He works so hard. He suffers. He thinks. He has already traveled to Asia and Eastern Europe this year, and he will soon be going to Toronto and Guatemala and Mexico. I do not know how he can do these things. Imagine how the World itself could be transformed for good if every person lived up to their true potential, converted in the depth of one’s soul, a true and faithful commitment to build the kingdom of God. Courage is self-affirmation in-spite-of, that is in spite of that which tends to prevent the self from affirming itself. Nonbeing is the loss of self of the human soul. Courage, however, is usually described as the power of the mind to overcome fear. The effect of this awakening of at least the educated groups to an awareness of their own anxiety, and a permeation of the public consciousness by ideas and symbols of anxiety. Today, it has become almost a truism to call our time an age of anxiety. This holds equally for American and Europe. It is conceivable that in the light of an ontology of courage some fundamental aspects of anxiety may become visible. The first assertion about the nature of anxiety is this: anxiety is the state in which a being is aware of its possible nonbeing. However, it is not the abstract knowledge of nonbeing which produces anxiety, but the awareness that nonbeing is a part of one’s own being. It is not the realization of universal transitoriness, not even the experience of the death of others, but the impression of these events on the always latent awareness of our own having to die that produces anxiety. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10

Anxiety is finitude, experienced as one’s own finitude. This is the natural anxiety of human as human, and in some way of all living beings. It is the anxiety of nonbeing, the awareness of one’s finitude as finitude. The ensouled body is in communion with the body of the World and finds its healthy in that intimacy. Never say that it is not God’s will to give you what you ask. Do not faint and give up, but find out the reason you have not received; increase the intensity of your search and examine the evidence. “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward,” reports Psalm 19.7-11. We must train our eyes to look with compassion and appreciation. Soul is never far from attachment to particulars; a soulful body exercise will always lead us toward an affectionate relationship to the World. Human’s humor is one of their most important traits in the face of the tensions and pressures exerted on them. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10

The ability to laugh is crucial for crucial for a person’s mental health. When we relate to our bodies as having soul, we attend to their beauty, their poetry and their expressiveness. The person who can laugh at oneself is further along the road to self-respect and appreciation. To be able to kid oneself at times is not only a tension reliever, but it promotes a kind of necessary objectivity. There is a proper balance between extremes of objectivity (when the person never gets involved in anything) and subjectivity (where everything is directed at you and everybody is pointing at or talking about you). It might work like this: A young girl of 14 years of age is trying very hard to enhance her singing abilities. She has a good voice, knows music, and has made a number of public performances. However, she is extremely shy about her musical abilities because she has a soft voice, a falsetto. For instance, if her vocal teacher tells her that she should practice a particular section a few more times, sometimes her eyes fill with tears, because of some of the criticism she had received from others, and she thinks the teacher is implying she is not any good and has no future in music. She mentioned this, crying, in psychology class one day, and a male student innocently quipped that her sensitive nature and soft voice would make her a successful Rhythm and Blues singer. The rest of the class laughed and the young lady got up and left the room. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10

In talking with her about it later, her psychology instructor tried a simple tack. Although he rarely tells his students what they ought to do he told her that sensitivity to such remarks, to any kind of criticism, would make life in the entertainment field very difficult for her and that she ought to consider a strategy to deal with some of the unpleasant things that may come her way. He asked her if she felt she had the firm commitment to follow through in such a competitive business. The girl was being asked to stand back from her extreme subjectivity and evaluate some realities. The girl came to see the psychologist three days later, pointed a brave finger at him, and said he had given her somethings she spent time pondering about, and asked him what could he share with her about the music and the rigors of the profession that may help her with longevity in the industry. He turned her around and told her to continue, but to watch herself in a chamber of mirrors, and think about how you want people to see you and how you look and sounds. The girl had displayed a great deal of growth in discovering that when she took herself so seriously she looked like a diva. The way our unconscious mind works, we are actually attracted to—moved psychologically toward—what we think about. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10

