Our nations may very well have reached a point where it is working feverishly to control infirmaries that we ourselves are causing. You forget my father is a doctor. Plans are afoot! Itineraries are set, tickets are bought, rooms at the Langham in London are booked, and I am ready to step on that boat. The question is, dear babe, are you ready? Surely you are just as curious as I am to see who is at the other end of that pen-and-paper. You are both scientist and artist, realist and dreamer. Curiosity is your middle name. True love does exist in the World. Although we are far away from each other, nothing can change our sincere friendship. Our hearts are connected though we are far from each other. I care for you and you care for me. Let me say lightly, babe, I miss you much. Be still my beating heart! Can it be true? Babe is going to brave the ocean for me? If all goes well, we should be arriving in Edinburgh on the sixteenth. I know I will not be able to wait a moment longer than that. The seventeenth at noon? St. Mary’s Cathedral on York Place? For many days, our sensitive hearts have tried to memorize too many things, but suddenly we look back, only to find that we remember nothing but the face of a comrade-in-arms who has gone with us through months and years. Happiness is not hidden in the satiation, but in the yearning. I always ask you how far it is from the eyes to the heart. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
What happened, babe? I thought we had a deal. Did that ferry prove too much for you? You are lucky I am not one to hold a grudge. However, do you realise that, at the very least, you owe me an explanation! One that does not involve a ravaging water horse. This trip has been great. Harry and I have had years to catch up on. He has not been the best of correspondents and, you may be surprised to hear, neither have I. You seem to inspire something special that makes me never run out of things to say. No matter where you go, no matter how long you are away, I will wait, wait and wait. Harry has got himself a sweetheart, Meghan, a demure young lady who writes the most saccharine verse. I met her: very polite and extremely beautiful. She spent half the time discussing the weather and the price of tea in precise, clipped accent and the other half trying to get Harry enjoy a delectable cuisine in one of the kitchens in her parents’ vast house. She is only eighteen, so no matter how much the rest of his anatomy was telling him otherwise, his head cooled long enough for him to decide not to pop the question just yet. He is heading back to the States to start medical school and a saving account. In the meantime, he hopes (although not too ardently!) that she develops at least on other skill or passion aside from trying to maneuver him into the kitchen at every opportunity. Harry believes that Meghan will be faithful, and we drank a toast to her. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
The cities we visited were lovely, but, truth to tell, I could have been back in Folsom and it would have been fine, as long as I was with Harry. Does that sound overly sentimental? He has started drinking coffee and writing poetry (is everyone a poet these days?). Aside from that, he is the same old Harry, and we felt like little boys. I am sure there were some occasions where we acted like little boys too. We are getting ready to board the ship, but I wanted to write to I could mail this before I left Great Britain. I more souvenirs to buy before we leave. I asked Tennessee what he wanted me to bring him back from my trip and he firmly requested an Italian pony. I do not think a pony would fit in my stateroom (that is what I get for sailing second class!), but how could I refuse the wishes of my favourite little boy? Harris is going to send one more cable to Meghan and has offered to drop this letter by the post office for me so I will be looking for a letter full of fervent explanations and humble apologies from you! No more secretes, babe! May bright Sunshine, youthful vigour, beautiful appearance and comfortable smile belong to you forever! Wishing you would stretch out your hands and accept my best wishes. May the flowers of happiness be fragrant in your future days. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
Very few people want to be lonely. Most try to find love. No one really wishes to live in constant interpersonal chaos or to be the cause of frequent disruptions of human relationships. Loneliness is ultimately an internal, subjective human experience. Therefore, in order to effectively combat its lethal influence, medicine must adopt techniques and approaches that go beyond the current scientific-objective approach of infirmary. Medicine must move beyond science to deal with this problem. We must use scientific objectivity to hep us understand human relationships as a philosophical attitude widely shared in our society that is causing rather than alleviating loneliness. Some people find that they are satisfied by the sheer pleasure of being in the midst of activity. They need to be around people, to absorb that colour and vitality of lives being actively lived. Many people want to feel like they are part of the human race. To feel that their lives are worthwhile, others need to participate in something larger than themselves. And not everything is about finding romance nor romantic love. People need to know that somewhere, at least for a few hours a week, their presence is expected and their efforts make a difference. People with disabilities are especially influential, as hardships in life are not easily forgotten. It is not about someone having power over one nor feeling like a victim, but the fact that your body has limitations that take time and effort to overcome, if ever. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
People with disabilities learn so much throughout their life lessons that able-bodies people rarely get to experience, but still they are seen as the biggest competition for some, so much so that they intentionally sabotage their lives, do things to make their injuries worse, or cause them to suffer from new injuries. Some disabled people are fear so much that people actually take time to make fun of them in an effort to lower their self-esteem. In fact, there was once this lady who used to work at a mental hospital and she admitted they used to beat up people with mental disabilities for fun because no one would believe them. Once you label someone as crazy, and get people to agree with you, no one will believe a thing they say, so the thought is one could get away with doing outlandish things to them because no one would believe stuff like that happens in this day and age. Having a physical or mental disability is definitely difficult, but it is also one of the richest classrooms a human can experience, too. I always recommend, no matter how good you think you are or how successful you believe yourself to be, it is always a good idea to look around at the competition. Many people tend to look at someone coming up as their biggest competition, so they can feel better about themselves, and they will try to crush that person’s dreams in the process and make life harder for them so they can retain their false sense of security. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
And sure, there are a lot of successful people without college degrees, and they may have obtained great material success, sometimes at the cost of others, but if your mind is not in the right place, and you have to lie, cheat, and steal to get where you are, that is a form of a mental disability. Also, sometimes it is best to look up to see how far you have to go to be successful and try to aim to do as good as someone who is on another echelon. True happiness is really possible in a broken body, but most people say they would rather die than live with a disability. That is because most able-bodied cannot imagine being happy if their body was every permanently broken. However, there is no reason why one should sit back and vegetate because one has physical limitations. There is meaning in what we do. However, until we manage to redefine our purpose this way, our days may lose their momentum and our spirits may yield to lassitude. For reasons sometimes unknown, some people are born with physical limitations. Specific parts of the body may be abnormal. Regulatory systems may be out of balance. And all of our bodies are subject to infirmary and aging. Nevertheless, the gift of a physical body is priceless. Without it, we cannot attain a fulness of joy. Our chronological age also misleads us. We can be deceived by numerical certainty into believing that the sum of our lived years tells us something absolute and incontestable about ourselves. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
A perfect body is not required to achieve a divine destiny. In fact, some of the sweetest spirits are housed in frail frames. Great spiritual strength is often developed by those with physical challenges precisely because they are challenged. Such individuals are entitled to all the blessing that God has in store for his faithful and obedient children. “Eventually the time will come when each spirit and body shall be reunited again in perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame,” reports Alma 11.43. If healing does not come in mortal life, it will come thereafter. Just as the gorgeous monarch butterfly emerges from a chrysalis, so will spirits emerge. The handiwork of God is manifest with respect to disabled people in many ways. It is demonstrated in the miraculous way in which individuals are able to adjust and compensate for their limitations. Occasionally, other senses become more functional and substitute for the impaired ability in a remarkable way. They, too, are in a life of progression, and new things unfold for them each day as with us all. They can be extraordinary in their faith and spirit. Some are able, through their prayers, to communicate with the infinite in a most remarkable way. Many have a pure faith in others and a powerful belief in God. They can give spiritual strength to others around them. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
The hardest thing with people with physical limitation is they may miss when they were able to do things. When they were able to work certain jobs and make money and move around like they pleased. However, laughter and spirituality brings people back to the present moment, to the sheer fact of continuing to be alive and viewing the spectacle around us. It heals the spirit by easing loneliness, rejection, or embarrassment. We are called to represent the Saviour. Our voice to testify becomes the same as his voice, our hands to life the same as his hands. We are taught to love and accept all of our Father’s children. Our goal is to fully extend the blessings of the gospel to everyone. “By this shall all people know that they are my disciples, if they have love for one another,” reports John 13.35. The love and understanding of the Saviour included all people in all their circumstances. We can follow his perfect example by increasing our own understanding and acceptance of those whose challenges seem great. Patience can help an individual emotionally get over physical inabilities in certain occasions. And remember, before you make fun of a person with a disability or take advantage of them, remember anyone can become disabled by accident. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
The wisdom here is to never forget we are all imperfect physical beings, and never think we are exempt. Since having a special needs, whether they are dietary or whatever, can be rather stressful, we can learn early on to not let our stress levels get too high. If we did, none of us would make it past 40. We are confronted with crazy things all the time, so we learn to prioritize what is really worthy freaking out over. There are ways to what we require to help us with our special needs, and for it could be as easy as adding Activia drinkable yogurt into their diet. That is why so many of us seem so peaceful. When you have special needs, you pretty much can enjoy being exactly who you want to be since fitting in with the popular crowd may not be possible anyway and embracing this can be one of the most freeing feelings ever. One does not need to fit in to feel good about oneself or think one belongs. One belongs to oneself, and that is amazing. You are a child of God and your Father loves you just the way you are. You never know what someone with special needs is capable of. Celebrate the qualities of open-mindedness, resilience, a sense of wonder, and enthusiasm as the most valuable possession of our species, to be cherished, nurtured, and cultivated. People who evince agelessness in their manner of living are those who have retained child-like qualities throughout adulthood or have manages to accomplish their recovery. A sense of humour can protect one from stress. It is a question of mind over matter. If you do not mind, it will not matter. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
Perhaps ultimately, and in the deepest sense, humor works by rallying, and being a manifestation of, the will to live. While not necessarily a learning disability, nor a physical disability, Asperger’s syndrome kept Bram Cohen firmly rooted in a World of patterns, puzzles, and computers. This was a big asset when he created BitTorrent, a disruptive technology that lets people transfer huge amounts of information over the Internet. BitTorrent also raised $34 million in capital. Bram Cohen also won Times’s award of 100 Most Influential People, and an award from MIT Technology Review TR35 for being one of the top 35 inventors in the World under age 35. There are also people living with hidden physical disabilities and they face discrimination daily because their physical limitations. We must live in a little, little World. We shall be content with that and cultivate it and make the best of it. It is necessary, and not in the least shameful, to take pleasure in good food, gentle simples, fruit-trees in bloom, waltzes. When we truly behold our lives, we behold the glory, wonder, and majesty of God. Regardless of physical limitations or the challenge of circumstances, our souls are endowed naturally with divine potential that is infinite and eternal. Much of life consists of shedding all that interferes with the expression of our uniqueness. Our individual voice is always distinctive; the difficulty lies in finding what we are, free of artifice. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Another story of innovation and triumph is Ralph William Braun. He was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at just six years of age. However, he had the will to overcome the challenges his special needs presented him as well as any other obstacles life put in his path. Doctors told him he would never be independent. Ralph lost his ability to walk. At a young age, he set his mind to engineering the first battery-powered scooter. From there he designed the world’s first wheelchair lift, installed in an old postal Jeep and complete with hand controls. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Ralph’s physical limitations only served to fuel his determination to live independently and prove to society that people with special needs can participate fully and actively in life. Braun started “Save-A-Step” manufacturing in 1963 to build the first motorized scooter. In 1966 Braun created the first wheelchair accessible vehicle, by creating a wheelchair platform lift and hand controls that were added to an old postal van. In 1970, Ralph added wheelchair platform lifts to full-sized vans. “Save-A-Step” was incorporated under a new name, The Braun Corporation, in 1972. He became known as the father of mobility. Ralph William Braun passed away a few years ago, but was worthy over $18 million USD. So, keep your dream no matter what. “Press forward, having perfect brightness of hope,” reports 2 Nephi 17.55. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
No calamity is greater than not knowing what is enough. No fault is worse than wanting too much. Whoever knows what is enough has enough. Babe, babe, you sure did a funny thing. I am not angry at you because I traveled across an ocean to meet you. That is why I shared those stories with you. Did you ever stop to think perhaps I worked about the same “what-ifs”? Avoiding a face-to-face meeting was to my advantage. You would not see how big my feet are or how clumsy I am when off the dance floor. I think you have a good opinion of me now (aside from my taste in jackets, I suppose). After all, I am devilishly handsome. Wickedly cleaver. Witty and utterly brilliant. Why would I want to jeopardize that? All those illusions could have vanished the moment we said hello. However, for the elusive chance to meet you…all of those apprehensions pale in comparison. I wanted in St. Mary’s Cathedral to meet you, babe. I really wish I knew a good joke or an amusing story to tell you. Have you heard from your husband? Do you know yet if he is being sent overseas? At least you can rest assured that you are safe. I am thankful for that. And, babe, it is probably a breach of etiquette to say so, but my heart breaks to hear that you lost your baby. I wish I knew the right words, but know that I hold them in my heart. “All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” reports Isaiah 54.13. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
You know, you never mentioned your husband before. I suppose I knew you were married, being a “Mrs.” and all, but you never talked about him. Funny, since we have talked about pretty much everything else. Please keep me updated. I can read the reports in the newspaper, but, from way across the ocean, it is hard to know what is really happening over there. I am here for you. It is important to replace exterior authority with inner illumination by God’s spirit. The deep spiritual meaning of the Bible (outer World)—which is allegorical, not historical but typological, full of contradictions and merely testimonial to the eternal truth—can be comprehended only by those who have already accepted the Inner Word: Unless we listen to the word of God within ourselves, we can make nothing of the Scripture for everything can be decked and defended with texts. Since all people descended from Adam, access to the Holy Spirit is equal. The act of faith is neither blind nor a will to believe, but arises out of the immediate awareness both of oneself as free and of a transcendence of oneself. Faith is thus both the condition and the result of the subject’s freedom, and all theoretical and practical activity has its source in this freedom. Truths have a different starting point and find a different expression, but their content—Being—is eternal. Our Heavenly Father is always available to us. He adapts to our level of understanding. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
