You cannot imagine what it is like to give birth to one of these babies, they speak to you even from the womb, they know you, and you know them, and they are hardwired with the knowledge of their kind. That is what a woman once told me about pregnancy and child birth. At the most basic level of existence, human beings are an organism. This word means that their aliveness is described by the same fundamental characteristics found in any organism in nature: irritability of the protoplasm, nutrition and digestion, reproduction, and motility. Whatever else humans are, one begins with their biological existence and not only builds that, but also builds with it. For it is a wondrous piece of equipment, this body that humans possess. It is weaker and more fragile than many animal bodies, and more prone to disease and destruction than many. It has senses less acute than most others animals’. Human beings also have the longest period of dependency on parents of any organism in nature—nearly 18 years. And by no means do humans live the longest. Their evolved posture makes them among the least coordinated organisms and has rendered the human frame and internal organs particularly vulnerable to all kinds of infirmaries and disorders. Yet, the human brain and the rest of the nervous system of human’s body are of a quality unduplicated in nature thus far. #RandolphHarris 1 of 14

There must be a reason why emotions are part of our human nature, though we cannot fully explain it. Probably there are survival values attached to certain strongly-felt emotions, such as fear, anger, surprise, and sorrow. However, even beyond this, a human being meeting the variety of experiences life presents cannot help but realize that a great part of really getting into life is emotional and sensate and intuitive, as well as merely cognitive. An instinct, experience, or tendency has survival value if it helps (or once helped) human beings to stay alive. Dependence on instinctive behaviors has been far exceeded by reliance on learned behavior, making humans more in control of their lives than any other organism. Thus, we can say we are first of all highly specialized organisms, organized systems of nucleic acids, performing vital function, with sensory and neural mechanisms of a particularly selective brand. However, what else? A porpoise is also an organism with a highly specialized nervous system. So is a chimpanzee. So are millions of creatures further down the evolutionary scale. We could add to these traits the fact that this particular nervous system enables us to learn, but a fantastic array of other organisms can be conditioned, can profit from trial-and-error experiences, can imitate, can be instructed. Is it in the kinds of things we can learn that a proper distinction can be found? #RandolphHarris 2 of 14

Human beings find themselves born into a beautiful World. They live in a whirlpool of love, caring, happiness, and are blessed by the ultimate goal of trying to gain access to eternal life. People would like to escape from the burden of anxiety, but one would also like to know its meaning. Our instinctive emotions are those that we have inherited from a much more primitive World, and contain, therefore, a larger portion of fear than they should. Instinctive responses are those which are natural or inborn, not learned. Psychologically, it is nearly impossible never to feel fear. However, we have all learned society’s attitudes about it, so, in order not to appear cowardly, people deny their fears, jump boldly into danger, and may die foolishly and needlessly. Anxiety is similar to gear, but far more common to most of us is the emotion of anxiety. Other names for anxiety are worry, dread, and apprehension—Chicken Little crying out “The sky is falling!” Anxiety is usually based on threats or dangers that are indefinite or are not real or very likely to come right away. People living in the Sacramento Valley might be worried about the protection the dams and levees provide and might be justified in fearing them failing, since the Oroville dam (the tallest dam in the US 770 feet (235 meters)  failed in February 2017, and 188,000 people were evacuated. The total cost to repair exceeded $400 million. #RandolphHarris 3 of  14

The main thing in life is not to be afraid to be human. As far as is known, only human beings can control and use fire. Human life has been differentiated from other animals not only because of their use of fire, but also because of their development of shelter, clothing, tools, weapons, complex social structures, and the practice of some form of magic or worship. The tranquility of the souls is based on reconciliation with God and each other. If we are meek and courageous enough to pursue it, the Holy Spirit will guide us and we cannot fail. The amazing thing about being human is that even the complex social structures built by people are somewhat different from those found in troops of baboons or colonies of paper wasps. Human’s social structures seem to spring not necessarily from instinct, but from cultural patterns built up around both biological and social needs. The patterns of family, for instance, are designed to meet both the bodily biological needs for sexual activity, touch-tenderness, nurturance and protection and instruction of the young, and for division of labor. The human family is much more than a springboard from which the young dive into adult living. The miracle of reconciliation is always available to us, and out of the for the family and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we know to be true. #RandolphHarris 4 of 14

