This weekend, some students on campus organized a symposium called “Stand for the Family”. It was inspired and sponsored by the Ruth Institute, which is a project of the National Organization for Marriage. I understand that it was organized in response to the many symposiums and rallies for those in favor of the redefinition of marriage, to promote research and advocacy of the traditional view of marriage. The symposium started Friday night with a talk about eternal marriage by a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, and then continued Saturday morning with student presentations of related research, lectures by professionals in related fields, and finally a speech from the founder of the Ruth Institute herself. I didn’t make it to the talk Friday night, but I made it early enough to hear some of the student research presentations, and it was all very interesting and informative.
One of the student presentations was based on the thesis that legalizing same-sex marriage will lead to the legalizing of polygamy. At first, I didn’t really see the relevance, but the student’s research showed very clearly that the same arguments for same-sex marriage legalization would be used, because it was all based on the “love” of one for another or others.
Then the first lecture was given by a professor from Canada about the “No-Fault” clauses in divorce laws and how this adversely affects society in a variety of ways without really having the effect that it should have. He showed a graph displaying the distribution of age of marriage, which distribution narrowed with this new clause. He explained that before the change, younger people who get married would have the mindset to stick together and work out their marriage, and that older people waited to get married because they wanted to find their “soul-mate”. After the law was changed, the younger people waited a little before getting married because they knew there was more of a chance for divorce, and the older people would get married younger with the mindset that they could try a few times before really finding their soul-mate. He also showed a statistic that I didn’t really think about much at the time, but which was referred to later on by the founder of the Ruth Institute. He said that although divorce-related suicides decreased among adults, they increased among children.
The founder of the Ruth Institute talked all about how she became so involved in the marriage debate because she adopted and had a child about the same time, so she saw while raising her children the difference of having two biological parents vs. non-biological parents. I hadn’t really thought of it this way, but she said that adoption is a child-centered organization—fining a home for a child that would most truly represent the home he or she should have grown up in. Adoption is for children to find the home they need, not for adults who cannot have children (meaning gay or lesbian couples) to have the children that they want. Then she said that redefining marriage is pitting the needs of children against the wants of the adults. If marriage is just an outward sign of what adults want, why does it have such a big impact on children? Redefining marriage is a very selfish, adult-centered idea that does not take children into consideration. Yes, making divorce more readily available lowered the suicide rates of adults, but think of the children. That just made their lives worse.
There were also some other very interesting lectures. One was given by an LDS neurologist about the similarities between drug addictions and natural (drug) addictions. He said that the brain produces adrenaline (or epinephrine, as the drug is called when made outside the body) and dopamine (which also comes in “drug” form), and that one can make the brain overdose on these and become addicted naturally. He talked about how these drug addictions actually shrink the frontal lobe of the brain, which acts as the “brakes”, as he called it. When the frontal lobe shrinks by way of addiction, the same results are seen in patients who have been in an accident and damaged the frontal lobe through contact. There were four things that resulted in damage of the frontal lobe, but I can only remember two: Impulsiveness and Compulsiveness. (Maybe you could help me out a little here, Mike.) He said these natural addictions include pornography, sex, overeating, and even exercise.
After that lecture I went to a class given by one of the Mechanical Engineering Professors and his wife, which was all about how engineering and the design process should be applied to families. Engineering is a problem-solving process that is not self-centered. He said that a good engineer designs something to fit the customer’s needs, and so he is using his talents as a service. He pretty much said that good engineers make good families The other lecture that I went to was all about how music in the home can affect families. This professor (he is also a free-lance trumpet player) talked about how music stimulates the brain to good, both making music and simply music appreciation. Something that I learned in both of these classes is that humans have an inherent desire of creation, and I applied that to both engineering and music. This inherent desire is God-given, and so I believe that is why those that explore that talent of creation of music or art or engineering are less likely to go down the wrong path.
