like designing, analyzing and researching, balancing your budget, whatever! Why do people feel the need to justify a messy house or unmowed lawn or stacks of laundry by "not having gotten to it" when, truthfully, they simply used too much time entertaining themselves?? I know I will not change the world. I can't. I'm only putting this on record as a warning that if we don't make more effort to use our time better, we're going to be REALLY SORRY!
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Thursday, January 18, 2018
How do we choose??
Good or bad? Right or wrong? Truth or falsehood? These categories are not as absolute as we might think on first approach. For instance, is it good or bad when you don't get a job you were hoping for? If you continue unemployed with bills piling up, it may seem bad. However, if shortly after applying and being turned down, an even better job appears that you would never have noticed if already employed, it could be good that you didn't get the first job. Right and wrong can be flexible, too. For instance, helping other people is definitely the right thing. However, if taken too far for too long, it can create a dependence that cripples the person being helped and cause some resentment for the helper. Truth or falsehood? I really prefer knowing the truth as much as possible but I'm realizing it's not as clear as I wish. For instance, there are LOTS of opinions shared on Facebook, mostly derived by things people have heard or read. Their opinions are definitely sincere and based on what they understand to be true. However, any incident or quote presented can be taken out of context or manipulated so that, even though "true", it's not the WHOLE truth. As a result, it can be terribly misleading causing very wrong judgement of a person or event.
Everywhere I look, I realize how important it is to be sincere, humble (teachable), forgiving (for mistakes made toward you or just in general), and willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I may think of myself as hard-working but others may interpret me as obsessive. I may see someone as undependable but not understand all they are dealing with to make it where they promised when they promised. Evidence and statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever anyone may want to prove. They just have to use the right figures, the right words in the right order and can support whatever point they choose to make. So where does that leave us? How can we ever really know what is true or right or good? I don't know if we can. I think it's all a matter of faith- faith in other people, ourselves, and God. If we decline to trust anyone, we can be frozen by indecision, never being able to move forward. However, if we choose carefully who to trust and believe in our own abilities to make choices and be dependable to the best of our ability, we can continue to make progress until such time that we gain new information which may cause us to alter our direction a little.
I am grateful to be following a perfect being who was kind, helpful, loving, standing firmly for his principles, and telling the truth. Jesus Christ lived as a man a couple thousand years ago. That much is accepted history. We each get to choose whether He was who He said He was, or to believe that He was the very worst kind of charlatan making blasphemous claims and deceiving eventually millions of people throughout the history of this planet.
Everywhere I look, I realize how important it is to be sincere, humble (teachable), forgiving (for mistakes made toward you or just in general), and willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I may think of myself as hard-working but others may interpret me as obsessive. I may see someone as undependable but not understand all they are dealing with to make it where they promised when they promised. Evidence and statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever anyone may want to prove. They just have to use the right figures, the right words in the right order and can support whatever point they choose to make. So where does that leave us? How can we ever really know what is true or right or good? I don't know if we can. I think it's all a matter of faith- faith in other people, ourselves, and God. If we decline to trust anyone, we can be frozen by indecision, never being able to move forward. However, if we choose carefully who to trust and believe in our own abilities to make choices and be dependable to the best of our ability, we can continue to make progress until such time that we gain new information which may cause us to alter our direction a little.
I am grateful to be following a perfect being who was kind, helpful, loving, standing firmly for his principles, and telling the truth. Jesus Christ lived as a man a couple thousand years ago. That much is accepted history. We each get to choose whether He was who He said He was, or to believe that He was the very worst kind of charlatan making blasphemous claims and deceiving eventually millions of people throughout the history of this planet.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Who is HE??