Other questions about human’s nature are raised by persons interested in the existence of soul, or spirit. This concept, however, is apparently more than just another name for human’s essence, because most religious systems relate soul to some outside, transcendent, pre-existing, surviving Force. This Force is known to most people in the Judeo-Christian heritage as God. Many scientists, and psychologist in particular, are generally unwilling or reluctant to admit religious or theological notions into their theories and practice. They maintain that religion and belief in God are, for the most part, super-naturalistic, beyond the concerns of science. However, the practice of religious belief and the behavior which results from believing are appropriate areas of concern and study, even if the beliefs themselves are in super-natural subjects. Therefore, since so many sincere people hold meaningful notions concerning the soul—some equate soul and mind and consciousness—an exploration of the concept can add to our understanding of human nature. Willingness to forgive and move forward in spite of the imperfections of others has brought blessings that are still coming—and will come forever. As humans, we have been asked to live together in love with no disputations among us. Spirit of contention is not for us. #RandolphHarris 5 of 14

Indeed, a great degree of out relationship to God will be determined—or at least affected—by our relationship to each other. Among the many things we find in humans that we have not yet been able to find in other animals is a concern with Value. In its simplest definition value means the worth of something. So far as we know, only humans set up criteria of value by which to judge everything from pickle relish at the country fair to abstract qualities like Goodness, Truth, Beauty, Justice, and Right. Surely each of us could cite an endless array of old scars and sorrows and painful memories that this very moment still corrodes the peace in someone’s heart or family or neighborhood. Whether we have caused that pain or been the recipient of the pain, those wounds need to be healed so that life can be as rewarding as God intended it to be. Like that old, stale chocolate cake in your refrigerator and the sour ice cream in the freezer that your grandchildren carefully check on your behalf, those old grievances have long since exceeded their expiration date. Children are too young to realize things expire sometimes, but as an adult, please do not give precious space in your soul to them any longer. Let us not compromise our spirit for some old cookies and spoiled milk. #RandolphHarris 6 of 14

Humans began putting value-labels on things probably when they first found themselves choosing between things they needed and those they did not. No doubt early people found that they could keep or carry or guard only so many things, which is why diamonds, sliver, and gold have such a high value, and had to decide which were necessary, useful, vital for their survival and which were not. This evaluative process was expanded when these early men and women and children began grouping together and had to make judgments about which items and actions had survival-value for individuals, for groups, and eventually for societies. Later, of course, as societies became more complex and mere physical survival became a less critical concern, necessities—and thus values—were redefined in terms of other needs, likes, or wants. It is also important for people to realize that God did not say that you are not allowed to feel true pain or real sorrow from the shattering experiences one has had at the hand of another. Nor did God say in order to forgive fully, one has to reenter a toxic relationship or return to an abusive, destructive circumstance. However, notwithstanding even the most terrible offenses that might come to us, we can rise above our pain only when we put our feet onto the path of true healing. #RandolpHarris 7 of 14

God is the Healer of every wound, God rights every wrong, and asks us to labor with him in the daunting task of peacemaking in a World that will not find it any other way. Some people are letting miserable misunderstandings run on from year to year, and even for decades because they do not want to face justice; many are also keeping wretched quarrels live with the vicious imaginations; and often people speak to others out of spite or to merely annoy them. If we are lettings people’s hearts ache for a word of appreciation or sympathy, we must realize that we may never have another chance to show our appreciation for others. Human beings are a valuing creature, and we can now wonder at the multitude of things which have been stacked on top of each other as humans have tried to organize their values. These systems and hierarchies have had a deep effect on the way in which people have lived their life and related to others. By addressing problems before they can grow larger, conscientious individuals maintain better healthy overall and, on average, live longer with better quality life. Conscientious individuals also perform better at some jobs than others. We always know when God is at work because he produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring. If one knows of an old injury, or a relationship needs mending, repair it. Care for one another in love. #RandolphHarris 8 of 14

In our World of reconciliation, it is up to us to be peacemakers—to love peace, to seek peace, to create peace, to cherish peace. We make this appeal in the name of God. “Behold, now I say unto you that he commands you to repent, you can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. But behold, this is not all—he has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you from off the face of the Earth; yea, he will visit you in anger, and in his fierce anger he will not turn away,” reports Alma 9.12. The placement of highest value on happiness actually begins with a belief that the greatest good is Pleasure. Good is the pleasure of the individual: I know not how I can conceive of the good, if I withdraw the pleasures of hearing, and withdraw the pleasurable emotions caused by the sight of beautiful form. All the living creatures as soon as they are born take delight in pleasure, but resist pain by a natural impulse apart from reason. Things are good insofar as they are pleasant. “Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD,” reports 1 Chronicles 17. #RandolphHarris 9 of 14