This symposium took up pretty much the entire day yesterday, but it was definitely worth it. I had been thinking that I didn’t ever do anything during the whole deal with Proposition 8, but that this idea of protecting marriage is definitely worth investing in. That’s why I was so interested in this program, and I don’t think I’ve stayed awake that well through so many lectures in one sitting before! I decided that I want to know enough to be an advocate of the true definition of marriage and the meaning of good families, and I invite you all to do the same. If you are interested, I just found the Ruth Institute website at www.ruthinstitute.org where there are lots of presentations on all sorts of stuff like this.
Showing posts with label Andrew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew. Show all posts
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
"Ye cannot go amiss"
In Doctrine and Covenants section 80, the Lord calls a member of the church on a mission to preach the Gospel. In verse three the Lord says, “Wherefore, go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss.” In class we discussed how this scripture can be referred to missionaries around the world who wonder if they are where they are supposed to be. I also think that this scripture can refer to other aspects of life in a very important way.
I have been thinking hard about what exactly I want to do with my education when I graduate from college. As an engineer, there are so many options, and it is important to me to find something that I can enjoy and really get good at. While growing up, I noticed that I can be good at a variety of skills, and because of this realization I did everything I could. Even while I was in high school I noticed that I didn’t really have any focus in life other than the idea that I liked the sciences, and yet I didn’t focus on those studies much more than anything else. Now, after focusing more on studying the sciences and learning more about them, I am making the decision how I should even more specify my focus. Because I wanted to bring the Lord into my decision, I started studying the matter of choosing a direction, and this is what I’ve found:
“Wherefore, go ye…whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss.” In studying this subject, I found that Psalm 25 can be all about bringing the Lord into decisions like this. “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies….What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 25:9-13). As we see in Revelation 3:15, the Lord wishes that we be useful in one way or another, and not lukewarm: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot.” And because He wants us to be useful in one way or another, he will guide us in those ways, and teach us in the ways that we shall choose.
I would like to quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard’s April 2009 Conference talk on this subject. This talk is titled, “Learning the Lessons of the Past.” “Look to your parents and others who have gone before you, [and] you will find examples of faith, commitment, hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that you should strive to duplicate….It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which it would not be worthwhile to consider and learn from the experience of other. Many professions require internships, during which aspiring professionals shadow seasoned veterans to learn from their years of experience and accumulated wisdom….Of course, there are times when we have no choice but to venture out on our own and do the best we can at figuring things out as we go along….It is my message and testimony to you today, my young friends, that for the most important questions of your eternal lives, there are answers in the scriptures and in the words and testimonies of apostles and prophets.”
My original idea about making decisions about what to do with my life was that I would continue studying diligently what I had been studying, and that somehow the Lord would help me see my mind open in one direction or another. From this study I realized that the Lord expects me to study what I am studying, apply myself in the direction that I am most inclined to go, and then He will support me and teach me in that way as long as I keep my covenants and testimony. He is waiting for me to make my decision and then He will tell me that it is the right decision for me.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
My 5th Favorite Color
While sitting outside the bishop’s office today, this topic came up in conversation a couple times today, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when this was the idea I was given when I asked what I should write about. What is my favorite color? How am I supposed to know? I’m colorblind!
That was always my response when colors come into the conversation. It was a good conversation starter back when I went to stake dances as a teenager. It was especially useful when the more random girls would ask while we were dancing, “What’s your fifth favorite color?” or “What color is your toothbrush?” And then the girls would always act astonished and unbelieving.
But why am I writing this anyway? Most of you all know exactly what I’m talking about because it happens to you, too.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Work
Work equals Force times Displacement. This is a simple physics equation. Work has some weird definitions, though. I mean, how much work does dad actually do sitting behind a desk? He doesn’t go anywhere. It doesn’t take any force to send an email across the world. Maybe when he goes out to lunch somewhere he does work in getting there, but he will come back after his lunch break to the same place where he was, so there wasn’t any displacement. Technically dad doesn’t do any work at work. So what does he do?
