Father Abraham

       If only a politician would say something like that and then ACT upon such words. However, Abraham Lincoln seems to be an anomaly in a long list of Presidents and politicians whose primary motivations and reasoning for their actions often were very flawed and tinted by various degrees by greed. This president seems to stand out to all (except for neo-confederates) as the greatest, wisest, and most morally-correct politician, and perhaps even man, in all of American history. It made me wonder and many others wonder how a man could even become President or a politician in the first place and be like this. 

     Many would point to Lincoln's humble upbringing compared to the typically rich upbringing of almost every other President. However, many a politician and President have also grown up in similar conditions as potato farmers or any other number of poor situations. They typically end up about as the rich politicians do. No, it wasn't exactly the environment he was raised in that gave him his great internal spirit (though it certainly helped in some ways), it was how he used his mind.

      A striking thing about Lincoln was that he would always consider the idea that he might be wrong. He was never satisfied with blind belief in a faction or ideal. No, for every issue he spent countless hours and days studying all sides of issues, interviewing those who hold to all sides of issues, and tussling in his mind over every detail, every pro and con of all sides. He was constantly searching for a better way, and was always thinking, thinking, thinking! 

    What a contrast this is to so many politicians of this day who blindly throw themselves at parties and refuse to even consider for a moment that their point of view may be wrong in any way! This man Abraham Lincoln is proof of what incredible things a man can do if they will but think and consider! Now, firmness in belief is by no means a wrong thing, but only after one has done as Lincoln as done: searched and thought and struggled to discover the rights and the wrongs. There are undeniable truths about the world, like slavery is evil, and a civilization based on money is one that will not find true freedom. Let us search them out in earnest and then dedicate ourselves to a life of supporting the right, while always keeping the idea that Lincoln always had in mind that we may be wrong about a few things...      

The Use of the Human Mind

I ran across a speech given by Elder Hugh B. Brown to a group of BYU students entitled "An Eternal Quest- Freedom of the Mind" recently and I wish to share it and discuss its message. Elder Brown at the time was the First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and had served several years as an Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve. He was an extraordinary man with a deep conviction in his religion and in, as the speech suggests, the power of the human mind. This belief in the mind is perhaps one of the reasons he went against the stereotypical Mormon grain of his day in several ways, the most prominent of which was him being a member of the Democratic party. He was a man, obviously, not content with just blindly doing what he was told.

The subtitled quote by Elder Brown describes his own and my conviction very well. It is truly a God-given right and honor to be able to think and to reason, and his warnings about blind following and non-thinking throughout the rest of his speech ring especially true in this day and age. Lawlessness and impulsiveness has in many ways swept the country and many areas of the "civilized" world. Whatever your views on morality or other sensitive issues, it can be easily concurred that the youth and sadly adults of the modern world act without the aid of their brains. This is evident in all areas, from relationships to addictions to political philosophies. If the world is to become a better place for us and our children we must regain the ability to think.

In other words, nothing should be just taken for granted or assumed that because our parents or friends or even, as Elder Brown wrote (see the final chapter of his famous biography An Abundant Life- The Memoirs of Hugh B. Brown), our most cherished leaders have supported or declared them as true. Now before I go any further, I want to assure you that I am not talking about abandoning faith or hope or trust in these men and women. No, what I am saying is that our minds must be anxiously engaged in reasoning and thinking and deciding. As my Father once told me: "Everything that you hear must not only go through the heart, but through both the heart and the mind." It is through the mind that we can discern dis-truth and then create conviction in our deepest beliefs. To lean upon the ideas and values of a loved or respected one is good while we are still forming and thinking, but to blindly support without any thought say a political party or a company or, as much as Elder Brown and I hate to say it, a religion just because our parents and communities do is destructive to unity, creates hateful divisions, and leads to the lack of conviction that permeates our society today. Even scripture says that before we even pray to God about the truthfulness of the most basic of doctrines we must "study it out in our minds."