Whatever is the object of any person’s appetite or desire, that it is which for his or her part one calls good. Please is the Greatest Good. We endeavor, wish, desire, or long for nothing because we deem it good; but, on the other hand, we deem a thing good because we endeavor, wish for, or long for it. Eternal life is thought to be pleasurable because we will not only be immortal, but we will live eternally, with God, and that is why we find being good and obeying God pleasurable. It is thought that once we reach eternal life, we will be able to create our own Worlds and that is certainly something to aspire to. Therefore, that is why we must love each other and not only selfishly seek pleasure, but aim for the greatest happiness of all humankind. “Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek God, he will be found by your; but if you forsake God, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work,” reports 1 Chronicles 28.9. Large-scale happiness is something we are to strive for. Many of us are motivated by our instinctive biological urges to gain pleasure and avoid pain. “The Lord will deliver you out of bondage accord to his pleasure,” Mosiah 7.33. #RandolphHarris 10 of 14

What about this? We have felt with the biologists and others that we all are equipped with bodies that are capable of responding easily and readily to pleasure and which turn away from pain as often as possible, We know that all the touch receptors contained in the body are far more receptive and sensitive to pain than to any other feeling and thus we get the idea that avoiding painful injury is one of the most important tasks of our sensory equipment. Thinking that you are aware is altogether different from being aware of thinking. Working with our mind means being consciously and undividedly attentive to whatever arises in it—thoughts, fantasies, images, judgments, comparisons. (A well-grounded mindful practice is very helpful with the practice of this.) Most of what arises in our minds is invoked unbidden. Becoming aware of this is the beginning of mindfulness. Observing what our mind is doing, and maintaining this awareness for more than a few minutes is not easy, but must be learned if we are to cease being automatically run or hooked by what passes through our minds. The opposite end of the discomfort continuum is pleasure, total comfort, and thus human striving away from pain puts the attainment of pleasure very high on the priority list. “Gates of hell shall not prevail against those who build upon Jesus Christ’s doctrine,” reports 3 Nephi 11.39. #RandolphHarris 11 of 14

In this history of human’s relationship with the Christian Church we can observe, too, that one has been condemned again and again for one’s bodily desires and for seeking physical and emotional pleasure. Perhaps the medieval church, by placing such emphasis, albeit negatively, on the searching for physical happiness, has forced many to experiment with something so obviously important to a very large segment of society. There are some indications that the human mind cannot translate the work “don’t” into action. Experimenters in the field of psychocybernetics maintain that the mind translate whatever image succeeds the word. As a negative consequence, “Don’t take drugs,” becomes, in the mind, “take drugs.” So, it may actually help to remind people to make sure they are sober and of clear mind and judgment before they drink. And also remind them to remain sober because the adversary is out there preying like a thirsty tiger, looking for someone to devour. All the facts are not in, of course, but the idea is worthy of consideration, particularly in relation to why “don’t” so often seems to be a challenge or dare that is difficult to ignore. “But charity is the pure love of Jesus Christ, and it endures forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with God,” reports Moroni 7.47. #RandolphHarris 12 of 14

The Search for Pleasure ethic is far from dead. It forms the central emphasis in the Playboy Philosophy. Playboy magazine has for the past few decades been making public the personal ethic of its publisher, the late Hugh Hefner, who emphasizes the pleasures of sexual activity for their own sake, provided the participants recognize the responsibility of their actions. He feels that it is unnecessary to justify or institutionalize sexuality. It is a bodily drive like hunger and thirst and needs to be satisfied as easily as are the other drives. Love, he feels, is a pleasant accessory to sexuality, but not necessarily a prerequisite. He advocates neither adultery nor extramarital affairs, nor the violation of the rights and privacy of any one. Sexuality, says Hugh Hefner, is and should be a personal matter between two consenting adults. His criticism of conventional morality for giving most of us our hang-ups and guilt feelings is very biting and penetrating. Yet, there is a sophistication and a call-to-arms about the Playboy Ethic that makes it more than just a modern-day challenge, telling Victorianism to go to its long-awaited grave and stay there. It is almost as Mr. Hefner, its strategist, is crusading for the end of repressive and guilt-producing attitudes regarding sexuality and other bodily pleasures. There are many who are rallying around Mr. Hefner’s flag. #RandolphHarris 13 of 14