There is a classic physics equation that shows that there is no work done when an object goes down a hill and then back up a hill to the same height as where it started. That is because the potential energy lost in going down the hill is all gained by going back up the other hill. Of course this only works in a perfect world.
There is a hallway in the Clyde (Engineering) Building here at BYU where there are two flights of stairs that look like they have absolutely no point. First you go down ten steps, and then five feet later you go up ten stairs. There is nothing at the bottom of these stairs. The only option is to go back up. For the longest time I’ve wanted to put up a sign on these stairs, which would read: “If this were a perfect world, you would do no work on these flights of stairs.” I’m pretty sure the engineering kids would get a kick out of it.
While hiking on the backpack one year, I was discussing physics with dad, and he told me that for every pound you have in your backpack, you lift a ton for every mile you hike. We even worked out the math one year. I forget how it all works; I was going to show how the math worked out if I remembered. But I felt pretty proud of myself for lifting 135 tons on Friday.
On Friday I had the last physical test for wildland firefighting. It is called the Pack Test. It really isn’t all that hard…if you are physically fit. I heard along the way of testers who would hurl afterwards from working too hard. The Pack Test consists of a three mile hike with a forty-five pound pack. (It doesn’t matter what constitutes the forty-five pounds—apparently someone wanted to wear their sousaphone one year because it weighs that much and they were used to it from marching band.) This hike has to be done on level ground in less than forty-five minutes. Jogging is a disqualifier.
So, from this math that dad explained to me a long time ago (you’ll have to explain it better sometime, dad), I lifted 135 tons in 40 minutes and 55 seconds. That would beat the strongman contest, wouldn’t it? And it didn’t really feel that hard. The pace was kind of quick, but it wasn’t anything we wouldn’t see on the backpack to Lost Lake. It made me feel good to be in shape.
Power can also be described in physics terms. Power is the rate at which work is exerted, or P = W/t. Therefore, because I got a lower time than twenty of the other hikers, I am that much more powerful than them.
There is a classic physics equation that shows that there is no work done when an object goes down a hill and then back up a hill to the same height as where it started. That is because the potential energy lost in going down the hill is all gained by going back up the other hill. Of course this only works in a perfect world.
There is a hallway in the Clyde (Engineering) Building here at BYU where there are two flights of stairs that look like they have absolutely no point. First you go down ten steps, and then five feet later you go up ten stairs. There is nothing at the bottom of these stairs. The only option is to go back up. For the longest time I’ve wanted to put up a sign on these stairs, which would read: “If this were a perfect world, you would do no work on these flights of stairs.” I’m pretty sure the engineering kids would get a kick out of it.
While hiking on the backpack one year, I was discussing physics with dad, and he told me that for every pound you have in your backpack, you lift a ton for every mile you hike. We even worked out the math one year. I forget how it all works; I was going to show how the math worked out if I remembered. But I felt pretty proud of myself for lifting 135 tons on Friday.
On Friday I had the last physical test for wildland firefighting. It is called the Pack Test. It really isn’t all that hard…if you are physically fit. I heard along the way of testers who would hurl afterwards from working too hard. The Pack Test consists of a three mile hike with a forty-five pound pack. (It doesn’t matter what constitutes the forty-five pounds—apparently someone wanted to wear their sousaphone one year because it weighs that much and they were used to it from marching band.) This hike has to be done on level ground in less than forty-five minutes. Jogging is a disqualifier.
So, from this math that dad explained to me a long time ago (you’ll have to explain it better sometime, dad), I lifted 135 tons in 40 minutes and 55 seconds. That would beat the strongman contest, wouldn’t it? And it didn’t really feel that hard. The pace was kind of quick, but it wasn’t anything we wouldn’t see on the backpack to Lost Lake. It made me feel good to be in shape.
Power can also be described in physics terms. Power is the rate at which work is exerted, or P = W/t. Therefore, because I got a lower time than twenty of the other hikers, I am that much more powerful than them.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Training
This week was intense. It pretty much all started last Saturday night, when Holly and Mike left for Colorado and left me in charge of Noah, Danny, Oak and Mercy. They were gone until Wednesday night. I guess that should have been the first red flag. I figured they are well-behaved enough; I could handle it.