However, in the quotation above, Elder Brown did offer one warning to those who wish to use the invaluable gift of the mind. He calls it dangerous to think in some ways, because to think runs the inherent risk of thinking wrong, which can be very destructive. However, he offers a solution to wrong thinking:   MORE thinking. Many people try and solve their problems by shutting off their brains, and, again, being mindless followers. However, when we stray down a bad path, it is this principle of more thinking that we must strictly adhere to. It is also here, interestingly, where the heart can help a great deal, for often as we train ourselves to think we also train our hearts to recognize truth, and both should be referenced often.

Now, to close, the mind is a wonderful tool. We should use it to its fullest, constantly tackling tough questions and not avoiding tangled controversy. Don't forget to combine it successfully with the heart and spirit, as there is much beyond human comprehension in all aspects of life from science to religion. It was this formula of a strong moral and emotional compass mixed with a strong reasoning brain that formed a man as compassionate and faithful as Elder Hugh B. Brown. It is the same formula that was found in Abraham Lincoln, who faced a country in shambles over a moral depravity and used it to create a better place for all Americans. It has been a formula used by some of the world's greatest leaders and philosophers, though they typically have been long dead before we discover their brilliant minds and hearts. Sadly it is a formula fast disappearing today. However, we can have hope in the fact that humanity is changeable, and that God is always watching over us. Think hard.  

    

Why I Do What I Do

     Thank goodness I have a place to just spill thoughts out where no one is going to judge my spelling and grammar.. :)

     This is a topic I've thought about a lot recently, and so I decided that I might as well write about it here, because it makes such a great place to store non-personal thought. Now that almost no one is here its even better.
      Many people wonder about the things I do. I'm very weird in many ways from 99 percent of American kids, especially where I live. I don't have, watch, or support television. I have a whole list of words I won't say that most kids I know (and almost all hold to a strict no-swearing-or-anything-near-standard) wouldn't hesitate. I have odd views on how to deal with people who do use such words, and am not troubled by those who swear like so many I know are. I own no new technologies and don't really have a desire to. I work hard to get very good grades and I have gone to church for many years despite deep opposition throughout all my immediate family.  Of course, I know I'm not the only odd one out there, and that everyone is unique in a different way, but I want to discuss the reason's why I am this way, and the reasons why many of us have these unique qualities.
      There are a lot of bad reasons to be driven to do things and be unique in such regards. One of the worst is when something or someone else is forcing you to do them without any choice or thought on your part. The person doesn't grow, and in fact, if they do gain freedom one day, they will often part ways with everything they used to be forced to do no matter how good those things were.
     Another wrong way to go about being unique and good is to do it only for competition's sake. Succeeding and being good just to be better than ones friends, siblings, or parents because one has something to prove to the world or to themselves will only lead to sadness and a lack of self-esteem. So thus they engage themselves in as much work and activity as possible, robbing themselves of many of the things that make them happy. Just as the wise man Dieter F. Uchtdorf once said, "True happiness comes not through frantic activity, but through being settled on a firm foundation of truth."
    Now that a couple of negative examples have been exhausted, perhaps it is time to tell why I myself live and try from day to day. Well, at the end of the summer after my amazing experience in my church's seminary following my 9th grade year, I made a determination, an ultimatum, really, of what my life would be dedicated to. And that thing I chose to be dedicated to, besides my religious authority, was my future family. I dedicated my life to my future wife and each and every one of my future kids. I do the good things I do because I care for my family and want to make the best life for them possible. Albeit, this reason to live and succeed does make failure that much more painful, for when I fail and mess up, I hurt the lives of many future others besides myself, it has brought me great joy and happiness. That's why I live from day to day, to learn to become the man that my family needs me to be...

      
     

The Piano Guys!

     I was watching some Star Wars parodies the other day (ya ya I'm a nerd I know) and I happened to stumble across one called "Cello Wars." In it, there were two cellists (one guy cloned through the magic of video editing), one representing the Sith and the other the Jedi. They played a really awesome mix of Star Wars tunes while engaging in some pretty hokey shenanigans involving blasters, rocks, lightsaber fighting (their bows were edited into lightsabers), and even a surprise accordion solo by Darth Vader himself. You can watch it yourself at the top!

