I will never forget your kind words, directing me to the right way. I will never forget when you were distressed, you still worked and taught us how to answer challenging solutions. I will never forget when we blundered, you helped us up. I wish the blessing can express our earnings to you. It was so hard to get back on the train this time. Not that parting was every easy before, but it is especially hard now that I know what it is to be separated from you. The last time we parted and I got on that train, heading for a boat to take me across the channel, my mind was so full of you but at the same time so full of anticipation and uncertainty. Most people think of Sun when surprised with bright colour of the rainbow. I first think of you when I win applause and flowers. This time, I am sitting and gazing out at the English countryside blurring by the window and all I can think about is that every hedgerow and neat green field we pass is one more hedgerow and neat green field between us. We hear the shells, sometimes see them when they fall on the roads, but that is as close as we get to the action. We live vicariously through the stories we hear from the blesses. Sometimes I feel as if we are hanging around outside the cinema, trying to piece together the flicker from the bits and pieces we overhear as the patrons come out of the theater. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

That time I ran up the ridge to help the wounded brancardier, in full view of the Boaches and their guns, the familiar prickles of danger and excitement grabbed me. I felt so alive. It was as if I were scrambling up the wall with those squirrels again. To be doing something instead of just waiting back and watching others do it. I tell you, it was so hard to go back to my usual work after getting out of the hospital. The scar left me by my service, I wake to run my finger along its seam. It many respects, dignity leaves us lonely. Do you understand why I could not tell this all to you? You would have wrapped those surprisingly strong arms of ours around me and not let go. Not that I would have minded too terribly being held captive by such a jailer, but, like I told you I need to finish out my year. I have to accomplish something in my life. If I cannot stick it our for a whole year, then what can I stick out? You do not want a man who cannot finish anything. When the setting Sun gilds the clouds and the scenery on the horizon and the approaching twilight adds some melancholy to my heart, I have already turned what I want to say to you into poems written on the meadow. Happiness is not hidden in the situation, but in the yearning. I always ask you how far it is from the eyes to the heart. Speaking of the future, I cannot believe you got a Cresleigh Home at Cresleigh Domain. You knew what it would mean to me. I also love the Cresleigh Homes at Rocklin Trails. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

For a guy who has been living out of an ambulance, to walk up and see those lace curtains at the window, it was just like coming home to the very well educated, affluent suburbs. You are graceful like white clouds coming into my dream every night, you are as beautiful as flowers in my eyes every day, and pure as the river running into my heart every moment. The inborn grace and charm possessed by your character leave in my heart permanent sanctity and loveliness. God is that which nothing greater can be thought Of, whether you give this the name God or not, can be thought of, and therefore exits in the mind even of those who denies its existence anywhere else. And to exist outside the mind as well as in it is a greater thing than to exist in the mind only, the maximum cogitabile is not the maximum conitabile at all; it is therefore self-contradictory to deny real existence to that than which nothing greater can be thought of. Greater in this argument means, in part, better, so it is no answer to say that of some things it might be better for them not to exist. If God is by definition everything that a being ought to be, then such a being ought to be, among other things, real; and to think of God as not being real is therefore to think of him as not being all that he ought, and thus is not to be really thinking of God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

The thought of an unreal God is internally incoherent, so if God can be thought of at all (and the person who thinks God does not exist does think of him), God must be, if we are to be consistent, be thought of as real. I am still tired, but I would much rather be tired from digesting the scriptures than from an excess of work. I did not want to waste a moment of my time with you on sleeping. That is what the train journey back to Folsom, California is for. Despite my tiredness, I do feel like a new man. Clean, well fed, clothes washed and mended, warm new greatcoat. Body and spirit sated. You laughed at me, but I have to save up my satiations! I have gone so long without that I wanted to put in extra stock, the memories to be pulled out and savored as needed. If the Sun is the source of all life and strength, then you are the unsetting Sun in my heart. Whether it is during the day or at night, and whether it shines or rains, your gift to me always flickers in my heart. You entered my life like a falling star coming into my atmosphere. I could see you in the dawn of a cold night and needed something to warm my heart and light up my life. You are a beautiful fairy in a fairy tale, bringing spring to my life. You are like jade, pure and natural with no disguise, laughing when you are happy, crying when you are in sorrow, living simple and free life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

Even that one incident could not spoil things for me. I know you were upset, but you did nothing wrong. He should not have said the things he did, but I am sure he did not mean anything by them. I hope you have gotten past it. I will close my eyes and pull out one of those aforementioned memories. If my love is a beautiful rose and I am a green leaf, we will live together rain or shine. Understanding or misunderstanding, agony or mirth, beginning or ending, intoxication or freedom, reunion or separation are all for love. In every work of design, the work must be conceived before it is executed—that is, before it exists. The book of Judges (in the Christian Bible) recounts a cycle that repeated itself multiple times during the reign of judges. Because the Israelites failed to remove wicked influences from the promised and, they became entangled in sin and were conquered and afflicted by their enemies. After the Israelites cried unto the Lord for help, he sent judges to deliver them from their enemies. However, the Israelites soon returned to their sins, and this cycle was repeated. There was great lawlessness and disorder among the tribes of Israel under the judges as they placed their trust in the wisdom of people and chose to disobey the commandments of the Lord. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

In the closing sentence of the book of Judges, the writer reports, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every person did that which was right is his or her own eyes,” Judges 21.25. People rationalized sins. Kids were raised with no restriction and did whatever they wanted to do. Micah and the Danites created sanctuaries dedicated to idol worship, and Levite concubine is abused and killed. However, to prevent sin from ravaging the land and our lives, our choice is to obey God’s standard of morality, as it will largely determine our happiness in life. Our God—he needs to speak only once on the issues of morality, and that one declaration trumps all the opinions of the lower courts, whether uttered by psychologists, counselor, politicians, friends, parents, or would-be moralists of the day. It is almost unbelievable to think that God has given to his children the power that is most prized and sacred to him—the power to create life. Because God gave us this power, he, and he alone, has the right to prescribe how it should be used. “The power of the Holy Ghost is gift of God unto all who diligently seek him,” reports 1 Nephi 10.17. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

Contrary to much public sentiment, there is nothing negative or restraining about God’s moral standards. Rather, they are optimistic, uplifting, and liberating. Our covenants with God build relationships of trust, they enhance self-esteem, they foster a clear conscience, and they invite the Spirit of the Lord to bless individual and married lives. God’s moral standards are the proven ideals for happy marriages and stable communities. Civilizations are built on moral foundations. When people are morally strong, they do it well; when they are morally weak, they suffer. Freedom cannot outlive morality and freedom is not free—it must be earned. People may change again and again, but mandates from God never change. They remain the same because the fundamental principles of good behaviour are everlasting and never change. The Lord has given us direction through the scriptures as to how we should behave to enrich our lives, to being peace to our souls, to strengthen our families, and to uplift the dignity of humanity. “Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 38.22. Faith is belief in revealed truths. Ultimately the object of faith is God himself, who is not, however, known by the human mind in his divine simplicity but only discursively and by means of propositions. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