The week actually went very well, with only one major hiccup. I took the days off work so that I could concentrate on taking care of the kids. Sunday was complicated, but I got help. The kids did so well in church and the whole ward loved them (I took them to my student ward). Noah and Danny even made comments in Sunday School. I was glad I could trust them enough to leave them with a friend while I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. Then, after church, I told some of the girls in the ward to play with them for an hour while I helped the bishop with his interviews. They ended up playing games with about ten other people from the ward, and loved it. In fact, the ward members loved the kids so much that they invited us back for dinner that night.
Monday went just like planned. I took the kids to school and gymnastics (and got to know pleasant grove pretty well because of it), and then after school picked them up again. We went to the nickelcade for family home evening.
Tuesday was the exciting day. It started out like normal, except that Dan said that he wouldn’t be able to come put the kids to bed because he already had made plans. (I had to go help the bishop with interviews again.) The kids were doing well enough that I thought they would just put themselves to bed, so I didn’t make any other plans.
When I got Mercy home from preschool, Oak was home, and we went over to the neighbor’s to play. I was getting to know the neighbors as well, all the while learning how to ride Oak’s ripstick. All of a sudden, the ripstick slid out from under me, and I landed front down on the driveway. I saw a little blood, and I thought, “oh, no. Not another nose bleed.” But then I checked my nose and nothing was wrong.
It was my chin that was bleeding. It didn’t really hurt. It had just bounced off the pavement, and I thought that it would have just bruised, but no. Some skin was broken.
After washing off with the hose, I thought to myself, “I’m taking care of these kids. I can be tough and show them that you don’t have to cry when you see your own blood.” Then I saw it in the mirror. I had about a three-quarter inch gash in my chin. I decided to ask the neighbor lady for her motherly advice, because I really don’t make that good of a mom. With her help I decided to call a babysitter and went to the ER and got stitched up (six big ones!) I realized I was learning more about taking care of kids than I could teach them in that time.
The next time I was trained, it was a little more formal. Friday and Saturday I had Wildland Firefighting training from eight in the morning to five at night. Friday was all just classwork, but Saturday we went on a field trip. In the morning we were issued all of our gear, and got to work the fire hose. In the afternoon we went out to a fire zone that was burning earlier that day, and dug fireline like we would on a real fire.
We were all in a line along the trail and the task was to widen it about six inches. That means to clear out everything that could burn so that the fire couldn’t jump the line. For the first little while, I had a shovel, so I was behind the guys with hoes and in front of the guys with rakes. I was supposed to scrape out the stuff that was dug up by the hoes. My back hurt so bad from it! After a while we switched and I took a Pulaski, which is a hoe on one side of the head and an ax on the other. That was so much easier, but I still hurt so bad now!
I guess what I learned best this week was kind of obvious: Training hurts! But, hey—what won’t kill me just makes me stronger!
The week actually went very well, with only one major hiccup. I took the days off work so that I could concentrate on taking care of the kids. Sunday was complicated, but I got help. The kids did so well in church and the whole ward loved them (I took them to my student ward). Noah and Danny even made comments in Sunday School. I was glad I could trust them enough to leave them with a friend while I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. Then, after church, I told some of the girls in the ward to play with them for an hour while I helped the bishop with his interviews. They ended up playing games with about ten other people from the ward, and loved it. In fact, the ward members loved the kids so much that they invited us back for dinner that night.
Monday went just like planned. I took the kids to school and gymnastics (and got to know pleasant grove pretty well because of it), and then after school picked them up again. We went to the nickelcade for family home evening.
Tuesday was the exciting day. It started out like normal, except that Dan said that he wouldn’t be able to come put the kids to bed because he already had made plans. (I had to go help the bishop with interviews again.) The kids were doing well enough that I thought they would just put themselves to bed, so I didn’t make any other plans.
