Beach Haven

At the end of June, I was able to help the Stake YM Presidency run a two day Aaronic Priesthood Encampment. Because of COVID we were asked to keep the camp local to prevent a long drive. We were also asked to make the camp a series of day-camps to eliminate overnight tent camping. So we did. We managed to offer two long days that included canoeing/kayaking, rifle/shotgun shooting, archery, geocaching, service projects, and competitions. At the end of the first night, each ward met separately and the bishops had time to hold a fireside discussion with their own youth. On the second night, the stake presidency came to camp and offered an inspirational fireside for the entire camp. We had nearly 200 campers including youth and leaders. As far as I can tell the boys enjoyed the camp. The front room in our home holds a number of lost-and-found items.

For camp we focused on the 2021 youth theme: A Great Work.

Doctrine and Covenants 64: 33-34

• 33 Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.
• 34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
  

There certainly are many ideas to unpack here. ‘Be not weary’ speaks to my experience from time to time. We each need to find a balance to keep being about His work ‘in well-doing’ without burning out. ‘Out of small things’ feels like a fair description of me and my efforts. We tried to stress to the young men that we are the small things bringing about a great work, but we ourselves are the great work. Our immortality and eternal life is God’s ‘work and glory’.

The idea of a ‘willing mind’ is close to my personal thoughts. From my limited perspective, our personal will is the only thing we have that is truly our own. Everything else we have, including our agency, is a gift from Heavenly Father. Our will is our own. Everything else we might ‘sacrifice’ would be only returning to God that which He gave to us in the first place. For example, our time is measured. We have no idea how much we have in this short life, but we know it will eventually end. Our money we earn, but only by using the gifts of health, personal talents, the political and economic environment we live in, and the culture we are raised in as a few examples. Agency is another area to consider. There was a time that I thought of my agency as mine, but actually my agency has been given to me. We all have agency, but with limitation imposed by both earthly and heavenly powers. Our choices with the agency given to us often removes future agency. Every person sitting in prison has much less freedom to exercise agency than those of us not in that circumstance. People whose choices led them to physical or mental health issues have lost some agency as well.

I’m sure each of us can gain much more from a study of these two verses. One note about an experience that brought me some pleasure at camp. The events were held at two separate locations, The Accakeek Sportsman Club, and the Virginia Outdoor Center. Aside from participating in activities, the youth participated in service projects at both locations. Staff and leaders of both places repeatedly told us how impressed they were at the way the boys acted during the event, and how well they worked during the service portion of camp. It was clear the boys’ actions spoke to camp staff. They were doing very good missionary work. All the staff from both facilities understood what our organization is and which church we are a part of. 
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My aunt Marqueen Kitta joined the church a few years ago, a short time after my mother, her sister, passed away. Marqueen has a wonderful conversion story, but it is her's to share. I learned the whole thing not from her but from Caden Judd. He was one of the missionaries who helped teach and eventually baptize her. Caden went with us to the temple. As it turns out, he was working in the Virginia Beach area for the summer so we shared a ride to Philadelphia. His missionary companion was Brigham Taylor who was also able to join us in the temple. He and his father visited his brother in New York City, then drove south to join us. My sister Lisa was also able to fly out from Utah to be there. Marqueen was joined by a sizable group from the Berwick Ward where she attends church. We were sixteen people in all.

Because of the pandemic, it has been more than a year since my wife and I have been able to step foot into The House of the Lord. We of course have attended church in our local chapel, but the temple is unique for its sacredness. As Marqueen made covenants in the ordinances, I had the privilege to act on behalf of her husband, Uncle Joe, who died some time ago. Later she was sealed to Joe, then to her parents, my grandparents. Finally, Joe was sealed to his parents. The previous generation’s work had already been done by my mother before she passed away two years ago.

Attending the temple is always a wonderful, sacred experience. In the temple one is much more open to promptings of the Spirit, at least I find that true for me. I think that is because it is a set apart space reserved completely for making sacred covenants, and we were there to give service for those who cannot make covenants for themselves. For me this is the epitome of acting as saviors on mount Zion. Likewise, when we go to the temple, we go setting aside worldly things. That attitude alone puts us closer to God.