These revealed truths are authoritatively presented in the creeds. Thus, to have faith means to believe the articles of faith summarized in the credal affirmations of the church. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” reports Psalms 33.12. Fait is an act of the intellect assenting to divine truth at the command of the will moved by the grace of God. That is to say, whereas in knowledge the intellect is moved to assent by the object itself, known either directly or by demonstrative reasoning, in faith the intellect is moved to assent through an act of choice, where by it turns voluntarily to one side rather than to the other. Faith does not, however, represent an arbitrary or unmotivated decision. It is a response, under the influence of divine grace, to certain external evidence, particularly miracles. As such, it is sufficiently determined by the evidence to be rational and yet sufficiently undetermined and free to be meritorious. “The Lord will deliver you out of bondage, according to his power,” reports Mosiah 7.33. It may be that God can or will disclose himself only to one who shows such an initial faith and is willing to venture in trust beyond what has been established by scientific proof or philosophical demonstration. In other words, it is possible that in order to gain the religious knowledge upon which our personal good depends, we must give rein to our passional desire to believe. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

In every advance from sense data to the perception of an ordered World or from the projection of a scientific hypothesis to its observational verification, as in every successful voyage of discovery or in the invention of some new kind of machinery, there must be not only an act of theorizing or of insight but also a sustained effort of will which carries the operation through to completion. “If thou wilt call on God’s name in faith, thou shalt receive hope thou desirest,” reports Alma 22.16. A very important connection has long been recognized between faith and what may be called the cognitive freedom of the human mind in its relation to God. And not merely in works, but also in faith, has God preserved the will of humans free and under his own control.  God is willing to appear openly to those who seek him with all their hearts, and to be hidden from those who flee from him with all their hearts, he so regulates the knowledge of himself that he has given signs of himself, visible to those who seek him, and not to those who seek him not. “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD,” reports Ruth 2.12. Awake with an overwhelming sense of gratitude; let it be like a sixth sense. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9

I look forward to the Winter nights. I love them for they are long and quiet; night is a long beautiful dream. In these dreams I can travel abroad with you. All of these night stories make me realise how the past does not help when we are put in a tight spot. You recently told me that you have a rough day and since you do not drink nor do drugs that you put on music from the past. Music that reminded you of a prosperous time, when there was a lot of money, many happy people, and there was always a good time to be had. These people introduced you to new types of music and European foods you have never tried before. Memories are all well and good to hold on to, but it is the promise of making new memories that helps me to push through. I never told you, but I was shot down over France, right before the evacuations. I knew if I admitted to you in Plymouth, you would be so worried, you would never let me get back on that train. If I stopped to remember how it feels to duck down in a strafing, with nothing between me and the bullets but my helmet and laces hands over my neck, if I stopped to remember the miles of slogging, only to see the lads in front of me stumble upon a mine, if I stopped to remember crouching in the dark, not knowing whether the whine of the next shell had my name on it, if I stopped to remember the mutter comments around me of lads who did not know that I had been up there, doing my job, I would never move forward. I have to just keep telling myself that I will be back with you in no time. Nothing else I can do. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13

If Heaven is free from rough edges, how will virtues, so dearly brought into this World, survive within?  As much as I try to push the past aside so that I keep moving forward, nothing is holding you back that way. You have more questions than memories, more mystery than enlightenment. You have to look behind you. The present and the future are built on the past. I know that you want to find where you came from before you will never know where to go. Do not give up. Disagreeable neighbours? They are to match for you. You cannot successfully operate faith principles apart from being led by the Spirit. “If you abide in Me, and My word abide in you, you will ask for what you desire, and it shall be done for you,” reports John 15.7. When it comes to acting on your faith, God will direct you. Fait does not exist by itself. Faith requires an object. It must be faith in something or someone. In that respect, faith is like love. Love cannot exist without an object. Love is meaningless unless it is directed toward something or someone. We love our parents. We love our brothers and sisters. We love God. We love the World. We love our life. Faith is the same. If we think we have faith, we should ask, faith in whom or faith in what? For some, faith is nothing more than faith in themselves. That is only self-confidence or self-centeredness. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13

Others have faith in faith, which is something like relying on the power of motivational thinking or betting on the proposition that we can get what we want by manipulating the powers within us. However, the scriptures teach us that faith comes by hearing the word of God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, reports Romans 10.17. God knows and loves us and will hear our prayers and answer them with what is best for us. In fact, God will do more than what is best for us. He will do what is best for us and all of our Heavenly Father’s children. The conviction that the Lord knows more than we do and that he will answer our prayers in the best way for us and for all of his other children is a vital ingredient of faith in the Lord. We must always pray for protection, success, and good conditions to take us to our destination. Miracles are the realm we are made for. When someone says, “That is going to take a miracle”—that is our realm. That is God’s natural operation. God is always ready to perform a miracle. If you need a miracle in your life, it is waiting on you. “May God raise you from death by power of Resurrection and from everlasting death by power of Atonement,” reports 2 Nephi 10.25. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13

God, as the highest, richest, and most intensely real being, is the supreme good, and everything that he has brought into existence is ipso facto good. For this reason the corruption which we call evil can never be complete; for if s thing becomes so vitiated in nature that it ceases to exit, the evil which is parasitic upon it must also cease to exist. Hence, there can be no wholly evil being. Nothing evil exists in itself, but only as an evil aspect of some actual entity. Thus, everything that God has created is good, and the phenomenon of evil occurs only when beings which are intrinsically good (though mutable) become corrupted and spoiled. How does this spoiling of God’s initially good creation come about? Evil has entered into the Universe through the culpable volitions of free creatures, Angels, and people. Their sin consisted, not in choosing positive evil (for there is no positive evil to choose), but in turning away from the higher good, namely Go, to a lower good. For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, becomes evil—not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked. Natural evils, such as disease, are divinely ordained consequences of the primeval fall of humans, and thus all evils are either directly or indirectly traced back to a wicked misuse of creaturely freedom: There are two kinds of evil, sin and the penalty for sin. It is as if one sought to see darkness, or hear silence. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13

God, who sees timelessly and as a whole the entire moving panorama of created history, the Universe is Good. To Thee there is no such thing as evil, and even in thy whole creation, taken as a whole, there is not. However, a Universe where people are allowed the freedom of will and the right to choose their own behaviour, and which contains as many different kinds of entities as possible (lower as well as higher, lesser as well as greater), is better than Universe—one which more adequately expresses the infinite creativity of God—than would a Universe which contains only the highest type of created beings. There is thus an immense hierarchy of forms of created existence, and each creature, in its own proper place in the scheme of nature, is good and glorifies its Maker. Those that are lower in the scale of being are not on that account evil; they are just different goods, contributing in their different ways to the perfection of the Universe. Again, things that are transitory by nature, appearing and then perishing within the every-changing pattern of nature’s beauty, contribute, even by their death, to the perfection of the created order. The notion of evil, by providing a contrast, makes the good shine more brightly. There is nothing that God has not provided or will not provide for us in this life, and faith is the key that unlocks the door. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13