When I got Mercy home from preschool, Oak was home, and we went over to the neighbor’s to play. I was getting to know the neighbors as well, all the while learning how to ride Oak’s ripstick. All of a sudden, the ripstick slid out from under me, and I landed front down on the driveway. I saw a little blood, and I thought, “oh, no. Not another nose bleed.” But then I checked my nose and nothing was wrong.
It was my chin that was bleeding. It didn’t really hurt. It had just bounced off the pavement, and I thought that it would have just bruised, but no. Some skin was broken.
After washing off with the hose, I thought to myself, “I’m taking care of these kids. I can be tough and show them that you don’t have to cry when you see your own blood.” Then I saw it in the mirror. I had about a three-quarter inch gash in my chin. I decided to ask the neighbor lady for her motherly advice, because I really don’t make that good of a mom. With her help I decided to call a babysitter and went to the ER and got stitched up (six big ones!) I realized I was learning more about taking care of kids than I could teach them in that time.
The next time I was trained, it was a little more formal. Friday and Saturday I had Wildland Firefighting training from eight in the morning to five at night. Friday was all just classwork, but Saturday we went on a field trip. In the morning we were issued all of our gear, and got to work the fire hose. In the afternoon we went out to a fire zone that was burning earlier that day, and dug fireline like we would on a real fire.
We were all in a line along the trail and the task was to widen it about six inches. That means to clear out everything that could burn so that the fire couldn’t jump the line. For the first little while, I had a shovel, so I was behind the guys with hoes and in front of the guys with rakes. I was supposed to scrape out the stuff that was dug up by the hoes. My back hurt so bad from it! After a while we switched and I took a Pulaski, which is a hoe on one side of the head and an ax on the other. That was so much easier, but I still hurt so bad now!
I guess what I learned best this week was kind of obvious: Training hurts! But, hey—what won’t kill me just makes me stronger!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Summer
It’s hard to remember some of the summers I had as a kid. I recently came across a Calvin and Hobbes strip where Hobbes mentions that Calvin complained all summer about how bored he had been. Calvin’s response is that he must have been delirious from all the fun that he was having. That’s how I like to remember my summers, but there weren’t all too many specifics that stick out to me.
Back when I didn’t have any responsibilities, I didn’t have any homework to worry about, and all of my friends were in the same boat, what did I do then? How did I find something to keep me busy for three whole months? I wasn’t old enough to drive, I didn’t get enough money from my allowance, and I wasn’t smart enough to know how to spend money if I had it. What did I do?
Well, one year I remember racing bikes down the lane. But my chain came off and I didn’t have any brakes and I ended up with my feet sticking out of the blue spruce behind the old basketball hoop. That definitely wasn’t a joyful experience…at the time. There were other summers where all I remember are the reunions and the unusual exciting things. Like when we made the wagon into a handcart for the 24th of July parade.
But other than that…
Now things are different. I have something to do all day every day, but when I don’t, then what? I’m hoping that it is as easy as it used to be to have fun. Hopefully my friends will come out to play. And now I can drive and I have money, so I’ll definitely have fun, right? Luckily one of my conditions of living with Holly and Mike this summer is that I’ll spend lots of time playing outside with the kids. I’m really excited for that. Maybe I’ll make this summer memorable for them somehow.
Back when I didn’t have any responsibilities, I didn’t have any homework to worry about, and all of my friends were in the same boat, what did I do then? How did I find something to keep me busy for three whole months? I wasn’t old enough to drive, I didn’t get enough money from my allowance, and I wasn’t smart enough to know how to spend money if I had it. What did I do?
Well, one year I remember racing bikes down the lane. But my chain came off and I didn’t have any brakes and I ended up with my feet sticking out of the blue spruce behind the old basketball hoop. That definitely wasn’t a joyful experience…at the time. There were other summers where all I remember are the reunions and the unusual exciting things. Like when we made the wagon into a handcart for the 24th of July parade.