For that reason, when we encounter the inevitable barriers on our way to our goal, we will tend to look at the situation from the winner’s. Before we select a long-term goal, we should try to visualize how we can improve our performance. In everyday life, the ability to catch ourselves being too serious, bearing all the World’s burdens, saving the human race, helps us relieve some of the built-up tension through laughter. Laughter has other uses and meanings. For some it is the tension release chosen when they recognize the futility of trying harder. For example, a person may beat one’s head against the symbolic brick wall in trying to communicate with another individual. One may have to acknowledge that the communication may not take place with this person, or with the set of words, or in tis particular time or place. If one can then laugh it off, one finds oneself better equipped to experience similar frustration and, once the tension is released, may discover a more successful tactic. “Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. At the time of your appearing you will male them like a fiery furnace. In his wrath the LORD will swallow them up, and his fire will consume them. You will destroy their descendants from the Earth, their posterity from humankind. Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed,” reports Psalm 21.8-11. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10

Laughing at the misfortunes of others is sometimes a form of sadism, wherein some pleasure is gained from observing the difficulties of others. Sometimes it is an acknowledgment of how much we identify with another person and how close a call we have had in not being the target or object of the misfortune. “There but for the grace of God go I,” is frequently uttered with amusement. Most laughter is a kind of reflex behavior that occurs when we recognize the irony in situations. Life is full of littler ironies. Humor enables us to safely experience them, or vicariously to go through them a second or third time. There are many incongruous things about life, too. We laugh at them partly because there may be something objectively humorous or absurd in them, but mostly because we really do not know what else to do. There are unmanageable. We cannot do very much to change or utilize them. Like the incongruity of environmental pollution. We construct a society that depends on industry. The industry converts raw materials into product and waste. The waste is disposed of, and it often clogs the very environment we are trying to improve. We take a fishing pole and try to get back to nature during an afternoon of fishing. However, the waters are filthy and the fish are diseased or dead. When we realize the vicious circle that has brought us to it, most of us have to shake our heads and laugh at the folly of humanity. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10

This point can be illustrated by the fact that various New York City newspapers not long ago suggested in all seriousness that to force the city’s electric power plant to consider cutting down on its air pollution everyone in the city should, on a specific night, refuse to turn on their lights and use candles instead. Many people were in favor of this dramatic boycott but almost no one saw the absurdity of over eight million people burning candles cutting down on smog—even with smokeless candles! (No one also considered how busy the fire department would be.) This type of humor, the acknowledging of the absurdities of human behavior, is the healthy kind of humor that the self-actualizing person experiences. One does not enjoy the hostile humor that laughs at those with limited physical and mental capabilities, the less affluent, nor the less fortunate. Sick and Cruelty jokes do not make one laugh; there is too much tragedy or sadness in them. It is in the absurd lengths to which some people carry their behavior that one finds humor. One of our jobs in becoming full-fledged adults is to embrace the pain we could not afford to feel during our younger years. Allowing oneself to live the unexperienced pain of the past is the only way to unclog our emotional system and live in the present. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10

Some laughter is hostile. Many of the best comedians today are capable of biting satire. They select a person or a stereotype of a person and make one the subject of their humor. When we laugh at them, we make a commentary on our own feelings about the objects of the joke, or how we feel about the situation in which we live, or about ourselves. Satire has always been an effective tool for directing hostility toward a person or group. Ans the satirist has a certain protection or immunity from retaliatory hostility. Jonathan Swift’s children’s tale, Gulliver’s Travels, is a biting satire on the British Empire and was protected by virtue of its being put in fictionalized form. Many people have never been aware of its original purpose. Nor are we aware of the political satire in most Mother Goose nursery rhymes we all learned as children. If the subject of satire feels the sting and is tempted to retaliate or at least get angry, the satirist’s easy response s “What is the matter? Dude, you cannot take a joke?” Being able to take a joke is an example of good sportspersonship. Pity the satirist, though. One may be a person who is unable to come out openly with his or her hostility and deal with it, mature person to mature person. Therefore, be gentle, patient, and loving with yourself. Explore ways to feel safe while experiencing and expressing the full rage of your emotions. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10