Spiritual life is so important. Faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him,” reports Hebrews 11.6. This is how we receive salvation. It is power that brings signs, miracles, wonders and manifestations of God’s promises. The Lord is look to people with faith to show himself strong to. “For yes, the eyes of the LORD range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him,” reports 2Chronicales 16.9. As long as sin is exactly balanced by just punishment, it does not upset the moral harmony of the Universe. Since there is happiness for those who do not sin, the Universe is perfect; and it is no less perfect because there is misery for sinners. So, whatever a soul may choose, ever beautiful and well-ordered in all its parts is the Universe whose Maker and Governor is God. The eternal possibilities of existence are individually present to the Divine Mind which, like an infallible calculating machine, surveys all possible combinations and selects the best, to which it then gives existence. Some of us need the manifestation of God’s power in our lives today, and the answer is to have faith. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13

God created humans with no sin in them and set them in a World devoid of evil. However, humans willfully misused their God-given freedom and fell into sin. Some people will be redeemed by God’s grace, and others will be condemned to eternal punishment. In all of this, God’s goodness and justice alike are manifested. “Have faith in God,” reports Mark 11.22. We, in the Word of Faith circle, understand the power of our words. We know we will have what we say, so we are careful to speak only right words and refrain from speaking words against the desired outcome. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him or her, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins,” Mark 11.24-25. If God had created a World in which natural law were continuously adjusted for the avoidance of all pain, the more heroic human virtues would never be evoked. Indeed, a great part of our present moral language would be meaningless. There would be no such things as doing harm, for no one would be able to suffer any kind of injury; there would be no such thing as doing good, for there would be no needs, deficiencies or occasions for improvement. #RandolphHarris  7 of 13

Furthermore, if human beings did not have free will there would be no such thing as a crime or a benefaction, an act of generosity or of meanness, of kindness or unkindness; and there would be no situations to which such qualities as courage, fortitude, loyalty, honesty, and the caring and protective aspects of love would be appropriate responses. There would thus be no occasions for moral choice. Such a World would be ill-designed to evoke many of the human traits which we value most highly. Indeed, it would seem that the rough edges of the World—its challenges, dangers, tasks, difficulties, and possibilities of real failure and loss—constitute a necessary element in an environment which is to call forth human’s finer qualities. Revelation comes from allowing and expecting the Word of God to be quickened to our spirit and change us on the inside. For faith to come, we must keep renewing our mind and building our testimony until we feel it and know it is there. Real faith has a foundation. And that foundation is that we have heard from God about our situation either in his word or by his speaking to our spirit. There is no limitations to an omnipotent God’s capacity to create beings endowed with specific personal characteristics. Virtues have been formed as a result of making real decisions in real situations of moral choices and they are of greater value than the analogous virtue created by divine fiat. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13

It is reasonable to suppose that the Creator is not content to build into humans the merely ready-made and unearned qualities. God wants us to develop these heroic human virtues. Much like a parent teaches their kids to obey, but does not want to always have to watch over them. However, when the parent is not around and the child behaves out of their own volition, it makes a parent proud that they do not have to watch the child every moment of ever day get him or her to behave. It becomes ingrained in the child’s free will that he or she wants to behave because it is the right thing to do. Although evil have the ability to crush the human spirit as often as it has developed it, and people have collapsed before life’s challenges and opportunities, they still have risen triumphantly to meet them by using their free will. When the Spirit of God reaches inside of us, it turns the lights on because real faith in God gets real results every time. Manifestations are not always instantaneous—there are times when patience needs to have its perfect work. “Let patience have her perfect work, that one may be perfect and entire, wanting noting. If anyone you lack wisdom, let one ask of God, that give to all people liberally and upbraided not; and it shall be given to one,” reports James 1.4-5. Faith will always bring results because faith never faiths. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13

We know God is in charge of this World and that he loves us and has a plan for us, and we can and should choose and should seek to believe in our Savior. Real faith does not get frustrated. If we are frustrated with our situation or frustrated with how long it is taking to see a manifestation—we are not in faith. We believe we receive when we pray—not when it comes to pass. Real faith is expecting—expecting God to work miracles, expecting to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit. How can we tell if we are expecting? Excitement. If we have no excitement, we are not in faith because we are waiting for something to excite us. “You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it,” reports John 14.13. So, we must examine our faith—did we ask God? Is it his will? Then we should be expecting. Faith is full of anticipation. That is the key to seeing miracles in our lives—expectancy. If we are expecting, we will see results. God is always ready to perform a miracle. Accordingly, this type of theodicy demands completion in an eschatology. It points toward the eternal happiness of human beings in a society with one another and in communion with God, which is symbolized by the Kingdom of Heaven; and its fuller claim is that the final fulfillment of God’s purpose for his creatures in his Heavenly kingdom constitutes a good so great and enduring that it justifies all the pains which have been experiences in order to reach it. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13

Eastern thought has suggested that there may be continuous reincarnation of souls through the levels of existence. She is telling you the truth. She was in love with an American. More than that—she made is sound like fairy tale. A chance letter that sparked years of correspondence, finding blots of love between each word on the page. Depending on the post more than the tides and the Moon. Even war could not stop what blossomed between them. She did not lie about either the America nor how she felt. However, it was not the time for all that. It was not the time to fall in love.  Thus, pain is not wasted, but is part of a long constructive process. Wartime romance? I only hope the reason was big enough, threatening enough, lasting enough, to make it worth it. How wonderful that someone can be celibate. Love is something that takes time. Of course I am curious, because having adult relations is not a birthright; you do not meet those very often. I am impressed with religious people who can maintain a vow of celibacy. However, there is a sharp increase in the number of celibate young men, and it could be a warning sign. We ignore it or laugh at it since as a society we do not care about your young men (that is why we blithely send them to die in pointless foreign wars. 14.2 percent of young men are celibate. People even try to demonize and force celibate young men into sex, as if they have a right to use their bodies. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13

I think he really loved her, but wanted to take their relationship slow. He must have been old fashioned and believed in romances like Sleeping Beauty. In romance, there was no sex. It was just a kiss and then they got married. People spend time getting to know their partner. There are so many women around here with a “Mrs.” Before their name, but no man at home. I had assumed her story was the same—some sad youthful marriage that ended on a battlefield somewhere. For what reason was Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden in the first place? And humankind has ever since paid the terrible price of their sin by continuing wit the sex act in the same old manner. With celibacy, there is a strong emphasis on love, ecstasy, and lasting commitment. There also must be miraculous heights of spiritual awareness, perfect love, perfect relationships, bliss, inner joy and concentration. In spite of the lack of understanding regarding celibacy, there is an obvious benefit from abstanting from the sex for long period of time that very few seem to understand or appreciate. Stored sexual energy properly transmuted gives one a definite psychological boost such as a greater sense of purpose, better memory, concentration and more interest in doing what is needed or required while giving one a feeling of reward in accomplishment. One tends to look forward to getting things done in a creative way while enjoying much greater motivation, bliss, joy, resilience, determination, and love for one’s duty. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13

