Their faces are more beautiful than flowers and the Moon! Their real features look so lovely, more so than synthetic ones, as there is a curious balance which enhances, softens, defines, and accentuates the structure of their faces. The thing we wish to do is to find faith greater than our fears, whether they are fears of people, of conditions, of life or of death. Such faith is born out of a complete conviction of the eternal destiny of one’s own soul and of all other souls. We should base our remarks upon a divine truth that explains “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life,” reports Proverbs 6.23. A commandment is a lamp to shows us the right course, and indeed the law defines that course that we are to follow. Some people look upon laws in general as impediments to them—obstacles—and there are good people in every segment of life who believe that the laws of God, even the great Ten Commandments, are intended only for certain people—for those whom they describe as being extremely religious or for the less fortunate. They believe that while it is essential to observe the laws of the land, it matters little or none if one observes the laws of God. However, while he is a God of love, he is also a God of order. He does not deviate from the established principles and laws, because they are right in the first place. And he and they are the same yesterday, today, and forever. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

The laws and conditions prescribed for the welfare of humankind cannot be changed nor circumvented, because they are divine and were established before the foundation of the World was laid. They are, in fact, the only means by which we can have peace of mind here and gain eternal life hereafter. Nature made teeth for the purpose of enclosing the tongue, so never poke it out. It is important to spit out phlegm that may from time to time arrive in the mouth. Never swallow it. And never spit noisily, nor publicly, nor anywhere other than on the ground or into a handkerchief, if it can possibly be helped. Aim carefully, and try to conceal the fact that you have spat by stepping quickly on the spittle. In the 1900s a law in France and London was designed to prevent the odious habit of expectorating in public because not only was it disgusting, but what women suffer cannot be easily expressed, for however careful they are they are bound to get their skirts contaminated, due to the fact that they were in the habit of wearing dresses that trail along the ground. In fact, the modern objection to spitting, which led to laws prohibiting it in covered places of public rest, grew out of research into the spread of disease, principally tuberculosis. “For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the World,” reports The Doctrine and Covenants 132.5. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

The laws of God are not given to us to burden us nor to limit us. They are not impositions. They are the statutes through which, if observed, the purpose of life and existence is to be realized. Even those who are called to go through trials, sorrow, tribulation, and adversity are promised that if they are faithful in tribulation and adversity that “the reward of the same is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven,” reports The Doctrine and Covenants 58.2. It is also thought to be entirely consistent with the demands of decorum for boys to conduct an entertaining after-dinner conversation such as might be expected to generate laughter—laughter being good for the digestion, and the hiatus at the end of a hearty meal being good for very little else. However, funny stories should never be vulgar, irreverent, impure, nor cruel nor imply that the teller takes pleasure in anyone else’s misfortune; instead, they should be uplifting and informative. Never laugh at your own jokes, at death, nor at the Church. Never laugh so hard that you lose your breath, nor make rude gestures, for, reports Ecclesiasticus, “the fool raises one’s voice in laughter, but the wise individual scarcely laughs at oneself.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

While there are pupils who are scruffy, bad-tempered, and disobedient, there is hope that children will somehow absorb high ideals and respond appropriately to noble sentiments, and that they may be prevailed upon not to behave like deranged beings. The expectations of decorum—not just in a seventeenth century French school but in any other context—may aim at a higher standard of behavior than is achievable by anyone other than the small minority who define it for the rest of us, at the same time preserving for itself some latitude. However, these lessons, as well as the example of people we admire, inevitably take root. And having taken root, they equip us with the capacity to wear our smile like a mask. Blessed is one that keeps God’s commandments, whether in life or in death; and one that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. You cannot behold with your natural eyes for the present time the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore, the day comes when you shall be crowned with much glory, the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. We cannot fail to realize that fear and the inferiority complex are always a turning of thought back on itself. This is why it has so often been called a form of selfishness, but it is more than this. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8

