Are you familiar with the start of the Trojan War according to Greek Mythology? The one about Paris and the Golden Apple? Well, I am going to tell you it to start out this post.
It all begins at a party. A party that celebrated the marriage of the Sea Goddess Thetis, and the mortal Peleus. A party of the Gods is great thing, and every god was invited except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. She was obviously not happy. So, she crashed the party, and threw an apple of Gold into the goddesses that was inscribed with "For the Fairest." Obviously, there was some severe argument between the goddesses, especially Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
Zeus, annoyed at all of this bickering, told Hermes to take the women to Paris, a prince of Troy, who was supposedly the most handsome man in the world, to settle the argument. Each of the women promised something in return for his vote. Hera promised dominion over all of Europe (which was the entire world back then). Athena promised victory in every battle. Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course, Paris chose the girl.
The girl was Helen, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The only problem was that she was already married to the king of Sparta. So Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap Helen (although she may have gone willingly) while the king was away. Upon returning, the king was infuriated. He decided to retaliate, and immediately joined forces with the other Greek kingdoms. They gathered forces, and launched over a thousand ships, thus the name often given to Helen: The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships.
This whole thing resulted in the Trojan War, in which hundreds of thousands were killed. All of this because of one man and love.
There are really two kinds of love: Infatuation and True Love. Infatuation is love of looks, or love of shallow personality. It is when, though the feelings feel deep, they truly aren't. That is the kind of love that Paris displayed, and what Aphrodite usually endorses. True love is commitment and willingness to be with that person forever. It is something that runs very, very deep. That is the love we should aspire to achieve so that we may be happy.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Mountain Meadows Massacre- Hate
This one act is probably the most horrendous act committed by the Church. It is also the one that the Church is most sorrowful about. Before I get into the anger that surrounds this event in history, I will tell you the story.
The year was 1857. The Pioneers had arrived years before, and the state was full of small towns and cities. It was hard to get through Utah without running into some sort of settlement, making Utah a good way to travel to California, because there were several Mormons willing to trade with travelers. Many companies chose to head through Utah. One of them was the Francher-Baker company.
The majority of the Francher-Baker company was made up of mostly families from Arkansas, a place not very friendly with Mormons in general. There are several recordings of protesting and antagonizing settlements (most of them while they were drunk), and even one circumstance where men rode on horses down the street, waving a gun, and saying "THIS IS THE GUN THAT KILLED JOSEPH SMITH." Not so nice actions, eh. It doesn't excuse what happened next.
Several leaders of local militia in the area disliked the company, and once they heard of the antagonizings, they formulated a horrible plan to kill every single one of the Arkansasans. The first step in the plan was that they poisoned (not fatally poisoned, just sick poisoned) several Piute Indian Wells, their main source of water. They then blamed it on the company, and promised the Indians that they would help them.
So they next armed the Indians, and led them to Mountain Meadows, the place the Francher-Baker company had set up camp. The Indians sieged the camp for five days, while the Mormon militia leaders sat aside and watched. After five days, the Indians bailed on the Mormons, because they had lost too many braves. So, the Mormons pretended to have driven the Indians off. They separated the men from the women, put the children in a cart, and told them to follow them back to the settlement.
They didn't make it far. When they had only gone a short way, the Mormon soldiers turned, and fired upon the men and women. Some of the braves also returned to help. They killed every single one of them. They also fired upon all of the children who might remember the incident. The only survivors were 17 small children.
Do you know what is ironic about the whole thing. It happened on September 11. 9/11. The same day of the Terrorist Attack. Both of them came down to the same things: Hate.
Obviously, Terrorists hate us and want to kill us, but why would Mormons go so far as to murder a few hundred people in cold blood? I suppose we will never know the motivations behind it, but a lot of it was hate. Hate of Mormons, hate of non-mormons, hate of the killers of Joseph Smith, hate of the people of Arkansas. Hate leads to very rash and violent actions, even ones as extreme as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
I think we need to avoid hate at all costs. Contention is never the answer. Forgiveness should be a major part of our life, and being forgiving is opposite of being hateful.