Age is a unique and priceless treasure that can provide wisdom and knowledge, which cannot be learned in university textbooks. This wisdom can only be accumulated by years of experience within our environment and an intimate relationship with our Creator. Our Creator has designed within us a mind-body that is special and unique to humans. When properly maintained, the human body is designed and uniquely structured to last for more than one hundred years. Some researchers and health care professionals have suggested that the reason we experience degenerative diseases, cancer, heart problems, and the like is that people are living longer. This could be true for a small percentage of our society. However, one-third of all cancers are preventable though a combination of dietary changes, adequate physical activity, and maintenance of appropriate body weight. Avoiding tobacco and alcohol could prevent an additional one-third of occurrences of cancer. It has been suggested that 200,000 of the 600,000 cancer deaths in the United States of America each year might be prevented if these recommendation guidelines were followed. When a person has a high fat diet, there is an enhanced effect on tumor growth. It has also been reported that dietary factors may account for 35 percent of cancer deaths. There is strong evidence between dietary fat and cancer. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8
Citizens need to be better educated about health issues. Education could reduce the cost of health care within our community. Many of us search for answers through human experiences that elevate and unite our thoughts and feelings. Words have much more power than we realize. If our words contain beauty, people treasure them. If our words contain pain, people toss them aside, but not until after they have dealt with what the word causes. “Evil words destroy one’s friends; wise discernment rescues the Godly,” reports Proverbs 11.9. Expectations are often shaped by what people say to us. When a person’s actions do not match their words, real problems arise and we start to question their sincerity. I am someone who holds sincerity very dear; I would rather be told that my company is no longer wanted that to be ignored. Why? Because being ignored or being fed platitudes makes me feel like I do not matter. I try to be upfront about this with people; after all, it is my responsibility to be honest about what I need from others. However, even this does not always work, which makes it even more hurtful when I am left to interpret the difference between someone’s words and their actions in my own way, without the benefit of hearing how they really feel towards me. Being trusted with the truth means that a person at least acknowledges me (even if they may not like me) and there is no room for confusion. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8
Perhaps not everyone feels this way, and I am not advocating for unleashing one’s innermost venom upon others, but I think we underestimate how important sincerity is. Maybe that is because we currently live in a World that perpetuates insincerity in a myriad of ways. I was not sure how to respond, and so I am glad you wrote again. I truly did not mean to offend you. I do not have many women in my life. We found each other when I helped you out of a broken place, and you gave me comfort, but falling for you was my mistake. I held you high above everything else, and claimed you so proud and openly. When times were rough, I made sure I held you close to me. Remember when I kissed you so gently, your enthusiasm warmed my ice-cold heart; how brilliant and tender the moon was on that night. Your care arouses my gratitude. May we have a long and bright future. Do you recall the story of Samuel Langhorne Clemens? He was at the time 32, and trying to woo an unenthusiastic 22-year-old Oliva Langdon. He asked her to marry him, and she declined, but told Samuel that he could writer to her like brother and sister. Over 17 months, he wrote her about 184 letters, and when he returned to greet her and ask for her hand in marriage, she finally agreed and her father gave Samuel his blessings. As a wedding gift, Oliva’s father bought her and Samuel a house. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8
I have just gotten back from a ski trip to Ishpeming, Michigan, with a few friends, which is what made me think of that story. I got a letter from Harry. He has proposed that I sail over to England, go on a sort of valedictory tour of Britain with him, before sailing back to the States together. My philosophy on life has always been the same—stay focused on your goals, priorities, and work and have fun doing whatever you do—and I have remained true to that theme all my adult life. Nobody ever got anywhere in life doing what everyone else is doing. Nobody ever made it big by following the crowd. Leaders lead, followers follow. You cannot do both. People are always happier when they have more fun in their lives. Couples are happier in the relationships if they have the magic ratio 5:1 Optimistic to Pessimistic interactions. For every one disagreement, misunderstanding or hurt feeling, they need five good, affectionate, caring or fun interactions to counter balance it. As we all know, conflict is inevitable in long term relationships. We just need to be careful to not allow the conflict to erode relationship satisfaction. It is also important that couples prioritize their relationships. We need to know that we are there for each other and we matter. We also need to know that we can still enjoy each other’s company over the years. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8
New experiences activate the brain’s reward system, flooding it with dopamine and norepinephrine—which are the same brain circuits that are ignited in early romantic love. If a life does not inspire you, is it really worth living? Really. Take a moment to consider that question. Is it not the entire point of life to be happy? To enjoy what you are up to? To feel fulfilled? Heavenly Father desires that we find true, lasting happiness. Our happiness is the design of all the blessings he gives us—gospel teachings, commandments, family relationships, temples, the beauties of creation, and even the opportunity to overcome adversity are part of our salvation. Salvation is often called the great plan of happiness. We are endowed with a remarkable capacity for sympathetic understanding and exemplary brilliance and clarity. The human soul is not merely the end product, but the goal of the great evolutionary process contrived by God. Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. Be honest with yourself! Virtue, conformity to standards, moral excellence, strength, and courage is its own reward. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8
True fun activities are ones that are frivolously joyful. They have no agenda. And, they are things we do for the sake of doing them. Plus, they do not produce any other outcome, but to make us laugh and smile. Most people do not make fun a priority, though having fun is crucial. We tend to put our responsibilities and our survival needs first. However, fun is also a responsibility and survival need. If we never have fun, we will drain our levels of joy and happiness dry. Then become mentally drained, and the joy we experience from living our lives will dwindle. When we engage in fun activities that get us in the state of feeling good, our brain learns to activate the pathways that produce good emotions faster. The more fun we have, the easier it is for us to live in good emotional states we all crave. We are primarily spiritual beings, meticulously unfolding from sense consciousness to spiritual awareness to a higher expression of manifestation. Truth is a living whole which transcends the logical laws of thoughts. People who do the works of righteousness shall receive their own reward, even peace in this World, and eternal life in the World to come. God is faithful, and he will not allow us to suffer nor to be tempted above what we are able to bear; but with the temptation also makes a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8
Conscience warns us as a friend before it punishes us as a judge. Most of us are happiest when we do not have a guilty conscience. The only way our suffering, struggling, anxious society can hope to prevent its moral ills is by recognizing the reality of sin. Former President Obama was on the news and said, “We do not need a messiah.” I totally disagree with that statement and the older I get the more important I realize that God and our relationship to God is. The “Everyone is doing it” morality which characterizes our public-business World is crippling people. We must believe in our personal responsibility to correct our individual transgression—the white lies, the petty cheating, the apathy which characterizes passive existence. If the concept of personal responsibility and answerability for ourselves and for other were to return to common acceptance and humans once again would feel guilty for sins and repent and establish a conscience that would act as a deterrent for further sin, then hope would return to the World. The path of faithfulness is a journey that connotes allegiance, loyalty, and adherence to promises. Sacred covenants are to be revered by us, and faithfulness to them is a requirement for happiness. When we are happy and having fun, our brain goes into creative states, naturally bringing innovation into our lives. We start to see things we have not seen before and new pathways of action become obvious. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8
There is no resting place along the path called faithfulness. The journey is constant, and no lingering is allowed. It must not be expected that the road of life spreads itself in an unobstructed view before the person starting this journey. One must anticipate coming upon forks and turnings in the road. However, we cannot hope to reach our desired journey’s end if we think aimlessly about whether to go east or west. We must make decisions purposefully. Where is that sense of adventure I love so much? Where is that curiosity to see what is beyond the next peak, the wiliness to hurtle headlong into any situation if it means it may make you breathless for at least a moment? Babe, you must start writing again. Do not try to force yourself, but tuck a pencil and a square of paper in your waistband, so that whenever and wherever your muse returns to you, you will be able to stop and scribble it down. Genius is the activity which repairs the decay of things. I think if you get to writing again, that could be the thing to help you return to the normality that you crave. In any case, do not stop writing to me, no matter what. It may not be poetry to you, but I have never thought of your letters as anything less and I am waiting for the poetry. Only Heavens can boast of this poetry, for it is rarely heard of on Earth. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8
Emotional love is an exception to all the general rules—it is the strongest of all emotions. Although the emotional love, for instance that of a mother for her infant, is one of the strongest of which the mind is capable, it can hardly be said to have any proper or peculiar means of expression; and this is intelligible, as it has not habitually led to any special line of action. A strong desire to touch the beloved person is commonly felt; love is expressed by this means more plainly than by any other. We probably own this desire to inherited habit, in association with the nursing and tending of our children and with the mutual caresses of lovers. The physiological processes are influenced by emotional states, and our bodies are affected by the way we think and feel. Human emotions significantly affect our physical and mental well-being. And, if we ignore or deny the importance of emotions, we will be unable to understand the roots of many crippling infirmaries. Fear, worries and states of rage and resentment leave no clear traces in the brain. What, then, have physicians to do with them? If physicians show this indifference, however, is it surprising that men and women, beset by emotional stresses, turn from them and go for help to faith healers and to others who recognize the reality of these disturbing emotional states? Emotions can be experienced when the body does not reveal a physiological reaction. #RandolphHarris 1 of 12
Emotional intelligence is a powerful way to focus our energy in one direction with tremendous results. People with high emotional intelligence make $29,000.00 more annually than people with low emotional intelligence. Ninety percent of top performers have high emotional intelligence, and a single-point increase in our emotional intelligence adds $1,300.00 to our salary. I probably will not go jumping off the library tower. Your letter offered me a much-welcome break from studying. It even helped to soothe my throbbing head. I was in the hospital recently and still am not quite up to snuff. I am not sure if my parents know how I feel about school. When I was starting college and mentioned I would fancy studying American literature, my father actually laughed. Did not even look up from his newspaper. Just laughed and said, “Ridiculous.” He has a big walrus mustache, and when he laughs, he does not make a sound. You only know because the tips of his mustache twitch. There he sat, sniffing, mustache twitching, saying things like “Ridiculous” and “No career in that.” “But, I enjoy literature,” I protested. “Medicine. That is what you need to study. You will thank me for it later. Nothing more rewarding.” The relationship between our mind-body, our environment, and our emotional behaviours dictate survival. Let us spice up our life with love. #RandolphHarris 2 of 12
Every day is a new beginning for me with new experiences. I really did try to tell him then, babe, honest I did. However, it only bloomed into an argument, with my mother wringing her hands and imploring me to just “give it a try.” My father finally thumped his newspaper down and declared that he was not paying for that nonsense and that, if I wanted to study something frivolous like literature, it would not be on his dime. So you see why I cannot talk to my parents. I need to just carry on. Finish college, finish medical school. Once I get a job, I can make my own decisions. Maybe. I should get back to my studying. I am looking forward to the holidays as a time to rest up and recuperate before the term starts up again. What I pleaded with you for you will never forget, and what you told me about I will keep every bit and drop forever. To us, memory will never be gone with the wind, nor will fade with the passing day. Under physical and mental stressors, the body constantly adapts to heal and recover. Human can become adapted to adverse environmental conditions. However, these situations and conditions place great demand on our cells, organs, and systems. As we grow older, we have to learn how to cope with these changes. Many of us search for answers through human experiences that elevate and unite our thoughts and feelings. #RandolphHarris 3 of 12
As we begin to better understand life’s complexities and the relevance of our experiences, only then are we able to make decisions that will alleviate negative stressors that suppress our health. We must replace such stressors with more beneficial actions that serve to enhance our health. To make effective change depends on input and participation of every individual. If people are not genuine, emotional intelligence will not do a thing for them. People do not accept demonstrations of emotional intelligence at face value. They are too skeptical for that. Most individuals want to know that it is genuine—that your emotions are authentic. People are not just mindless automatons. They think about the emotion they see and care whether they are sincere or manipulative. Since people and leaders are good at motivating others because they inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words. Many leaders indicate that authenticity is important to them, but genuine leaders implement their beliefs through their words. It is not enough to just go through the motions, trying to demonstrate qualities that are associated with emotional intelligence. One has to be genuine. Authenticity requires a certain measure of vulnerability, transparency, and integrity. Genuine people do not try to make people like them. #RandolphHarris 4 of 12
Genuine people know who they are and understand that some people will like them and some will not. And they are comfortable with that. It is not that they care whether or not other people will like them, but simply that they are not going to let someone’s opinion of them get in the way of doing the right thing. However, it is part of human nature to want to look our best. It is why many of us work so hard on the exterior and interior of our homes and why so many men and women make sure every hair is in place, just in case the run into that special someone. There is nothing wrong with shining our shoes, smelling our best, or even cleaning the dirty dishes before someone comes over. However, when taken to the extremes, this desire to impress can shift from useful to deceitful. The Saviour was understanding and compassionate with people whose hearts were humble and sincere. However, he rose up in righteous anger against hypocrites who tried to appear righteous in order to win the praise, influence, and wealth of the World, all the while oppressing the people they should have been blessing. When people do this, the Heaven withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved. Why does this happen? Why do we sometimes try to appear active, prosperous, and dedicated outwardly when on the inside we have left our first love? #RandolphHarris 5 of 12