My Russian friend told me that he is sure God appreciate my celibacy and it might even attract more favour in his eyes. One’s vital emotional health energy and sexual energy are interdependent. Therefore, whenever one’s sexual energy is used up, a large part of one’s mental energy and healing physical vitality get lost, and fascinatingly enough, one cannot successfully or correctly increase one’s sexual energy without the side effect of improving one’s health! Even dreams tend to be more frequent, blissful, colourful and more spiritual, and the possibility of achieving astral projection, deep and cosmic consciousness is also greatly improved. Conventional sex causes serious changes in one’s brain chemistry often leaving one more irritable, angry, spiritually dead, separated from wholeness, closed minded, attached, addicted, and competitive all for the purpose of increasing one’s tendency to fight other or compete with others for food, mates, shelter, etc. as part of means of speeding up the evolutionary process. People who are celibate tend to be naturally happy because their life force energy has not been disrupted by sheer blast of hormones, and they tend to be more carefree, energetic, and much more resilient to stress. It also prevents unwanted infirmary and unwanted lifestyles. The law of chastity is a moral code and under this code, all members are taught to be morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Besides, it is nice to look at someone and know he is not having sex, that is different and good. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13

Our soul is the greatest love of all, and we must Believe in our life and our dreams to get what we want in everyday life. Building self-esteem is about learning to recognize what is unique, special, and good about us. It is also important that we learn to develop self-compassion, and treat ourselves with the same love and kindness that we readily give to others. Kindness is not jut about how we treat others; it is rooted in how we treat ourselves. The reason that so many people never fulfill their potential is not a lack of intelligence, opportunity or resources, but a lack of belief in themselves. Confidence is the product of the thoughts we think and the actions we take. It is not based on what actual ability is, but the foundation to succeed is discovered in our ability to succeed. We have to believe that we know what we are talking about in order to educate an audience. If an individual wants to learn new technology skills, there must be a passion in the heart and desire in our minds to absorb the information. God created us to be natural born leaders and our ability to lead is based on our faith that we are competent beings. As peaceful beings, we must also have the ability to handle confrontation and manage conflict, as people are better able to flourish in peaceful environments. If we believe that we will be successful in our relationships, then that will manifest and become a reality. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

Law of Nature is the cornerstone of utilitarian ethics, namely, the law that all actions should promote the common good. The beliefs that we hold true direct our actions and shape our lives. Research into neural plasticity reveals that we can literally reprogram our brains in ways that affect our thoughts and behaviour at any point in our mortal journey. Therefore, building self-confidence is vastly defined as being volitional; by choice. With consistent effort, and the courage to take risk, we can gradually expand our confidence, and with it, our capacity to build more of it. Understanding ourselves is key to improving our situation in life and our outlook—often referred to as our happiness quotient. As we learn new business skills and gain an education, we also need to learn about the inner workings of our own souls. We are here on Earth to learn and grow. Rather than praying for problems to be fixed or asking for help in overcoming obstacles, we should pray that we have a better understanding of ourselves and learn more about what we need to overcome. God is the sole power to translate knowledge of ethical truth into action. We are children of God and he put us here to be successful. Although we may not be perfect, we are on the right path. It is important to know that whatever comes our way, with the help of God, we will be able to persevere. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

To restrain the natural human tendencies to envy, mistrust, self-aggrandizement, and aggression, the virtues of accommodation, gratitude, clemency, obedience to authority, and respect for equal rights of others are recommended by laws of nature as means of ensuring social harmony. Also, not all jealousy is bad. Sometimes jealousy can encourage people to act. For example, if you are jealous of someone’s relationship and how happy they are, this envy can encourage you to find ways to improve your own relationship. Or if someone is jealous of someone else’s house, this envy may make them take action, work more hours and build the house of their dreams. Sometimes, in new relationships, people tend to get sad often for no reason and that is because things are just developing and have not reached the stage of full disclosure. People may act nonchalant because there is a time and a place for everything and they may not want everyone all up in their business. This moral sensibility turns us from the pursuit of pleasure toward the performance of duties toward others and explains our admiration of self-sacrifice independently of external reward or punishment. However, it is important to keep in mind that pleasure is the goal of all human action and consequently is the fundamental standard of evaluation. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

Good is the object of desire, assuming that the only property of things which provokes desire is their tendency to produce pleasure or reduce pain. Good is also defined as what has an aptness to produce pleasure in us. “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from Heaven,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 121.45. We call things good for the same reason that we call them beautiful: because we find them agreeable. An object is good if it is immediately pleasant, or if it is a useful means for attaining something else that is pleasant. Virtues are qualities that render a person agreeable or useful to oneself or to others, whether they are natural virtues such as talent, wit, and benevolence or artificial virtues like honesty and justice. Our spiritual confidence is largely determined by our prior spiritual success and, unfortunately, by our prior spiritual mishaps. Our prior choices will greatly influence how our spiritual basket will look, large or small, the next time we are at the line. Every act, good or bad, has a consequence. Every good act improves our ability to do good and more firmly stand against sin or failure. Every transgression, regardless of how minor, makes us more susceptible to the adversary’s influence next time he or she tempts us. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

The adversary takes an inch at a time, deceiving us as to the consequences of so-called minors sins until he or she captures us in a web of sins filled with major transgressions. “And behold, others the adversary flatters away, and telling them there is no hell; and he says unto them: I am not the adversary, for there is no such thing—and this he whispers in their ears, until he grasps them with his or her awful chains, from when there is no deliverance.” Reports 2 Nephi 28.22. Thus arises the sense of moral duty. Of course, confidence can wax and wane throughout our lives. It is boosted when we experience a win or receptive praise. When our efforts fall short of our goal, we are criticized, rejected or simply feel a lack of external recognition, it may reflect on us by depressing out confidence. It is therefore vital not to become overly reliant on external affirmation to prop up our self-worth, but to take ownership for taking the worthwhile actions needed to sustain it. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in humans,” reports Psalms 118.8. How do we build the confidence required to overcome our challenges and achieve our goals, particularly when we do not first succeed? The single most powerful way to build confidence is to act with the respect we aspire to have. We must act as if we already possess the confidence we aspire to have by speaking up, reaching out, and getting out of our comfort zone. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

