Driving in Ireland

     We could have chosen bus tours as a way of seeing Ireland but instead chose to rent a car. The first and foremost problem we had with driving in Ireland is that there is insufficient labeling- of roads, streets, and ways to go- especially on all the many secondary roads. We thought we could manage with a paper map because that's the way people got around for many years before electronic devices. When we picked up the rental car we knew  Susanne would be having a SIM card in her phone when she arrived so we opted not to get a GPS which would cost extra. Later after they left, we paid the extra to have a GPS because we just couldn't manage without one. Because of the cost of having extra drivers for a rental car, I never drove while in Ireland. Russ and James were our drivers. It was definitely a harrowing experience for Russ, just off the plane, to get in a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side and drive on the "wrong" side of the road in city traffic! The Irish seemed to be very patient and polite; maybe they're used to "foreigners" not knowing their way around. Highway driving was probably the easiest. Once you get on a road, you just go forward. Strange were some of the signs and expressions used. I especially liked the signs for "traffic calming", meaning to slow down because you're about to enter a village. Intersections are called junctions and most had traffic circles which are now becoming more prevalent here in the US. In Northern Ireland especially the warning to "yield" is referred to as "give way". The word "SLOW" is often written in large letters on the pavement as you approach a curve, a junction, or a village. A yellow diamond shaped sign with big letters "DANGER" was daunting, especially since I couldn't see what it was referring to! Everywhere off the few major roads were signs with long s-curves indicating the road would be serpentine but there were places when even the curves were so sharp the sign showed more a zig-zag than a curve. A sign at a business read "End of Life Vehicles" which could be taken more ways than one! It was a car junkyard. There were few street lights which was could be considered a blessing or a curse. It made it very difficult to find your way once it got dark, which this time of year is by 5 pm. However, we were delighted to be able to see so many stars! In the prevalent light pollution in the US, that can be difficult, often the moon being the only nighttime light in the sky you can see. I was so grateful for Russ and James's driving skill on the very narrow and winding roads. Often the roads were more narrow than most driveways here. If you meet oncoming traffic, one or the other has to find a place to pull over which can be difficult because there are no shoulders. The pavement goes to a narrow strip of grass leading up to an unmovable stone fence.

I took this picture hoping to give an indication how narrow the roads are. This is intended for two-way traffic. We were certainly grateful for the considerate drivers who always gave way or nodded appreciation when we gave way. 

Impressions of Ireland

     Russ and I have just returned from nearly 2 weeks visiting Ireland, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Anyone interested in the politics of why there are different sections or interested in the geologic causes of its features or the history of the island or the sociological sources of its people can read appropriate scholarly works. My blogs are just going to be my own observations and resulting philosophical thoughts about not only Ireland but humans in general.
     I have wanted to visit Ireland for as long as I can remember. I love Celtic music and dance. I have enjoyed Irish characters in movies but I guess I developed a strong desire to actually go there once I knew I had ancestors who lived there and emigrated to the US. I have been unable to find out anything about their life or connections there, which is a great disappointment. I guess I may have to wait until I meet them on the other side of the veil. In the meantime, I will occasionally poke around whatever information I can about the Irish immigrants during the potato famine and records that may become available in the future, if any.
     On first sight, from an airplane window, I thought Ireland looked like a great quilt with lush green squares divided by rock fences and dotted with white sheep and occasional cows.

 As we drove around the island for the next 13 days, I saw that, even up close, it was intensely green. The nearly constant rain gave us a clue as to how it gets so green. Rocks are greatly plentiful, too.

Although there are a very few sandy beaches, there are dramatic cliffs to the point that you have to wonder how people throughout the island's history have managed to approach and leave in boats. The rocks have been a primary source of construction material for inhabitants since prehistory.

One of the major "tourist spots" is Newgrange which is just a little north and west of Dublin and is the site of a prehistoric burial mound dating back before the Egyptian pyramids. I was struck more than once by the age of Ireland. As a political entity, it is relatively "new" in the world but not only is the island ancient, it has been inhabited for a very, very long time.  This mound is one of many rock mounds which, over the years have been overgrown with sod. There are also LOTS of rock fences which have been used primarily to hold sheep in a specific area and some of these fences have also been overgrown with sod. It is probably much more pleasant to visit during warm, sunny summer months but we were happy to have avoided big crowds. Despite the cold and rain, we found the people there to be very pleasant.

