It seems so simple, so innocent, so entirely praiseworthy, to put down indecent literature by laws against obscenity. We are none of us in favour of what seems to us indecent. It is impossible we should be, for the word means, if we search into it, simply what is unfit. Yet the simpler and more fundamental the conception of decency is seen to be, the more it eludes any prescription of positive law. It is determined by the nature of the individual oneself, by the feelings of one’s social group, and very notably by fashion. Most of us are old enough to know that less than twenty years ago the whole young womanhood of today would have been held guilty or banned from television for indecency in dress and liable to be conducted to the nearest police station. In literature fashion is even more uncertain and elusive than in life, for the good reason that it is not produced by mass action. Endless examples have been brought forward of such fluctuations of opinion regarding books condemned by law, as well as examples of books legally condemned as obscene in England and free in America, or legally condemned in America and free in England. The obscenity of today will be the propriety of tomorrow. However, by the spread of education, the extension of religion, the people will themselves learn to reject all forms of unpleasant conduct, literature, art. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

If the people learn not merely to disregard but to detest all these forms of indecency in thought, word, and deed, the day will come when no form of censorship will be needed, when there will be no prosecutions for breaches of the law, and when acts of Congress will be a dead letter on the Statute Book. Indeed, there will be a time when the whole population will live up to God’s ideal, and this is a desire of many. There is only one way to prevent the circulation of bad literature, and that is to promote the circulation of good literature. That would do more than any revival of a moral censorship of the Press. When archbishops preach these sound doctrines of common sense I begin to believe that it is time for me to be silent. For the truth is when one is speaking from a place of authority, that he or she should have the floor alone to teach genuinely healthy minds, when not surrounded by secrecy and prohibition. For some reason, I do not feel worthy to teach the work of God to others. I think it is a sacred responsibility that should be left to someone with more maturity, power, and authority. However, at the same time, I want to share with others the doctrines and covenants that have helped get me through some of my darkest days. And although, I am still waiting on my testimony, I do the best I can. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

I supposed that deliverance from darkness is a gradual process. It is not like it just eclipsed us over night. “There is something cold and blank behind her smile. She is standing on an overpass in her miracle mile. Because you were from a perfect World, a World that threw me away today, to run away. A pill to make you numb. A pill to make you dumb. A pill to make you anybody else, but all of the drugs in this World will not save her from herself,” (Coma White by Marilyn Manson).  I supposed that we cannot blame anyone for the things that have happened to us, but we should count our blessings. It is also clear that it is important for us to stay sober so we can learn what is going on around us and figure out how best to resolve these situations and move forward in the name of God. We cannot have integrity without clarifying our convictions or values or goals. We can change them, but we must always have some. And so we clarify our ideals and determine to act according to them. The biggest tragedy of life is not to live—not to function with our full soul, with our whole life, with enthusiasm, with spirit, with faith, with love. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

 We must humbly pray that none of us will be so burdened by mistakes, by failures, and by sin that we will not have the courage and wisdom to turn to the ideals of the gospel, to the wonder God, and to each other to find the strength to live life as it is meant to be lived. It is a beautiful existence we have, and it is not too late for any of us to enjoy it to the fullest. If we truly love God, we would never consider disobeying him. If we truly love our neighbor, we would never dream of lying to or about one, nor stealing from one, nor doing anything that might cause one pain or harm. If we are focused on loving and serving God, and on loving our neighbor, obedience will become part of our nature. We will not need anyone to spell out what we can and cannot (or should and should not) do, because our natural impulse will be to act as Christ would act. If we are truly living the gospel, then it should not matter where the line is, because our natural impulses lead us well away from the edge. Sometimes, however, things are complex and beyond our spiritual understanding. For instance, one of the strangest art clichés that still circulates endlessly is the one about the eyes in the portrait following you around the room. This non-illusion arises from somewhat muddled expectations about how a two-dimensional image might behave when seen from different angles in three-dimensional space. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8

Provided the image is not a hologram, we can hardly expect it to take account of our position in the room. If the eyes engage us when we stand directly in front of the picture, they will also engage us from any other viewpoint, despite the distorting effects of foreshortening. I doubt if the eyes following us around the room have anything at all to do with Gothic fiction or those old movies in which real eyes spy through peepholes cut into the face of a portrait. Of course, they actually do follow you around. I suspect by its slightly supernatural, spiritualist note that we can safely blame the concept of eyes that seem mobile and, worse, intently watching us, on our conscious reminding us that we are in the house of God, which is Earth, and regardless of if we want to realize it or not, God is watching our every move. Therefore, the complex situational is actually not beyond our spiritual understand once we analyze the metaphor. Nevertheless, it is the disposition of the eyes in a portrait, as between living people, that tells us that the smile of the subject is a direct avenue of meaningful communication, vividly reserved for you and me, and it is also a reminder that people have faces and eyes and this is where we should direct our attention when communicating with them. There is no doubt that this sensation, this knowledge, has a profound impact on the viewer. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

It may be a blinding glimpse of the obvious, but it is worth noting in conclusion that the exchange of a smile—be it sincere or forced or spontaneous—makes us feel good. “I know that God loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of things,” reports 1 Nephi 11.17. God loves all his children—his sons and his daughters alike. And the truth of his love is absolute. It is the truth upon which everything else is founded. The eyes are the windows of the soul, and in the soul is where truth is possessed. The truth holds the Universe together. When you see our Father, you will see a being with whom you have long been acquainted, and he will receive you into his arms, and you will be ready to all into his embrace. You will be so glad and joyful. When you are qualified and purified, you can endure the glory of eternity. We are blessed to know of God. How many people over the space of thousands of years have not even known that there is a Father in Heaven? How many individuals’ lives might have been different if they could only have known about our loving, merciful, and caring Heavenly Father? #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

Indeed, how blessed we are to have such teachings that center on the nature of our Father in Heaven. We know that there is something taking place, even though we know at the same time that the source of stimulation is coming from inside of us. However, God and humans are of the same divine, eternal species, and if we do not comprehend the nature of God, we cannot appreciate our divine parentage nor the very real potential we possess to become like our Heavenly parents. Coming to know God is done through revelation. And powerful personal revelation is predicated upon righteous living and spiritual discipline. Certainly a knowledge of these laws and powers enables people to learn truths which are faith promoting and which help one to understand more about God. May God help each of us to so live now in order to merit that marvelous moment when we are clasped in the arms of God. We have the plan of salvation, which makes this possible. Moral agency, the ability to choose, is an essential part of this plan. We have already made some good choices, and we can keep learning and growing. To gain a testimony, we must nourish it step by step. Our testimony will increase as we make decisions to keep the commandments. As we live and strengthen others, we will see our testimony continue to develop. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

Reinforcement is the process of strengthening a habit, pattern, or attitude so that the individual tends to repeat it. Most of our learning happens because it is reinforced or rewarded in some way. As we establish personal habits of prayer, scripture study, obedience to the commandments, and service to others, we will be blessed with moments of inspiration that will strengthen out testimony. It is important to value experience and project no matter how small or large they are, as being thankful for these moments is constant nourishment and will keep us safely on the path to reaching our goals. God loves us, he knows us, he hears us and answers our prayers. “Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one another,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 90.24. Whatever strengthens our tendency to hold onto some learned idea or action, and to repeat it, is called a reinforcing event. If it rewards us, meets a need, brings some kind of pleasure, then we tend to hang  onto it. And, because of pleasure, we do again and again whatever feels good. We each need the help of the Savior to follow the plan and return to our Father in Heaven. We must fill our lives with virtuous activities that will bring spiritual power. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8