Despite our fear of failure, the only way to build self-confidence is to take a risk and take action. If things do not work out, we now know that we can handle more than we thought we could. Either way, we are better off because the motivating processes that cause us to approve of moral virtue as an answer to the question of what criteria we use to judge person and actions to be worthy of moral approval eliminate the belief that we cannot do anything else and are stuck in the same roles of unfulfilled desires. When we stop reaching, we stop learning and when we stop learning, we stop growing. Freedom is not a quality of the will but a relation between desire, action, and environment, such that a person is free when his or her actions are caused by our own desires and unimpeded by external restraints. The more we use our soft determinism, it will allow our value, competence, resilience, influence, self-efficacy and confidence in our ability to make things happen grow! The moral sense, or conscience, that enables people to distinguish right from wrong as combination of benevolent emotion and rational intuition strengthens our confidence. Freedom of the will is the ground moral responsibility, as we are introspectively aware of our ability to choose between good and evil independently of our desires. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

Think of something you have always wanted to do but have avoided because you fear it cloud be embarrassing. Now clear your mind and give it a go. It is not only vital to our future success, but failing to take a risk and have a go can ultimately put the confidence we have now at risk. That is, if we do not use it, we lose it. According to the laws of freedom, a rational being imposes his or her own actions and expects other rational beings to recognize and obey. The justification for these rules lies in the logical fact that to be rational means to act in accordance with general rules and moral rules are those which can be followed consistently by all rational beings. Thus, insofar that one is moral, one is rational and, in this sense, free; insofar as one is immoral, one is an irrational slave to one’s natural inclinations. The reward of virtue is not happiness but dignity and freedom. When we shift our physical state, it shifts our mental and emotional state. Putting ourselves in a power pose literally changes our physiology releasing a hearty dose of testosterone to fuel our bravery. What we think about and focus on everyday will manifest in our lives. So may want to know, why is it everyday you have an article prepared? Well, it is part of mental mastery, to flood the brain with knowledge and information in an effort to manage the mind and soul. Some people are going through hell everyday and in pain, but they are always happy when you see them because they are practicing mental mastery. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

Also, it is important to appear happy in public and treat people with respect because reputation does matter and we should treat people with the kind of respect that we want. This is our duty. Duty is distinct from pleasure and utility, and moral virtue or good will is the supreme good to which all other values are subordinate, and moral worth is not measures either by the consequence of a person’s actions or by one’s natural benevolence, but by the agent’s intention to obey moral laws. Think of someone you greatly admire wo radiates a quiet sense of confidence, and think about what they would do or say if they were facing your current challenges and opportunities. Channel their self-confidence, certitude, and bravery. Do not make false promises. What we put our attention on amplifies in our reality. Focus on things that make one anxious, and one will become more anxious. Focus on things that inspire one, and one will feel more powerful. Like all emotions, confidence breeds confidence. Make the conscious and courageous decision not to give self-doubt the power to keep one from pursuing a bold ambition, have a tough conversation, or lay one’s pride on the line. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

It is not in virtue what satisfied human needs, but in virtue of the demand of reason that action be in accordance with universal law, that we feel obligated to obey moral principles. With God, families are essential. He created the Earth that we could gain physical bodies and form families. To set our house in an order pleasing to the Lord, we need to do it his way. We are to employ his attribute of righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, and patience. We are supposed to be living examples of kindness, and pure knowledge, which greatly enlarge the soul. The moral duty and self-interest coincide because God, as the paramount authority, commands us through the Scriptures and the promptings of the conscience to seek the general good as well as our own happiness. Moral obligation is supported both by natural pleasure in the well-being of others and by the fear of divine punishments which provides the selfish, but rational person with a good reason to sacrifice one’s pleasure for the common good. There is an ideal way for us live with impressive purity and faith in the quest for human perfectibility. Human beings are rational agents and members of a kingdom of ends in which we are both subject and sovereign, legislating for ourselves and others. The highest goal of human life is to realize this ideal kingdom in individual and social practice. Anchored in truth, that iron rod is immovable and immutable. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9

Nature, as God’s creation, must be unqualifiedly good. To the obvious question of how God can know in advance what has not been destined or causally necessitated, it by means of God’s subtle analysis of time. God has knowledge, not of what we are compelled to do but of what we freely choose to do, because his knowledge is not the kind of advance knowledge that is based on causal processes but is due to the fact that, in the mind of God, we have already made our decisions. All of past future time is spread out in the specious present of the divine mind, so that what, from our limited standpoint, would be prediction of the future is, for God, simply direct awareness of contemporaneous events. Moral concepts of rightness and virtue in terms of individual and social well-being and interpreted moral right and virtue consists of being obedient to divine authority. No mater what the natural consequences of our actions, we are held to account for the state of our soul. It is our motives and not necessarily our actions that count in assessment of our moral responsibility, and the primary motive is our desire for, or our turning away from, God. “No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of nations? This is your due. Among all the wise people of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you,” Jeremiah 10.6-7. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

Responsibility is thus transferred from the consequences of a person’s actions to the state of our soul. The quality of life depends on what we do in the years we are allotted, and on what passes in consciousness during that time. Different activities typically affect the quality of experience in rather predictable ways. If all through life we only do depressing things, it is unlikely that we will end up having lives a very happy life. Usually each activity has both beneficial and negative qualities. When we eat, for instance, we tend to feel a more optimistic affect than usual; a graph of a person’s level of happiness during the day resembles the profile of the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay, with the high points corresponding to meal times. At the same time, mental concentration tends to be rather low when a person eats, and one rarely experiences flow. The tendency to self-preservation expresses itself in the quest for social harmony through peace-keeping institutions and practices or, alternatively, in the aggressive drive toward power over one’s fellow people. Every person ought to endeavour to peace as far as one has hope of obtaining it, and the right of nature when one cannot obtain it, one may seek and use all the helps and advantages power. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

Still, no child is born hostile or aggressive. It becomes so only when he or she desires to be loved and to love are frustrated, that is, when the child’s expected satisfactions are thwarted—and the thwarting of an expected satisfaction is the definition of frustration. When children are young, that is when they need more love and appreciation than ever before, and sometimes they are hard to love because they are not fully developed and do not know how to express themselves nor properly communicate. Childhood is a time of learning, developing, words and music, dancing, expression, dreams, and friends. Praise is necessary, though, and so are material rewards—medals, toys, trophies, and so forth. However, more important than any of these are the approval, support, and encouragement of the people the child considers important. This may be the hardest need for parents to understand and meet. Adults, caught up in their own needs and projects, may often disregard or minimize the seemingly selfish or frivolous activities of their children. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