In some cases, we may simply have lost our focus on the essence of the gospel, mistaking the form of Godliness for the power thereof. This is especially dangerous when we direct our outward expression of discipleship to impress others for personal gain or influence. It is then that we are at risk of entering the territory of the adversary, and it becomes high time to examine our hearts to make immediate course corrections. It may be beneficial to search our own hearts. People who harbour immorality in their hearts make every effort to conceal it from the faithful. Their apparent ways of life, speech, behaviour, the things they do and the way they lead their lives all resemble those of the pious. Indeed, they do not seem very different, for they conceal their immortality and secretly experience the suffering that it entails. Despite this, however, some of their attitudes reveal the different spiritual state they experience. Strikingly, it is not only the believers who notice this situation. Though lacking concrete evidence, within a short while, even a person who has adopted the ignorant society’s beliefs can form an idea of whether someone is sincere or not. Even if an insincere person is no different from believers in how he or she eats, drinks, laughs and talks, and exhibits no irritating behaviour, still the faithful can see the difference. Here, indeed, the term negative vibes finds its full impact. #RandolphHarris 6 of 12
Insincere people do not enjoy a tranquil, authentic, relaxed and comfortable spiritual state. There is a tension in their voice, the way the words come out, their flow and modulation creates serious discomfort in the hearts of the sincere. In addition, such behaviours as trying to push themselves to the fore among speakers, using expression that pander to their narcissism and speaking according a negative plan in their heads gives them away. People often conspire with others to ruin people who are happy and successful. And one of their methods, after everything else has failed, is to play with the heart. Find a target who is not interested in them, then pretend to be interested, then flirt with other people in your face when they think there has been significant time for one to catch feelings. Then, they will act nice and pretend to be supportive, but not show too much effort, nor make any gestures to show they are real. They are hoping that you are desperate for love and so they try to slither their way into your life, when they are actually on the same team as the vipers in the pit. The purpose of not showing too much effort is so they can try to make you look crazy if you confront them about flirting with other people and then go brag about it to others. Once you can disrupt someone emotionally, then you can throw them off of their game and cause them to slip. #RandolphHarris 7 of 12
Another tactic the snakes will use when their subtle advances do not work, they will pretend to be sad or act like they are going to hurt themselves, but you just have to let them go. Snakes are grown adults and they have to deal with the consequences of their own actions. Your physical and mental well-being are more important that their games and with there being over 7 billion people in the World, eventually the right person will come along. If someone is really interested in you, they will go out of their way to show you, by asking you out and spending time with you, and making you feel good about yourself. I feel that my heart is more important than playing lute to the cattle. If people said what they mean, how much easier would life be? There should be more sincerity and heart in human relations, more silence and simplicity in our interactions. Good communication is based on a message being delivered as well as received. One cannot expect someone to receive the message they want them to receive when that individual is telling them something different. Insincerity breeds insincerity. If all of your friends are fake, people sense you will be as well. However, a little sincerity does a long way in encouraging others to practice in encouraging others to practice it in their relationships. #RandolphHarris 8 of 12
The truth is, we save everyone a lot of confusion and discomfort by being since. Playing games keeps us from being real. Since genuine people are not desperate for attention, they do not try to show off. They know that when they speak in a friendly, confident, and concise manner, people are much more attentive to and interested in what they have to say than if they try to show people that they are important. People catch on to your attitude quickly and are more attracted to the right attitude than what or how many people you know. Genuine people are open-minded, which makes them approachable and interesting to others. No one wants to have a conversation with someone who has already formed an opinion and is not willing to listen to them. Genuine people forge their own paths. They do not derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from the opinions of others. This frees them up to follow their own internal compasses. They know who they are and do not pretend to be anything else. Their direction comes from within, from their own principles and values. They do what they believe to be the right thing, and they are not swayed by the fact that somebody might like it or not. #RandolphHarris 9 of 12
We have all worked with people who constantly hold something back, whether it is knowledge or resources. They act as if they are afraid you will outshine them if they give you access to everything you need to do your job. Genuine people are unfailingly generous with whom they know, what they know, and the resources they have access to. They want you to do well more than anything else because they are team players and they are confident enough to never worry that your success might make them look bad. I am here because I desire with all my heart to follow God. I yearn to do all that he asks of me in this great cause. I hunger to be edified by the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of God as he speaks through his ordained people. I am here to become a better person, to be lifted by the inspiring examples of good people, and to learn how to more effectively succeed in life. The person who fears an authentic encounter with another can find many reasons why he or she should stay behind the mask and not let anyone know his or her true feelings. Sharing love and warmth is a great gift, however. To those who hide such gifts because of the fear of what others may do or says may dampen their spirit. “But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of humans. Wo unto them, because of the fear of human. Wo unto them such, for mine anger is kindled against them,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 60.2. #RandolphHarris 10 of 12
To be false to oneself is to not let your behavior represent what you really are like inside. People who do not represent by their actions a respect of purity; a rejection of bigotry, insensitivity, and crudity; a love of truth, beauty, and goodness is not being true to oneself. Sometimes there are things about ourselves that we do not like and want to change. To be authentic would require us to admit those dislikes to others and honestly try to eliminate or change undesirable areas of our behaviour. If a person has values such as wanting to be kind and responsive to others, he or she will build people up rather than put them down. One must be honest to these values too, and this will lead an individual to try to eliminate fakeness. Perhaps if we can be assured that the Lord has counseled us to share our feelings under the influence of his spirit, we might gain the courage to be an authentic person and to build relationships that may have the potential to last through eternity. People gravitate toward those who are genuine because they know they can trust them. #RandolphHarris 11 of 12
When you do not know who they really are and how they really feel, it is difficult to like someone. Genuine people mean what they say, and if they make a commitment, they keep it. Genuine people have a strong enough sense of self that they do not go around seeing offense that is not there. When genuine people commit to a conversation, they focus all of their energy on the conversation. You will find that conversations are more enjoyable and effective when you immerse yourself in the. When you robotically approach people with small talk and are tethered to your phone, this puts their brains on autopilot and prevents them from having any real affinity for you. Genuine people create connection and find depth even in short, everyday conversations. Dialogue is the elixir of life; without it we cannot survive. And yet, we still seem to know so little about it, and so little about the relationship between dialogue, love, human companionship, and health. Dialogue is a dynamic, ever-changing force. Like the billions of snowflakes that fall in a Winter storm, no two human dialogues are the same. The people who render the World prosperous are those who are courageous in life to try to solve new problems in life. My friend, may you be one of them. I had no time to hate, because the grave would hinder me, and life was not so ample I could finish enmity. Not had I time to love; but since some industry must be, the little toil of love, I thought, was large enough for me. #RandolphHarris 12 of 12
Please open the window to let in the stars in the sky and the fragrance of flowers to let the yearnings from your dear ones in the motherland into your hearts. Though we are separated by the ocean, heartfelt blessing will shorten the distance between us because this special blessing across the ocean will bring to you so many endearing yearnings. Eight weeks ago, I stood on the pier, trying to find the nerve to step on that ferry. I kept my eyes on that horizon, knowing that if I went to meet it, to meet you, everything would change. Not necessarily in the going, but in the leaving. People like me do not go across the water to rendezvous with fascinating Americans. They wait at home for babe’s boat to return. Love is more than flowers, smiles, kisses and spring breezes, and it is also the pine trees in the Winter and the sparkles at night and the mutual hand-in-hand support in a trudge. Tree wars? They are silly pranks. Every class plants a tree on the campus and then the other classes try to destroy it. My class has already lost one. We have planted anew and have high hopes for the newest member of the ‘13s. We are guarding it in shifts, armed. Sean Alexander has been feeding the tree a formula he swears by, but I think it is mostly beer with a bit of bay rum oil to mask the scent. It must be working, as the tree has not kicked it yet. The other night we yanked up the ‘14s’ sapling, roots and all! #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
Despite the tree wars, things are not all fund and games around here. This term is already turning out to be pretty difficult. My friends think the senior years is the easiest of all, but I have such a heavy load of courses. I am at the library so often, I am considering moving my pillow and toothbrush over. What is easy about it? I am dreading exam time. You know, it is times like this that I doubt the future. I kept hoping that at some point the right professor or course would inflame me and I would feel the passion others seems to feel. That I would know, without question, what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. However, here I am, my final year of college, and I still really have no idea. However, you are my eyes in the whole World, so how can you say that I am alone? I always assumed I would follow my father into medicine. Well, I suppose he has always assumed that and I have just followed suit, having no plan of my own. I have come to realize, thought, that I am not eager for it. As much as I hate school, I almost wish I could just stay. Then I would not have to go out into the big wide World. Well, there, you have heard my worries and doubts. Perhaps they are born of frustration as I move closer to end-of-term exams. I am sorry to burden you with such glum ponderings. I will have to send this letter quickly before I change my mind. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
Revealed religion expressed the recognition in ourselves of an imperative spiritual principle not derived from our empirical nature but sovereign in our lives. This is the true supernatural revealed in out natures, the divine authority of the moral law; the practical acknowledgment of it in our obedience to God’s will strengthens our moral resolution and is exalted in divine worship. Belief in God is essentially a recognition of the fundamental and sovereign moral dynamic in reality. With God, there is an ethical Word order, a conviction of a moral dynamic of reality, essentially spiritual in character, which posits an objective range of its self-manifestation. Moral activity is the free, purely dutiful commitment of the will in ideal devotion. The conviction of duty is a challenge to any mere wants or empirical conditions. The dutiful will is the will of our true self, pursuing in unremitting endeavour an expanding goal. In the recognition of any course of action as my duty, I am also expressing a more fully realized recognition of myself. I should never disavow the fulfillment of my duty as being beyond my ability. The true moral reflection is quite the opposite; it takes the form “If I ought, I can.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
The primary reality is ideal activity, underived, and prior to any specific or definable thing, substance, or process. The primary reality of self-existence is in its ideal self-affirmation. The specific limitations and distinctions of our World, the World that we know, have made their appearance. The conditions of finitude and definition have emerged out of the undefinable ultimate self-activity of the infinite mind. Human’s true vocation is to achieve in ever fuller freedom an ever more loyal devotion to one’s spiritual ideas. Freedom and loyalty alike are unique and personal. The duty to which I am devoted is my duty; the endeavour to recognize and fulfill it is my true being and career. This insight and commitment constitute my conscience, my own self-recognition and my self-expression. The categorical imperative in our ethics is formulated explicitly in terms of conscientious activity: Act always in accordance with your best conviction of your duty; or act according to your conscience. As I thus forthrightly play my role in the drama of reality, I also reach towards Godliness. True religion is the consummation of moral piety; in our aspiration towards the divine, the Divine itself is actively manifest in us. “And while they were overshadowed he departed from them, and ascended into Heaven. And the disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into Heaven,” reports 3 Nephi 18.39. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
The moral life is free, dutiful endeavour. Our duty to God is not only a very serious responsibility, but also a remarkable privilege. Our lives are filled with difficult decisions and with dreams and hopes and longings to find that which will bring us peace and happiness, and God will not forsake us if we will walk in his paths wit the guidance of his commandments. Evil essentially consists in the laxity or disloyalty of the moral will. Any placidity or routine self-contended stagnation is a denial of our moral career. Any easygoing or cowardly compromise with our bounden duty is a betrayal of our quest. These two evils are in corrupt kinship: laxity and laziness lead to cowardice, and form these two basic vices issues the third, falseness. Our ethics make no concession to the least departure from unqualified veracity: I absolute owe every person complete frankness and truthfulness. Any plea that a true answer in many cases may have undesirable consequences is a surrender of right principle to expediency and seeming advantage, and such a surrender is never in any circumstance justified. Self-achievement of dutiful will, in utter devotion is working towards ideal ends. This unique career of each person is involved and participating in a social institutional milieu. In the system of actual human conduct one’s duties are not merely one’s own: they imply acknowledgement of others and of their rights. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
The purposes of my career cannot be realized in a social vacuum; they affect others and others’ claims and rights. These claims and rights, and my relation to them, are not only personal; they affect objective natural conditions in which ethics involves economics. Moral respect for my neighbour precludes violation of what belongs to him or her, that is, his or her property rights. I promise you that if you seek the Lord, you will find him. Ask, and you shall receive. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure. The assurance of the reality, truth, and goodness of God—it is knowledge that is buttressed by divine personal confirmation by the Holy Ghost. Receive that Spirit through obedience to the Gospel. In our ethics of social-economic values, we have been balancing two purposes. One of them is to safeguard the personal moral will from being engrossed and engulfed in cramping material enterprises. That is the ascetic note in our morality: the admonition to hearken, in any circumstances, to the still small voice of conscience, and to observe dutiful integrity in self-expression. Our other purpose is to secure for the individual, as well as for the society and the nation, the external conditions of satisfactory self-reliant operation. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