However, most scholars would agree that the major emphasis in Christian theology is not necessarily pleasure, but Godliness, or more correctly Christlikeness. God has sent an example, to be followed and to be worshiped as God’s own son. Strive to be like Christ, commit yourself to him, and God’s grace will save humanity. We can, through faith and worship, become perfect. “There are so many kinds of voices in the World, and none of them is without signification,” reports 1 Corinthians 14.8-10.  Our World is not much the same as it was in the Victorian era. “If it were not for the prayers of the righteous, we would even now be visited with utter destruction,” reports Alma 10.22. Of course, there are many many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the World from destruction. Many good people are being influenced by the bold spirit of times. “The Lord delights in chastity women and men,” reports Jacob 2.28. #RandolphHarris 14 of 14

As they stood baffled, not knowing what to make of the evidence of their senses, I told the guards to back off and leave the matter to me. Memories are referred to the past history of the rememberer by feelings of warmth and intimacy and of the past direction in time. A feeling of pastness is an essential constituent of memory. In the crucible of Earthly trials, we must patiently move forward, and the Savior’s healing power will bring us light, understanding, peace, and hope. Although the details will differ, the tragedies, the unanticipated tests and challenges, both physical and spiritual, come to each of us because this is morality. This consists partly in the occurrence of images as more or less accurate copies of past occurrences because they are accompanied by two kinds of feelings, feelings of familiarity, which lead us to trust the images to the past and to assign places to them in the time and order. According to the intensity of the feeling of pastness, we refer the image (or the event represented by it) to more or less remote times in the past. This feeling is apparently not something distinct from the feelings of pastness and familiarity, but the reference to the past in memory is possessed in the nature of the belief-feeling, not in the content believed. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

It was useless to say anything at this juncture. It was not a vampire that they had just seen. They knew and suspected nothing of supernatural origin here. It was Erin’s spectacular recovery which had them in total disbelief.  Here the knowledge to be explained is not knowledge of the past; it is the rememberer’s knowledge of one’s own present state of mind. This view involves the idea that when one has a memory belief one must, unless one is unaware of having the belief (if this is possible), be aware of a presentation from which one can read off that one has it. Let us suppose that this presentation consists, among other things, of a feeling of belief together with an image representing that content of the belief. Now unless we supposed that this presentation is the belief itself, rather than a mere sign of its existence, it would seem that positing its existence does not advance us toward an explanation of how a person knows that, and what, one believes; for otherwise we would need an explanation of how a person knows that a presentation of a certain sort indicates the existence of a belief of a certain sort. Yet it seems absurd to say that a memory belief is a feeling or a complex consisting of feelings and images. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

And this will be doubly absurd if it is held that memory presentations are the grounds of memory beliefs. For then the presentation will be both the belief and the ground on which the belief is based, and the belief, therefore, will be based on itself. And it seems absurd to speak of a belief as being based on itself. Perhaps it will be said that only part of the memory presentation—a part which excludes the feeling of belief—is the ground of the belief, and that this part is not identical with the belief that is grounded on it. However, if so, why must there also be a feeling of belief? The back parlor was best for such gatherings, having no bookshelves and a deep velvet sofa and lots of tolerable Queen Anne chairs. Of course there was ormolu and inlaid wood everywhere, and a blazing new wallpaper of wine and beige stripes, and the garlands of flowers in the carpet seemed to be having convulsions, and the Impressionist paintings on the wall in their thick encrusted frames were like windows into a far far better, Sun-filled Universe, but it was a good room. I shut off the overhead chandelier immediately and switched on two of the smaller corner lamps. It was softly dim now, but not uncomfortably so, and I directed everyone to sit down. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