    Anyways, I thought the parody was funny and the music in it was great, so I checked out some of the other work by these "Piano Guys." Turned out as I looked at their main Youtube page that the piano guys are really one pianist, one cellist, and three composers/ video experts. I thought (from the sound of the Star Wars which involved only the cellist and a lot of peripheral instruments ) that the rest of the songs, many of them which mix both the cello and the piano, would be pretty good. I was dead wrong.

   Their songs were AMAZING!!!!  These men, all classically trained, had fused the best qualities of both classical and modern music into a perfect, flowing, beautiful sound. Every one of their songs just blew me away. What surprised me even after that was that these men are nearby.... they live in Southern Utah! In fact, they composed a stunning piece called the Desert Symphony, which is based off of Southern Utah's majesty, and which is just above!

   Please check these guys out. They'll bring you close to tears over and over again, and their incredibly creativity has them pounding, scraping, and strumming their instruments in ways that you wouldn't sometimes even think possible! Praise for the Piano Guys!

Sigh... It's Election Time Again...

      Often as I look around me, it amazes me how amazing human beings can be. When looking at the small actions of friends and family, though they often make small mistakes, are able to overcome them and be good people in general. They lift up those in need, and be an example, a sort of light to others.
      However, it seems as though as soon as you take a human out of the ballpark of small and simple decisions that usually only directly affect a couple of people, this genuine goodness seems to crumble. Make a human feel very important or give him a lot of power and money, and they seem to forget almost instantly the small values that made them the good people they were back when they were young children.
     Which group am I going to be referring to specifically? Well, from the title, you've probably guessed that it's going to be politicians as well as the die-hard people who support them. Now, before you roll your eyes and stop reading because it looks like I'm going to go on another "political rant," I want to assure you it won't be that way.
    It's sad, though. Very sad to see people like senators and presidents and a whole slew of candidates who, if they had been but born in an ordinary house and only done ordinary things, would have not turned out the way they are. They would not be putting each other down and dragging the country with them. They would not be being controlled by money and corporate interests. It is very sad to see beautiful human beings become so dark and cruel much because of the evil things that humans have created and done over thousands of years of history.  I feel horribly bad for them. But, looking at their lives does teach us a valuable lesson: The power of the insignificant.
    A pattern that has been noted and preached by almost every philosopher that has ever lived is still very much strong and just as odd today as it has always been. The pattern is this: the humans that have been given or has worked for everything to fulfill their desires and their basic human yearnings have turned out as not very good people. However, if a human is born in poor or simply ordinary circumstances that include times of suffering and trial and have been denied some of their most basic instincts and desires, they become better, kinder people and are much happier with their lives. Keep in mind that not every human follows this pattern, but that this pattern is much more of a tendency.
    Why does this pattern exist? Because of the power of the seemingly insignificant. The small actions and problems that exist in the lives of the common man do not bind us or keep us from a higher level of understanding, and having huge problems and actions that affect millions does not free us, but instead is a sort of prison. Doing and focusing on the small things in life gives us an appreciation for life in general, and leads us to greater happiness.
    So, instead of focusing our lives on that college degree, that dream career, or that spot in the limelight, let us simply look towards the small and seemingly meaningless. If we can make the small things in life important to us, then no hardship can come that cannot be overcome, and no sadness can completely overtake us because we cling and love the small, happy things. In fact, if the seemingly insignificant can make our lives the kind of lives that are filled with joy, then perhaps they are more important and significant than anything else, even being president...
    

Incredible!

      I can't believe it. Time flies so fast. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was a squeamish little 9th grader, taking on the challenge of Honors English for the first time. It is even more incredible how much I've changed since my final adieu! Rereading the posts I had made made me both embarrassed and somewhat sad. Some of my statements are a bit, well, silly now that I have another year under my belt, though my basic opinions on such subject matters still remains firm.