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; .......So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. (Gen. 1:26-27)
There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. (D&C 131:7-8
"The mind of any one member of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost) is the mind of the others; seeing as each of them does with the eye of perfection, they see and understand alike. Under any given conditions each would act in the same way, guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity. The oneness of the Godhead, to which the scriptures so abundantly testify, implies no mystical union of substance, nor any unnatural and therefor impossible blending of personality. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as distinct in their persons and individualities as are any three personages in mortality. Yet their unity of purpose and operation is such as to make their edicts on, and their will the will of God." -James E. Talmage
It is this "seeing with the eye of perfection...guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity" that Heavenly Father wants us to learn and Jesus taught during His mortal life. This is what they are hoping we will learn so we can see right and wrong, truth and error as they see it. We cannot use only our own inexperienced, self-centered logic to discern and judge. The hope is that one day in the eternities, we will each come to a better understanding of why God's laws are as they are. Truth cannot be created, it just IS. Just as a child learns that poking a balloon will permanently deflate and thereby destroy it, each of God's children needs to learn that universal laws exist and cannot be changed no matter how much we wish it could be. We cannot justify our own weaknesses by using man's principles because man's principles are faulty. We cannot form groups of learned men of worldly importance for the purpose of defining God or any of His commandments. God promises that if we want to seek, we will find. If we knock, He will open. We CAN LEARN TO BE LIKE HIM.
There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. (D&C 131:7-8
"The mind of any one member of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost) is the mind of the others; seeing as each of them does with the eye of perfection, they see and understand alike. Under any given conditions each would act in the same way, guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity. The oneness of the Godhead, to which the scriptures so abundantly testify, implies no mystical union of substance, nor any unnatural and therefor impossible blending of personality. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as distinct in their persons and individualities as are any three personages in mortality. Yet their unity of purpose and operation is such as to make their edicts on, and their will the will of God." -James E. Talmage
It is this "seeing with the eye of perfection...guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity" that Heavenly Father wants us to learn and Jesus taught during His mortal life. This is what they are hoping we will learn so we can see right and wrong, truth and error as they see it. We cannot use only our own inexperienced, self-centered logic to discern and judge. The hope is that one day in the eternities, we will each come to a better understanding of why God's laws are as they are. Truth cannot be created, it just IS. Just as a child learns that poking a balloon will permanently deflate and thereby destroy it, each of God's children needs to learn that universal laws exist and cannot be changed no matter how much we wish it could be. We cannot justify our own weaknesses by using man's principles because man's principles are faulty. We cannot form groups of learned men of worldly importance for the purpose of defining God or any of His commandments. God promises that if we want to seek, we will find. If we knock, He will open. We CAN LEARN TO BE LIKE HIM.
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Spiritual laziness
For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance (in other words change) until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in eternal world. Alma 34:32-34
As usual, you can read something, especially scripture, and get something different from it every time- if that's what you're endeavoring to do. (Just as listening and having something go in one ear and out the other as the saying goes, you can read and let it just go by.) Reading this scripture, I have been considering one of the aspects of difference between individuals. We know our spirits existed before being placed in our mortal bodies and there were characteristics about those spirits which we brought with us. For instance: Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (First Presidency Proclamation on the Family) Anyone who has ever raised children or closely witnessed the development of children knows without a doubt that everyone has their own characteristics, some of which change through mortal years and some of which may strengthen through mortal years- depending on the choices we each make. I recently read something that helped me to understand some differences in individuals.
"When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the war in heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don't want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That's the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing. We have certain aspects in our life today where things are awkward. Something for nothing- a free lunch, we sometimes call it- with certain kinds of subsidies which promise to guarantee a reward without effort. On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits." (Robert J. Matthews "The Price of Redemption" - 11th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium- New Testament, Jan. 29, 1983)
Aha! We too often think of laziness as being a strictly mortal issue referring to willingness or aversion to physical effort. It can also be a spiritual characteristic and will remain with us so long as we choose to hoard and nurture it. It is common for people to decry the "award for participation" which has come to mean no real award at all. If everyone gets the award, it doesn't signify anything special about anyone. On the other hand, it is also common for people to say things like, "Why can't you just accept (reward?) me as I am?" (currently, without effort on my part to improve....) As Amulek tells us in the book of Alma, this life is the time for us to decide- by observation of consequences and the actions of those around us- to stay the way we are or repent, change and improve. There is absolutely no point in thinking that we will magically be willing to sacrifice, serve, and work like Jesus did once we are out of our mortal bodies or into a resurrected body. Inside we will still be the same person, lazy, rebellious, or whatever we are sincerely striving to be. It would certainly behoove us to ponder the wisdom of changing (repenting) NOW! (And remember- you can always ask for help- but you will only get it if you want it.)