Two stories

     Many people are aware of the team-building exercise done by blindfolding a person and having them fall backward, trusting that someone will catch them. It can also be used to teach people what faith is. The basic idea is that, since faith is a belief in something or someone you cannot see, you just have to let go and trust.
     I heard a similar story about a youth conference exercise where the youth were blindfolded then given a rope to hang onto and told to walk forward through a wooded area, not being able to see. In this case, the idea was like Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon where there was a tree with desirable fruit and a rod of iron to guide you there but also mists of darkness as well as taunting people in a nearby spacious (meaning plenty of these kind of detractors) building trying to get people to let go of the rod. In the story of this experience, there was a young woman who was stumbling and bumping into things as she tried to follow wherever the rope was leading. Her brother had volunteered to whisper in her ear to try to distract her. He told her that she looked foolish and nobody else was actually doing this. He invited her to let go of the rope and go with him. She did- for a moment. Then her bishop called to her and asked her to come to him. She fumbled her way back to find the rope then followed it until reaching him and fell into his waiting arms, relieved to be protected by someone she could trust. This exercise was intended to encourage the youth to hold onto their faith, the rod being the Word of God, no matter who said what and despite sometimes having their view obstructed.
     In both of these stories, there is a flip side- not only is it important to determine who to trust, it is also important to be worthy of trust. If that bishop had been grumpy, mean, or worse (like some priests showing up in the news these days), the girl would not have wanted to go to him. If a person is a part of a team they can't trust, they won't want to fall backward without knowing who will catch them. We can trust the Lord because we come to know Him through prayer and scripture STUDY (not just reading parables). He loves us unconditionally and enough that He suffered beyond what we can understand to pay the price of justice for our weaknesses and mistakes. We can trust Him because He is worthy of trust. If we want others to feel that way about us, we must be of such a degree of integrity that they can trust us. They know we will do what we say we will do. They know we won't deliberately hurt them (accidents happen sometimes). They know they can feel comfortable with us.
     I just thought there were two sides to look at and we can learn from both views.

Whose will do we want?

     I recently heard of an experience I found very interesting. Detecting truth, honesty, and being able to trust are serious challenges in these days of "fake news" or whatever you want to call it. I remember the musical "The Music Man" about traveling salesmen who will claim just about anything to make a sale then they make a quick getaway. These days deception can come in person, on the phone, in the mail, or on the internet. People lose their life savings, their reputation, and hope because of malicious hackers or greedy, self-centered people. I have made it a matter of purposeful prayer nearly every day that I will never mislead anyone. I know I make mistakes and sometimes remember things wrong or misinterpret so I could easily give someone false information without intending to. I just have to keep praying and do my best to be frank about what I really know and what I may think is correct. One thing I know due to so many experiences, some of which I have shared in previous blogs, is that God exists, He sends ministering angels to comfort, guide, and warn people, and that Jesus Christ is an essential part of the plan for all of God's children to progress through His atoning sacrifice as well as His teachings. So, the experience I want to relate- to the best of my recollection:
     A man working for the Secret Service explained training the organization receives from the Treasury Department for recognizing counterfeits. Because counterfeiting is an "art" done by many different people and can be altered anytime, studying counterfeit bills and documents is less effective than studying genuine currency. The agents spent countless hours studying truth so when faced with un-truth, they could spot it, even if they didn't immediately recognize why it wasn't right. The man speaking likened this to spiritual truth. We can read or listen to atheists or criticisms of religion but that will only cause us to flounder. It doesn't really help us to know what is true. We have a promise that God will answer prayers to Him. We can talk to people, read books, and search the world to know if He's real and what He wants us to do. We will get lots of opinions and suggestions. The only way to know, is to pray for ourselves with an open mind and a heart willing to act on whatever He answers in humble obedience. If we do that, we can know if God is real and "what church" is right. There are millions of churches that well-meaning people have started to gather like-minded people to be guided toward further enlightenment. They can't all be correct. Only God knows for sure what God wants us to know and to do. He will share that with anyone who can honestly say, "Thy will be done."