Children are intensely sensitive to the people around them, constantly checking out just how much influence or effect they have on people and situations. What may appear to be a strong need for dominance, risk-taking, leadership is actually a need to test out the emerging and growing sense of self. It is impossible to emphasize too strongly the importance of childhood. If the child does not experience enough success and one’s self-concept fails to develop, one may grow into adulthood with gaps in his or her personality. This is called deficiency-motivated, and adults who have this condition are so strongly motivated to fill in the holes, plug up the gaps, that very little time or energy is left over to meet other, ore advanced needs. For example, suppose that, despite all his best efforts, a young man is never able to get any girl to go out with him more than once—let alone date him long enough to develop a close loving relationship. He may grow into adulthood trying so desperately to attract any female that he cannot even see his own good qualities, cannot relax enough to develop into the kind of man who is attractive to girls—not to mention more attractive to himself! #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Robots are machine-made simulations of people. Robopath describes people whose pathology infirmary entails mechanical-like behaviour and existence. A robopath is a human who has become socially self-contained. Robopaths are people who function in terms of a pseudo-image. They are automatons who may appear turned-on to other people, but who are, in fact, without true compassion. In contrast, a person who has had a healthy childhood, known as a self-actualized person, would have the inner-direction and sense of self to resist a human robopathic action. The ability to love in the true sense would equip this person with a compassion for other people that would deter the kind of atrocious robpathic behaviour discussed. A self-actualizer will ordinarily have been given enough support and love by his parents while he was young so that he is secure, not afraid to try new things. He will have developed a strong sense of autonomy, and he will feel secure enough about his own personality—strengths, weaknesses, and uniqueness—to expand his horizons. In other words, in the main, he will not be burdened by the deficiency-motivation we discussed earlier. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

Does this mean that every self-actualizing person must have had a perfect childhood? No, not at all, but he must have found ways to overcome deficiencies so that they do not prevent him from concentrating on expanding his abilities, enjoying his life—not always hung-up at some lower level. How? Perhaps through therapy, perhaps through association with other people. What motivates a self-actualizing person? Well, although a we have been describing a male, the same theories apply to women and girls, too. Usually, they know what does not control their behaviour. They are not governed by tradition or by other people’s wishes. This is not to day that he or she scorns tradition and cares nothing about other people’s requirements. It is to say that he or she is not controlled by these things, when one wants to do something different. A self-actualizer tends to be impatient with trivial and nonsensical rules. One will be bound by a rule if it makes sense to him or her. These individuals seek novelty, stimulation, challenge, rather than safety. In their careers, they will not be so much tempted by a larger salary as by a chance to do something well, to experiment. As the self-actualizer get older, they tend to be more and more interested in cognitive (thinking/learning) and esthetic (art, music, literature, philosophy) activities. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

The mistake more people make is to think that the self-actualized person is a superhuman person with no weaknesses. The truth is that he or she very often is silly, can be extravagant, and is still learning. They can also be determined and sometimes not charming. What we should make clear is that the self-actualized person is an exciting person and not frigidity nor joyless, as many might want to make the individual. This type of person has virtues that are extraordinary, but also has limitations. So as one becomes one’s actualizing potentials, it is important not to seek perfection, but to discover the joy that comes from integration of both strength and weaknesses—to freely skate between all potentials. Most self-actualizers do not tend to be highly competitive. Does that seem like a contradiction for such a competent individual? Meeting their own standards is what counts. (This is called being-motivation or growth-motivation, in contrast to deficiency-motivation.) The self-actualizing person is comfortable with other people—probably in part because one feels no need to compete with or judge them and is not worried about their competing or judging him or her. These individuals realize that human beings come in all varieties—some cruel, hostile, selfish; some victims, sufferers, or outcasts; and still others loving, cooperative, able to see the larger vision. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7

Time was created with the Heaven, and it seems to hold that it is identical with the movements of the Heavenly bodies, which measure its passage. Let us link the past and the future with our present paces, and turn life into a dream of science and then turn the dream into reality. Only when we turn our complaints of environments into the strength to strive for success can seize the opportunities. God has an ever present eternity, and all years stand at once (omnes simul stant). Eternity is the complete possession of eternal life all at once—a notion that becomes clearer from comparison with things temporal. For whatever lives in time moves as something present from the past to the future, and there is nothing placed in time that can embrace the whole extent of its life at once. It does not yet grasp tomorrow, and it has already lost yesterday. And even in the life of today you do not live longer than in the transitory moment. That, then, which is subject to the condition of time, even if (as Aristotle thought of the World) it has no beginning or end and its life extends through endless time, is still not such as may be rightly judged eternal. For though its life be endless, it does not grasp and embrace the extent of it all at once [totum simul] but has some parts still to come. And so, if, following Plato, we wish to give things their right names, let us say that God is eternal, but the World is everlasting. Time is to the perceptual World of becoming what eternity is to the intelligible World of being. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

God has the power to restore any past motion, and therefore a corresponding past interval of time, since there is no difference between motion and time. “And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of Heaven and Earth,” reports Mosiah 15.4. Eternal Return is the doctrine that every event in the Universe, in all its details and in its whole cosmic context, will recur an infinite number of times in exactly the same way that it has already occurred an infinite number of times in the past. This doctrine must be distinguished from the belief in the general periodicity of nature, according to which the main features—but not the specific details—of human and cosmic history recur. “Everything will eventually return in the self-same numerical order, and I shall converse with you staff in hand, and you will sit as you are sitting now, and so it will be in everything else, and it is reasonable to assume that time too will be the same,” reports Pythagoreans. “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from Heaven among the children of humans, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth among people, working mighty miracles, such as healing those with infirmaries, resurrection, causing those without the ability to walk to have full control over their bodies, the vision impaired will be cause to see again, and those with hearing impairment will be able to have full use of their audio equipment, and curing all infirmaries,” reports Mosiah 3.5. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

That is the great plan of the Eternal God. God wants to make us all perfect and timeless. Therefore, the Spirit of revelation must be in each and every individual, to know the plan of salvation and keep in the path that leads them to the presence of God. According to the moral-sense theories, one perceives the difference between right and wrong much as one perceives the difference between a red thing and a blue one. Just as I know that the letter box is red because I see it is, so I know what Reese is doing is right because I perceive that it is. According to theological theories, there is an objective criterion of what is right or wrong which is provided by what God wishes us to do, approves our doing, commands us to do, and so on. If the criterion of right is provided by God’s commands or wishes, then it is not possible for two people, one whom says that an action is right and the other of whom says that the same action is wrong, both to be correct; for if the one is right in thinking that God wishes us to act in a certain way, then the other must be wrong in thinking that one does not. So vital is this frame work that is one strays or strays outside it, one risks provinciality and misery. In fact, most human misery represents ignorance of or noncompliance with the plan. A cessation of such mortal suffering will not come without compliance to it. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

Hence, the Lord, who has freely shared this vital knowledge of salvation with us, has urged us to teach the fundamentals of this plan freely. There are three ways in which God’s commands could be relevant to human’s duties.  The fact that God commands us to perform a certain kind of action might be what makes this kind of action right. On the other hand, it might be the fact an action is right that causes God to command us to perform it. Finally, it might be the case that the fact that an action is right and the fact that God commands it are one and the same fact; it might be all we meant when we said that an action was right was that it was commanded by God. The very word plan confirms God’s paternal purpose, a realization so desperately needed by the confused and despairing on the World’s stage. The plan of happiness not only ensures the immortalization of our individual identities, but can yield bettered and reborn individuals. “How great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all people become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect,” 2 Nephi 9.13. Good will supply people with the proper axioms from which to deduce rules of conduct. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