As usual, you can read something, especially scripture, and get something different from it every time- if that's what you're endeavoring to do. (Just as listening and having something go in one ear and out the other as the saying goes, you can read and let it just go by.) Reading this scripture, I have been considering one of the aspects of difference between individuals. We know our spirits existed before being placed in our mortal bodies and there were characteristics about those spirits which we brought with us. For instance: Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (First Presidency Proclamation on the Family) Anyone who has ever raised children or closely witnessed the development of children knows without a doubt that everyone has their own characteristics, some of which change through mortal years and some of which may strengthen through mortal years- depending on the choices we each make. I recently read something that helped me to understand some differences in individuals.
"When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the war in heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don't want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That's the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing. We have certain aspects in our life today where things are awkward. Something for nothing- a free lunch, we sometimes call it- with certain kinds of subsidies which promise to guarantee a reward without effort. On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits." (Robert J. Matthews "The Price of Redemption" - 11th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium- New Testament, Jan. 29, 1983)
Aha! We too often think of laziness as being a strictly mortal issue referring to willingness or aversion to physical effort. It can also be a spiritual characteristic and will remain with us so long as we choose to hoard and nurture it. It is common for people to decry the "award for participation" which has come to mean no real award at all. If everyone gets the award, it doesn't signify anything special about anyone. On the other hand, it is also common for people to say things like, "Why can't you just accept (reward?) me as I am?" (currently, without effort on my part to improve....) As Amulek tells us in the book of Alma, this life is the time for us to decide- by observation of consequences and the actions of those around us- to stay the way we are or repent, change and improve. There is absolutely no point in thinking that we will magically be willing to sacrifice, serve, and work like Jesus did once we are out of our mortal bodies or into a resurrected body. Inside we will still be the same person, lazy, rebellious, or whatever we are sincerely striving to be. It would certainly behoove us to ponder the wisdom of changing (repenting) NOW! (And remember- you can always ask for help- but you will only get it if you want it.)
Thursday, January 04, 2018
More about death
Quite often young children equate love with gifts. Unfortunately, that's how evil people manage to trick them into going with them or doing whatever they command. As we get older, we realize that men who abuse their wives then afterward give them flowers are not completely sincere in their affection. We realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch and too often when someone offers you a "gift" it can be to get on your good side for some reason that may not be in your best interest. The flip-side is that, when someone withholds a desired thing when they have the power to give it, the usual reaction is resentment or at least doubting their affection. That happens all the time with kids and parents- even children of a Heavenly Father. Why would we expect temporal treasures from a God who tells us NOT to lay up for ourselves treasures where moth and rust doth corrupt? One of the major reasons Jesus was not appreciated was that people expected Him to free them from bondage/control of the Romans. His message was much more personal. He came to free each and every one of His Father's children from themselves.
As I continue to ponder feelings about death, I think about the eternal significance of this passage from one realm to another. All of God's children started out in His presence with only spirit bodies. He wanted us to progress to the point of having perfected bodies. "Death" is grieved over because it results in a very long-term separation. If we cannot conceive of any possibility of ever being reunited, it can be hopelessly tragic. If we can conceive of reunification but only after an undetermined length of time, it is still sorrowful, but not hopelessly so. We know that everyone who enters mortal life will leave mortal life at some point. Some expire at or just before leaving their mother's womb. Some live short lives with little awareness of surroundings or opportunity to have mortal experiences. Others live a longer time, even a very long time sometimes resulting near the end in years of unawareness of surroundings or inability to continue having mortal experiences. Mortal life is not always a pleasant existence, although most of the time it is a great gift. Since we haven't experienced having a resurrected body, we tend to embrace the "bird in hand is worth two in the bush" philosophy. We desire life to be extended as long as possible because we know what to expect here and often pray desperately for it to not end. Sadly, sometimes when it appears that God (who is the only One who has control over it) refuses to give us what we want, we can feel resentment or doubt His love for us or our "worthiness" to receive a gift from Him. When we are in mortal bodies, we don't remember Him or at least don't very often think of Him. Yet we want Him to always think about us so when we call on Him- no matter how rarely- He will answer in the way we request with no consideration as to possible repercussions. (But Daddy, I really really WANT a pony- no matter whether you have a place to house it or money to feed it.) We may want life to continue because we can't see the unlit path ahead, but He can. No matter how wonderful mortal life may be, His promises for what lies beyond are incomprehensible to us. Prophets, such as John the Revelator, has described God's abode using precious metals or jewels (objects mortals understand the value of) and so bright it doesn't need light. We have been promised there will no longer be tears or sorrow. There will no longer be war or hatred. There will be endless love and acceptance and willingness to help and share. Is the bird in our hand truly worth more than that promised one in the bush?