A national should balance its economic supply and demand within its own social economy. To prevent any disturbance of that balance by unregulated imports and exports, all foreign trade should be directed by the government. By avoiding both surpluses and scarcity, and using the labour of all to provide for the needs of all, the state can wipe out unemployment and poverty and assure to each citizen the conditions for humane fulfillment. Never is, but eternally ought to be. Over time, much in the World has changed. One thing, however, remains the same. Logic itself affirms that a loving Heavenly Father would not abandon his children without providing a way for them to learn of hum. One of the great messages of the Restoration is that the windows of Heaven are open. All who seek to know the truth may, through revelations of the Spirit, know for themselves. Do you want to know the truth of the holy scriptures? Do you wish to break the barriers that separate mortals from the knowledge of eternal verities? Do you wish to know—really know—the truth? Be sincere. Study. Ponder. Pray sincerely, having faith. If we do these things, we too will be able to stand with the billions who testify that God once again speaks to humans on Earth. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
A testimony of the truth of the gospel does not come the same way to all people. Some receive it in a unique, life-changing experience. Others gain a testimony slowly, almost imperceptibly until, one day, they simply know. This inflexible commitment to our sovereign principle enables us thoroughly to explore and elicit the significance of a prevailingly ethical interpretation of reality. Most of us do not mind doing what we ought to do when it does not interfere with what we want to do, but it takes discipline and maturity to do what we ought to do whether we want to or not. Duty is too often what one expects from others and not what one does. What people think and believe and plan are all very important, but what they do is the thing that counts most. It is a call to throw out selfishness and to think of the common good of all. “Law of performances and ordinances keeps us in remembrance of duty towards God,” reports Mosiah 13.30. We must always remember that duty reminds us we are stewards of all that our Creator has entrusted to us. When we accept the duties willingly and faithfully, we find happiness. Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
Happiness comes from doing one’s duty and knowing that one’s life is in harmony with God and his commandments. The soul is truly the mean of all things created by God. It is in the middle between higher and lower beings, sharing some of its attributes with the celestial elements down to prime matter. Since the human soul extends its thought and love to all things, from the highest to the lowest, the soul becomes once more and a new sense the center of the Universe. The soul is the greatest of all miracles in nature become it combines all things, in the center of all things, and possesses the forces of all things. Therefore the soul may rightly be called the center of nature, the middle term of all things, the bond and juncture of the Universe. Life is a gradual ascent of the soul toward always higher degrees of truth and being, an ascent that finally culminates in the immediate knowledge and vision of God. This knowledge of God represents the ultimate goal of human life and knowledge must be understood as more or less direct and conscious preparation for this end. The highest experience can be attained during the present life, at least by a few privileged persons and for a short while. The ascent of the soul toward God is accomplished with the help of two wings, the intellect and the will. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
I was taught that I am not to love everyone, that love is precious, and while you can respect people you meet and be civil, I do not have to love them. Because love is precious, it is something that is special and only reserved for people who have meaning in your life. If you gave love away, like you say “Hello,” it would be worthless. The hidden religious element accounts for the degradation of the material World, of humans, and of civil lifestyles. To comprehend human action and thought one must take account of human’s capacity to transcend the limited responses of the lower animals to their environment. Which basically means people have to learn to respect other people and not try to force their opinions or lifestyles on others. In fact, in a being which awakes to consciousness, there takes place a qualitative change, a differentiation of the entire nature. Yet this qualitative change in no way justifies the idealist contention that humans are consciousness alone, for as humans belong to the essence of Nature—in opposition to common materialism; so Nature belongs to the essence of humanity—in opposition to subjective idealism. We do not believe in God as a fire escape from Hell, but we believe in God because the power of the gospel. The love of God does not supersede his laws and his commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of his love. #RandolphHarris 1 of 12
In recognizing that our essence reveals itself quintessentially in the impulse toward union with other people: The essence of humanity is contained only in community, in the unity of human beings—a unity which however is founded only on the reality of the differences between I an thou. Among these responses will be found the passions, especially the emotion of love, the impulse toward union with the other that is peculiar to human beings. The capacity to create communities of shared emotive contents is the secret of human beings and therefore the secret of al thought and action; for what people are really seeking in every imagined absolute is nothing but the unity of you and thou. Religion is a form of the projective spirit of human beings, the means by which a person projects one’s being into objectivity, and then again makes oneself an object to this projected image of oneself thus converted into a subject; one thinks of oneself not as an object to oneself but as an object of an object, of another being than oneself. Thus, religion is the dream of the human mind; properly understood, it is a dream of human, not divine, development: it is and can be nothing else than the consciousness which a person has of one’s own—not finite and limited—but infinite with nature. “Hearts of rich are upon their treasure, which is their God,” 2 Nephi 9.30. #RandolphHarris 2 of 12
Humans, then, unlike the animal, is self-transcending, and religion is one of people’s means of objectifying their own essence in ideal terms, of spinning out visions of what one might be. For example, the Christian idea of the Incarnation is nothing but a reflection of the dream of humanity to become God and the realization that this can be achieved only through a transcendent love of one’s fellow being. Religious feelings thus depend on an alienation of human beings from oneself. Religion generates belief in an objective other in which all of human’s best qualities are vested, their worst qualities being designated as the true human essence. Philosophy must therefore destroy an illusion that deprives humans of the power of a free life as well as a genuine sense of truth and virtue, for even love, in itself the deepest, truest emotion, becomes by means of religiousness merely ostensible, illusory, since religious love gibes itself to humans only for God’s sake, so that it is given only in appearance to human beings, but in reality to God. Religion is the uncontrolled and unconscious exercise of a human faculty that with the assistance of the sciences of anthropology, physiology, and psychology can be controlled, raised to consciousness, and turned toward the attainment of genuine healthy, well-being, and community here on Earth. For the consciousness of God is nothing but the consciousness of the species. #RandolphHarris 3 of 12
The doctrine of food is of great ethical and political significance. Food becomes blood, blood becomes heart and brain, thoughts and mind-stuff. Human fare is the foundation of human culture and thought. Would you improve a nation? Give it, instead of declamations against sin, better food. Humans are what they eat. Religion is the imperative supremacy of the moral law. Belief in God is essentially a recognition of the fundamental and sovereign moral dynamic in reality. You funny thing. Did you never stop to think that perhaps I worried about the same “what-ifs”? Avoiding a face-to-face meeting was to my advantage. You would not see how big my feet are or how clumsy I am when off the dance floor. I think you have a good opinion of me now (aside from my taste in jackets, I suppose). After all, I am devilishly handsome. Wickedly clever. Witty and utterly brilliant. Why would I want to jeopardize that? All those illusions could vanish the moment we said hello. However, for the elusive chance to meet you…all of those apprehensions pale in comparison. We have been dating for two years now? (I say that with a bit of nonchalance, as though I have not saved every letter you ever sent.) Really, after all of this time, can there still be mystery? We have told our deepest fears, confessed our secret longings. I know you, and I think you know me, too. If I were sitting in front of you, saying this right now, I should hope my words would not mean less just because you disliked the sound of my Midwestern accent. #RandolphHarris 4 of 12
Think about when you first meet a person. You have to get past all the superficial nonsense, the appraisals of accents and the checked jackets. An interrogation of appearance. After you have deemed each other worthy, then you can actually settle down to get acquainted, to begin those first tentative probes of the mind. Find out what sort of thing fuels the other—what makes them scream, what makes them laugh, what makes them tremble on the rug. You and I are lucky. We never had to worry about the first part, the visual sizing up. We got to go directly to the interesting bit. The getting to know the depths and breadths of each other’s soul. I do not know about you, but I find it refreshing. I am sick to death of having to worry whether people think I look old enough or respectable enough or whatnot. Always having to be polite and look interested. When I write to you, I do not have to think about any of that nonsense. I do not have to worry about my big feet. I can peel away the husk (if you will forgive a corn metaphor) and reveal the shiny kernels of my dreams and passions and fears. They are yours, babe, yours to gnaw on as you will! Marvelous with a sprinkle of salt. “The power to do good is in each person,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 58.27-28. #RandolphHarris 5 of 12
Now, after all that, you must tell me your new secret. I promise I will not laugh. At least not loud enough that you can hear me from Rocklin. I am starting to nod off and so pulled out my watch. I am not going to admit to how early in the morning it is, but the streets have long been quiet. I hope you are sleeping a bit more soundly than I am right now. Also, you must hear from God. That is why you can tarry and tarry and not receive your miracle. When you seek God about your situation, and if you are really in faith, you will hear from him. God is faithful. You can hear from God through the Word of God or by the Spirit of God speaking to your spirit. However, you have to come to believing. When you need healing, you can know that it is God’s will for you because it is in the Word of God. The Saviour paid a lot for us to be healed. Think about it. He did not have to go to the whipping post to go to the Cross. However, he did so that by his stripes we were healed. Every time the scourge hit him, something spiritual happened because every infirmary and malady was laid on him. The Saviour was hit with the cause and source of that infirmary. He took it all. That is why you do not even have to get the right diagnosis before you can be healed because you already know the Saviour personally took the source of every infirmary. Believing you can be healed if the first to recovery. “You are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,” reports 1 Peter 1.3-5. #RandolphHarris 6 of 12
When we heal, it is in the Word of God, and we can know that it is his will to perform a healing miracle in our body, but we need to still hear personally from God about our specific situation. Whether it is revelation from the Word of God or a direct speaking to your spirit, wait until you hear from God. It is important that we participate in activities that will help us build spiritual strength and learn and fulfill our Earthly duties. We have to learn about a gospel principle. We discover that Heavenly Father wants us to do, and we strive to gain a spiritual witness about why it is important. Next, we have to make plans to act on what we have learned. We are encouraged to base our plans on our own needs, circumstances, and opportunities to serve others. This is a wonderful chance to take responsibility for our own growth and develop spiritual self-reliance. Then we share what we learn and experience with others. As we do so, we will strengthen our testimony and build faith in those around us. We will increase our ability to talk about the gospel with others. “God is my strength and power,” reports 2 Samuel 22.33. In the scriptures, power is often connected with the power of God or the power of Heaven. It is often closely related to priesthood authority, which is the permission or right to act for God. “I am filled with the power of God,” reports 1 Nephi 17.48. #RandolphHarris 7 of 12
We have so many laws and rules and regulations and are not free do to what we want to do. Everything in the Universe, and the Universe itself is organized by a divine Creator, is governed by laws, known as the laws of nature; and we must have laws of nature; and we must have laws of the land so that we might have order and protect the rights of humanity and punish those who infringe on the rights of others. Speaking of the laws of nature, have you ever stopped to think what would happen if we could not depend on the Sun rising at a certain time each morning? Of if the Earth failed to rotate on its axis for only one day, or for just a few minutes? Or if the law of gravity were suspended? In a very short time, the Earth and all humankind would be destroyed. All those bodies of the Universe are controlled in space and move according to law. If iron, when heated, were to expand one day and contract the next, it would be impossible for anyone in the World to operate a machine shop or produce implements of any kind. These laws are immutable and must be such that we can depend upon them at all times and under all circumstances. It would be interesting to review in our minds all the things we do every day and see how totally we depend on the laws of nature and how they must be followed to the very letter in order to accomplish our purposes. “There is no power but of God,” reports Romans 13.1 #RandolphHarris 8 of 12
We have seen people walk on the Moon, and we have marveled that people and spacecraft from different countries can have rendezvous in space. We have watched the Viking leave on a mission to Mars in search of evidence of life. If any of the natural laws had been ignored or had failed to operate, the space missions would have been complete failures and lives would have been lost. We are awed when we read of the predictions of astronomers who can foretell so accurately the appearance of comets and eclipses. All of this is only because through the laws of nature, the Creator keeps creation in its course. Law is simply the application of truth. Let me draw your attention to some statements taken from the writings of great thinkers. Truth is the logic of the Universe. It is the reasoning of destiny; it is the mind of God. And nothing that humans can devise or discover can take its place. There is no progress in fundamental truth. We may grow in knowledge of its meaning, and in the modes of its application, but it is great principles will forever be the same. “You shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you,” reports Acts 1.8. The clash of souls touches off the flashes over the Winter jasmine, and we walk hand in hand into the World of youth. You are a streak of cool water that flows into my heart. The water changes into vintage wine that will intoxicate us in happiness. #RandolphHarris 9 of 12
God gave law to all things, by which they move in their times and seasons. And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the Heavens and the Earth, which comprehend the Earth and all other planets. And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years. The Earth rolls upon her wings, and the Sun gives his light by day, and the Moon gives her light by night, and the Stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of power of God. “Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any person who has seen any or the least of these has seen God moving in his majesty and power. So, regardless of whether or not we know or understand the laws of nature, they always operate the same. A child, though ignorant of the law, will get burned if he touched a hot stove. If we disregard the law of gravity, we may get seriously hurt. If we know and understand the laws of nature and live by them, we benefit thereby and can be free of the hazards facing those who ignore these laws. “I am truly full of power by the spirit of the Lord,” reports Micah 3.8. When the seed of love is sown into our hearts, we have to water it with loyalty and we have to cultivate it with sincerity, and then the product it bears is sure to be happiness. #RandolphHarris 10 of 12
It is necessary that we be governed by laws, which are made not alone to curb the evildoer, but to protect the rights of all. We believe that governments were instituted of Go for the benefit of humanity; and God holds people accountable for their acts in relation to them, bot in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. We believe that no government can exist in peace, expect such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life. We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for an upheld by the voice of the pubic if a republic, or the will of the sovereign is to sustain peace and tranquility. Bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible; still, while they continue in force, the should be religious observed. In reality, the person who defies or flouts the law is like the proverbial fool who saws away the plank on which he or she sits, and disrespect or disregard for law is always the first sign of a disintegrating society. Respect for the law is the most fundamental of all social virtues, for the alternative to the rule of law is that of violence and anarchy. “Withhold not good when it is in the power of thine hand to do it,” reports Proverbs 3.27. #RandolphHarris 11 of 12