This is not to say that satire is not effective in terms of social change. Many political cartoonists get their point across to politicians better than all the constituent cards and letters could ever do. Political satire is rather ingenious. However, it is obvious that the satire, however subtle it may be, is meant to express some kind of hostility or resentment toward what is being depicted. Laughter is good one one’s mental health. Honest joy, open amusement, pure innocent delight are all aspects of well-developed selfhood. We are letting the Child in us come out to play. The Adult in us is too often serious, stuffy, objective, busy with data-processing of daily existence. The Parent is us is often busy with the data-processing of daily existence. The Parent in us is often busy judging what we do as right or wrong, good or evil, appropriate or inappropriate. The Child, which is the remnant of simple, basic, sensual open personhood, is vital to our fullest development. It is in the play activities, like sports, hobbies, art, dating, eating, and dancing, that we experience this very important part of us. Each of the three—Child, Adult, and Parent—is necessary, but none more than the other. Fortunate is the person who can watch a cartoon on TV and experience it as funny (Child), entertaining and diverting (Adult), and good (Parent). #RandolphHarris 9 of 10

Laughter is one of the ways in which we relax and re-create the self. The things we find humorous may vary, but the experiences of humor, of pleasure of enjoyment are extremely important and must be cultivated for the fullest experience of living. We live in times of great opportunities. God seeks to enlist soul who diligently go about the work of building the kingdom of those—those who, when faced with opposition and temptation, declare in their hearts that they are doing great work and cannot come down. When faced with ridicule and reproach, people of God proclaim, “I am doing great work and cannot come down.” Our Heavenly Father seeks those who refuse to allow the trivial to hinder them in their pursuit of the eternal. “Speak the truth in love,” reports Ephesians 4.15. Keep it mind, do not criticize another person’s feelings or try to change them. Only the person who has the feelings can change them. We can help most by listening and empathizing. We can show empathy by supportive listening—eye contact, nobs, pats, or hugs. Think for a moment what could be accomplished in our personal lives, in our professional lives, in our families, in our wards and branches. Think of how the kingdom of God could progress throughout the Earth. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10

I stretched out and scrunched down and put my head back and drifted, eyes shut at once. Our Heavenly Father is aware of all of us and have a specific plan for each individual. Often times, the opportunity to further our schooling is an answer to our prayers. But what of vocational choice? What if the child wants to become something other than what the parents might choose? Does the environment still support one’s choice? A young man discussed with his psychology teacher the following problem. He is the son of a school teacher father and school counselor mother. Because both parents have masters’ degrees and are intimately involved with education as a life’s work, they have unthinkingly assumed that their children would follow in the same path, at least to the extent of college. The student is a bright young man, getting B’s in most of his subjects, with occasional A’s. However, his best work does not come from the social science courses or the courses he might need to move on to the state college. His interest lies in cars. It began in junior high school when he bought himself a small motor scooter. He learned to take the scooter apart and do all the repair work. In high school he and his father teamed up to build a dune buggy out of the mother’s old Volkswagen Jetta sedan. He has is own BMW now, paid for it with money he earned from fixing cars for other people. #RandolphHarris 1 of 12

He feels strongly that we would like to drop of our junior college, go into the army, and take training in mechanics. He knows he could satisfy both his pleasures and his own interests and his parents’ desires for him to be a college student if he would remain in junior college and take a number of courses in the school’s fine auto mechanics program. The young man feels that this would be a compromise, since he really does not enjoy the other coursework nor is he particularly interested. The psychologist noticed the student’s embarrassment at saying he was not interested in psychology, and this promoted the teacher to push a bit further. He felt that the student was under a great burden of guilt because he did not share his parents’ enthusiasm for education. That turned out to be the real problem because parents influence children’s career choices both intentionally and inadvertently. By the time children move into adolescence, they begin seriously considering their futures, often looking to their parents either as role models or for career advice. A parent’s approach to this can either inspire teenagers to explore a diverse set of potential occupations or to stick to a path they think their parents would approve of. #RandolphHarris 2 of 12

In a few sessions, the student came to see that the psychology teacher was accepting him regardless of what he had said about the man’s field activity. The student gained some confidence and began to formulate plans to sit down with both parents. Generally, many people are the third or fourth generation of their families to work in the same profession. They have an insider’s glimpse into their parents’ occupations, making it easier for them to break in to the industry. If their parents’ jobs give them great satisfaction or provide a comfortable lifestyle, children see the perks early on, and may favor these careers over others. In contrast, if parents complain about their jobs or struggle to support the family on the income their jobs provide, children are more likely to seek more fulfilling or higher-paid roles. The student told his parents that he loved both of them as parents and as people, but that he had interests other than theirs. He appreciated all they had done for him, all the acknowledgement they had made of his interests and capabilities, but he wanted them to know that he was considering going into the army to learn mechanics. #RandolpHarris 3 of 12