I am in no way promoting suicide or seeking early death. This life has much to offer and should be enjoyed to its full advantage. After all, whatever characteristics we have as mortals will be a part of us after this life, too. If we want peace or happiness, we need to figure out how to find it while we're here. I am only saying, we have no need to fear death or resent it when we beg to avoid it and that doesn't happen. We celebrate life and we can celebrate life beyond this life. Our main focus is and always will be to be the best person we can possibly be so we can surround ourselves for eternity with like-minded people. We can cry when we have to say goodbye for awhile, but not be overwhelmed with grief that the status quo has changed.
As I continue to ponder feelings about death, I think about the eternal significance of this passage from one realm to another. All of God's children started out in His presence with only spirit bodies. He wanted us to progress to the point of having perfected bodies. "Death" is grieved over because it results in a very long-term separation. If we cannot conceive of any possibility of ever being reunited, it can be hopelessly tragic. If we can conceive of reunification but only after an undetermined length of time, it is still sorrowful, but not hopelessly so. We know that everyone who enters mortal life will leave mortal life at some point. Some expire at or just before leaving their mother's womb. Some live short lives with little awareness of surroundings or opportunity to have mortal experiences. Others live a longer time, even a very long time sometimes resulting near the end in years of unawareness of surroundings or inability to continue having mortal experiences. Mortal life is not always a pleasant existence, although most of the time it is a great gift. Since we haven't experienced having a resurrected body, we tend to embrace the "bird in hand is worth two in the bush" philosophy. We desire life to be extended as long as possible because we know what to expect here and often pray desperately for it to not end. Sadly, sometimes when it appears that God (who is the only One who has control over it) refuses to give us what we want, we can feel resentment or doubt His love for us or our "worthiness" to receive a gift from Him. When we are in mortal bodies, we don't remember Him or at least don't very often think of Him. Yet we want Him to always think about us so when we call on Him- no matter how rarely- He will answer in the way we request with no consideration as to possible repercussions. (But Daddy, I really really WANT a pony- no matter whether you have a place to house it or money to feed it.) We may want life to continue because we can't see the unlit path ahead, but He can. No matter how wonderful mortal life may be, His promises for what lies beyond are incomprehensible to us. Prophets, such as John the Revelator, has described God's abode using precious metals or jewels (objects mortals understand the value of) and so bright it doesn't need light. We have been promised there will no longer be tears or sorrow. There will no longer be war or hatred. There will be endless love and acceptance and willingness to help and share. Is the bird in our hand truly worth more than that promised one in the bush?
I am in no way promoting suicide or seeking early death. This life has much to offer and should be enjoyed to its full advantage. After all, whatever characteristics we have as mortals will be a part of us after this life, too. If we want peace or happiness, we need to figure out how to find it while we're here. I am only saying, we have no need to fear death or resent it when we beg to avoid it and that doesn't happen. We celebrate life and we can celebrate life beyond this life. Our main focus is and always will be to be the best person we can possibly be so we can surround ourselves for eternity with like-minded people. We can cry when we have to say goodbye for awhile, but not be overwhelmed with grief that the status quo has changed.
