Perceptions and assumptions can be very dangerous and unfair. There are some people who may fail to reach out with friendly smiles, warm handshakes, and kind words. Communication can alone create a great community. However, few in the Western World today would describe their surroundings as a community, let alone a great community. We are connected—yes. Joined together by the glow of the television screen, the blare of the car-radio stereo, the brush of arms as strangers sit next to each other in crowded movie theater. We are also connected by the self-esteem movement’s message, dispensed on daytime television, taught in schools, embedded in every popular entertainment. Ironically, what we seem to most want is to replicate our celebrities because there are universal experiences, feelings, emotions, and so you sense the commonality. At the same time each person’s stories have a little twist that makes their story individual. Yet, managers usually delve into the psyches of their performers, seeking to define personality and micro-manage behavior. And at the same time, people who admire celebrities want to be real, but they have no sense of what real experience might feel like because they have grown up or are now growing up cradled by popular culture and prefab fun, they are part of a World where real is relative, where everything is performance. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5

We may all be independent, but are we really free in a society where we can only commit to ourselves? One of the hardest thing for many to recognize is how truly strong they already are and how others silently respect them. People have great confidence in you. You do not need to compromise your standards to be accepted by good friends. The more obedient you are, the more you stand for true principles, the more the Lord can help you overcome temptation. You can also help others because they will feel your strength. Let them know about your standards by consistently living them. No one intends to make serious mistakes. They come when one compromises his or her standards to be more accepted by others. You be the strong one. You be the leader. Choose good friends and resist peer pressure together. Work at keeping your thoughts clean by thinking of something good. And above all, do not feed thoughts by reading or watching things that are wrong because sometimes people are tempted until they act them out. Sometimes people will not succeed—they will not right themselves—until they acknowledge the importance of their cultural legacy. We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Each of us has a thing we call conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong. We know when we have done the right thing, ad experience a sense of happiness. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5

To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances. Mitigated speech is any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said. We mitigate when we are being polite, or when we are ashamed or embarrassed, or wen we are being deferential to authority. If you want your boss to do you a favor, you do not say, “I will need this by Monday.” You mitigate. You say, “Do not bother, if it is too much trouble, but if you have a chance to look at this over the weekend, that would be wonderful.” In a situation like that, mitigation is entirely appropriate. In urgent and dangerous situations, it can be a problem because people may not see the severity of what you are trying to communicate. In combatting mitigation, it is important to communicate clearly and assertively. It is okay to challenge people if you think something has or will go terribly awry. Still, we can strive for that spirited, light-hearted perspective that allows us to be thankful for the roller-coaster ride of existence. Adults who are willing to come out of themselves can find greater satisfaction in their relationships—with less conflict, better communication, and a stronger feeling of connection—than they did before. Many also report greater happiness overall. Be honest in your lives. Honesty is the best policy. “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet” reports Exodus 20.15, 17. We must be true to ourselves in matters of personal virtue. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5

Every human interaction has the potential to being great joy or great pain, sometimes both at the same time. When we look back at our lives from the vantage point of a mature adult, we realize that our most vivid and meaningful memories are of other people and the way we felt when we were with them. The soul needs an intense, full-bodied spiritual life as much in the same way the body needs food. Most of us enter our later decades firm in the belief that relating to other people—emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually—is the most powerful solace we have in a beautiful but uncertain World. The soul needs spirit, but our spirituality also needs soul—deep intelligence, a sensitivity to the symbolic and metaphoric life, genuine community, and attachment to the World. Our strengths and weaknesses seem to manifest themselves most strongly when we are thrown into the emotional cauldron with someone else. The natural turning inward as we mature gives life deep self-awareness that necessitates renegotiation of some important relationships; the new perspective garnered may even portend the end of certain emotional attachments. No matter how convinced we are that the struggle to relate to others is worthwhile, it can be daunting to consider that we still have lessens to learn. We cannot afford to be tainted by moral sin. Take care to be as patient with yourself; the direct evidence of failure you get with other people may be more hurtful than the missteps you make while working on yourself. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5

The most exciting aspect of interpersonal work is how much just one little change can affect your relationship. Relish the feelings you get from being with others, from comforting them and being comforted by them. Be true to yourself and the best you have within you, and your respect for yourself will increase. Know that yours is a divine birthright. Cultivate a good opinion of yourself. Others may make cutting remarks concerning you. This is only a sign of their ignorance and not of your qualities. Increase your capacity to learn from others with the neglected art of listening. And be sure to share your joy with others who will appreciate it. How you feel about a situation is every bit as important as your understanding of that situation. What you say about what happens is only half a description unless you articulate your emotions as well. When are not operating as whole human beings unless we are willing to reveal our true feelings. It provides wonderful opportunities for socializing with those of your own kind. Our desire should be to be happy, and that your lives be challenging and satisfying, that we be saved from pitfalls falls of evil that could destroy us, and that we be kind to people. Only 7 percent of our impact on other people comes through the actual words we use to communicate; a vast 93 percent of the way others perceive us is based on our tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. Be sure to treat others gently, too; they are probably confused and feel like they are in a new terrain. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5