The parents were shocked, not hurt. They had had no idea that their son could feel any other way but theirs about college. They both realized that they had not paid too much attention to what he wanted and had merely assumed that their interest would be his. The mother admitted she would have some trouble, because of personal pride, in accepting the fact that her son would not graduate from college, but having admitting it she realized that it was not as important as his doing what he honestly felt was a better expression of who he was. The father admitted that he had hoped the son would also go into teaching, but knew that the boy’s interest in mechanics was more than just a hobby. Studies have shown that happy people tend to earn higher salaries, and it stands to reason that these high-earners are happy, at least in part, because they have jobs they love. It is important to have passion for your career choice because it is more than just a source of income. If one does not enjoy what one does for a living, that individual will end up missing out on one’s life. A job is much more about personal fulfillment and growth. People want to change lives, including their own. One’s career should make one feel good emotional, both in and out of the office. A job that one loves gives the individual extra motivation to meet one’s goals, and a greater sense of accomplishment. #RandolphHarris 4 of 12

Cultural emphasis on higher education for everybody does not always take into account that some people cannot express their selfhood best in academic pursuits. Many people are mechanically or artistically or commercially or socially oriented. Although colleges are offering training in all these areas, some people will actually gain more from field experience, and will carry and radiate that success wherever they go, helping oneself in other aspects of one’s life. Another example of a supportive environment comes from the case of a young woman who had a different situation: The girl’s father was dead and she was helping to support her younger brothers and sisters. The mother worked very hard to operate a small gift and stationery store, with the girl helping her after classes, on Friday evenings and all day Saturdays. She enjoyed the work, had a warm and open relationship with her mother, and yet was troubled. She had a boyfriend whom she had dated for over two years. They were in love and wanted to get married. However, since he had received his draft notice, to marry him would mean to move and live near the base. #RandolphHarris 5 of 12

The mother needed the girl’s help in the ship and with the children in the home, but she also knew that her daughter was a person in her own right and needed to live her own life. The mother developed a deeper fear that her future son-in-law might get killed and that her daughter would be as hurt as she had been by her own husband’s death. She became away that her fears were keeping her from letting the girl go, and when she discovered this and worked it through with the help of her pastor, she was able to tell the girl to go ahead and do what she felt she must. Life for humans involves intellectual and emotional character, volitional choices moral and aesthetic values. God gives parents to children to help build the qualities into them that will prepare them for a most useful and satisfying life. We are to be imitators of God, our Heavenly Father, as beloved children. God has a goal in mind for his children, to conform them to the image of Christ. As parents, it is important to keep the objective in front of one, which is to see one’s children grow up to love God with all their hearts, and to love others as they live daily by submitting their thoughts, words, and deeds to the Lord Jesus Christ. God declares that a person’s ways later in life will be determined by one’s early experiences and training. #RandolphHarris 6 of 12

Most situations are idealistic. Not all parents are able to see that they often try to meet their own frustrated needs through their children. However, increasingly parents are learning how t be persons in their own right and to release the persons in their children. They may hope that their children will follow in their steps, will make them proud of them, will provide them with grandchildren and other long-term goals, but if the parents are whole persons who want their children to also be self-actualized, they will have no desire to live through their children nor want their children to live through them. Secondhand or vicarious experiences are never fully satisfying. Raising a child successfully sounds like a superhuman task. As a matter of fact, it is. It demands more than human resources have to offer. It required supernatural wisdom and strength. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Jesus Christ,” reports Philippians 4.19. And God knows exactly what we need to be a good parent and person because he is himself the Model Parent. “And if your hardhearted, sinful people know how to give good gifts to you children, will not your Father in Heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?” reports Matthew 7.11. #RandolphHarris 7 of 12