The sense of directly aware is supposed to be the sense in which we are directly aware of such entities as pains and mental images; in this sense, it is logically impossible for a person to mistakenly think that one is directly aware of an object, and logically impossible for a person to be mistake concerning the character of that which one is directly aware. If we were directly aware of past events in this sense, there would be memory statements that are, like pain reports, incorrigible, that is, such that it is logically impossible for a sincere assertion of them to be false. However, it is evident that no memory statement is incorrigible in this sense, and that the mere fact that someone now has the memory belief that X happened can never entail, by itself, that X happened. In order to get the most out of our complex collection of adulthood, we must make conscious choices. People who commit to continually recreating their roles discover a newfound sense of personal control and greater satisfaction in all the roles they choose to play. Do you earn enough money? Does any of us? I do not think I earn enough. Despite the fact that I live well, I can think of all sorts of reasons more money would be useful. I would like to take a long vacation, for one, and I would like to pay someone to do the chores I am tired of doing. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

Then there is the live-in lawyer I want to hire to massage my troubles away. And that is just the beginning. Sit back for a second and imagine you have just won one hundred and fifty million dollars in the lottery, or that a long-lost relative has graciously left you two hundred million dollars in one’s will. What is the first thing you would do? Tell your boss good-bye? Leave home with no forwarding address? What long-term changes would you make? Would you go back to college? Move to a real city? Would you be happier because of new found financial security and experiencing those long wished for escapades? Why do you do your job? To earn enough money to feed, house, and clothe your family? To take care of your children so your spouse can be free to earn? To save enough to realize your dream of owning a mansion? What gives you the most on-the-job satisfaction? If you could change three things about your job, what would they be? Those of us who get the most satisfaction from our work tend to be top performers who have plenty of self-esteem—two qualities that are associated with increased earning potential! Adulthood offers us the opportunity to remake work in ways that make it more relevant to our most heartfelt needs and desires. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

Few of us have more than a vague idea of what our personal satisfiers are. The occurrence would be one of coming to remember, or perhaps being reminded of, something previously forgotten (sometimes something only momentarily forgotten). Here remembering in this sense may be preceded by trying to remember, as when one gropes for the answer to a question, or searches one’s memory for it. When this happens, and also in cases of sudden and spontaneous recollection, there often occur the memory images and experiences of remembering to which memory theorists have attached so much importance. We are in the habit of gauging our work primarily by the wroth it commands on the open market, not by how well it matches our inner urges to grow. We have to look for instances in everyday life that confirm our identified satisfiers. As we become more confident in the power of our strengths to add satisfaction to our lives, capitalize on these competencies in other situations, we will invent new ways of addressing certain duties and interest that incorporate our hidden strengths. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. However, intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when our soul will be wounded. That is why it seems that sometimes millionaires and billionaires worry because they start to see that there are no guarantees in life. However, the one thing we can count on is God. Most people are surprised to learn tat they are skilled enough, experienced enough, even secure enough in their earning power to enable them to transform the work they do to make a living into more than just working for a paycheck. Mature people are able to see that no matter how much money they make, it is important to pursue satisfaction somewhere, too. As we grow spiritually, so will the people around us. Magically, negative comment will become more jovial and less demoralizing. Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich nor less affluent, to one culture, one nation, nor one generation. They come to all and are part of the learning we receive from this mortal experience. “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” reports Isaiah 53.1. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

We must understand that people are smart. We cannot confuse our efforts with shallow management practices such as passing out smile buttons or having morale meetings; people sense a manipulative motive when it is present, and give only as much as they think they have to to appear to be a person who plays or works well as a member of a team or a group. Therefore, it is important that we make a habit of using our hidden assets in all our endeavors, and we will find our workday as fulfilling as our time off. The next reward shows us another way to elevate satisfaction while increasing competence. Yet, our soul wounds may come from a natural disaster, an unfortunate accident, an unfaithful husband or wife, annoying neighbors and community members, and 62 percent of people claimed to be exhausted, while 70 percent blamed job stress for their health problems and lack of productivity. There are so many things that turn life upside down for a righteous person. We each understand that difficulties are part of life, but when they come to us personally, they can take our breath away. “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trials which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you,” reports Apostle Peter. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

Along with bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father’s plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers. If it be denied that knowledge and belief can be simply retained, and tat a belief can be well grounded simply by virtue of having been acquired on the basis of good evidence or from a reliable source, the only alternative sees to be that we must be constantly re-acquiring, on the basis of continuous supply of fresh evidence, every item of knowledge we possess and are said to remember. When we have ready (if not constant) access to our best self, amazing things can happen. We are eligible for a kind of genius. We become open to new ideas, more able to weigh tough options, more creative in the way we approach the problems in our life. We may also begin to get a dose of the cosmic truths whose promise makes every moment an adventure. “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception,” reports Proverbs 14.1. “The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble,” reports Proverbs 16.6. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9