There is no reason or justification for people to disregard or break the law or try to take it into their own hands. It is the duty of citizens of any country to remember that they have individual responsibilities and that they must operate within the law of the country in which they had chosen to live. “We believe that all people are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protection in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience,” Doctrine and Covenants 134.5. Many a rainy or shiny day has passed amidst drifting leaves, but your melodious song still lingers in the woods in my memory and your enchanting figure files from time to time into my dreams that arouse my memory of the past days with gentle breezes, murmuring brooks, white clouds and Sunlight. Short as it was, our meeting has shaped my life. Please accept my lasting yearning for you. “For this cause I have raised thee up, to show in thee my power,” reports Exodus 9.16. #RandolphHarris 12 of 12
I am finished! I am sorry it took me so long to respond, but I was waiting to be able to tell you that I am completely and utterly done. Ah, what a luxury to sit down to write to you without a stack of books glaring at me from my desk! Instead, I am sitting in my parents’ house, window open, warm Summer breeze puffing out the lace curtains, with nothing more malevolent glaring at me than the Rocklin Tribune. Just to lean back, sip some cool cranberry juice, and write to you—extravagance itself! You will be quite proud of me, I think. I came clean with my father. You may wonder how I worked up the courage to tell him. By barely scraping by in my classes! He took one look at my grades and sniffed. “How do you expect to get into medical school with grades like this” he asked? “I do not expect to. I do not expect to nor do I care,” I said. He nearly choked on his morning latte. “What do you mean, you do not care?” I replied, “Exactly that, Father. I have never wanted to go to medical school. And it is too late now to convince me otherwise.” He left the table with a thud of his chair and has not spoken to me since. I think it is only through my mother’s good graces that he has not thrown me out on my ear. I used to want to go to medical school when I was 12, but I was walking home from school and this man told me it would be really difficult, so I gave up the dream. #RandolphHarris 1 of 11
Adults should never rob a child of their dreams because children will always remember those words. They are not mature enough to understand that some people want to discourage us from reaching our dreams. For many students, a passion for education is often ignited by inspiring teachers. Teachers are dedicated, to say the least. They work long hours, spend their own resources to innovate curriculum, and do everything they can to make sure their classrooms are safe and welcoming for students. Teachers generally stay motivated because they love helping children realize that learning can be challenging, and that is okay. They enjoy collaborating with other professionals, and explore the creativity needed to consider requirements of different types of learners. Students can also educate the teachers, too, about different cultures, abilities, and perspectives. By being a child’s advocate and helping students realize their own potential is one of the greatest career achievements of an educators, as there is noting better than having a student realise that they are stronger and more resilient than they ever thought possible. It is a great gift to teach the youth to think for themselves. Great teachers also have a genuine love for the subject they teach and they have a passion for communicating that love and knowledge to others. “Those who are wise will seek learning,” reports Proverbs 1.5. #RandolphHarris 2 of 11
Parenting is the process of raising children and providing them with protection and care in order to ensure their healthy development into adulthood. If you have a student who is interested in working for NASA, and they get really excited about the really cool stuff in the Universe of engineering, it is a good idea to inspire them to eventually go out and create cool stuff of their own. Church members are repeatedly counseled to obtain all the education they can and to prepare themselves to contribute wherever they are. When my mother was a little girl, her mother used to make her real the Encyclopedia Britannica after school. Back in those days, it was common for every house on the block to have a complete volume of encyclopedias from A-Z on the book shelf. Education, particularly gospel knowledge, does not come all at once or without effort. “We will keep the knowledge we gain in this life when we go into the next,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 130.18-19. We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends to accomplish and what it will take for each of us to qualify personally to participate. The Lord and his Church have always encouraged education to increase our ability to serve him and our Heavenly Father’s children. #RandolphHarris 3 of 11
For each of us, whatever our talents, God has service to give. And to do it well always involved learning, not once or for a limited time, but continually. For this reason, true learning must have a powerful spiritual component. That spiritual element, when it is effective, refines and uplifts the aims of our total education. Remember, we are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When we see that reality clearly, we will put spiritual learning first and yet not light the secular learning. In fact, we will work harder at our secular learning than we would without that spiritual vision. “We should seek learning by study and faith,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 88.118. Education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail. And we will need the help of Heaven to know which of the myriad things we can study and would most wisely learn. The real life we are preparing for is eternal life. Secular knowledge has for us eternal significance. Our conviction is that God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to live the life that he does. Our mind is precious! It is sacred. Therefore, the education of one’s mind is a religious responsibility. The human mind is a complex organ of such beauty and intricacy that it is so important that we control our minds. The intelligence of each one of us as individuals is by no means limited. #RandolphHarris 4 of 11
Of course, our opportunities and abilities will vary a great deal. However, in the pursuit of one’s education, individual desires are more important that is the institution of our choice; personal drive is very significant. We can increase the level of our own intelligence as long as we have the fundamentals given to us through formal education, including writing, mathematics, and reading. However, the level of success does not depend solely on our education; it depends on our mental mastery. Our brain and intelligence level are but tools to assist us in achieving our dreams. Mind and body must be cared for diligently and consistently. When we care properly for each part od the whole, the entire being benefits. Self-mastery is essential to invoke the power of God. This is because this great, divine agency can only be exercised in righteousness. “For the grace of God that bring salvation has appeared to all people,” reports Titus 2.11. Self-mastery requires self-determination and strength of character. Salvation is always right at ground level. We do not have to climb a high mountain, we do not have to pay one million dollars. We reach salvation through faith. “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him or her because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice,” reports John 10.5. Self-mastery enhances our own gifts and talents in a remarkable way. It is the power of noble humanhood. Every human soul has the challenge of controlling his or her thoughts, appetites, speech, temper, and desires. #RandolphHarris 5 of 11
Our life is the creation of our mind. We are in the possession immense intelligence, which make us recievers of its truth and organs of activity. When we discern justice, when we discern truth, we allow a passage of its beams. The soul’s communication of truth is the highest event in its nature, since it then does not give something from itself, but it gives itself, or passes into and becomes that being whom it enlightens. Do not miss the opportunity of being still more conscious of the soul, we must give instant obedience to the Soul’s command. This obedience results in a still closer union between the subconscious soul and the conscious being. Truth will flow still more readily and copiously into the consciousness. This is the secret of inspiration. We must trust ourselves, which is merely trusting our perceptions of truth and we must have the faith and courage to express what the inflowing soul reveals to us. Here we stand; God will help us. The Inner Light cannot shine, unless there is faith and obedience to the voice of the conscience. When we obey, it becomes clearer. Many of us spend an exorbitant amount of time and energy and money to take care of our bodies, and trying to keep ourselves looking and feeling our best. However, when it comes to the mind, less attention is paid. For many people, taking care of the mind most often comes as an afterthought. #RandolphHarris 6 of 11
The religious significance of events includes and transcends their natural significance. Those events which the prophets saw as acts of God can also be seen as having proximate natural or human, but they were supernatural; and the person of Christ, seen by Christian faith as divine, is depicted in the New Testament as being at the same time genuinely human. From a theological point of view, this systematic ambiguity, which is the precondition of faith, serves to protect human’s freedom and autonomy as a finite personal being in relation to the infinite God. The whole Universe is spiritual in character the phenomenal World of physics is merely the external manifestation of this spiritual reality. That which to itself is physical is to others physical. Atoms are centers of force or energy, it is not necessary to suppose them to be material or extended. These atoms are only the simplest elements in a spiritual hierarchy includes all those levels beneath t, so that God contains the totality of spirits. Consciousness is an essential feature of all that exists, but this assertion does not mean that every physical entity or phenomenon has its own soul. Only certain systems, namely, organic wholes, give evidence of possessing souls, and those bodies which do not are the only constituents of besouled bodies. #RandolphHarris 7 of 11
The evidences of soul are the systematic coherence and conformity to law exhibited in the behaviour of organic wholes. The Earth, our eternal mother, is an organic besouled whole. The stars and the physical Universe as a whole are also bodies of this kind. God is the soul of the Universe; he is to the system of nature as that system is to itself. Immortality is based on the observation that many individual experiences which are forgotten or unnoticed may later be recalled into consciousness. If the soul as a whole is treated on the analogy of its individual experiences, then, since these do not vanish utterly but often return in the form of memory, the soul itself may likewise continue to exist in God’s memory. Mind and body are not parallel aspects of some third substance; they are identical. The persistence of mind is therefore no more difficult to entertain than the persistence of the material Universe itself, which is only the outward manifestation of an all-inclusive soul. The word “beauty” denotes the approximate subject matter of aesthetics. It is a word applicable to everything that has the property arousing pleasure directly and immediately. (Pleasure aroused by thoughts of the consequences of an object is nonaesthetic.) Our experience of aesthetic pleasure are simple, unanalyzable psychic atoms. #RandolphHarris 8 of 11
The aim of an experimental aesthetics is to discover the objects that produce such atoms, that is, the causal laws connecting aesthetic experiences with the characteristics of outer objects. Our Creator expects his children everywhere to gain an education as a personal endeavour. “Seek diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; seek out the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith,” commands Doctrine and Covenants 88.118. When we leave this delicate existence, our material possessions will remain here, but the Lord ha declared that all the knowledge we acquire here will rise with us in the resurrection. In the light of this celestial perspective, if we impulsively drop out or otherwise cut short our education, we will not only disregard a divine decree but also abbreviate our eternal potential. To this day, one of my biggest regrets was dropping out of Mrs. Swanson’s Trigonometry class, I wish she would have forced me to take it, I wish the school would not have given me so many options over what classes I could take. I wish everything was engrained in stone. As youth, we are not fully cognitive and have no idea what we are doing sometimes. Looking back, I realise I dropped her class because I was lazy and did not want to challenge my brain. I was afraid of not doing well. I prejudged my own educational development without even giving myself a chance. #RandolphHarris 9 of 11
These classes are not just about the material, they help our brain develop and learn to understand. And understanding is a gift from God. Perhaps if I had stayed in her class I would have avoided that ill trip to the mall, which has been haunting me my entire life. Within a Christ-centered home, love, trust, and confidence invite the presence of the Holy Ghost. In such a home the Holy Ghost can teach children to understand. Ultimately, it is not parents who do the teaching. Certainly, parents must diligently and effectively explain basic gospel doctrines, teach true principles, and share sacred experiences. However, who truly does the teaching and certifies the truthfulness of what we come to know? The Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead. He is the Comforter who knows all things. He is thereby able to search the minds and hearts of all of us and then tailor a blessing to us, according to our individual needs and circumstances. And it is teaching and certifying by the Spirit that produces understanding. Wisdom is the application of understanding in righteous judgment and action. It is the precious product that is nourished by knowledge and reason and understanding and revelation. “A wise person will hear, and will increase learning; and a person of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels,” Proverbs 1.5. #RandolphHarris 10 of 11
The specific blessings of understanding are an increased desire for additional knowledge, instruction, and learning; happiness; and a precious perspective of the eternal that transcends the limited view of the mortal. We must also understand that not all happiness is created equal, and in our own pursuit of joy and bliss, we must keep in mind that the type of happiness we are after can make all the difference. Eudaimonic happiness—that which is linked to having a larger purpose or sense of meaning in life—is linked with healthy gene activity, where as hedonic, or pleasure-seeking, happiness is not. Those who are happy because they have a sense of purpose in life have lower inflammatory gene expression and higher antiviral and antibody gene expression than others. Eudaimoic happiness is something one builds up over a lifetime. If people have led good lives, they can get more happy as they age. Reading is also good for the mind. Reading a book can lower stress levels, help us sleep better, and keep our brains sharper, and also stave off Alzheimer’s. A heart that lacks attention needs more Sunshine. In this World, no matter how many more years I will live and how far I will further travel, what I can never forget is your encouragement and expectations. #RandolphHarris 11 of 11
I will never forget your kind words, directing me to the right way. I will never forget when you were distressed, you still worked and taught us how to answer challenging solutions. I will never forget when we blundered, you helped us up. I wish the blessing can express our earnings to you. It was so hard to get back on the train this time. Not that parting was every easy before, but it is especially hard now that I know what it is to be separated from you. The last time we parted and I got on that train, heading for a boat to take me across the channel, my mind was so full of you but at the same time so full of anticipation and uncertainty. Most people think of Sun when surprised with bright colour of the rainbow. I first think of you when I win applause and flowers. This time, I am sitting and gazing out at the English countryside blurring by the window and all I can think about is that every hedgerow and neat green field we pass is one more hedgerow and neat green field between us. We hear the shells, sometimes see them when they fall on the roads, but that is as close as we get to the action. We live vicariously through the stories we hear from the blesses. Sometimes I feel as if we are hanging around outside the cinema, trying to piece together the flicker from the bits and pieces we overhear as the patrons come out of the theater. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
That time I ran up the ridge to help the wounded brancardier, in full view of the Boaches and their guns, the familiar prickles of danger and excitement grabbed me. I felt so alive. It was as if I were scrambling up the wall with those squirrels again. To be doing something instead of just waiting back and watching others do it. I tell you, it was so hard to go back to my usual work after getting out of the hospital. The scar left me by my service, I wake to run my finger along its seam. It many respects, dignity leaves us lonely. Do you understand why I could not tell this all to you? You would have wrapped those surprisingly strong arms of ours around me and not let go. Not that I would have minded too terribly being held captive by such a jailer, but, like I told you I need to finish out my year. I have to accomplish something in my life. If I cannot stick it our for a whole year, then what can I stick out? You do not want a man who cannot finish anything. When the setting Sun gilds the clouds and the scenery on the horizon and the approaching twilight adds some melancholy to my heart, I have already turned what I want to say to you into poems written on the meadow. Happiness is not hidden in the situation, but in the yearning. I always ask you how far it is from the eyes to the heart. Speaking of the future, I cannot believe you got a 