The year was 1857. The Pioneers had arrived years before, and the state was full of small towns and cities. It was hard to get through Utah without running into some sort of settlement, making Utah a good way to travel to California, because there were several Mormons willing to trade with travelers. Many companies chose to head through Utah. One of them was the Francher-Baker company.
The majority of the Francher-Baker company was made up of mostly families from Arkansas, a place not very friendly with Mormons in general. There are several recordings of protesting and antagonizing settlements (most of them while they were drunk), and even one circumstance where men rode on horses down the street, waving a gun, and saying "THIS IS THE GUN THAT KILLED JOSEPH SMITH." Not so nice actions, eh. It doesn't excuse what happened next.
Several leaders of local militia in the area disliked the company, and once they heard of the antagonizings, they formulated a horrible plan to kill every single one of the Arkansasans. The first step in the plan was that they poisoned (not fatally poisoned, just sick poisoned) several Piute Indian Wells, their main source of water. They then blamed it on the company, and promised the Indians that they would help them.
So they next armed the Indians, and led them to Mountain Meadows, the place the Francher-Baker company had set up camp. The Indians sieged the camp for five days, while the Mormon militia leaders sat aside and watched. After five days, the Indians bailed on the Mormons, because they had lost too many braves. So, the Mormons pretended to have driven the Indians off. They separated the men from the women, put the children in a cart, and told them to follow them back to the settlement.
They didn't make it far. When they had only gone a short way, the Mormon soldiers turned, and fired upon the men and women. Some of the braves also returned to help. They killed every single one of them. They also fired upon all of the children who might remember the incident. The only survivors were 17 small children.
Do you know what is ironic about the whole thing. It happened on September 11. 9/11. The same day of the Terrorist Attack. Both of them came down to the same things: Hate.
Obviously, Terrorists hate us and want to kill us, but why would Mormons go so far as to murder a few hundred people in cold blood? I suppose we will never know the motivations behind it, but a lot of it was hate. Hate of Mormons, hate of non-mormons, hate of the killers of Joseph Smith, hate of the people of Arkansas. Hate leads to very rash and violent actions, even ones as extreme as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
I think we need to avoid hate at all costs. Contention is never the answer. Forgiveness should be a major part of our life, and being forgiving is opposite of being hateful.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Fall of an Republic- Pride
The Roman Republic, based on the Greek idea of Democracy. It is the same style of government that we in the United States use. The Roman Republic had a leader (Caesar), and a Senate. It operated just like ours did. Unfortunately, the Senate was small, and knew each other very well.
Often did Caesar meet with his Senate to discuss the state of the empire, and its finances. Caesar was very popular among the people, and was favored by them over all of the rest of the government. The senate, predictably, was jealous. They wanted to gain control, so they formulated a plan to murder Caesar and to gain complete control of the country.
They planned to kill Caesar at the senate meeting on March 15, three days before he left to survey part of his empire. They intended to each stab him once, so that if they were ever caught they could share the blame. They were sure that their plan would succeed.
Their plan almost failed when Caesar stayed home to comfort his nightmare-stricken wife. He sent a message that the meeting was to be canceled. When the Senate received his message, they were concerned, because Caesar was soon leaving. So, they sent Caesar's personal friend, Decimus Brutus, to convince him to come anyways.
Brutus was very deceiving. He questioned Caesar's judgment, and his ability to rule. He called Caesar weak, and someone who is cowardly in the face of insignificant things like the nightmares of his wife. Caesar had great pride, and was very offended by the remarks. He grudgingly agreed, and went against his better judgment. And so Caesar ended up dead.
Pride can often end in misery, pain, and even death. Every single person is guilty of this at times in their lives. People with many things (like money, possessions, friends, etc.) are often more susceptible to this principle and common sin. To help the world become a better place, we need to stop pride from entering into our lives.