But other than that…
Now things are different. I have something to do all day every day, but when I don’t, then what? I’m hoping that it is as easy as it used to be to have fun. Hopefully my friends will come out to play. And now I can drive and I have money, so I’ll definitely have fun, right? Luckily one of my conditions of living with Holly and Mike this summer is that I’ll spend lots of time playing outside with the kids. I’m really excited for that. Maybe I’ll make this summer memorable for them somehow.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April Fool's!
It is 11:00 pm and I need to wake up early tomorrow, so I am only giving myself five minutes. I’m lying here in bed, remembering the time that Dan short sheeted mom’s bed, and she blamed me for it. I thought it was the funnies thing that Dan would do that, so it was totally worth taking the blame. One of my roommates now, ironically also named Daniel, has some wicked traditions of pranks in his family. He invited me to a family party of his a while back, and while we were just hanging around eating the food, he and his little brother cut one of the pieces of apple pie horizontally, put a few drops of worchestershire sauce in the slice, and put it back in the pie pan for someone else to discover. [Disclaimer: I’m not giving anyone any ideas. If you get ideas from reading this, it is your own fault. But you know it would be funny.] Sometimes while I am praying over my dinner plate, he will grab the plate from off the table and put it in the oven before I open my eyes. Of course I’m expecting it now, but he gets me every once in a while. I wish I could have been more prepared for April Fool’s Day this year. I chatted with Dan online for a few minutes that morning, and in the conversation, I asked what he would think if I was deciding to get engaged. He asked how serious I was being with myself, but I had to get to class, so I left it at that. Later on that day, we got together for lunch, and he laughed at how bad I am at following through with an April Fool’s joke, and I had to admit that I wouldn’t have been able to play it off very well. As the day went on, I almost forgot all about it, until when I was at Holly’s, I had just gotten started reading to the kids, when I got a phone call. From Megan.
“Hello?”
“Andrew! It’s your sister in law, Megan.”
“Hi!”
“Are you engaged?”
“Uhh…no? Not that I know of.”
“Are you sure?”
“Why?”
“I got a text from Dan saying I need to call you.”
“Dang it! He should have told me first!!”
I could have totally pulled it off. And you would have all believed it. Because Mom was in Germany to say anything against it and Dan would have loved the joke. Next April Fool’s will definitely be better. You’d better watch out. :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Stress
Let’s see. From what I can tell, these essays have some rules that I should follow. In order for me to write a good essay, I need to know the rules. Write for one hour. Have a specific topic in mind. Don’t think too hard about what you write before you write it. The other essays I’ve read from you all, not very many of you have been following the rules. On the other hand, for this essay, following the rules won’t really make my essay better than any other, will it?
I want to title my essay Stress. I’m sure all of you can relate. As I am writing this, it is 7:30am, and I am sitting outside my bishop’s office with nothing to do. That is one reason why I like my calling. I get to sit around with nothing to do. I’m sure being the actual Executive Secretary is a lot more stressful, but my being assistant is working out quite well for me. I only have to do stuff when I am told to do it. Maybe that’s why I don’t find it very stressful.
I had one of the most stressful weeks this past week. I had three major tests to take, a part for my group’s pipsqueak engine to begin, lots of homework to make up, my car fell apart (almost literally broke in half), I wouldn’t get to see the girl I like all week, and I lost my house key—again. Wow. And the week ended on Friday the 13. Fate? I dunno. But, needless to say, there was a lot to think about. There was some light at the end of the tunnel, though. I had told this girl that I would be having a very stressful week, and so she decided she wanted to make dinner for me on Friday. (Why she didn’t want to make dinner for me earlier during the week when I didn’t have time to make it myself, I don’t know.) The week still wasn’t over by then, though.
I don’t know how I had time to think about this during the week, but the thought came to mind that this is what college life is supposed to be like. I mean, …[half hour later]…a really cute girl just came in for her interview and distracted me for a while. I had to take the time to talk, so I hope you all will forgive me for probably going over my hour time limit.