We are living in what may be termed one of the most important periods in the history of the Word. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times, a time when the keys of all former dispensation have been given to the prophets of the restoration; a time when God has spoken from the Heavens, Angels have appeared to people; a time when men and women have the Holy Ghost conferred upon them. By the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. There is need for this great power in the Earth today—this steering power. It is our duty and responsibility to live worthy of the blessings that we enjoy. Where much is given, much is required. We are required to live exemplary lives, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and it is also our responsibility to carry the true gospel message to all humankind. “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead of not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you,” reports Matthew 6.9-14. We can begin with facing our aggressiveness; then unearth the anger that underlies it, developing more and more intimacy with that anger, eventually feeling deeply empowered, simultaneously vulnerable and filled with healing courage. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

There is undeniable growth in such work of forgiving those who sin against us because if we do not, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us. This forgiveness, requires both a keenly discerning awareness and a full commitment to bringing together heart, guts, and the mental mastery in ways that serve our heights good. “Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected,” reports Isaiah 32.3-5. It is now clear that we must take into account what the environment does to an organism not only before but after it responds. Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences. “And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land,” reports Alma 62.51. The doctrine that maintains that what I cannot have I must teach myself not to desire; that a desire eliminated or successfully resisted, is as good as a desire satisfied, seems to me a sublime form of the doctrine of sour grapes: What I cannot be sure of, I cannot truly want. “Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,” reports Matthew 5.9-10. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

Physiological psychologists have greatly influenced today’s theories of motivation. Chief among their contributions is an idea often called Drive Reduction Theory. This is not the only way to look at what makes people behave as they do, but it does answer many questions. According to this theory, all motivation begins with a need that must be satisfied. In its simplest form, a need is a lack, a depletion, something missing. (When I have not eaten, the cells of my body experience a need for nourishment to energize them or to provide building blocks for repair or replacement.) A signal is relayed along the nervous system and bloodstream to the brain, and we experience a tension-force called a drive. This activates the entire body and changes the person’s consciousness. One might say it shakes a person up so that one is now thinking about looking for something to meet that need and reduce the tension of the drive (“I am hungry!”) Tension, whether large or small, is painful. It causes discomfort. We want to stop it. So, to reduce the tension, we search out a goal, an incentive. (“I want food! I want Harris Beef!) The goal or incentive must have two qualities: it must actually satisfy the need, and it must be something that the individual recognizes as being able to meet that need. (If I ate grubs or grasshoppers, my hunger might be satisfied, but I might not classify those objects as food in my search.) When we reach the goal r incentive, this results in a return to homeostasis or satisfaction “Ahhhh. I am not hungry anymore. I got a Harris Steak.”) “Put your hope in God, for I will praise him, my Savior and my God,” reports Psalm 42.5. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

We must pay a price for everything we get, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, and we generally get about what we pay for. If, for instance, I should purchase a suit of clothes, in order to get the best material, the best style, and the proper fit, I must pay a higher price. Every man knows that a good suit can make him look great, whether he is going to work, a night out on the town, or even out on a date. Even if you do not have to wear a suit every single day, nobody ever looks down on the guy that is always dressed well. When it is time to hand out promotions, it might even give you an edge over your fellow employees. Some suits are so nice because every single detail is controlled by the manufacturer and the sheep that provide the wool for the suits are even kept in a beautiful environment that is set to the right temperature during sheering season. Of course, the wool is only part of the charm. The classic Italian craftsmandship and cut is another huge factor. While suits like Brioni are certainly at the top of the price range, they are a lifetime investment that any guy can wear with pride. And you pair that Brioni suit with a Brioni shirt and you really have a classic, timeless wardrobe that cannot be beat in terms of quality. Likewise, if I desire to purchase a Cresleigh home that elicits excitement, joy, and pleasure, a BMW, which is the ultimate diving machine, or whatever it may be, it is going to cost. Similarly, if I seek intellectual values, I must pay the price by study, research, by devoted effort and oftentimes of sacrifice. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

The same is true of spiritual values. Once cannot expect to inherit eternal life if one is not willing to pay the price and to do the things required for such salvation and exaltation. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in Heaven before the foundations of this World, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 130.20-21. Our goal is salvation in the celestial kingdom of our Heavenly Father and to receive the glory that awaits the faithful there. Surly one cannot expect to receive the greatest blessings that the Heavenly Father has in store for his faithful children by paying bargain prices. The satisfaction of physical needs is indeed the indispensable precondition of a satisfactory existence, but in itself it is not enough. In order to be content, people must also have the possibility of developing their intellectual and artistic powers to whatever extent accords with their personal characteristics and abilities. We must also keep in mind that showing others more concern and kindness is more effective and brings more practical profit than giving them any gift. Life is to meet challenges. An attempt is a good beginning. Without attempts, how can we find new opportunities? “You are the most excellent of people, and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever,” reports Psalm 45.2. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9

We have well-developed wings under your care, roaming in the blue sky of homeland. No matter how far and high we fly, there is an echo of your instructions. “If we keep commandments, we shall prosper,” reports Alma 37.13 When we engage in discursive thought and declarative speech, we may attain various forms of success: intelligibility, precision, correctness, and so on. These felicities are best explained by contrast with the corresponding mishaps that threaten our beliefs, assertations, and especially our claims to know something. A person’s thinking may be inadequate he or she is ignorant, and what that individual says may be deficient because it is incoherent, rough, or, perhaps most important of all, downright false. Many philosophers have been troubled in attempting to account for the occurrence of falsity in people’s assertions and opinions, that is, in trying to understand how there could be such a thing as error at all. In examining these difficulties, we shall assume human’s statement are erroneous in case it is false and reflects his or her belief. Thus, if a person lies, he or she may speak falsely, but not erroneously We shall assume that a person holds a false belief when he or she is inclined to express it n a statement that would be false. The statement would be erroneous; consequently we can say the belief it mirrors are erroneous as well. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

Our inquiry will focus on a pair of famous knots. When our beliefs are false, do we believe anything? If a surgeon is convinced his patient will die, a he is correct, he is mistaken, there is no such event as the patient’s death. Did the surgeon then expect nothing? Depicted thus, erroneous thinking seems impossible. Granting that error can occur, is it ever voluntary? Clearly we are to blame for some of our mistakes, yet who knowingly and willingly goes for false beliefs? A lie is a statement made by one who does not believe it with the intention that someone else shall be led to believe it. It is possible for a person to make a statement using American Sign Language, smoke signals, Morse code semaphore flags, and so forth, as well as by making specific bodily gestures whose meanings have been established by convention (e.g. nodding one’s head in response to a question). Hence, it is possible to lie by these means. If it is granted that a person is not making a statement when he wears a wig, gives a fake smile, affects a limp, and so forth, it follows that a person cannot be lying by doing these things. If it is granted that a person is not making a statement when, for example, she wears a wedding ring when she is not married, or wears a police uniform when she is not a police officer, it follows that she cannot be lying by doing these things. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