For a guy who has been living out of an ambulance, to walk up and see those lace curtains at the window, it was just like coming home to the very well educated, affluent suburbs. You are graceful like white clouds coming into my dream every night, you are as beautiful as flowers in my eyes every day, and pure as the river running into my heart every moment. The inborn grace and charm possessed by your character leave in my heart permanent sanctity and loveliness. God is that which nothing greater can be thought Of, whether you give this the name God or not, can be thought of, and therefore exits in the mind even of those who denies its existence anywhere else. And to exist outside the mind as well as in it is a greater thing than to exist in the mind only, the maximum cogitabile is not the maximum conitabile at all; it is therefore self-contradictory to deny real existence to that than which nothing greater can be thought of. Greater in this argument means, in part, better, so it is no answer to say that of some things it might be better for them not to exist. If God is by definition everything that a being ought to be, then such a being ought to be, among other things, real; and to think of God as not being real is therefore to think of him as not being all that he ought, and thus is not to be really thinking of God. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
The thought of an unreal God is internally incoherent, so if God can be thought of at all (and the person who thinks God does not exist does think of him), God must be, if we are to be consistent, be thought of as real. I am still tired, but I would much rather be tired from digesting the scriptures than from an excess of work. I did not want to waste a moment of my time with you on sleeping. That is what the train journey back to Folsom, California is for. Despite my tiredness, I do feel like a new man. Clean, well fed, clothes washed and mended, warm new greatcoat. Body and spirit sated. You laughed at me, but I have to save up my satiations! I have gone so long without that I wanted to put in extra stock, the memories to be pulled out and savored as needed. If the Sun is the source of all life and strength, then you are the unsetting Sun in my heart. Whether it is during the day or at night, and whether it shines or rains, your gift to me always flickers in my heart. You entered my life like a falling star coming into my atmosphere. I could see you in the dawn of a cold night and needed something to warm my heart and light up my life. You are a beautiful fairy in a fairy tale, bringing spring to my life. You are like jade, pure and natural with no disguise, laughing when you are happy, crying when you are in sorrow, living simple and free life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
Even that one incident could not spoil things for me. I know you were upset, but you did nothing wrong. He should not have said the things he did, but I am sure he did not mean anything by them. I hope you have gotten past it. I will close my eyes and pull out one of those aforementioned memories. If my love is a beautiful rose and I am a green leaf, we will live together rain or shine. Understanding or misunderstanding, agony or mirth, beginning or ending, intoxication or freedom, reunion or separation are all for love. In every work of design, the work must be conceived before it is executed—that is, before it exists. The book of Judges (in the Christian Bible) recounts a cycle that repeated itself multiple times during the reign of judges. Because the Israelites failed to remove wicked influences from the promised and, they became entangled in sin and were conquered and afflicted by their enemies. After the Israelites cried unto the Lord for help, he sent judges to deliver them from their enemies. However, the Israelites soon returned to their sins, and this cycle was repeated. There was great lawlessness and disorder among the tribes of Israel under the judges as they placed their trust in the wisdom of people and chose to disobey the commandments of the Lord. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
In the closing sentence of the book of Judges, the writer reports, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every person did that which was right is his or her own eyes,” Judges 21.25. People rationalized sins. Kids were raised with no restriction and did whatever they wanted to do. Micah and the Danites created sanctuaries dedicated to idol worship, and Levite concubine is abused and killed. However, to prevent sin from ravaging the land and our lives, our choice is to obey God’s standard of morality, as it will largely determine our happiness in life. Our God—he needs to speak only once on the issues of morality, and that one declaration trumps all the opinions of the lower courts, whether uttered by psychologists, counselor, politicians, friends, parents, or would-be moralists of the day. It is almost unbelievable to think that God has given to his children the power that is most prized and sacred to him—the power to create life. Because God gave us this power, he, and he alone, has the right to prescribe how it should be used. “The power of the Holy Ghost is gift of God unto all who diligently seek him,” reports 1 Nephi 10.17. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Contrary to much public sentiment, there is nothing negative or restraining about God’s moral standards. Rather, they are optimistic, uplifting, and liberating. Our covenants with God build relationships of trust, they enhance self-esteem, they foster a clear conscience, and they invite the Spirit of the Lord to bless individual and married lives. God’s moral standards are the proven ideals for happy marriages and stable communities. Civilizations are built on moral foundations. When people are morally strong, they do it well; when they are morally weak, they suffer. Freedom cannot outlive morality and freedom is not free—it must be earned. People may change again and again, but mandates from God never change. They remain the same because the fundamental principles of good behaviour are everlasting and never change. The Lord has given us direction through the scriptures as to how we should behave to enrich our lives, to being peace to our souls, to strengthen our families, and to uplift the dignity of humanity. “Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 38.22. Faith is belief in revealed truths. Ultimately the object of faith is God himself, who is not, however, known by the human mind in his divine simplicity but only discursively and by means of propositions. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
These revealed truths are authoritatively presented in the creeds. Thus, to have faith means to believe the articles of faith summarized in the credal affirmations of the church. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” reports Psalms 33.12. Fait is an act of the intellect assenting to divine truth at the command of the will moved by the grace of God. That is to say, whereas in knowledge the intellect is moved to assent by the object itself, known either directly or by demonstrative reasoning, in faith the intellect is moved to assent through an act of choice, where by it turns voluntarily to one side rather than to the other. Faith does not, however, represent an arbitrary or unmotivated decision. It is a response, under the influence of divine grace, to certain external evidence, particularly miracles. As such, it is sufficiently determined by the evidence to be rational and yet sufficiently undetermined and free to be meritorious. “The Lord will deliver you out of bondage, according to his power,” reports Mosiah 7.33. It may be that God can or will disclose himself only to one who shows such an initial faith and is willing to venture in trust beyond what has been established by scientific proof or philosophical demonstration. In other words, it is possible that in order to gain the religious knowledge upon which our personal good depends, we must give rein to our passional desire to believe. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
In every advance from sense data to the perception of an ordered World or from the projection of a scientific hypothesis to its observational verification, as in every successful voyage of discovery or in the invention of some new kind of machinery, there must be not only an act of theorizing or of insight but also a sustained effort of will which carries the operation through to completion. “If thou wilt call on God’s name in faith, thou shalt receive hope thou desirest,” reports Alma 22.16. A very important connection has long been recognized between faith and what may be called the cognitive freedom of the human mind in its relation to God. And not merely in works, but also in faith, has God preserved the will of humans free and under his own control. God is willing to appear openly to those who seek him with all their hearts, and to be hidden from those who flee from him with all their hearts, he so regulates the knowledge of himself that he has given signs of himself, visible to those who seek him, and not to those who seek him not. “May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD,” reports Ruth 2.12. Awake with an overwhelming sense of gratitude; let it be like a sixth sense. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
I look forward to the Winter nights. I love them for they are long and quiet; night is a long beautiful dream. In these dreams I can travel abroad with you. All of these night stories make me realise how the past does not help when we are put in a tight spot. You recently told me that you have a rough day and since you do not drink nor do drugs that you put on music from the past. Music that reminded you of a prosperous time, when there was a lot of money, many happy people, and there was always a good time to be had. These people introduced you to new types of music and European foods you have never tried before. Memories are all well and good to hold on to, but it is the promise of making new memories that helps me to push through. I never told you, but I was shot down over France, right before the evacuations. I knew if I admitted to you in Plymouth, you would be so worried, you would never let me get back on that train. If I stopped to remember how it feels to duck down in a strafing, with nothing between me and the bullets but my helmet and laces hands over my neck, if I stopped to remember the miles of slogging, only to see the lads in front of me stumble upon a mine, if I stopped to remember crouching in the dark, not knowing whether the whine of the next shell had my name on it, if I stopped to remember the mutter comments around me of lads who did not know that I had been up there, doing my job, I would never move forward. I have to just keep telling myself that I will be back with you in no time. Nothing else I can do. #RandolphHarris 1 of 13
If Heaven is free from rough edges, how will virtues, so dearly brought into this World, survive within? As much as I try to push the past aside so that I keep moving forward, nothing is holding you back that way. You have more questions than memories, more mystery than enlightenment. You have to look behind you. The present and the future are built on the past. I know that you want to find where you came from before you will never know where to go. Do not give up. Disagreeable neighbours? They are to match for you. You cannot successfully operate faith principles apart from being led by the Spirit. “If you abide in Me, and My word abide in you, you will ask for what you desire, and it shall be done for you,” reports John 15.7. When it comes to acting on your faith, God will direct you. Fait does not exist by itself. Faith requires an object. It must be faith in something or someone. In that respect, faith is like love. Love cannot exist without an object. Love is meaningless unless it is directed toward something or someone. We love our parents. We love our brothers and sisters. We love God. We love the World. We love our life. Faith is the same. If we think we have faith, we should ask, faith in whom or faith in what? For some, faith is nothing more than faith in themselves. That is only self-confidence or self-centeredness. #RandolphHarris 2 of 13
Others have faith in faith, which is something like relying on the power of motivational thinking or betting on the proposition that we can get what we want by manipulating the powers within us. However, the scriptures teach us that faith comes by hearing the word of God. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, reports Romans 10.17. God knows and loves us and will hear our prayers and answer them with what is best for us. In fact, God will do more than what is best for us. He will do what is best for us and all of our Heavenly Father’s children. The conviction that the Lord knows more than we do and that he will answer our prayers in the best way for us and for all of his other children is a vital ingredient of faith in the Lord. We must always pray for protection, success, and good conditions to take us to our destination. Miracles are the realm we are made for. When someone says, “That is going to take a miracle”—that is our realm. That is God’s natural operation. God is always ready to perform a miracle. If you need a miracle in your life, it is waiting on you. “May God raise you from death by power of Resurrection and from everlasting death by power of Atonement,” reports 2 Nephi 10.25. #RandolphHarris 3 of 13
God, as the highest, richest, and most intensely real being, is the supreme good, and everything that he has brought into existence is ipso facto good. For this reason the corruption which we call evil can never be complete; for if s thing becomes so vitiated in nature that it ceases to exit, the evil which is parasitic upon it must also cease to exist. Hence, there can be no wholly evil being. Nothing evil exists in itself, but only as an evil aspect of some actual entity. Thus, everything that God has created is good, and the phenomenon of evil occurs only when beings which are intrinsically good (though mutable) become corrupted and spoiled. How does this spoiling of God’s initially good creation come about? Evil has entered into the Universe through the culpable volitions of free creatures, Angels, and people. Their sin consisted, not in choosing positive evil (for there is no positive evil to choose), but in turning away from the higher good, namely Go, to a lower good. For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, becomes evil—not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked. Natural evils, such as disease, are divinely ordained consequences of the primeval fall of humans, and thus all evils are either directly or indirectly traced back to a wicked misuse of creaturely freedom: There are two kinds of evil, sin and the penalty for sin. It is as if one sought to see darkness, or hear silence. #RandolphHarris 4 of 13
God, who sees timelessly and as a whole the entire moving panorama of created history, the Universe is Good. To Thee there is no such thing as evil, and even in thy whole creation, taken as a whole, there is not. However, a Universe where people are allowed the freedom of will and the right to choose their own behaviour, and which contains as many different kinds of entities as possible (lower as well as higher, lesser as well as greater), is better than Universe—one which more adequately expresses the infinite creativity of God—than would a Universe which contains only the highest type of created beings. There is thus an immense hierarchy of forms of created existence, and each creature, in its own proper place in the scheme of nature, is good and glorifies its Maker. Those that are lower in the scale of being are not on that account evil; they are just different goods, contributing in their different ways to the perfection of the Universe. Again, things that are transitory by nature, appearing and then perishing within the every-changing pattern of nature’s beauty, contribute, even by their death, to the perfection of the created order. The notion of evil, by providing a contrast, makes the good shine more brightly. There is nothing that God has not provided or will not provide for us in this life, and faith is the key that unlocks the door. #RandolphHarris 5 of 13
Spiritual life is so important. Faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him,” reports Hebrews 11.6. This is how we receive salvation. It is power that brings signs, miracles, wonders and manifestations of God’s promises. The Lord is look to people with faith to show himself strong to. “For yes, the eyes of the LORD range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him,” reports 2Chronicales 16.9. As long as sin is exactly balanced by just punishment, it does not upset the moral harmony of the Universe. Since there is happiness for those who do not sin, the Universe is perfect; and it is no less perfect because there is misery for sinners. So, whatever a soul may choose, ever beautiful and well-ordered in all its parts is the Universe whose Maker and Governor is God. The eternal possibilities of existence are individually present to the Divine Mind which, like an infallible calculating machine, surveys all possible combinations and selects the best, to which it then gives existence. Some of us need the manifestation of God’s power in our lives today, and the answer is to have faith. #RandolphHarris 6 of 13