In school the student typically finds oneself pitted against another challenge. Since the school system, even into college, is heavily geared toward grade attainment, many students find themselves having to work for marks and transcripts. Often they would like to take subjects in which they have a real interest; but because they do not have the time to take courses outside their majors or they have to worry about their grade point average, they cheat themselves of the chance to explore and widen their range of skills. Educational institutions are only partly at fault. In stating the requirements for success and advancement, society cautions the student not to play around in one’s schooling to get one’s diploma, certificate, or degree and get out into the working World. This attitude produces narrow specialists. Contemporary people are faced by encapsulation. The dilemma of contemporary specialism, that is, specialism in living as well as a specialism in work. I mean the narrowing down of vocational tasks brought on by the industrial revolution and resulting in 20 different experts making a shoe rather than one master shoemaker. We have become so impressed with specialized skills, deep but narrow knowledge in one isolated area, that we have forgotten the pleasures that some with discovering things in fields other than our own. #RandolphHarris 8 of 12

Why do we look at the manifold achievements and involvements of Leonardo da Vinci with the same wonder and awe? Here was a man who could (some would say should) have stayed within one field and perfected himself in that area. Instead, Leonardo da Vinci perfected himself as a painter, writer, scientist, inventor, and many things totally out of keeping with narrow specialism. The problem then is one of letting education do its job. If we could permit teachers to do their best work, or works, in helping a student draw out all one’s hidden potentials, we would be going further in the direction of promoting and assisting self-actualization. To do so would require a wholesale change in society’s attitudes if only because it would require funding and program-development. However, it amazes me that people seem to no longer be wanting to help students, but desire to strip them of their talents in their young and leave them broken so they can prosper off their efforts. So many hearts had waxed cold when people see bright youth, in need of guidance, and are in positions to help them, but totally ignore this calling. #RandolphHarris 9 of 12

To help our youth reach self-actualization would require a wholesale change in society’s attitudes if only because it would require funding and program-development. The student should be able to feel one’s value first of all as a person, then as one interested in knowledge and learning for its own sake, and then hopefully as a person who has proficiency in one or two important areas and general knowledge in many others. For centuries, the hallmark of a university education has also been the nurturing of every student’s capacity to develop, assess, and communicate their understanding of the World in which they live. General education ensure that people achieve both breadth and depth in the skills and justifications of knowledge that are more relevant to the World in which they live. We work and live in a changing, and often unpredictable World. Having knowledge of general educations provides and individual the opportunity to enhance one’s ability to think critically, develop one’s communication and mathematical skills, stimulate their capacities for creative, innovative thinking, and enrich their knowledge of the wider social, cultural, and natural Worlds in which we live and will have to live and work. That is important because when one is out at dinner with executives from a network, one will be able to do more than just sit, look and listen, or repeat sound bites heard on television. #RandolphHarris 10 of 12

A well-educated individual should be able to have some input about all things from spots, science, politics, religion, current events, and so on. However, many people find grades to be restrictive because it prevents a person for going outside of their range of study, since time is so limited. Therefore, the grading problem will be a difficult one to solve. Again it would be necessary to institute a change in the attitudes of a society which thinks that competing for grades prepares the student for the competition one will face in getting a mate, getting a job, advancing in the job, and many other facets of living. Certainly we must prepare the student for the competitive ethos in the World off campus, but that knowledge could be balanced by the recognition that selfhood, personal value, is not totally dependent on good grades. Schooling is not only preparation for living; it is part of living. In school the student is exposed to the whole range of problems and pleasures of life. More than being a laboratory for life, it is a laboratory of living. In the microcosm of the campus people who exemplify the employer, the employee, the husband or wife, the competitor, the helper, the protagonist, the colleague seems to have an anchor in their soul. God is this needed island of stability, which helps us handle stress. #RandolphHarris 11 of 12

Education is only part of life, but a very important part. Performance during this period is dependent on an individual’s self-concept, one’s picture of personhood, and the values one holds concerning oneself and life in general. Education should also strive to be of benefit to the individual and to society apart from the requirements of employment. It should, in particular, contribute to a student’s capacity to be an informed, responsible, and responsive citizen. This will allow an individual to develop awareness of the intellectual, moral, aesthetic, and social context of one’s life. And when you have given your life you all and cannot see how you are going to reach your goals, keep trying and count on God. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” reports James 1.17. When everything is changing around us, it is important to remember that God is a consistent Father. He will never let us down. He can be counted on. He is reliable. God is worthy of trust. “Behold, this is a choice land and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things we have written,” reports Ether 2.12. #RandolphHarris 12 of 12