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Doubt must be genuine, not feigned, and unless it is employed in good faith, one is likely to err in doubting real evidence, just as, without methodological doubt one is likely to err in allowing unwarranted belief. Accordingly, doubt has no privileged status over belief. Ability to attain truth as well as falsehood must underlie the quest for truth, and freedom is thus a condition of the possibility of knowing truth as well as of being mistake. “Better for one person to perish than for a nation to dwindle in unbelief,” reports 1 Nephi 4.13. Freedom is a double dilemma. Either causal necessity or freedom is a fundamental truth, and each doctrine must be asserted either necessarily or freely. If necessity is the true doctrine, my affirmation thereof is eo ipso necessary, but since neither doubt nor belief relative to evidence would function in that determination, doubt results. If necessity is true but I affirm freedom, then in addition to my inconsistency (for my affirmation is made necessarily), there is only a subjective foundation for knowledge and morality. Given the truth of determinism, erroneous as well as true judgments are necessary, and any supposed distinction between them is illusory. “Come to knowledge of true Messiah,” reports 1 Nephi 10.14. Stop listening to the tyranny of the natural life and win freedom into the spiritual life. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13

According to the hypothesis of freedom, if I freely affirm global necessity I am fundamentally inconsistent. If I affirm freedom under the same hypothesis, not only is my affirmation consistent with the hypothesis but I have a foundation for knowledge and morality. Under the double dilemma, the only satisfactory alternative is freely to affirm freedom. Freedom is essentially the power to add some novel reality to the existing World. Causality must be explained through the freedom and not vice versa. The data that are present to given event of consciousness arise out of the past relative to that event; they are past actualities, but present potentialities for the internal character o that event of consciousness out of which a determining decision is made. Human consciousness is a succession of self-creative events, each of which is given its ancestor selves as well as other data, and each of which is partially causa sui, a dependent independence. Thus, the totality of causal conditions of any human experience does not make this experience necessary, but only possible, while internal decision makes it contingently actual. All choice-making contains some arbitrary. “Because people are redeemed from Fall, they have become free forever,” 2 Nephi 2.26. The Savior has set us free from sin. We must reply on this energy. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13

In extending these doctrines to theology, and taking as axiomatic the concept that freedom, responsibility, and moral and religious values depends upon choice-decisions that an omniscient God need not know future contingents, since, in relation to any divine experience, they are not yet existent. To be knowable is to be determinate, and if all were known from eternity, then all would be eternally determinate, and time and choice-making would be illusions. Also since contingents are unequivocally in part causa sui, they are not wholly dependent on divine power. Far from viewing divine power as absolute total control, it is insisted that the only power worthy of God is the far greater one of creating self-creators. Real choice in the World is incompatible with all-embracing necessity, and it is neither metaphysically requisite nor religiously desirable that God be wholly immutable and eternal. God must have a temporal aspect in order to come to know contingents as they are realized; thus he remains always omniscient in knowingly all there is to know. This theology is thus that of an eternal-temporal being, his omniscience and omnipotence being relative to the irreducible contingency and self-creativity in the World. #RandolpHarris 3 of 13

The essence of the self is consciousness of action against the resistance and limitation of reality. This could be rendered: I will, or I strive, therefore I am. Thus, personality is existence as it is formed by the double cogito: hindered by obstacles, elevating itself by and towards value. People participates in absolute and transcendent value. Although value outruns one and is not wholly one’s creation, it is made determinate by one in a given, concrete situation. Reality, then, is at once the organ of self-creation and an obstacle to it. In a sense it degrades value, yet it actualizes value by making it determinate. We are, moreover, called back to awareness of the value-creating source in which we participate. This is a spiritual flow, or upsurge (essor). Some obstacle has to break the continuity of the upsurge before the self, concentrating upon it the body’s energy, begins to will. The willing self owes its being and consciousness to the obstacles it encounters. We participate in a World of absolute value and a World brute reality and create ourselves unceasingly through them. Therefore, our experiences, even the undesirable ones, make us who we are, even if it is not who we intended to be when we set foot on this journey in life. However, the important thing is to keep faith in God and follow his doctrines and covenants so we can like who we are and feel good about our lives. Because as long as we have faith, our dream will still come true. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13