Often did Caesar meet with his Senate to discuss the state of the empire, and its finances. Caesar was very popular among the people, and was favored by them over all of the rest of the government. The senate, predictably, was jealous. They wanted to gain control, so they formulated a plan to murder Caesar and to gain complete control of the country.
They planned to kill Caesar at the senate meeting on March 15, three days before he left to survey part of his empire. They intended to each stab him once, so that if they were ever caught they could share the blame. They were sure that their plan would succeed.
Their plan almost failed when Caesar stayed home to comfort his nightmare-stricken wife. He sent a message that the meeting was to be canceled. When the Senate received his message, they were concerned, because Caesar was soon leaving. So, they sent Caesar's personal friend, Decimus Brutus, to convince him to come anyways.
Brutus was very deceiving. He questioned Caesar's judgment, and his ability to rule. He called Caesar weak, and someone who is cowardly in the face of insignificant things like the nightmares of his wife. Caesar had great pride, and was very offended by the remarks. He grudgingly agreed, and went against his better judgment. And so Caesar ended up dead.
Pride can often end in misery, pain, and even death. Every single person is guilty of this at times in their lives. People with many things (like money, possessions, friends, etc.) are often more susceptible to this principle and common sin. To help the world become a better place, we need to stop pride from entering into our lives.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Enslavement of African Americans- Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
By: Emily Dickinson
I have always thought that that is an amazing poems. It tells us that hope is eternal and can be found anywhere, not matter what the situation or location. You might even say that it gives us hope about hope. I think that the thought that hope is eternal is true. It is always present, we just need to realize it and recognize it.
Every generation and civilization has recognized this, because it is simply human. What was the only thing caught in Pandora's box? HOPE! What does the bible say? He will bring HOPE unto the world. I think that this idea of hope can be described well when put into the context of the enslavement of African Americans.
Have you ever heard the song Free At Last? It was an inspirational soul song created by African cotton farmers during when they were not being watched.
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
By: Emily Dickinson
I have always thought that that is an amazing poems. It tells us that hope is eternal and can be found anywhere, not matter what the situation or location. You might even say that it gives us hope about hope. I think that the thought that hope is eternal is true. It is always present, we just need to realize it and recognize it.
Every generation and civilization has recognized this, because it is simply human. What was the only thing caught in Pandora's box? HOPE! What does the bible say? He will bring HOPE unto the world. I think that this idea of hope can be described well when put into the context of the enslavement of African Americans.
Have you ever heard the song Free At Last? It was an inspirational soul song created by African cotton farmers during when they were not being watched.
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Way down yonder in the graveyard walk
I thank God I'm free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I'm free at last
On my knees when the light pass'd by
I thank God I'm free at last
Tho't my soul would rise and fly
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Tho't my soul would rise and fly
I thank God I'm free at last
Some of these mornings, bright and fair
I thank God I'm free at last
Goin' meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Goin' meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I'm free at last
I love that song. It reflects the hope that African Americans had for a better future. A future where they could. The lyrics are a little wrong though. The chorus is "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last"! Also, the lines between every different line should be "Thank God Almighty I'm free at last"!, and it is actually a background song for the rest of the song.
African Americans never gave up the hope that some day, they may be able to walk free, talk free, and live free. And they achieved that and more.
Martin Luther King Junior Quoted this song in his "I have a Dream" speech. The speech was a huge victory, and definitely helped the civil rights movement to happen.
All of these examples could never have happened without hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. I think that hope being eternal is a good thing. It can lead to the saving of the self, and those around you.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Triumphs of the British Empire- Courage
The British Empire once controlled almost all of Europe. No country could defeat them, and only a few strong countries like France, Spain, and Portugal could fend off the British. The British Isles is a very, very small place. It is only about 3/4 the size of France, and only a little more heavily populated. Very few people can claim that they defeated the British. Joan of Arc was one, and even George Washington was an example of that. Britain being so small, it is surprising how it could even take over a single country. It wasn't the diversity of the army, as France had the most advanced technology. It wasn't the population, because Britain was such a small place.