We form belief in a haphazard way, believing all sorts of things based just on what we hear out in the World, but have not researched for ourselves. People are credulous creatures who find it very easy to believe and very difficult to doubt. In fact, believing is so easy, and perhaps so inevitable, that it may be more like involuntary comprehension than it is like rational assessment. By analogy, why disqualify my utterance simply because I fail to refer to existing things? A correspondence theory still explains why it is false to state, “There are flying saucers”: nothing corresponds to what is stated; that is, noting corresponds to the existence of flying saucers, because none exist. However, the correspondence theory needs elaboration before it will transform into a general account of correct and incorrect assertions. What things that are would I depict if I conceded “Flying saucers do not exist”? Does the nonexistence of flying saucers correspond to what I state? How can there be such a thing? Again, what things that are differentiate a true subjunctive conditional, for example, “If I had watered the lawn, it would not have died, from its false contrary, “Even if I had watered the lawn, it would have died”? Does the same withered grass make one statement true and the other false? #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

We can prove a few things for certain, including God’s existence. The deity cannot have given us a faculty [of thinking] whose right employment could ever lead us astray; however, it seems to follow that therefore we can never go wrong. People have false beliefs, but through their own doing, not God’s. People are endowed by God with such power of will that they can assent to proposition they do not know to be true—that is, to ideas that are not clear and distinct. Is God to blame for this disharmony between our limited capacity for knowledge and our unlimited power for assenting? No, will is just a single thing; it is incompatible with its nature that anything should be subtracted from it. Besides, although we are free to, we do not have to believe propositions for which we lack conclusive proof. In order to avoid unsuspected error, we must restrain our desire for truth and withhold assent until we know for certain. Clearly, people may decide to make statements. Some criminals voluntarily confess their misdeeds, and others are forced, against their will, to admit guilt. How about belief? Can we choose to reject a proposition that seems most likely, according to available evidence, and believe another that seems less plausible? Perhaps not. However, we often make decisions as we form our opinions, as we collect or neglect data and seek or ignore expert testimony. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

People who undergo brainwashing are deprived of this control over the formation of their beliefs. The same holds, incidentally, for knowledge. It is absurd to say the investigator decided to know but not absurd to say he or she resolved to find out for certain who robbed the grocer. Moreover, children are compelled to learn things. In acquiring knowledge and forming opinions, we pursue rather obvious goals: conclusive proof and correct information. Even so, is it intelligible to suppose that people act deliberately and knowingly when they settle for false beliefs? Maybe it is not their goal to be wrong, but it is certainly within the general scope of their intention. Anyone who aims at truth is prepared for falsity, just as a marksman is prepared to miss the bull’s-eye. Can we say they erred knowingly? A person who punches another is hardly ever certain that his or her victim will be injured. However, if one has reason to think injury might result from the blow, from a legal standpoint the individual knowingly inflects harm. There remains another type of error, fortunately quite infrequent, where such awareness is impossible. This is the unusual situation where you are convinced you know something, banish doubt from your mind, and still turn out to be wrong. Perhaps you acted deliberately and followed your inclinations in pushing your investigation until you believe you cloud not be wrong. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

 However, with this degree of conviction, you cannot have the least awareness that you are not mistaken. Your error, then, is not fully voluntary. “Walk upright before God,” reports Helaman 6.34. How people form beliefs, in many cases, for some cultures, was shaped by the evolutionary push toward efficiency rather than accuracy. Abstract belief formation (that is, beliefs outside one’s direct experience, conveyed through language) is likely among the few things that are uniquely human, making it relatively new in the scope of evolutionary time. Before language, most human ancestors could form beliefs only through what they directly experienced of the physical World around them. For perceptual beliefs from direct sensory experience, it is reasonable to presume our sense are not lying. Seeing is, after all, believing. In fact, questioning what you see or hear can get you eaten. For our evolutionary ancestors, it was better to be safe than sorry, especially when considering whether to believe that rustling in the grass is a lion. However, as a result, most people did not develop a high degree of skepticism when their beliefs were about things they directly experienced, especially when their lives were at stake. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

As complex language evolved, people gained the ability to form beliefs about things they had not actually experienced for themselves—and tended to believe them just as strong. Yet, a false statement or action made with intent to deceive is a lie. Nothing else is quite so despicable and cowardly as a lie. “Embracing the law of the Church, thou shalt not lie; one that lieth and will not be repent shall be cast out,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 42.21. This means excommunicated from the Church. Unfortunately, lying is currently a widespread practice. It is one of the most disturbing and peace-destroying practices in out society. The sad fact is that there is a growing trend to regard getting caught as worse than lying. There are many individua among us who, as a consequence of lying, are bereft of composure and happiness. Society generally is suffering for the same reason. Lying is one of the cardinal evils of our day. A cardinal sin is a very bad or serious sin. Giving false information is a cardinal sin in news reporting. No one is justified in lying because someone else has lied. The Lord have the Prophet Joseph a lesion on this point at the time the 100-page manuscript copy of the Book of Mormon translation was lost. Education is a crutch with which the foolish attack the wise to prove that they are not idiots. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

Only one is an artist who can see the mysterious in what is ordinary, and can thus transform a solution into a problem. Knowing that the lost manuscript was in the hands of enemies and that they had altered it, the Lord told Joseph not to translate the same material again. “The adversary stirreth them up, that he or she may lead their souls to destruction. And thus he or she flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he or she draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus the adversary causeth them to catch themselves in a snare. And the adversary goeth up and down, to and fro in the Earth, seeking to destroy the souls of humans,” reports the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 10.22, 25-28. The fake person and the fake news media can do anything: they can sin, and they can atone for it. However, sinning makes them no worse, and atoning no better. A political system which seeks freedom through force can easily get stuck halfway; whereas that which seeks license through liberty always attains its goal. The prostitute resembles the journalist in that neither is expected to experience any feeling; but he or she differs from him in being able to experience feelings. God reveals your true potential in scripture. “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of human beings,” reports Moses 1.39. Eternal life, or exaltation, means receiving everything God has to give us. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

No matter how bright you imagine your future to be, it is indescribably brighter than that. And that is exactly why a certain lying, scheming wretch of a bad person is jealous of you! The adversary knows he or she cannot improve, he or she cannot progress, that Worlds without end he or she will never have a bright tomorrow. The adversary is a miserable individual, bound by eternal limitations, and he or she wants you to be miserable, too. We, do not fall for that. The adversary will do all he or she can to thwart you along your way back to our Father in Heaven, which includes whispering (or in some cases, shouting) every lie under the Sun in an attempt to harvest your soul and dam you to hell. However, God always wants to hear from you, even if it has been a while. God hears our prayers and is sensitive to us and our needs. God will see us with eyes of love and mercy—love and mercy that we cannot fully understand. Fear seems to be one of the adversary’s favourite tools int these latter days. However, do not give in to that nonsense. Even when things are hard, even when they are extremely hard, God’s plan provides hope and joy! The long story is a memory in our hearts; happiness in the past years is still in our hearts and will pass into the future. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9