Guard your children. Weigh wisdom of intervention if such is possible. Ponder question of inevitability. Facts are the only reality and only knowledge possible is the knowledge of facts, which consists in placing one fact in relation to others either immediately or by means of those mental formations that constitute ideas, categories, and principles. When these relations are established, the fact is explained. Science, therefore, is the only kind of knowledge possible; and philosophy itself is a science that, like all other sciences uses induction and does not have at its disposal privileged principles or procedures. Metaphysics, which claims to start from principles independent of facts and to use deduction, is a fictitious science. Yet philosophy is not just a synthetic discipline. On the one hand, it is a complex of special disciplines that is left after the natural sciences have gone their way. As such, it encompasses the disciplines that are concerned with the phenomena of thought and finds articulation in two spheres: psychology, which includes logic, gnosis (epistemology), and aesthetics; and sociology, which includes ethics, dikeika (doctrine of justice or of law), and economics. Other the other hand, to philosophy belongs the field of the indistinct, which lies outside the realm of the distinct, which constitutes the object of the individual sciences (matter, for physics; life, for biology; society, for sociology mind, for psychology, etc.). #RandolphHarris 1 of 13

This realm of the indistinct constitutes the unique and common origin of all the realms of the distinct, and it is the object of philosophy as peratology. Peratology is the study of the indistinct which lies outside the subject matter of science, the distinct. The indistinct in the philosophy are distinguished from the unknowable in that the indistinct is not that which is not known but that which is not yet known distinctly. It is a relative concept, because the distinct that emerges from some knowledge is in its turn indistinct with respect to further knowledge insofar as it is that which produces, solicits, and explains that knowledge. This indistinct-distinct relationship is used to explain the natural formation of every known reality. We can also have widely different attitudes toward our (self-)constructed Worlds, investing them with different kinds of pathos: for example, we can regard them either with various degrees of satisfaction and pride, as the biblical God did at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, we may either reshuffle them or turn away from them altogether and construct other Worlds that are incommensurable with the first ones. We can continue to affirm life while acknowledging that unrestricted population growth can put women, children and men at risk. Mass starvation and other calamities are going to be the result of overpopulation. The prospect of billions more people threaten the future healthy and well-being of many. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13

The World’s population is approaching eight billion, and that is twice as high as many experts believe it should be. The number of people making demands on you and your resources is increasing at alarming proportions. Formerly, a human being stood tall and alone, partly out of choice, partly out of necessity. Today, time to be alone is at a premium. Individualism is a word that puzzles many of us. We hear the cry from all sides: “Stand up for your individualism!” We also hear the word contrasted with the concept of conformity. Individualism is the idea that the individual’s life belongs to that person and that person has an inalienable right to live it as one sees fit, to act on one’s own judgment, to keep and use the product of one’s effort, and to pursue the values of choosing. It is the ideal that the American Founders set forth and sought to establish when they drafted the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution of America and created a country in which the individual’s rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness were to be recognized and protected. We are to put America and Americans first in the Country of America. The number one job of any government is to protect its own citizens and land first. If you see your own unique qualities, your own unique abilities and tastes no matter how much they are conditioned by culture, you are recognizing your individuality. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13

As an individual, one has uniqueness and stand apart in distinctive ways from the nameless, faceless masses. Attaining this recognition is a vital task in the search for significant identity, and most of us accomplishing it to some degree. Individualism, however, is a different matter, though the difference may be difficult to appreciate. Individualism is the attitude that holds individuality to be more important than sociality, group memberships. Some people, out of fear that they will lose their identity by group membership, de-emphasize any allegiance or membership in social groupings and go to dramatic extremes to emphasize their solitariness. They may disavow any need for anyone else and may even go so far as to alienate themselves completely from any relationship and become hermits or isolates. These people have made solitariness or uniqueness a new religion. Who else loves to judge? Even though say we strongly dislike doing it, many times we have to remind ourselves not to judge people. When we judge people, the way we judge is very critical. In general, judgment tends to be a negative interpretation, which is why we need to understand how can we use judgment as a strength correctly. Basically, judgment is thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13