There is really only two reasons that historians and scholars have been able to reason could be the explanation of the huge expansion of the British Empire. The first and probably less great one was that Britain certainly was lucky. A fair few battles were won on chance mostly. The second was the true way that Britain was able to win all of those wars. It was the soldiers they had. They had some of the most die-hard courage in the entire world. They would fling themselves right into enemy lines and fire, and though many of them were killed, they killed more of the enemy. The sheer bravery of the people shattered carefully laid battle plans, and won all of the wars they faced. There was, however, a downside to such courage.
This wasn't regular courage that the army is always advertising. It was cold, heartless courage. It caused much unnecessarily death among the enemies of Britain. The cold courage would make you kill your own family if the king or the government so commanded it.
So thus, Britain was the ultimate power of the world, at least until the discovery of America. I am not going to lie to you. The American Revolution was won 90% on sheer dumb luck. Lucky reactions that stopped the British, and ultimately spelled their demise. Luck aside, there is something to be said about the courage of the American people. They didn't fight for a country, but for a cause. There is no greater force than that of a man with a cause. That courage, along with luck and the introduction of Guerrilla warfare, was what won us that war, and gave the British their first real defeat for generations.
There is really only two reasons that historians and scholars have been able to reason could be the explanation of the huge expansion of the British Empire. The first and probably less great one was that Britain certainly was lucky. A fair few battles were won on chance mostly. The second was the true way that Britain was able to win all of those wars. It was the soldiers they had. They had some of the most die-hard courage in the entire world. They would fling themselves right into enemy lines and fire, and though many of them were killed, they killed more of the enemy. The sheer bravery of the people shattered carefully laid battle plans, and won all of the wars they faced. There was, however, a downside to such courage.
This wasn't regular courage that the army is always advertising. It was cold, heartless courage. It caused much unnecessarily death among the enemies of Britain. The cold courage would make you kill your own family if the king or the government so commanded it.
So thus, Britain was the ultimate power of the world, at least until the discovery of America. I am not going to lie to you. The American Revolution was won 90% on sheer dumb luck. Lucky reactions that stopped the British, and ultimately spelled their demise. Luck aside, there is something to be said about the courage of the American people. They didn't fight for a country, but for a cause. There is no greater force than that of a man with a cause. That courage, along with luck and the introduction of Guerrilla warfare, was what won us that war, and gave the British their first real defeat for generations.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans- Fear
Fear is a major emotion. Technically, it is the response your body has to something that will possibly hurt or damage you in any way, both physically and mentally. It helps us to avoid harmful and irritating things. It can also hurt you (ever been afraid to do a project or speak publicly, because fear makes it harder). It can be fear of a bear, or fear of embarrassment, or even fear of fear. No one likes to be afraid, but it is just a part of life.
I will now show the fear in the event of The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. There are two sides of the issue. I will start with the side against the Japanese Americans. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the people and the government began to be suspicious of Japanese products and people. In fact, the government was afraid that citizens of Japanese heritage would be disloyal to America, and favor Japan in the war. They were afraid that they would become spies or conspirators or vigilantes. A pointless fear, but a fear nonetheless.
So the government forced the Japanese Americans people to give everything they owned to them for resale, and shipped the people out to what are often referred to as Japanese Concentration Camps. They were forced to live in sloppily made, unpainted, uninsulated, unsealed bunkers that a rat wouldn't choose to sleep in. They were forced to eat low-grade rations that the army provided for them. They had little freedom, and they suffered greatly. All of this because of an unreasonable fear. This shows that fear can make people do very terrible things. But, it can also inspire greatness, which is what I will explain with the other side of the story.
When the Japanese Americans were forced into the camps, they were confused, and they feared the government. It was a fear of destruction, and a fear that their lives may never be returned. This fear which bound their hearts, also opened them. They aided each other, helping everyone in the community finish bunkers, plant flowers, care for children, and lived as best as they could. It unified them against a common enemy: The Government. Traces of these feelings remain, but today they do not unify, they only agitate. Fear can be a good or bad thing, but it should never remain in your heart after it is needed.