Being who you are

     Someone once told me that she enjoyed drinking alcohol because it helped her to relax so she could "have fun and not be self-conscious". I understand that removing inhibitions can be freeing. All my life I have heard of "happy" drunks and "angry" drunks- people whose inhibitions were removed and the "real person" was exposed-?? Recently I witnessed someone who had consumed enough wine to remove inhibitions about a personal experience she would not have normally talked about. It had been a frightening experience and brought up bad memories and feelings, resulting in (under the influence) telling things she later regretted having disclosed as well as causing an outburst of anger she also later regretted. The incident definitely had an impact on the group at the time, causing much sympathy and sorrow as well as consternation about how to relate to her. It caused me to reflect on whether "removing inhibitions" does more damage or good.
     Inhibitions are the self-imposed limits we use out of fear of exposing our inner self or fear of judgment by others. When we give in to enough fear of others, we end up never really being whoever we are- putting up a facade so no one can ever know the real person behind the mask. I knew someone like that. It caused me a great deal of sorrow when, after many years, she said, "I'm not who you think I am." I had not judged her in any negative way. In fact, I guess I believed good in her that she didn't even believe herself. It is often said that people will live up to or down to your expectations of them. I still believe great things of this person and she is slowly achieving the characteristics I believe in. The problem with over-use of inhibitions is that we end up being a very deceitful person; others don't have the opportunity to know us and often we haven't even figured out for ourselves who we really are. I remember being frustrated toward my dad. He was such a peaceful person who avoided contention that he would almost change personality and opinion to fit in with whoever he was with. My mother often commented that the only way she would sometimes be able to know things is by listening to him talk to other people. We all want others to like us, accept us, and want to be with us. However, it is not really healthy for relationships or for our own self-awareness to try to be a chameleon. Alcohol and drugs can artificially remove safety limits. (Recent public forums have opened up about previously hidden sexual practices causing all kinds of anger, hurt, and embarrassment.) We all make mistakes, but we make even more when we remove safety limits. True,  sometimes it is preferable to let sleeping dogs lie so to speak. If nothing is to be gained by dredging up hidden things, let them remain unspoken. If we are overly inhibited, using chemicals to remove our limits is not wise. It is healthier to acknowledge our fears and work to overcome them rationally step by step. If we have difficulty trusting others, we should start small by opening up to admit our honest opinions or flaws to at least one person we feel close to. Once we feel accepted for who we are, we can admit to having weaknesses or making mistakes then add any feelings of regret and desire to improve. Things not expressed don't disappear because we are trying to hide them. The effort expended to hide things about ourselves can have undesirable results: others determine we are deceptive, we forget who we told what lie to resulting in panic about what to say, we can even exaggerate in our own minds how faulty we are resulting in unnecessary self-loathing.
     Being open and honest does NOT require simply exposing all our warts. None of us is ALL bad. It's essential in healthy self-awareness as well as relationships with others to acknowledge who we are as well as who we want to be. I may say regrettable things when I am tired or ill but I need to later apologize and admit that I didn't want to be snippy or mean. I may be trying hard to be better but I can pat myself on the back for the progress I have made so far while at the same time accepting that I haven't gotten there yet. How many great artists would there be if people stopped when they made their first crude drawing or played their first scale? I have heard the advice to smile, even if you don't feel like it because by smiling you will eventually feel better. It's true, but only if we sincerely WANT to be pleasant and happy. If our desire is to be angry at the world or ourselves, it's important to recognize that and decide if that's the way we want to stay, or if we want to improve. The world can't be faulted for not really knowing us if we don't ever show our real selves. We also can't improve if we never recognize where we are now.

