Virtue and happiness are inextricably linked. Life comes from relating in a certain way to an immortal, spiritual substance that supervenes on one’s body when it is alive and that will forever out live its death. If one lacks a soul, or if one has a soul but relates to in in the wrong way, then it is possible that one’s life is meaningless. For life to be meaningful something must be worth doing. Nothing is worth doing if nothing one does will make a permanent difference to the World, and doing so requires having an immortal, spiritual self. Life’s meaning is that a soul is necessary for perfect justice, which, in turn, is necessary for a meaningful life. Life seems nonsensical when the wicked flourish and the righteous suffer, at least supposing there is no other World in which these injustices will be rectified, whether by God or by Karma. One must live forever in order to make the relevant permanent difference needed for one to honor an infinite value, something qualitatively higher than the worth of, say, pleasure. And maybe that is the reason why immortality is required in order to get something that is deserved or merited, something rewarding for virtuously satisfying our highest free and informed desires, one of which will be for eternal flourishing of some kind. Therefore, immortality is necessary to satisfy the major premise about what is require for meaning.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

By definition, if one has a soul, then one is immortal, but it is not clearly true that if one is immortal, then one has a soul. Perhaps being able to upload one’s consciousness into an infinite succession of different bodies in an everlasting Universe would count as an instance of immortality without a soul. Such a possibility would not require an individual to have an immortal spiritual substance (imagine that when in between bodies, the information constitutive of one’s consciousness were temporarily stored in a computer). What reason is there to think that one must have a soul in particular for life to be significant? The most promising reason seems to be one that takes us beyond the simple version of soul-centered theory to more complex view that both God and a soul constitute meaning. The best justification for thinking that one must have a soul in order for one’s life to be significant seems to be that significance comes from uniting with God in a spiritual realm such as Heaven. Another possibility is that meaning comes from honoring what is divine within oneself, i.e., a soul. Nonetheless, Virtue both tends to advance the good of others, and (at least when acted on) advances out own good. Even without a soul or immortality of any kind, great works, whether they be moral, aesthetic, or intellectual, would seem to confer meaning on one’s life regardless of whether one will live forever. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

In all past ages, as well as that in which we live, we have the strongest testimony to what is advanced by the desire to live, and it is implanted in the hearts of all living beings. We can see, as Christians, how God has bound us to our places in the World, as we strive to reach eternal life with our God. The desire to love is a universal instinct. In the Word of God, there is clear testimony to the value of life. The influence of believing that God loves us all and he values our well-being so much will arouse us intellectually and spiritually, preparing our minds and hearts to receive in fullness a personal confirmation of the Holy Ghost. Also, nourishing and strengthening our testimonies is essential to our spiritual survival. It is a special gift of our Heavenly Father given through the Holy Ghost to all people who search for truth. It is important to strive to live the life we desire with passion an enthusiasm. Human beings desire eudemonia, which is a state of having a good indwelling spirit or being in contented state of being healthy, happy, and prosperous. Virtues such as justice, courage, self-control and wisdom are essential and, when practiced, sufficient to achieve eudaimonia. When an evil person does wrong, the person is likely to feel guilty even when there is no fear from punishment for their actions. By doing what is wrong, the person will be miserable. The rational part of the mind and soul has to lead the emotional, appetitive and spirited parts. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

 It is wise to gain and improve our testimony because it not only helps us face or daily challenges, but it also opens our eyes, minds, and heart to the great and marvelous things created by our Heavenly Father for our improvement and eternal happiness. The soul still guides us to be involved with material things and to be financially prosperous. Material things are gained and used to create Heaven on Earth. Still, our ambition for a full and complete life should focus on the comforts of civilization, the quality of experiences and relationships that arrive, and in friendship, family, love, and honoring God. If we live within in lined of our needs, and do not always indulge in our wants, and our styles of life are geared toward a sustainable environment, then we can better resist the temptations of greed and selfishness, which threaten human civilization. Can anyone imagine how we feel when life is destroyed at its roots, as thought it were a thing of naught? As sons and daughters of God, we cherish life as a gift from the Lord. Acting ethically requires acting with awareness and it is influenced by our own feelings. This requires bringing into consciousness one’s own motives and thinking sincerely of the effects of actions on life systems. Reverence for oneself implies authenticity, which combines self-honesty and self-fidelity. Reverence for other persons implies compassion, gratitude, justice, and sharing experiences, and supporting their development—a development we can influence more than other forms of life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