God created humans with no sin in them and set them in a World devoid of evil. However, humans willfully misused their God-given freedom and fell into sin. Some people will be redeemed by God’s grace, and others will be condemned to eternal punishment. In all of this, God’s goodness and justice alike are manifested. “Have faith in God,” reports Mark 11.22. We, in the Word of Faith circle, understand the power of our words. We know we will have what we say, so we are careful to speak only right words and refrain from speaking words against the desired outcome. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him or her, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins,” Mark 11.24-25. If God had created a World in which natural law were continuously adjusted for the avoidance of all pain, the more heroic human virtues would never be evoked. Indeed, a great part of our present moral language would be meaningless. There would be no such things as doing harm, for no one would be able to suffer any kind of injury; there would be no such thing as doing good, for there would be no needs, deficiencies or occasions for improvement. #RandolphHarris 7 of 13
Furthermore, if human beings did not have free will there would be no such thing as a crime or a benefaction, an act of generosity or of meanness, of kindness or unkindness; and there would be no situations to which such qualities as courage, fortitude, loyalty, honesty, and the caring and protective aspects of love would be appropriate responses. There would thus be no occasions for moral choice. Such a World would be ill-designed to evoke many of the human traits which we value most highly. Indeed, it would seem that the rough edges of the World—its challenges, dangers, tasks, difficulties, and possibilities of real failure and loss—constitute a necessary element in an environment which is to call forth human’s finer qualities. Revelation comes from allowing and expecting the Word of God to be quickened to our spirit and change us on the inside. For faith to come, we must keep renewing our mind and building our testimony until we feel it and know it is there. Real faith has a foundation. And that foundation is that we have heard from God about our situation either in his word or by his speaking to our spirit. There is no limitations to an omnipotent God’s capacity to create beings endowed with specific personal characteristics. Virtues have been formed as a result of making real decisions in real situations of moral choices and they are of greater value than the analogous virtue created by divine fiat. #RandolphHarris 8 of 13
It is reasonable to suppose that the Creator is not content to build into humans the merely ready-made and unearned qualities. God wants us to develop these heroic human virtues. Much like a parent teaches their kids to obey, but does not want to always have to watch over them. However, when the parent is not around and the child behaves out of their own volition, it makes a parent proud that they do not have to watch the child every moment of ever day get him or her to behave. It becomes ingrained in the child’s free will that he or she wants to behave because it is the right thing to do. Although evil have the ability to crush the human spirit as often as it has developed it, and people have collapsed before life’s challenges and opportunities, they still have risen triumphantly to meet them by using their free will. When the Spirit of God reaches inside of us, it turns the lights on because real faith in God gets real results every time. Manifestations are not always instantaneous—there are times when patience needs to have its perfect work. “Let patience have her perfect work, that one may be perfect and entire, wanting noting. If anyone you lack wisdom, let one ask of God, that give to all people liberally and upbraided not; and it shall be given to one,” reports James 1.4-5. Faith will always bring results because faith never faiths. #RandolphHarris 9 of 13
We know God is in charge of this World and that he loves us and has a plan for us, and we can and should choose and should seek to believe in our Savior. Real faith does not get frustrated. If we are frustrated with our situation or frustrated with how long it is taking to see a manifestation—we are not in faith. We believe we receive when we pray—not when it comes to pass. Real faith is expecting—expecting God to work miracles, expecting to see manifestations of the Holy Spirit. How can we tell if we are expecting? Excitement. If we have no excitement, we are not in faith because we are waiting for something to excite us. “You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it,” reports John 14.13. So, we must examine our faith—did we ask God? Is it his will? Then we should be expecting. Faith is full of anticipation. That is the key to seeing miracles in our lives—expectancy. If we are expecting, we will see results. God is always ready to perform a miracle. Accordingly, this type of theodicy demands completion in an eschatology. It points toward the eternal happiness of human beings in a society with one another and in communion with God, which is symbolized by the Kingdom of Heaven; and its fuller claim is that the final fulfillment of God’s purpose for his creatures in his Heavenly kingdom constitutes a good so great and enduring that it justifies all the pains which have been experiences in order to reach it. #RandolphHarris 10 of 13
Eastern thought has suggested that there may be continuous reincarnation of souls through the levels of existence. She is telling you the truth. She was in love with an American. More than that—she made is sound like fairy tale. A chance letter that sparked years of correspondence, finding blots of love between each word on the page. Depending on the post more than the tides and the Moon. Even war could not stop what blossomed between them. She did not lie about either the America nor how she felt. However, it was not the time for all that. It was not the time to fall in love. Thus, pain is not wasted, but is part of a long constructive process. Wartime romance? I only hope the reason was big enough, threatening enough, lasting enough, to make it worth it. How wonderful that someone can be celibate. Love is something that takes time. Of course I am curious, because having adult relations is not a birthright; you do not meet those very often. I am impressed with religious people who can maintain a vow of celibacy. However, there is a sharp increase in the number of celibate young men, and it could be a warning sign. We ignore it or laugh at it since as a society we do not care about your young men (that is why we blithely send them to die in pointless foreign wars. 14.2 percent of young men are celibate. People even try to demonize and force celibate young men into sex, as if they have a right to use their bodies. #RandolphHarris 11 of 13
I think he really loved her, but wanted to take their relationship slow. He must have been old fashioned and believed in romances like Sleeping Beauty. In romance, there was no sex. It was just a kiss and then they got married. People spend time getting to know their partner. There are so many women around here with a “Mrs.” Before their name, but no man at home. I had assumed her story was the same—some sad youthful marriage that ended on a battlefield somewhere. For what reason was Adam and Eve cast out of the Garden of Eden in the first place? And humankind has ever since paid the terrible price of their sin by continuing wit the sex act in the same old manner. With celibacy, there is a strong emphasis on love, ecstasy, and lasting commitment. There also must be miraculous heights of spiritual awareness, perfect love, perfect relationships, bliss, inner joy and concentration. In spite of the lack of understanding regarding celibacy, there is an obvious benefit from abstanting from the sex for long period of time that very few seem to understand or appreciate. Stored sexual energy properly transmuted gives one a definite psychological boost such as a greater sense of purpose, better memory, concentration and more interest in doing what is needed or required while giving one a feeling of reward in accomplishment. One tends to look forward to getting things done in a creative way while enjoying much greater motivation, bliss, joy, resilience, determination, and love for one’s duty. #RandolphHarris 12 of 13
My Russian friend told me that he is sure God appreciate my celibacy and it might even attract more favour in his eyes. One’s vital emotional health energy and sexual energy are interdependent. Therefore, whenever one’s sexual energy is used up, a large part of one’s mental energy and healing physical vitality get lost, and fascinatingly enough, one cannot successfully or correctly increase one’s sexual energy without the side effect of improving one’s health! Even dreams tend to be more frequent, blissful, colourful and more spiritual, and the possibility of achieving astral projection, deep and cosmic consciousness is also greatly improved. Conventional sex causes serious changes in one’s brain chemistry often leaving one more irritable, angry, spiritually dead, separated from wholeness, closed minded, attached, addicted, and competitive all for the purpose of increasing one’s tendency to fight other or compete with others for food, mates, shelter, etc. as part of means of speeding up the evolutionary process. People who are celibate tend to be naturally happy because their life force energy has not been disrupted by sheer blast of hormones, and they tend to be more carefree, energetic, and much more resilient to stress. It also prevents unwanted infirmary and unwanted lifestyles. The law of chastity is a moral code and under this code, all members are taught to be morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Besides, it is nice to look at someone and know he is not having sex, that is different and good. #RandolphHarris 13 of 13
I do not know how to bless you with my expecting heart. May we meet occasionally in the voyage of life and have a warm smile at the moment you suddenly glance back at me. I went out shopping today. While walking, I turned a corner and was confronted with a street packed fully of bookshops. It was a cultural haven with a series of new independent bookstores. You may laugh, but even if I were to have let my imagination run loose, I never would have conjured up an image of an entire block filled with nothing but books. It was an iconic street corner in an iconic neighbourhood that was bustling with pedestrian traffic. I knew that I was treading on hallowed ground, so to speak. This had to be the community’s nucleus. The neighbourhood is so deeply rooted in literary traditions and what is happening in the World. Brick and mortar bookstores hold the possibility of the unexpected. It is so much different than ordering books online because you have to already know what you are looking for and what you want, but when you walk into an independent book store, there seems to be miles and miles of different books, some new, some used, some rare. There are so many rows and subject to walk through. One can pick up a book, get a feel for it, and then buy it. It is so much more pleasant to have that hands-on experience. I was little shy when I first started going to the bookstore because I probably do not look like their typical reader, and would go there often, buying three books a month, which might be considered an unusual amount of material to consume each month. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10
However, I love books because they open the mind and teach people things and have idea that many have never heard of before. You would love the sense of superstitions and mystery in the independent bookstores, I felt like I was stepping into a Harry Potter movie, or meeting with Buffy and Giles in the library. Even the corporate bookstores have a cool vibe. They remind me of stepping into a movie theater or a laboratory. And people who frequently these places are typically polite. Books are amazing, after all, words are but pictures of our thoughts. “The Great British Baking Show” influenced. me to cheat on y diet and eat an entire lemon meringue pie all by myself over two days, it was delicious. I saw it at Safeway for $5.99 and wanted to judge it for myself. Life inevitably tends to organize into systems of life that are organic or Institutional. Philosophy helps to transform existing life systems. People assess these explications practically, in terms of their productiveness for life or for a particular life system. Each person chooses a life system, but one does not choose one simply for oneself. Every act of such choosing inevitably involves other people. There is so escape for any person from this social involvement. However, it leaves one to wonder, does the personality change across the entire life course, and are those changes due to intrinsic maturation or major life experiences? Personality traits may be characterized as internal dispositions and tendencies to behave, think, and feel in consistent ways. #RandolphHarris 2 of 10
Moreover, personality traits are conceptualized by many to represent stable and enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that become increasingly solidified throughout adulthood. There is usually a mean-level of changes for several personality traits during key developmental persons. Thus, personality may be aptly described as a dynamic individual difference variable that exhibits both stability and change over the life course. Genes and environments also contribute to rank-order stability and change in personality from late adolescence to early adulthood. Life is a process, an evolution; it cannot be contained within the boundaries of any philosophy or life system. The strains and the stresses created when life breaks its established boundaries raises the deep need for a new philosophy or new philosophies, and inevitably people develop them. Every significant new philosophy is more comprehensive and clearly defined than any past philosophy. The elaboration of new philosophies comes only through action (i.e., activism), through which a person’s relentless affirmation of life—and affirmation which recognizes both the good and evil inherent in life. Adulthood represents a turbulent period of adjustment marked by a host of significant life changes. Demographically, individuals undergo a series of closely spaced and formative life events (e.g. leaving home, matriculating into colleges, starting careers and families. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10
Psychologically, the significance of these adjustments may run deeper as individuals begin to define their identities and make commitments to various paths and roles in life. Significant psychological upheaval during this period is usually due to the fact that no significant philosophy is ever purely intellectualistic, for life is more than an idea or a theory. At its best, life is creative energy bursting into expression and molding past and present experience into a higher, more spiritual unity and order. Life is neither noological nor psychological nor cosmological; its basis and meaning are to be found in humans. One developmental construct that has been linked to these phenomena, and therefore may broaden our knowledge of their underlying mechanisms, is personality traits. Patterns of stability and change can be operationalized in multiple ways with each index of change revealing a unique perspective on personality development during emerging adulthood. Rebelliousness declines from adolescence to adulthood, while mean-level increases in law abidance, congeniality, diligence, generosity, orderliness, and leadership over this person. There are also an observed mean-level increases in agreeableness and conscientiousness and mean-level declines in neuroticism in a sample of students assessed at the beginning and end of college. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10
Life in humans is self-conscious; as such, it goes beyond the subjective individual to bind together all conscious beings. Through this transcendence, it becomes the independent spiritual life, or human beings reaching through action toward the absolute truth, beauty, and goodness. This independent spiritual life is attained only as personality is developed, but it is never a final achievement, since it is always a process that evolves as history. It is not rooted in the external World but in the soul, and it manifests itself more and more completely as the soul becomes independent of this World, self-willed yet subordinate to the ultimate trinity of truth, beauty, and goodness. These ultimates are not theoretical abstractions; they are concrete human experiences that push humans beyond cosmic nature to something transcendentally spiritual. Humans have their beginning in nature, but through their soul evolve beyond it. One’s soul raises questions such as “Why?” and “Whence?” and opposes nature at all points. One’s soul seeks to become timeless and above nature, even as it feels helpless in the grasp of nature. In spite of this feeling of helplessness, it continues to seek freedom—a freedom realized through the creation of a consistent philosophy that makes possible human’s physical and spiritual survival. This is not something intrinsic to itself but a means, or organ, of life itself. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10
The need for a new philosophy arises from two social conditions—modern human’s drive for a broader, freer, cleaner life, a life of greater independence and spiritual spontaneity and one’s drive for a naturalistic culture, which limits all its activity to the World around us. There is a normative trend toward growth and maturity during the transition into adulthood. Moreover, there is a mean-level increase in conscientiousness, emotional stability, and (to a lesser extent) agreeableness beginning in young adulthood. Maturity in the context of personality development, may be broadly defined as successful adjustment and adaptation to the demands of one’s life, as well as the capacity to form healthy interpersonal relationships. This is denoted by high self-control and responsibility, high agency and social efficacy, and low neuroticism, aggression, and other aversive emotional states. Furthermore, we expect a similar pattern of increasing maturity in personality from late adolescence to early adulthood. Also, the eternal contribution of Christianity offers a religious affirmation of universal redemption. However, redemption must be combined with new elements of faith if Christianity is to help give birth to the new spiritual philosophy needed by humans. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10