My wife and I have some fairly large and looming decisions we are weighing. We entered the temple believing we had the answer to at least one of the questions about our future. Both of us were comforted in the temple that we had made the right decision. We also were able to articulate for ourselves remaining questions, and a plan to follow as well to clarify the answers in order to seek additional confirmations.
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How blessed we were to be invited to join Aunt Marqueen at the precise time we were feeling inspired to make some of these decisions about our future. It is yet another testimony to me that God is in the details of our life whether we recognize or acknowledge it or not. He wants to help us if we will let Him.  

In May I had a speaking assignment in the Garrisonville Ward as one of my duties on the Stake High Council. The stake presidency asked those of us speaking this month to address the following:

Doctrine & Covenants 50:24
"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day".

There are so many areas related to this scripture. I have thought about the idea of light for many years. The specific angle they have asked us to address related to this scripture is this:

Our Stake President characterized the speaking assignment topic as:

• "Staying away from the fringes" relative to church doctrine. The topic is intended to remind members of the safety that comes from a study of the doctrine in the standard works, messages in various forms from modern day prophets and other inspired church leaders.  You have the flexibility to present the topic as dictated by the spirit. As you see fit, it would be good to remind members to seek inspiration from the Lord when there are questions, and local church leaders as needed.

I have often thought of this issue as well. Over the years I have seen many members get attached to what I call their ‘pet topic’. I’m all for continued study, swimming deeply in the doctrines of Christ. In fact, just this past general conference we heard encouragement from President Nelson to face challenges through learning and faith. He said:

• Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith.
  

At times I wonder if I am a ‘lazy learner’. Adding light onto light will cause our knowledge to grow. So how to reconcile these two ideas of adding knowledge without being overly focused on some specific obscure matter of doctrine? Esoteric ideas may seem interesting, and may help to fill what we perceive as areas of weakness within our understanding. Here is the caution I guess that strikes me. As I listen to the prophets and apostles, and review typical lesson material published by the church, topics tend to be focused on the essential saving doctrines and principles of the gospel. Why is that? I would argue it’s because we are all at different places in our building of line-up-line, precept-upon-precept. Our personal learning journey is different than the journeys of others. God teaches each of us in the language and timing that is best for us individually. I would argue, that’s why in group settings we keep to the essential saving doctrines and ordinances. It keeps us grounded in common truth, and the Spirit is able to touch our hearts.

Another thing I have noticed over the years is how sometimes people expounding what they perceive as ‘deeper’ understanding can at times appear to do so in a form of self-aggrandizement. Perhaps I see it in others because I myself need to be careful not to share in order to display some sort of self-perceived ‘greater wisdom’. In my case it’s more likely self-delusional. When this approach happens, say in a Sunday School class, it can lead to confusion or even conflict. I’d guess this to be true for one or both of two reasons. It may be that the ideas are correct, but not everyone has been led down the same instructive path as the sharer. As I mentioned earlier, God teaches each of us in a way and time that is best for us, and our individual paths of learning are not identical. Our knowledge base will be different, not greater or lesser, just different. The other reason confusion may enter this sort of conversation could be because the Spirit won’t testify if either the ideas are wrong, or the person speaks with poor intent.

I believe personal gospel perspective can be categorized in at least three groups (there are likely more): doctrine and principles, tradition, or personal speculation. Sometimes we may be tempted to mix these up, confuse one for another. General church leaders always speak from doctrine and principles. Tradition can include how we do things. Personal speculation, though perhaps coming from a place of wanting to understand, yet may still be just that, speculation.

Light itself is truth, and opens our eyes to (illuminates) other truth. Life is short. We can be best strengthened by basic truths that are essential for making and keeping saving covenants. We are best strengthened by truths that grow faith. I believe we should gain as much light as we can, but be willing to trust Heavenly Father enough to accept we don’t need to learn everything in this life, nor are we capable of doing so. I recognize the tension between these ideas of increasing light while not putting our energy into topics that, though interesting, are not critical to salvation and exaltation.