Once we realize all that it cost God to forgive us, we will be held as a vise, constrained by the love God. The worth of a person does not consist in the truth one possesses, or thinks one possesses, but in the pains one has taken to attain that truth. For one’s powers are extended not through possession but through the search for truth. In this alone one’s ever-growing perfection consists. Possession makes one lazy, indolent, and proud. If God held all truth in his right hand and in his left the everlasting striving after truth, so that I should always and everlastingly be mistaken and said to me, “Choose,” with humility I would pick on the left hand and say, “Father grant me that; absolute truth is for thee alone.” What is required of humanity is not to assent to the propositions of a creed, but sincerity, human love, and tolerance. Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the less affluent by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed.  Though there are less affluent people in our society, the average American has enough food and clothing—at least enough so that these are not one’s only concerns in life. As one moves up the scale of motivations during one’s early childhood and concentrated more and more on the second level of the hierarchy, safety and security needs. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13

Children are explorers, testers, discoverers for themselves. How else can I discover me? A small boy (five years old) called Trayvon told me, “I am smarter than people thing I am!” I asked him, “In which way?” His answer was….”I do dangerous things (like walking to the store by myself) and I do not get hurt!” I did not tell him that he should not nor that he should. How else can there be freedom? How else can there be joy? Naturally, it is important to teach a child how to avoid danger. However, in teaching this lesson, the adult must be sure the child does not also learn to fear the source of potential anger, in and of itself. We have an innate propensity to get ourselves noticed, and noticed favorably, by our kind. No more fiendish punishment could be devised, were such a thing physically possible, than that one should be turned loose and remain absolutely unnoticed by all the members thereof. As one grows through childhood, the individual moves from being dominated by the need to learn and maintain one’s safety and security to the stage of testing out one’s abilities in a more social area. However, we learn if we put our trust in human beings first, then end result will be our despair and hopelessness toward everyone. We must trust what God’s grace can do. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13

Life, as we live it today, is more highly socialized, more urbanized, more—so far as external relationships are concerned—standardized than it used to be. The World has become uncomfortably small; we have not yet gained a complete control of our excessive procreational activity; so that there are far too many  of us, and, being so closely crowded together, we have to adopt all sorts of new precautions to avoid friction and permit of the greatest amount of mutual freedom available within our unduly narrow frontiers. So many of the old traditional social taboos having become antiquated or no longer adequate, there has been a furious activity in making new laws and regulations, without a due recognition of the fact that old taboos can only be replaced by new taboos, and that mere legal enactments, enforced, or left unenforced, by paid officials or the police, to be effective mist themselves become taboos, printed on the fleshy tablets of the individual citizen’s heart. And as a supernatural miracle of God’s grace, we stand justified, not because we are sorry for our sins, or because we have repented, but because of what God has done. Through identification with God, we can be freed from sin and have God’s very righteousness imparted as a gift to us. “The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you,” Deuteronomy 30.7. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13Challenging—and being challenged by—other is essential for our growth as is nurturance, but this does not mean that relational challenge is always a good thing. If challenge is not delivered with at least some compassion, it will tend to overpower rather than empower, and it will generate either submission or rebellion. If it is too soft or indirect, it will likely lack in needed impact; if it is aggressive, it will more often than not be met with defensiveness, defiance, or a caving in that does no one any real good. One of the most difficult things about a challenge itself is that it is inherently confrontational—not in some melodramatic way, but in the literal sense of the word confront, to stand in front of. Nothing sideways or devious or passive-aggressive about it. To confront is to directly come up against, to be face-to-face with. Unfortunately, this often carries some negative connotations, suggestive of hostility or pushiness. However, compassionate confrontation does not have to a contradiction. If we engage in it with strongly embodied presence, compassion, and clarity, confrontation can be a life enhancing process. This in itself is a real challenge, asking plenty of us, but not so much that it is not doable. “Great blessing of the Lord upon the family of Lehi in wilderness,” 1 Nephi 17.2 #RandolphHarris 8 of 13Challenging—and being challenged by—other is essential for our growth as is nurturance, but this does not mean that relational challenge is always a good thing. If challenge is not delivered with at least some compassion, it will tend to overpower rather than empower, and it will generate either submission or rebellion. If it is too soft or indirect, it will likely lack in needed impact; if it is aggressive, it will more often than not be met with defensiveness, defiance, or a caving in that does no one any real good. One of the most difficult things about a challenge itself is that it is inherently confrontational—not in some melodramatic way, but in the literal sense of the word confront, to stand in front of. Nothing sideways or devious or passive-aggressive about it. To confront is to directly come up against, to be face-to-face with. Unfortunately, this often carries some negative connotations, suggestive of hostility or pushiness. However, compassionate confrontation does not have to a contradiction. If we engage in it with strongly embodied presence, compassion, and clarity, confrontation can be a life enhancing process. This in itself is a real challenge, asking plenty of us, but not so much that it is not doable. “Great blessing of the Lord upon the family of Lehi in wilderness,” 1 Nephi 17.2 #RandolphHarris 9 of 13