Wednesday, January 03, 2018
Brackets of human life
This morning we learned that Thomas S. Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and prophet, seer, and revelator, died. He was over 90 and not in really good health so it was not a total surprise. My first reaction? Joy! I sincerely rejoiced that his mortal journey was over and he has been released to join his wife and loved ones, including our Savior. Funerals/deaths are acknowledged very differently under different circumstances: age of the deceased, cultural dictations of appropriate reactions to death, conditions of life immediately prior to death for the deceased, and how much a part of the mourner's everyday life the deceased played. I know only a little about how the Irish or citizens of New Orleans observe wakes but from what I have learned so far, it is more a celebration than a somber, depressing reaction. I'm sure sociologists and archaeologists could explain the differing cultural norms surrounding reaction to death but it really comes down to individual gut feelings. If you are part of a culture that always treats death as a tragedy but you have a loved one who has suffered pain for a prolonged period with no hope of relief or cure, it's hard to consider their release to be a bad thing. On the other hand, if you are part of a culture that sees death as a passageway to a better realm, you may have difficulty celebrating the sudden, unexpected death of a relatively young loved one. We celebrate holidays and birthdays all year long but the really major events are the brackets of a person's mortal years- birth and death.
Generally, birth is a cause for rejoicing. We see the emergence of a new person as full of potential for all kinds of adventures. Babies are so honest. When they smile, it makes others truly happy. When they cry, they are truly unhappy and cause those around them to respond immediately- sometimes out of compassion and, unfortunately, sometimes out of irritation. When a baby cuddles you or gives you their version of a wet, slobbery kiss, it makes you feel truly loved. Every single day we, especially parents and siblings, look for more information to get to know this new little stranger.
At the other end, when a person dies, they are not so much a stranger but relatively known . They have reached at least some of their potential. People around that person have become somewhat familiar with what the person donates to their lives- for good or bad, happy or sad. As my daughter-in-law has expressed a number of times, change is always hard. Even if a person has made your life more miserable than happy, there is a kind of hole in your life when they're permanently gone. I really think that most of the mourning we feel at death is for the living left behind, including ourselves. Maybe our celebration at birth is, too. Maybe we are more excited about what a new person may offer in the way of new perspectives and unanticipated experiences to ourselves than even what life holds for the baby.
In any event, each of us will pass into and out of this life having touched the lives of many others. It is wonderful to know that we are not mortal beings who may occasionally have spiritual experiences but spiritual beings who are passing through a mortal experience. None of us end here. We may accumulate various tangible and intangible items here but will only take with us whatever we have learned and the characteristics we have developed. Babies come here with some predispositions dictated by chemical DNA but each has a choice in every case- whether to give in to addictions, whether to strive to expand knowledge and wisdom, whether to give in to laziness or self-doubt, whether to reach out with more compassion than self-sympathy, whether to trust or not..... I am grateful for the benefits I have gained from Thomas S. Monson- his example, teachings, and life- just as I am grateful for the lives of my parents, grandparents, and son, Ammon as well as many friends who have been released from mortality. I am also grateful for the potential for enrichment to my life offered by my grandchildren and great-grandchildren as they enter my life and awareness. I am grateful to not be alone, limited by my own imagination and perspective. And I hope for everyone that we can feel satisfied with our life accomplishments whenever we are done here.
Generally, birth is a cause for rejoicing. We see the emergence of a new person as full of potential for all kinds of adventures. Babies are so honest. When they smile, it makes others truly happy. When they cry, they are truly unhappy and cause those around them to respond immediately- sometimes out of compassion and, unfortunately, sometimes out of irritation. When a baby cuddles you or gives you their version of a wet, slobbery kiss, it makes you feel truly loved. Every single day we, especially parents and siblings, look for more information to get to know this new little stranger.
At the other end, when a person dies, they are not so much a stranger but relatively known . They have reached at least some of their potential. People around that person have become somewhat familiar with what the person donates to their lives- for good or bad, happy or sad. As my daughter-in-law has expressed a number of times, change is always hard. Even if a person has made your life more miserable than happy, there is a kind of hole in your life when they're permanently gone. I really think that most of the mourning we feel at death is for the living left behind, including ourselves. Maybe our celebration at birth is, too. Maybe we are more excited about what a new person may offer in the way of new perspectives and unanticipated experiences to ourselves than even what life holds for the baby.