 We all have our favored beliefs and it requires the ability to thin through and find all the evidence without bias. One could ask oneself to think of various ways about particular situation, not be limited to only one perspective, then weight it fairly. Others perceive a threat in the headlong rush to join and to belong. They see it as a repudiation of individual identity. Without denying their need for others, they attempt to maintain that in addition to their group identities—the Winchester boy, Mrs. Winchester’s oldest kid, Annie Winchester’s brother, employee Winchester, citizen Winchester, and so forth—they also have their individual identity: William Wirt Winchester II, human being. This is not individualism in the sense we have described it above. It is more an attempt at individuation, at saying that a person is many things, that one has several identities, and that one does not want to lose one’s personal identity in the group push. And that makes sense because every human being has an eternal identity, existing from the premortal state and continuing forever. “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the World was; and among these there were many noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were good,” reports Abraham 3.22-23. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13

Moreover, all individuals are responsible for their own choices, and will stand before the Lord to present an accounting of their lives that the Judgment Day. “And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yes, even as one speaking out of the dust?,” reports Moroni 10.27. This, however, does not mean that individuals are autonomous nor alone. All individuals are spirit children of God the Father, who organized them into relationships in order to maximize their growth and happiness through the loving and serving of one another. It shows a stronger characteristic of individuality to bring the self into harmony with God than to be separate from him. Any individual must voluntarily obey God’s will to achieve righteousness and God’s will requires service to others in one’s family and the community. Individualism, when it takes the form of denial of sociality, of standing alone and often against the masses, when it ignored the needs and rights of others, is a luxury. It is a selfish attitude that leaves the person out of the important social roles one can and must play. It cheats the society of the benefits of knowing one and interacting with that individual. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13

Conformity, the process of submerging some desires and wishes for the sake of a larger benefit, is often a necessary act. Yet, some people actually lose their personal identity by overcomforming to group norms and behaviors. Some of these people want to lose it; others find it taken away. However, it is important to remember that even if we cannot see it, there may be come benefits coming to a person from one’s [participation in certain conforming behaviors. A person who gives up most of one’s personal preferences and consistently goes along with the crowd may very well be meeting a greater need, like being accepted or avoiding rejection. People still tend to do what meets their important needs because a person’s duties to oneself and to one’s fellow people are indissolubly connected. The Church of Latter-day Saints cannot force individuals to become one with God and others. That must be done only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness. Love of learning involves mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally; obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13

The ultimate objectives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are as inclusive and extensive as can be imagined, both individually and collectively-namely, to attain eternal life for all individuals and eternal continuity for families and to maintain a supportive, unified community of Saints on Earth who live the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The scale and profundity of these objectives are equal to the depth and commitment they require.  Love of learning does not have to be limited to only in a church, school, or a classroom. The World is the biggest classroom ever. One can enhance this strength by going out and engaging in new skills and experiences. It is the key to improving ourselves and it helps us tackle challenges and setbacks. People with high strengths in love of learning can maintain a sense of efficacy and motivation while learning longer than those who do not. Christ promises righteous men and women and children that they shall be joint-heirs with him. “And one that receiveth me receiveth my Father; and one that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto you,” reports Docterine and Covenants 84.37-38. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13

Wisdom is viewed as a strength that is different from intelligence and is the higher form of knowledge. It is used for the sake of oneself and others well-being. People with this strength see things through a wider lens. In addition, perspective is all about the experiences. Perspective or wisdom could be developed through life tasks, adjustments, coming to terms with life choices, life changes, and stressful life experiences. Salvation is both an individual and a collective matter. Individuals are punished for their own sins, but the personal choices that foster growth and exaltation necessarily involved other people. People demonstrate their love for God by keeping his commandments. Christ affirms great diversity and individuality in gospel service. Each person has abilities to perform Christlike service that others may not be able to perform. Personal spiritual gifts and talents are to be cultivated and share. “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every person is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” reports Doctrine and Covenants 46.11-12. Having the vision of God is the source of all patience because it gives us God’s true and proper inspiration. A person who has the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any particular issue—one is devoted to our Heavenly Father. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13