It is a self-centeredness rather than selfishness in the ordinary sense of the term. We have all known many unselfish persons who have made a complete sacrifice of themselves to good causes but who have felt martyred in so doing, persons who have devoted their entire lives to others but who have been very conscious of doing so. This self-centeredness often accompanies the inferiority complex and it too must be healed. It is healed by realizing that there is but one God who we all must answer to. Now if one is inclined to question the wisdom of observing the law—whether it be the laws of human, the laws of nature, or the laws of God—one should consider all vindictiveness, hate, and animosity disappear, and one will find oneself merging with the spiritual atmosphere of others. One learns to respect and admire others, and expects that others will respect and admire one. One overcomes one’s fears of life by understanding life, not by fighting it. One overcomes one’s fears of people by coming to understand rather than shun them. This type of understanding is beyond the ordinary concept of tolerance. One does not learn to tolerate people; we learn to understand them. There is a vast difference. We see through the weakness and frailty and inconsistency of human life, even its fears and morbidities. We no longer cringe. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

With calm placidity we face our inevitable exit from this World, knowing that as glorious as this life has been, we are certain to go to a better. If we would eliminate fear and morbidity this is what we must realize. Human experience has never found a better way. Indeed, it is the only way which is certain to produce the desired result. That which breaks a law, and abides not by law, but seeks to become a law unto itself, and wills not to abide in sin, and altogether abides in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Observance of law brings harmony, peace, order; while without observance of law there is found confusion, and sorrow, remorse, failure—whether it be the laws of God or the laws of  human, or whether it be nations or whether it be individuals, it is the same. People ask, “If the Lord loves us, why does he then give so many commandments, some of them restrictive in their nature?” Well, the answer is he gives us commandments because he loves us. God wished to save us from sorrow and remorse and failure, and the worst of all, regret, and from losing our blessings.  Laughter is evidently infectious, but it can also be stimulated in other ways. Laughing gas, nitrous oxide, N2O, was discovered at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the chemist Thomas Beddoes of Bristol, in partnership with the engineer James Watt and his apprentice Humphry Davy. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

The original idea was that this gas, a weak anesthetic, might benefit sufferers of consumption, which it did not. Soon, however, its amusing side-effects, lightheadedness and stupor, led to its consumption as a form of a carnival entertainment.  By the 1830s laughing gas parties had become popular in the United States of America. Today the practice is illegal in many places, including California, where, according to penal code, “Any person who posses nitrous oxide or any substance containing nitrous oxide, with the intent to breathe, inhale, or ingest for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication, elation, euphoria, dizziness, stupefaction, or dulling of the sense or for the purpose of, in any manner, changing, distorting, or disturbing the audio, visual, or mental processes, or who knowingly and with the intent to do so is under the influence of nitrous oxide or any material containing nitrous oxide is guilty of a misdemeanor.” That is because abuse of nitrous oxide can produce a form of oxygen starvation called hypoxia, brain damage, a serious vitamin B12 deficiency that can lead to nerve damage, significant morbidity or even death can result from this phenomenon. It can also damage DNA and produce haematological, immune, neurological issues and reproductive system can be affected, regardless of if the exposure to the gas is either acute or long term. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

Nitrous oxide can also lower and alter white blood cell production and function and many anesthesiologists feel that the use of nitrous oxide should be restricted during the first two trimesters of pregnancy because of its effects on DNA production and the experimental and epidemiological evidence that nitrous oxide causes undesirable reproductive outcomes. It can even cause frost bite. And because nitrous oxide affects white blood cell production and function, it has been recommended that nitrous oxide not be administered to immunosuppressed patients or to patients requiring multiple general anesthetics. Many anesthesiologists believe that the potential dangers of nitrous oxide are so great that it should no longer be used at all for routine clinical anesthesia. In the same way, wise parents often find it best to deny a child his or her wishes or to instruct the child at act in a certain way, even though it is contrary to what the child desires, this is done because of the parental love and is done for the interest of the child’s welfare. If the child responds as he or she should, it results in lasting benefits and satisfaction for both. You know the laws and God is the author. These eternal principles are from our Father in Heaven because he desires to save humankind, and to love, honor, empower, give us glory, and even exaltation. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8