I mean, this is what college life is all about, isn’t it? Choosing what to be stressed out about. I guess that’s the best way to put it. Honestly, out of the three tests I had this week, I decided that one of them wasn’t worth stressing out about, and I decided that my car could wait, because I didn’t want to think that hard about it. Now that the week is over, my tests are over and done with, (I probably didn’t do all that well on two of them) and I got to spend yesterday outside in the wonderful weather fixing my car. It worked out great. Everything has worked out well so far (except that the lost and found offices don’t open until Monday, and I’ve already been locked out of my apartment once this weekend), and I made my motto of the week according to the lyrics of a good song—“I won’t worry my life away” (by Jason Mraz—if you want to look it up).
Well, my hour is up, and I didn’t find a way to get to my point. Maybe I’ll get to it quick. Bear with me.
So there are good stresses and bad stresses. Like this right now. I’m trying to get this typed within the hour allotted, but questions come up from the people that are here for interviews, and I like to give people answers to try and magnify my calling. Sure, my calling is stressful, but it’s a good kind of stressful. As opposed to worrying for tests or deadlines. My roommate has a good philosophy for tests—if you haven’t learned it already from class and homework, you won’t learn it from cramming. That’s why I never see him worry too much about his tests. And he does quite well on them, too.
Another thing that can be very stressful is trying to be a good friend. Having friends is a lot of work. Especially if there is a lot of other stressful things to worry about. But having friends is definitely a worthy stress to be worried about. It even says so in the scriptures—read Luke 16:1-12. I guess this leads to the moral of the story that I was working so hard to get at. Next time you think about being stressed out, think “you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” Which is worse to worry about?
I don’t know if any of that made any sense at all, but that was one of the rules, right? I just wrote what came to mind. I hope you can get something out of it!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
66th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Helmuth Huebner
Hey everyone!
I just got out of a lecture that i heard about from my German class that was about a young member in Nazi Germany who tried to make a difference. The lecture was held today commemorating the beheading of the young man, Helmuth Huebner, who stood up to the Nazi government and tried to make the lies known. The first half of the lecture was interesting about the history and stories of members in the Third Reich. There were members who ranged completely across the political spectrum. It was interesting for me that there were even members who would have personally gone against this young man, had they known what he was doing before he was killed.
The speaker, a BYU professor of germanic and slavic languages, then took his opinion out and taught it a little too openly, I think. He said at the end that he wasn't in any way trying to compare Nazi Germany with our government today, but one of his main points in his thesis did just that. He said that one problem of the members in Germany at that time was that they were very under-educated about their situation. That was one way that Helmuth Huebner knew that the Allies were right and the Nazis were wrong, because he secretly listened to the English radio stations. He heard how the Nazis were covering things and making news to sound like they were winning, where the Allies were reporting the news fairly, admitting to their losses as well as their victories.
I thought it was interesting how at the end of the lecture Dr Keele invited us all to reread the sermons on the Mount and from the Tower, from Christ and King Benjamin, and re-evaluate what we should believe in. He brought up an interesting point that too many Mormons vote Republican just because all the Mormons do it.
The other side to that, however, was that he was criticizing the Bush administration the whole time, and even called him a weak man. I just want all of you to know that, without worrying too much about the past, except to see where mistakes were made, I think we need to think about what we're doing in this nation, and that the election next week is very important. I'm not sure if you all heard of Senator Obama's views of changing the nation to socialism (to some extent, at least) don't work nearly as well as he makes them seem. I saw this first hand in Germany. They have socialistic health care there, and it doesn't work nearly as it is described on paper. Maybe it was just because I worked a lot with the lower class; but there were also many in higher classes who taught me a lot about their situation. Changing to socialism would be rewriting the constitution and would be taking away our inalienable rights. My ability to earn so much a year would probably match that of what some would receive from this redistribution of wealth. Except they wouldn't have to work for it. Coming from our family, I consider myself somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, so I imagine those above me would have to give and those below me would receive, and not too much would happen for me.