Managers are typically evaluated as to how effective and efficient they are. Managing effectively and efficiently requires certain skills—leadership, technical expertise, conceptual skills, analytical skills, and human relations skills. “The Lord’s power is over all inhabitants of the Earth,” reports 3 Nephi 4.1. It is important to commit organizational resources to develop innovative goods and services and expand internationally to obtain new customers for the organization’s products. Good managers must move quickly to take corrective action to deal with unexpected problems facing the organization from the external environment, such as a crisis like an oil spill, or from the internal environment, such as producing faulty good or services. “Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, bless is one that believes in the word of God,” reports Alma 32.16. For a business to stay afloat, one must allocate organizational resources among different functions and departments of the business; set budgets and salaries of middle and first-level managers. One must also work with suppliers, distributors, and labor unions to reach agreements about the quality and price of input, technical, and human resources; work with other organizations to establish agreements to pool resources to work on joint projects. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13

Healthy challenge is not an attack. It asserts, sometimes forcefully so, but does not aggress or violate. Nor does it shame the other, though it sometimes may—without trying to do so—elicit a healthy shame in the other that catalyzes their conscience regarding questionable behavior on their part, while helping draw forth the kind of vulnerability that makes heartfelt remorse possible. Managers must also be able to monitor, evaluate the performance of other managers and employees in different function and take corrective action to improve their performance; watch for changes occurring in the external and internal environment that may affect the organization in the future, and inform employees about changes taking place in the external and internal environment that will affect them and the organization; one must also communicate to employees the organization’s vision and purpose. “Turn to the Lord with full purpose in heart,” reports Mosiah 7.33. One must also be a competent spokesperson. A successful business has the ability to launch a national advertising campaign to promote new goods and services; give speeches to inform the local community about the organization’s future intentions. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13

A good leader has the ability to influence employees to work toward organizational goals. Strong leaders manage and pay attention to the culture of their organizations and the needs of their customers. The intention of a healthy challenge, however fiery its expression might be, is not to dominate nor diminish others, but to clearly highlight and buttress life-giving possibilities, not leaving obstruction to well-being unaddressed. People tend to be more at ease with the delivery of this than with the reception of it, so sometimes the greater challenge is not to let one’s reactivity to being challenged get in the way of opening to it (assuming that such challenge is not abusive). Interpersonal cohesiveness is an important quality because the figurehead has to outline future organizational goals to employees at company meetings; open new corporate headquarters building; state the organization’s ethical guidelines and the principle of behavior employees are to follow in their dealings with customers and suppliers. Leader should possess the ability to provide an example for employees to follow; give direct commands and orders to subordinates; make decisions concerning the use of human and technical resources, and mobilize employee support for specific organizational goals. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13

 Being a liaison is another quality one has to display. Coordinating the work of managers in different departments; establishing alliances between different organizations to share resources to produce new goods and services is a priority and must be done with good intentions. Of equal importance is that we do not exclude from our challenging of another—however strong that might be or might need to be—and that we remain as open as possible to however the challenge might be received. Much of our work here is not to armor ourselves with our challenge—giving—hiding behind its delivery—but rather to remain transparently present as we express it, not letting our passion or conviction obscure or dilute our sensitivity to our recipient. Our succinct, well-grounded intuition, in as fittingly assertive and skillful a form as possible. And there is often a vulnerable piece here: through such challenge, we sometimes might risk our relationship with others, even as we perhaps recognize that it is an even greater risk to not thus speak up. A healthy manager can be fierce and can be gentle. One have to be emotionally vital and emotionally muted. Great leaders can be powerful motivators because they demonstrate a great deal of trust and confidence in their employees. If we do not deliever, we drift on stagnant seas, removed from not just the reefs, but also the depths. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13