Individuals who are most mature in late adolescence change the least over time, whereas those exhibiting the inverse profile change the most in a direction towards growth and maturity. Genes and environment contribute to stability and change during the transition from late adolescence into early adulthood. Given that individuals are continuing to develop psychologically and neurobiologically during this period, it is conceivable that genetic factors may also contribute to change during emerging adulthood. Such findings suggest that personality, like other developmental processes, is partly regulated by the unfolding of genetic processes over time, which become expressed during key developmental periods. There is also a pattern of normative chance when we look at assessment of stability for the personality of late adolescence to early adulthood. There are major declines in aggression, alienation, stress reaction, and there are a mean-level increases in control, harm avoidance, achievement, social potency. Most profiles were of individuals at age 17, grouped due to the fact this is when they begin to exhibit reliable change, until age 24 to examine the extent to which heritability is consistent over time, and assess the extent to which genetic and environmental variance in personality plays a factor. #RandolphHarris 7 of 10
It has been seen that a naturalistic culture imposes false limitations upon human’s essential spirituality. When profiling youth, most scientists do not consider their comprehensive background, and they group people based on the likely hood of traits people with certain dispositions may display, but single parent household, ethnic background, and level of education are not always good indicators because we have people who are of mixed background, and although they come from a single parent house hold, their father and/or a father figure may be in the picture. Not all single parent households are struggling financially, and children may pursue higher education to raise their incomes levels. Also, spirituality plays a huge role in the lives of many. God has a higher standard of laws than man, which many religious people adhere to and science does not use religion as a factor because its impact is not always something they can measure. The conception of a naturalistic culture is a result of the impact of science upon human’s life—an impact that is essentially good, but dangerous if it leads to the restrictions of a person’s potentialities to the realm of nature only. The naturalistic approach opens the door to individual freedom, but it is unable to guide humans in the proper use of his or her freedom, since it lacks an overreaching conception of unity. It fails to understand the necessity of social cooperation and social cohesion. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10
Intellectualistic idealism understands the necessity for cooperation, cohesion, and unity, but fails to understand the need for individual freedom. The only proper answer is spiritual autonomy. Autonomy gives primacy to the whole of which the individual is a part, but it never reduces him or her to a state of utter subordination to that whole. The individual realizes his or her own unique freedom through this whole. Socialism cannot give unity to the life process it fails to understand human’s need for an inner life; it makes the present the only significant moment in human’s life and thus cuts one off from the past and the future; by reducing people to mathematical equality, it fails to appreciate genuine cultural and spiritual differences among people; espousing no higher faith than naturalism, it reduces social life to a struggle of person against person; any by considering humans in purely economic terms, it stunts and aborts their nature. Attainment of freedom should be in terms of religion, science, and the peaceful society. In science the primary objective is to give people control over their nature, but this task can be accomplished only when scientists cooperate by working together. Science, in other words, is essentially social, but it accomplished its task through the freedom to investigate that is given to scientists. The peaceful society, although not yet attained, plainly depends upon human cooperation, upon no man raising his or her hand against another. #RandolphHarris 9 of 10
However, spiritual autonomy is not possible in a naturalistic culture. It rests upon a faith that goes beyond naturalism—the spiritual belief that humans can produce a better and a freer World for all of humanity. Such a belief cannot find support in external circumstances alone. It requires the presence in each person of an inner life, a life constantly struggling to attain the good. The only duration of family life that satisfies the loftiest longings of the human soul is forever. No sacrifice is too great to have the blessings of an eternal marriage. To qualify, one needs only to deny oneself of ungodliness and honour the ordinances of the temple. By making and keeping sacred temple covenants, we evidence our love for God, for our companion, and our real regard for our posterity—even those yet unborn. Our family is the focus of our greatest work and joy in this life; so will it be throughout all eternity, when we can inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers, dominions, exaltations and glory. If we set our houses in order now and faithfully cling to the gospel, these priceless blessings can be ours. God lives. When we talk about covenant keeping, we are talking about the heart and soul of our purpose in mortality. There is unusual power in making and keeping covenants with our Heavenly Father. Helping children understand, make, and keep sacred covenants is another key in creating a sin-resistant generation. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10
Our soul is the greatest love of all, and we must Believe in our life and our dreams to get what we want in everyday life. Building self-esteem is about learning to recognize what is unique, special, and good about us. It is also important that we learn to develop self-compassion, and treat ourselves with the same love and kindness that we readily give to others. Kindness is not jut about how we treat others; it is rooted in how we treat ourselves. The reason that so many people never fulfill their potential is not a lack of intelligence, opportunity or resources, but a lack of belief in themselves. Confidence is the product of the thoughts we think and the actions we take. It is not based on what actual ability is, but the foundation to succeed is discovered in our ability to succeed. We have to believe that we know what we are talking about in order to educate an audience. If an individual wants to learn new technology skills, there must be a passion in the heart and desire in our minds to absorb the information. God created us to be natural born leaders and our ability to lead is based on our faith that we are competent beings. As peaceful beings, we must also have the ability to handle confrontation and manage conflict, as people are better able to flourish in peaceful environments. If we believe that we will be successful in our relationships, then that will manifest and become a reality. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
Law of Nature is the cornerstone of utilitarian ethics, namely, the law that all actions should promote the common good. The beliefs that we hold true direct our actions and shape our lives. Research into neural plasticity reveals that we can literally reprogram our brains in ways that affect our thoughts and behaviour at any point in our mortal journey. Therefore, building self-confidence is vastly defined as being volitional; by choice. With consistent effort, and the courage to take risk, we can gradually expand our confidence, and with it, our capacity to build more of it. Understanding ourselves is key to improving our situation in life and our outlook—often referred to as our happiness quotient. As we learn new business skills and gain an education, we also need to learn about the inner workings of our own souls. We are here on Earth to learn and grow. Rather than praying for problems to be fixed or asking for help in overcoming obstacles, we should pray that we have a better understanding of ourselves and learn more about what we need to overcome. God is the sole power to translate knowledge of ethical truth into action. We are children of God and he put us here to be successful. Although we may not be perfect, we are on the right path. It is important to know that whatever comes our way, with the help of God, we will be able to persevere. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
To restrain the natural human tendencies to envy, mistrust, self-aggrandizement, and aggression, the virtues of accommodation, gratitude, clemency, obedience to authority, and respect for equal rights of others are recommended by laws of nature as means of ensuring social harmony. Also, not all jealousy is bad. Sometimes jealousy can encourage people to act. For example, if you are jealous of someone’s relationship and how happy they are, this envy can encourage you to find ways to improve your own relationship. Or if someone is jealous of someone else’s house, this envy may make them take action, work more hours and build the house of their dreams. Sometimes, in new relationships, people tend to get sad often for no reason and that is because things are just developing and have not reached the stage of full disclosure. People may act nonchalant because there is a time and a place for everything and they may not want everyone all up in their business. This moral sensibility turns us from the pursuit of pleasure toward the performance of duties toward others and explains our admiration of self-sacrifice independently of external reward or punishment. However, it is important to keep in mind that pleasure is the goal of all human action and consequently is the fundamental standard of evaluation. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
Good is the object of desire, assuming that the only property of things which provokes desire is their tendency to produce pleasure or reduce pain. Good is also defined as what has an aptness to produce pleasure in us. “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from Heaven,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 121.45. We call things good for the same reason that we call them beautiful: because we find them agreeable. An object is good if it is immediately pleasant, or if it is a useful means for attaining something else that is pleasant. Virtues are qualities that render a person agreeable or useful to oneself or to others, whether they are natural virtues such as talent, wit, and benevolence or artificial virtues like honesty and justice. Our spiritual confidence is largely determined by our prior spiritual success and, unfortunately, by our prior spiritual mishaps. Our prior choices will greatly influence how our spiritual basket will look, large or small, the next time we are at the line. Every act, good or bad, has a consequence. Every good act improves our ability to do good and more firmly stand against sin or failure. Every transgression, regardless of how minor, makes us more susceptible to the adversary’s influence next time he or she tempts us. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
The adversary takes an inch at a time, deceiving us as to the consequences of so-called minors sins until he or she captures us in a web of sins filled with major transgressions. “And behold, others the adversary flatters away, and telling them there is no hell; and he says unto them: I am not the adversary, for there is no such thing—and this he whispers in their ears, until he grasps them with his or her awful chains, from when there is no deliverance.” Reports 2 Nephi 28.22. Thus arises the sense of moral duty. Of course, confidence can wax and wane throughout our lives. It is boosted when we experience a win or receptive praise. When our efforts fall short of our goal, we are criticized, rejected or simply feel a lack of external recognition, it may reflect on us by depressing out confidence. It is therefore vital not to become overly reliant on external affirmation to prop up our self-worth, but to take ownership for taking the worthwhile actions needed to sustain it. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in humans,” reports Psalms 118.8. How do we build the confidence required to overcome our challenges and achieve our goals, particularly when we do not first succeed? The single most powerful way to build confidence is to act with the respect we aspire to have. We must act as if we already possess the confidence we aspire to have by speaking up, reaching out, and getting out of our comfort zone. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
Despite our fear of failure, the only way to build self-confidence is to take a risk and take action. If things do not work out, we now know that we can handle more than we thought we could. Either way, we are better off because the motivating processes that cause us to approve of moral virtue as an answer to the question of what criteria we use to judge person and actions to be worthy of moral approval eliminate the belief that we cannot do anything else and are stuck in the same roles of unfulfilled desires. When we stop reaching, we stop learning and when we stop learning, we stop growing. Freedom is not a quality of the will but a relation between desire, action, and environment, such that a person is free when his or her actions are caused by our own desires and unimpeded by external restraints. The more we use our soft determinism, it will allow our value, competence, resilience, influence, self-efficacy and confidence in our ability to make things happen grow! The moral sense, or conscience, that enables people to distinguish right from wrong as combination of benevolent emotion and rational intuition strengthens our confidence. Freedom of the will is the ground moral responsibility, as we are introspectively aware of our ability to choose between good and evil independently of our desires. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
Think of something you have always wanted to do but have avoided because you fear it cloud be embarrassing. Now clear your mind and give it a go. It is not only vital to our future success, but failing to take a risk and have a go can ultimately put the confidence we have now at risk. That is, if we do not use it, we lose it. According to the laws of freedom, a rational being imposes his or her own actions and expects other rational beings to recognize and obey. The justification for these rules lies in the logical fact that to be rational means to act in accordance with general rules and moral rules are those which can be followed consistently by all rational beings. Thus, insofar that one is moral, one is rational and, in this sense, free; insofar as one is immoral, one is an irrational slave to one’s natural inclinations. The reward of virtue is not happiness but dignity and freedom. When we shift our physical state, it shifts our mental and emotional state. Putting ourselves in a power pose literally changes our physiology releasing a hearty dose of testosterone to fuel our bravery. What we think about and focus on everyday will manifest in our lives. So may want to know, why is it everyday you have an article prepared? Well, it is part of mental mastery, to flood the brain with knowledge and information in an effort to manage the mind and soul. Some people are going through hell everyday and in pain, but they are always happy when you see them because they are practicing mental mastery. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
Also, it is important to appear happy in public and treat people with respect because reputation does matter and we should treat people with the kind of respect that we want. This is our duty. Duty is distinct from pleasure and utility, and moral virtue or good will is the supreme good to which all other values are subordinate, and moral worth is not measures either by the consequence of a person’s actions or by one’s natural benevolence, but by the agent’s intention to obey moral laws. Think of someone you greatly admire wo radiates a quiet sense of confidence, and think about what they would do or say if they were facing your current challenges and opportunities. Channel their self-confidence, certitude, and bravery. Do not make false promises. What we put our attention on amplifies in our reality. Focus on things that make one anxious, and one will become more anxious. Focus on things that inspire one, and one will feel more powerful. Like all emotions, confidence breeds confidence. Make the conscious and courageous decision not to give self-doubt the power to keep one from pursuing a bold ambition, have a tough conversation, or lay one’s pride on the line. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
It is not in virtue what satisfied human needs, but in virtue of the demand of reason that action be in accordance with universal law, that we feel obligated to obey moral principles. With God, families are essential. He created the Earth that we could gain physical bodies and form families. To set our house in an order pleasing to the Lord, we need to do it his way. We are to employ his attribute of righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, and patience. We are supposed to be living examples of kindness, and pure knowledge, which greatly enlarge the soul. The moral duty and self-interest coincide because God, as the paramount authority, commands us through the Scriptures and the promptings of the conscience to seek the general good as well as our own happiness. Moral obligation is supported both by natural pleasure in the well-being of others and by the fear of divine punishments which provides the selfish, but rational person with a good reason to sacrifice one’s pleasure for the common good. There is an ideal way for us live with impressive purity and faith in the quest for human perfectibility. Human beings are rational agents and members of a kingdom of ends in which we are both subject and sovereign, legislating for ourselves and others. The highest goal of human life is to realize this ideal kingdom in individual and social practice. Anchored in truth, that iron rod is immovable and immutable. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9
Randolph Harris II International Institute 