The problem with this is the natural man. Just like Communism, the system would work perfectly if all gave their best and all was fair. But, as I saw in Germany, too many people just stopped giving and started relying on receiving. There was even a couple that I taught who would not get married because as long as he was a student and she had children, they would receive more from the government. My ideas are not based on the fact that the rich should give to the poor, although that would also be good, but on the fact that when things are made too easy to get, we lose sight on endurance. We lose sight on the eternal principle of work, endurance, patience.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Yes it works on paper, but socialism only feeds the natural man. The Church tried the Las of Consecration, which worked amazingly well with the spiritually minded. There were, however, a few who fell back into being natural men, and ruined it for the rest of the Church. This nation is not yet ready to have a human-made Law of Consecration, much less a godly Law of Consecration. Those who know nothing of not being natural men will ruin it for all of us who do know.
Sorry this is so long, but I think it is important. I love you all!
-Andrew
I just got out of a lecture that i heard about from my German class that was about a young member in Nazi Germany who tried to make a difference. The lecture was held today commemorating the beheading of the young man, Helmuth Huebner, who stood up to the Nazi government and tried to make the lies known. The first half of the lecture was interesting about the history and stories of members in the Third Reich. There were members who ranged completely across the political spectrum. It was interesting for me that there were even members who would have personally gone against this young man, had they known what he was doing before he was killed.
The speaker, a BYU professor of germanic and slavic languages, then took his opinion out and taught it a little too openly, I think. He said at the end that he wasn't in any way trying to compare Nazi Germany with our government today, but one of his main points in his thesis did just that. He said that one problem of the members in Germany at that time was that they were very under-educated about their situation. That was one way that Helmuth Huebner knew that the Allies were right and the Nazis were wrong, because he secretly listened to the English radio stations. He heard how the Nazis were covering things and making news to sound like they were winning, where the Allies were reporting the news fairly, admitting to their losses as well as their victories.
I thought it was interesting how at the end of the lecture Dr Keele invited us all to reread the sermons on the Mount and from the Tower, from Christ and King Benjamin, and re-evaluate what we should believe in. He brought up an interesting point that too many Mormons vote Republican just because all the Mormons do it.
The other side to that, however, was that he was criticizing the Bush administration the whole time, and even called him a weak man. I just want all of you to know that, without worrying too much about the past, except to see where mistakes were made, I think we need to think about what we're doing in this nation, and that the election next week is very important. I'm not sure if you all heard of Senator Obama's views of changing the nation to socialism (to some extent, at least) don't work nearly as well as he makes them seem. I saw this first hand in Germany. They have socialistic health care there, and it doesn't work nearly as it is described on paper. Maybe it was just because I worked a lot with the lower class; but there were also many in higher classes who taught me a lot about their situation. Changing to socialism would be rewriting the constitution and would be taking away our inalienable rights. My ability to earn so much a year would probably match that of what some would receive from this redistribution of wealth. Except they wouldn't have to work for it. Coming from our family, I consider myself somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, so I imagine those above me would have to give and those below me would receive, and not too much would happen for me.
The problem with this is the natural man. Just like Communism, the system would work perfectly if all gave their best and all was fair. But, as I saw in Germany, too many people just stopped giving and started relying on receiving. There was even a couple that I taught who would not get married because as long as he was a student and she had children, they would receive more from the government. My ideas are not based on the fact that the rich should give to the poor, although that would also be good, but on the fact that when things are made too easy to get, we lose sight on endurance. We lose sight on the eternal principle of work, endurance, patience.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Yes it works on paper, but socialism only feeds the natural man. The Church tried the Las of Consecration, which worked amazingly well with the spiritually minded. There were, however, a few who fell back into being natural men, and ruined it for the rest of the Church. This nation is not yet ready to have a human-made Law of Consecration, much less a godly Law of Consecration. Those who know nothing of not being natural men will ruin it for all of us who do know.
Sorry this is so long, but I think it is important. I love you all!
-Andrew
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