      Despite this obvious immaturity, though, I can't help but feel a little sad... what was once me is no longer me. I feel that by my gaining experience and growing as a person, perhaps I lost a little bit of who I am. Not that this loss is entirely bad. There are plenty of things I have loved to see disappear forever: old emotions, habits, and ideals that didn't line up with my future vision of myself.

     I can't help but gape at the striking similarity between this loss and growth and Buster the crab from Kingsolver's novel High Tide in Tucson. The process of shedding so widely discussed in the book is what I am referring to. I feel as if my "shell" was sort of a protection, the best defense my poor young mind had to the dangers of the world around it. However, like Buster, in order to fully experience life, this shell had to be split. I had to get out from under these habits and ideas that were holding me down, those fears that were holding me back. The most intriguing thing to me is now that I have molted, I don't understand why I ever thought that any of those restrictions would really protect me from anything.

    In the book, it also mentions that the molting process sometimes comes at a price. Occasionally, a crab will lose an eye or a limb while trying to rid itself of its harsh hard framework. The crab loses a good thing, something that was near and dear to it and its survival. Perhaps the losses that I feel sad about- like all of those in Honors English and Junior High I will probably never see again- are like the loss of these appendages. I had to lose several good things in order to become the person I am today.

    Unfortunately for many in this world, though, there is quite the opposite process. A sort of strengthening and tightening of one's shell. So many people in this world sink into despair and give up on their "molting," thus making their shell smaller and smaller, until the mind and heart are absolutely crushed. This, I believe, is why the concept of faith and courage are important subjects outside of religious context, because while one has faith in good things to come, the molting will happen, even if it takes many, many years. This faith is what keeps both crabs and humans constantly struggling against their tough, unyielding natures. 

    This is why we as humans must look onward and upward. Albeit, there is no certain, painless path in life, but there is only one path that does lead to any degree of happiness: the one of progress and growth. So have a little courage! Show a little faith! Continue the struggle against the dark parts of yourself, and the dark parts of the world around you! Even when the forces of the world seem to be pushing at you just as hard as you yourself are pushing, remember this: though harsh negative worldly and self-caused forces never tire, only humans can learn and outsmart the enemy. If you let your motto be "FEARLESS!!!" as you travel onward, and nothing on this earth can stop you. So what are you waiting for?
    
     

It's Ironic... and Sorry, People

       First off before I begin the post, I'm sorry, but my account for blogger is being really weird, so I can't comment on my own or anybody else's blog. It's REALLY annoying, and I hope you can forgive me. Sorry people. I'm going to respond to questions in the next post. In response to Alex's: Yes, I believe both. As I said, it's truth. I just wrote it keeping in mind that some of the audience isn't going to be religious.

       I find it sort of funny. I mean, when you think about it, what are we really? Bags of bones and organs and flesh and blood, with a wispy spirit attached. Yet look at all the drama and and wonder around us? We're just little bits of carbon and nitrogen, dwarfed by a planet it would take countless of us to fill. Yet everything around us in our small patch of earth we traverse is so vivid, and means so much to our minds.
       
       We're little bits of star stuff, yet we seem to dream and worship about the same stars we came from. Small things like food and water, things of such small mass, of such small meaning to the universe means the universe to us. We're so small, yet so big at the same time. Our minds are incredible things, concentrated on the here and now. They are so flawed, though. So vulnerable to weapons and even our own body. Yet each mind is so strong at the same time, a thing that lets us move mountains, level forests, grow millions of acres of food, give so much, and take so much away. A thing that is more of a danger to the world than the millions of years of risk and danger from both forces on Earth and from the night sky.

       I think that it is a blessing, being so priviledged to be able to have a mind. It comes with great responsibility, though. Each mind can create, can free, can do so much good. Yet each mind can do so much evil, so much killing, so much enslaving, and so much destruction. I pray we can keep that in mind as we go about in the world. It may be the undoing, or the preserving of the race, the planet, and maybe someday the Universe.