Ruts

     Our brains are who we are- they contain memories and instigate ideas as well as cause action in any part of our body from our mouth to our feet. When we do or think something repeatedly, the neural pathway created is strengthened, like forming a habit- A leads to B leads to C, etc. I am grateful for modern technology. My family is spread all over the world and without the internet I would be hard-pressed to keep up regular or quick communication with my children, grandchildren, or siblings. I have found Facebook to be a handy tool for group communication and have enjoyed seeing pictures and have gotten important messages through this tool. However, my biggest objection to Facebook is that it tends to deepen neural pathways that may be unhealthy to us. For instance, if someone has had a bad experience with another person, often they begin to distrust or even dislike other people based on a similar characteristic: gender, ethnicity, political view, occupation, religion, or even name! On Facebook, the algorithm used connects us repeatedly with things we choose to "like" and avoids things we don't express a preference for. As a result, we may read a disproportionate number of items which support our view while avoiding a wider perspective. This process tends to enhance disparity and prejudice. Rather than be introduced to a little different line of thinking, we are more deeply entrenched in our habitual reaction; justified in our current prejudice.
     Facebook is not the only bad influence leading to toward prejudice. A similar result occurs in people who never leave their neighborhood/town/state. They develop the idea that there is only one way to do or think so when faced with someone different, they immediately feel threatened or repulsed. When we participate in cordial, respectful albeit lively discussions with people of a different view, it can be very educational. We broaden our understanding and become less self-centered or even contentious as we consider that, just maybe, we don't always know everything. We formulate opinions every day and that's as it should be. Without opinions we are lacking a firm foundation and can be easily misguided or feel lost. However, it is helpful to at least consider another's view that may be different from our own. I don't care for the hairstyles of some of my grandchildren but I enjoy talking to them and appreciate their honesty, compassion for others, and willingness to help. I don't always agree with political views of others but I like to hear their justifications in order to broaden my understanding of the issues. I may not dress or eat like someone else does but it's enlightening to know there are options beyond what I have known. Roses, daisies, daffodils, lilacs, pansies- they're all beautiful and different from each other. There is no need to attempt to establish which is superior, no competition. They're all uniquely wonderful.

He IS there

     I understand that, in world population numbers, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is definitely a minority. That's okay. During the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ two millenia ago and for a number of years afterward, there were very few "Christians". Being a part of the majority, or being "popular" has nothing to do with truth. Every human being on the face of the planet is unique. We all like different things, do different things well, and believe at least slightly different things. That doesn't mean truth doesn't exist. It just means not everyone has arrived at its realization. That's okay, too. We are eternal beings inside these tabernacles of clay. Our mortal bodies may be slowly deteriorating but the spirit that quickens that body- the part who makes us who we are- will last forever. I know there are lots and lots of people in the world who don't believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem or believe that He was actually the son of Mary and God and certainly that He was actually resurrected or suffered to atone for all of our sins and weaknesses, big or small. That doesn't mean it's not true. I know there are even lots of people who don't believe God exists, much less that He loves every one of us and has hopes for our development. That's okay. The day will come when every single person who has lived or ever will live will know for themselves that God exists and "every tongue (will) confess that Jesus is the Christ". There is truth to be found, if anyone is interested. God will answer prayers that are asked with a sincere intent to act upon His answers. He doesn't have to "prove" Himself to anyone. He doesn't have to be "popular" to exist.
     I am truly grateful that God has taken an active part in my life, even during times when I didn't understand who He is and what He expects or hopes. I am grateful now that I have been given the incredible gift of the Holy Ghost to whisper guidance, comfort, and knowledge when I seek. I am overflowing with the desire to share what I know, to convince everyone to read the Bible, then pray to know if God is there, then ask what He would have them do, then follow promptings (which will surely come) to seek out His truths which will lead to reading the Book of Mormon and obey God's commandments in making commitments, participating in ordinances (like baptism) to make covenants with Him which will lead to repentance and a change of heart. This planet has a great deal of beauty but mankind has been polluting it, and I'm not talking about our garbage or air quality. It could be so much more peaceful, pleasant, comfortable, and just plain happy. I guess I just have to wait until after Christ comes to rule and reign for a millenium then cleanse it for the final time.