In any event, each of us will pass into and out of this life having touched the lives of many others. It is wonderful to know that we are not mortal beings who may occasionally have spiritual experiences but spiritual beings who are passing through a mortal experience. None of us end here. We may accumulate various tangible and intangible items here but will only take with us whatever we have learned and the characteristics we have developed. Babies come here with some predispositions dictated by chemical DNA but each has a choice in every case- whether to give in to addictions, whether to strive to expand knowledge and wisdom, whether to give in to laziness or self-doubt, whether to reach out with more compassion than self-sympathy, whether to trust or not..... I am grateful for the benefits I have gained from Thomas S. Monson- his example, teachings, and life- just as I am grateful for the lives of my parents, grandparents, and son, Ammon as well as many friends who have been released from mortality. I am also grateful for the potential for enrichment to my life offered by my grandchildren and great-grandchildren as they enter my life and awareness. I am grateful to not be alone, limited by my own imagination and perspective. And I hope for everyone that we can feel satisfied with our life accomplishments whenever we are done here.
Monday, January 01, 2018
Are you okay? Am I okay?
As a new calendar year begins, I am realizing that, after over 6 1/2 decades of life, I don't feel any wiser- older maybe, but not wiser. As a matter of fact, the more I see and experience and learn, the more I realize there is so much more to know that I don't know! Somehow, I have always envisioned reaching a point, like humans older than I, that I could be a good advisor because I had greater knowledge and wisdom. I'm not seeing that happening. I can observe the words, actions, choices of younger humans and have fears or guesses about how things will ultimately turn out. But I have no crystal ball nor am I a seer. I cannot guarantee that a marriage between two immature people is doomed to failure. I cannot guarantee that someone with a high IQ and great high school grades will go on to gain a PHD. I cannot guarantee that a brother who chronically picks on his sister to the point of red-faced anger will guarantee lifelong hatred between those siblings. I cannot guarantee that investing in a seemingly risky business venture will result in bankruptcy nor a carefully thought-out business plan result in financial success. No. I have personally witnessed the falsehood of ALL of the aforementioned scenarios. So, how do I gain wisdom?
More and more, I am convinced that anyone's version of "doing okay" is not going to be viewed as okay to everyone else. Yet, I firmly believe in standards. I believe there are behaviors that are really good and some that are always bad. How could I justify murder like extreme terrorists or mob hitmen do? How could I criticize someone trying to help refugees or homeless people? I picture old movies where someone slaps someone else across the face because they are getting hysterical. The reasoning is that they need to be forced to calm down so they can use rational thinking rather than simply feeling passionate fear, anxiety, or hatred. I also picture an adult screaming at children to stop yelling. It's a conundrum. How can we ever arrive at a place where we feel confident that we are right and therefore wise? I think, first of all, that it's always good to stop a moment and think things through. Maybe you can guess from past experience or observation how things will turn out if you take a certain action. Maybe you can consider "worst case scenarios". Then, it's good to turn to someone you trust for an opinion. It may or may not be that they will have the perfect suggestion of an attitude or action to take. It's always helpful to gain a different perspective.
I guess, ultimately, I am grateful to be aware of the existence of God and for having been given the gift of the Holy Ghost. No matter how clueless I may be, God is wise. He is also trustworthy. And through the Holy Ghost, He can help me to gain wisdom. It sounds like an easy answer but it's a LOT of work.
More and more, I am convinced that anyone's version of "doing okay" is not going to be viewed as okay to everyone else. Yet, I firmly believe in standards. I believe there are behaviors that are really good and some that are always bad. How could I justify murder like extreme terrorists or mob hitmen do? How could I criticize someone trying to help refugees or homeless people? I picture old movies where someone slaps someone else across the face because they are getting hysterical. The reasoning is that they need to be forced to calm down so they can use rational thinking rather than simply feeling passionate fear, anxiety, or hatred. I also picture an adult screaming at children to stop yelling. It's a conundrum. How can we ever arrive at a place where we feel confident that we are right and therefore wise? I think, first of all, that it's always good to stop a moment and think things through. Maybe you can guess from past experience or observation how things will turn out if you take a certain action. Maybe you can consider "worst case scenarios". Then, it's good to turn to someone you trust for an opinion. It may or may not be that they will have the perfect suggestion of an attitude or action to take. It's always helpful to gain a different perspective.
I guess, ultimately, I am grateful to be aware of the existence of God and for having been given the gift of the Holy Ghost. No matter how clueless I may be, God is wise. He is also trustworthy. And through the Holy Ghost, He can help me to gain wisdom. It sounds like an easy answer but it's a LOT of work.
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