Without prayer salvation might be impossible. To neglect our communion with God is to bypass our communication with Almighty God; if we lose hold of the Lord we necessarily fall back upon ourselves, and in ourselves we can find nothing that can advance us towards eternal life. Everything that appertains to that must come from God. Every gift in the supernatural order is an effect of the Lord’ bounty for every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of Heaven. God has ordained that these gifts be given to us on condition of our valuing them, and desiring them and petitioning the Lord humbly for them. There is no true prayer where there is not a real longing for the things pertaining to the development of the spiritual life. All that tends to impart, to strengthen, to develop and perfect that life, are the gifts which God is prepared to give the soul. If the soul nourishes in itself a holy desire for them, acknowledges it is in need of the gifts from God, and confesses its dependence on them for God, we are strengthening and developing our bond with our Lord. The power to pray is grace; but this grace is infallibly given if we on our side fulfill the conditions required of us. Our cooperation is necessary. We must learn to speak to our God for the satisfaction of mind for God is life in the soul. Thankfulness has always been at the center of the life and worship of God’s people. Seeing the Word as God’s creation underpins the way we approach everything in life, seeing it as a gift and not as a right. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

Thankfulness is important. Thankfulness is a wholehearted response. It stems from a conscious of God’s gifts and blessings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, we usually recognize that the source of that goodness has a foundation that is outside of ourselves, at least partially. As a result, gratitude also helps us connect to something larger than ourselves as individual—whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. In psychological research, expressing gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. It helps produce more beneficial emotions, relish good experiences, improve our health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. A gratefully disposed individual is more likely to experience gratitude more intensely than someone less grateful, they will feel grateful more often, and do so for a relatively minor reason. People who are thankful in life tend to express gratitude to a larger number of people for optimistic outcomes. Allied to which, it incorporates a more appreciative and outgoing disposition and helps ease interpretation of social situations. Gratitude is also a prosocial behavior, in terms of benefits given and received, which results from and stimulates moral behavior. More specifically, gratitude acts as a moral barometer, motive, and reinforcer. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

People who are benefactors of respect and gratitude as agents of well-being, as recipients they are motivated to behave similarly. Moral reinforcement, and future benevolent response, then stems from the expression of the recipient of gratitude. Viewed in this way, gratitude might be seen as the enactment of social norms or mere self-preservation, not least because ingratitude is almost universally derided and would discourage similar behavior in the future. Moreover, it is possible the experience of gratitude is allied with an awareness of what is owed as a consequence, and it is this that drives the grateful behavior, rather than a feeling of gratitude. Endurance is the recognition that life is sometimes difficult and painful, and that it is important not to give up in the face of adversity. Endurance and perseverance are only possible where there is hope and that hope is based on the enduring nature of God’s love and faithfulness. We need to keep doing the will of God to be saved. Without endurance, the goals in life will be a challenge to achieve. In fact, endurance is the first essential skill for lasting success spiritually and in life. Endurance is a habit and we must improve on a personal level. Leaning to recognize our internal strengths, and by garnering our own psychological and spiritual resources, we will be able to navigate obstacles inherent in life. This facilitates greater quality of life, more enjoyment, less fear, even joy. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

When we express faith, gratitude, and endurance, it is good for us both physically and psychologically, increasing energy levels, boosting confidence, and engendering a sense of well-being. However, it is more than that. Our mind and body are intimately connected. When we push ourselves physically, our mind—psychologically—becomes stronger as well. Physical and spiritual endurance builds emotional fortitude, mental toughness and resilience. It teaches us that we are stronger than we thought and more capable of more than we imagined. We learn this on a fundamental and intuitive level, sometimes in a way that is beyond anything we can comprehend through intellectual knowledge. The body and mind registers the discomfort and trepidation of endurance, then pushes us past it. Each time we exercise faith and get through something hard or painful, we learn we are stronger than we thought. As our body, soul, and mind learns physical, spiritual, and mental resiliency, we come closer to knowing God. We can wake up every day with hope smiling brightly before us because we have a Savior. Because of God there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we need not worry too much about sickness, death, poverty, or other afflictions. The Lord will take care of us. Our responsibility is to keep the commandments, feast upon the word of God, and stay in the path to our Heavenly home. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

With the hope of Atonement and the Resurrection, we have a third great hope, the hope of eternal life. Because we have a Savior, we can plan for a future that extends beyond this life. If we keep the commandments, we are promised eternal life. We can also prepare ourselves by studying and learning and by becoming acquainted with all good books, and languages and people. We understand that whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. Because we have a Savior, we also believe in a happy, eternal life of creating, serving, and learning. We are already in the strait and narrow path, and there is hope smiling brightly before us. We just need to stay in, pressing forward with a brightness of hope to our Heavenly home. When we sacrifice our talents or our Earthly or academic honors or our increasingly limited time on the alter to God, the act of sacrifice binds our hearts to God, and we feel our love for the Lord increase. May we all be faithful in doing the day-to-day, ordinary things that prove our worthiness, for they will lead us to and qualify us for great things. Going the extra mile involves sacrifice, compassion, and sympathy. With wisdom and discernment, we can relearn to trust. We can begin to rebuild trust in our mistrustful society by being reliable ourselves, by not letting people down. Similarly, when we work with others, if we are willing to let go of control ourselves and trust in the abilities and integrity of other, everyone can be enriched. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9