Every natural formation, in the solar system as in the human spirit, is a passage from the indistinct to the distinct. This passage occurs necessarily and incessantly, regulated by a constant rhythm, that is, by immutable order. However, the distinct never exhausts the indistinct, which both underlies and transcends it; and since the distinct is the finite, then we must admit that, beyond the finite, lies the infinite. The infinite is a progressive development without beginning or end. All natural formations, including thought, which is a kind of meteor in the life of the Universe, emerge from and return to this infinite. Wisdom provides a great advantage to human beings. Development requires the process of thinking as the beacon to guide which way we should go. However, most importantly on wisdom, knowing oneself is the beginning of all wisdom. The I (self) and natural things are constituted by neutral elements, that is, sensation. The self and things differ, therefore, only by the nature of the synthesis, that is, by the connection that are established among the sensations. Those sensations that refer to an internal organ and have the character of continuity are associated in the autosynthesis, or the self. Those sensations that refer to an external organ and are discontinuous are associated in the heterosynthesis that gives rise to things. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13

Self-actualization is a process of discovering important needs and goals, both personal and social, and finding creative and enjoyable ways of meeting these needs, of reaching these goals, so that the individual is fulfilled and able to feel one is a significant person, without taking away the same satisfactions from any other person. We are life affirming itself in the midst of other lives affirming themselves. “Praise be to the LORD today,” reports 1 Kings 5.7. If we were driven by instincts alone, we would meet only out personal needs, heedless and unresponsive to those around us. However, because of being blessed with the higher centers of the brain, the massive network of thinking and learning we call the cerebral cortex, the sensitive and aware person will always experience a tension between personal needs and group needs. This is the agony and the ecstasy of being a human being. This is the struggle for significant selfhood. However, it is better to be a person in pain than a cabbage in ecstasy! It is a fact that humans are capable of disinterested or altruistic actions, but such actions can be explained by recourse to natural and social factors. The ideals and the prescriptive maxims that determine them derive from the reactions of society to acts that either preserve or damage it—reactions that impress the individual and become fixed in his or her conscience as norms or moral imperatives. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13

That which is called conscience, therefore, is the progressive interiorization accomplished by the repeated and constant experience of the external sanctions that the antisocial act encounter in society. Chance consists in the intersecting of various causal series that, taken together, constitute the order of the Universe. These intersections are unpredictable, through the events that constitute every individual series are not unpredictable. So-called human freedom is an effect of the plurality of the physical series, that is, of the multiplicity of possible combinations of various causal orderings that constitute human’s psychical life. Humans have an intimate involvement with their environments: prenatal, physical, social and cultural environments. There is a need for the complete, holistic view of humans-interacting-with-environment. The human social experiences provide an individual with a whole host of positions in the social structure (called statuses) and definite expected behaviors (called roles) that go with them. In addition, people are given a set of rules or limitation that are placed on their personal and social behavior. It should not be assumed that when resistance and reaction occur, it is always the fault of the authority person. Often the authority person may be behaving in a very appropriate manner but the subordinate has been so conditioned to resent and rebel against authority that, no mater how the superior acts, the subordinate always responds negatively. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13

Human’s selfhood is complicated by one’s social interactions and interconnections. Among the social processes that assist and hinder one is cooperation, competition and conflict. Sometimes this means that in order to achieve a new and more effective level of interaction, both subordinate and authority need to reexamine their attitudes and behavior and work out a change. The type of relationship that is both possible and desirable between authority and subordinates is called interdependence—the cooperative or collaborative using of each other’s resources. Dependence and independence, two more important parts of the biosocial nature of humans, must be integral elements of what significant selfhood is all about. We considered the matter of individualism, seeing it at times as a dangerous enemy of self-actualization. However, keep in mind, love of the individual is unconditional, although we may not love certain of one’s actions. People need to sit down and talk about their feelings of love and their concerns. Feelings of the heart need to be shared, no matter how awkward or difficult it may be. And it must be done now. Delay only increases the development of the relationship in negative directions. And, authority persons need to begin to display greater confidence and trust in those under them. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13