People are always saying that love comes from the heart. Where does fear come from? I always imagine fear coming from the back of my eyes to the back of my throat. That is what it feels like at first. Then it numbs the mind. Where do you think fear comes from?
I will now show the fear in the event of The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. There are two sides of the issue. I will start with the side against the Japanese Americans. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the people and the government began to be suspicious of Japanese products and people. In fact, the government was afraid that citizens of Japanese heritage would be disloyal to America, and favor Japan in the war. They were afraid that they would become spies or conspirators or vigilantes. A pointless fear, but a fear nonetheless.
So the government forced the Japanese Americans people to give everything they owned to them for resale, and shipped the people out to what are often referred to as Japanese Concentration Camps. They were forced to live in sloppily made, unpainted, uninsulated, unsealed bunkers that a rat wouldn't choose to sleep in. They were forced to eat low-grade rations that the army provided for them. They had little freedom, and they suffered greatly. All of this because of an unreasonable fear. This shows that fear can make people do very terrible things. But, it can also inspire greatness, which is what I will explain with the other side of the story.
When the Japanese Americans were forced into the camps, they were confused, and they feared the government. It was a fear of destruction, and a fear that their lives may never be returned. This fear which bound their hearts, also opened them. They aided each other, helping everyone in the community finish bunkers, plant flowers, care for children, and lived as best as they could. It unified them against a common enemy: The Government. Traces of these feelings remain, but today they do not unify, they only agitate. Fear can be a good or bad thing, but it should never remain in your heart after it is needed.
People are always saying that love comes from the heart. Where does fear come from? I always imagine fear coming from the back of my eyes to the back of my throat. That is what it feels like at first. Then it numbs the mind. Where do you think fear comes from?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What Is The Human Spirit
Simply put, it is the way that human beings feel about and interact with other humans. In reality, it is a huge, complex subject you can't put into one sentence. How do you describe joy? Hate? Sorrow? You can't do anything but say vague statements like "It feels good." Although you can't explain it, you can show it. That is a major part of the Human Spirit.
There are three main parts to the Human Spirit. Emotion, Conscience, and Interaction. Emotion, like mentioned above, is not explainable, but it is show-able. It is our instinctive reaction to change, whether it be good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. It is the way to relieve stress, to communicate, and to clear our minds and spark conscious thought.
Conscience is the way we actively and manually think, and also the way we tell right from wrong. We make decisions with our conscience, using both facts and the bias from emotions and the interactions we have had. It allows us to create, plan, and discover new ways to do things and facts to help us make decisions.
Interaction combines both of the others into a way to communicate ideas and feelings. Whether it be physically (fighting, donating, imprisoning, etc...) or mentally/emotionally. It allows humans to work together happily and harmoniously, as well as working against each other and spreading discord and suffering. In these few posts, I will go through various events in human history, and will identify the Human Spirit in all of them.
I would like to thank Mr. Gant for this whole part of my blog. He gave me the term Human Spirit, and the understanding I have of it. Thank you Mr. Gant!!!
There are three main parts to the Human Spirit. Emotion, Conscience, and Interaction. Emotion, like mentioned above, is not explainable, but it is show-able. It is our instinctive reaction to change, whether it be good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. It is the way to relieve stress, to communicate, and to clear our minds and spark conscious thought.
Conscience is the way we actively and manually think, and also the way we tell right from wrong. We make decisions with our conscience, using both facts and the bias from emotions and the interactions we have had. It allows us to create, plan, and discover new ways to do things and facts to help us make decisions.
Interaction combines both of the others into a way to communicate ideas and feelings. Whether it be physically (fighting, donating, imprisoning, etc...) or mentally/emotionally. It allows humans to work together happily and harmoniously, as well as working against each other and spreading discord and suffering. In these few posts, I will go through various events in human history, and will identify the Human Spirit in all of them.
I would like to thank Mr. Gant for this whole part of my blog. He gave me the term Human Spirit, and the understanding I have of it. Thank you Mr. Gant!!!
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