2 Nephi 9
28. O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
29.  But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

I guess what I’m trying to say is we should seek guidance from the Spirit in how to spend our precious learning time. Why we learn is just as important as what we learn. Let us do all things for the glory of God. In the Beach family motto, knowledge is only one of the three requirements for gaining wisdom.

Early in April was not only Easter, but also the Sunday of general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thanks to technology we were able to simultaneously attend despite distance and time difference. This wasn’t true for me when I was serving a proselyting mission. I was in southern Spain in 1982 and 1983. There was no internet. On conference weekend we had no local meetings, but also could not listen to, much less watch, general conference. We had to wait a month or so when a Spanish version of church magazines arrived in the homes of some local members who were able to share. While that sounds at least partially promising, in reality we simply didn’t get access to conference materials while in the mission. Now, my normal approach to conference is to watch it live on the Internet, then over the interim six months between conferences I listen to the talks one at a time. When they come all at once there is a strong spirit, but I think I miss much of the meaning. Reviewing them individually over time helps me gain more insight. 

Following that process, in March I was listening to President Russel M. Nelson’s message titled Embrace the Future with Faith. In part of that talk the prophet referred to Captain Moroni from The Book of Mormon. President Nelson reminded us how in times of peace Captain Moroni continued to help the people to prepare against future military conflict with the Lamanites. “Even when things went well, Captain Moroni continued to prepare his people. He never stopped. He never became complacent. The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults".

I remember taking a Philosophy 101 course as an undergraduate so many years ago. The professor expressed disdain for religion because of its ‘other-worldliness’. Essentially, his beef was that we 'religious people' don’t make good ethical or moral decisions because we are not focused on the here-and-now. We make decisions based on some future expected outcome. Instead of ‘fixing’ issues in front of us, he argued, we are willing to suffer and allow suffering because we hope someday God will make it all better later. That may be partially true, but this line of thinking defines a false dichotomy. It assumes actions taken can only have immediate effect or later effect. Even if this line of reasoning acknowledges present and future effects, the position is that we who are making these decisions are only thinking about this life or the next. 

Interestingly enough, similar thoughts are expressed in several of the Star Wars movies as Yoda teaches Jedi principles to several apprentices. From The Empire Strikes Back Yoda refers to Luke while speaking to the ‘spirit’ Obiwan, “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away…to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.” Modern philosophical schools might refer to this idea of being in the present by the word mindfulness. Yet despite this focus on the present, Yoda expresses a need to make decisions. He concedes we are each in charge of our future through decisions we make today. In Star Wars Rebels he says, “Your path you must decide.” To make a decision, by definition, implies consideration of a future outcome. Again in Star Wars Rebels Ezra asks “Which is the right way?” Yoda’s answer? “The wrong question that is.” He explains how the journey is to decide.

My experience is that the gospel is all about deciding now for immediate circumstances, and understanding that one must look ahead. How do we do that? For me, the long-term is more about a way to live, a mindset. The immediate decisions are about navigating present circumstances (not ignoring them), but those decisions are also guided with our long-term goals in mind. In this way we can be both mindful, in the present, and guided by an eternal perspective. Referring again to the ideas of that professor, I take issue with his false dichotomy that one cannot simultaneously think of both the present and future in making decisions. His perspective is clearly atheistic. In fact he specifically stated such. I get it then. If one believes, as he did, that when we die we simply cease to exist, then there is no incentive to contemplate beyond the handful of years we have here in this short slice of time. In that form of philosophy we should be moral only because we all benefit when we all live a moral life. If we all agree not to hurt one another than each is protected from others. This is morality in the present for personal present benefit, not for present benefit and benefit in the world to come. It assumes that all our motivation is selfish. We look for immediate or post-mortality reward, and this is our only motivation. What a pessimistic view! In President Nelson’s quote above there is the consideration of immediate action by an adversary, Lucifer. If one does not consider that ever-present threat, then one is ignoring the present, not responding to it. 

Our hoped-for motivation should be less about self-benefit, and more about love. My favorite section of scripture is 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter defines charity which is the pure love of Christ. The pure love of Christ is our pure love toward Christ, and our pure love toward others like the love of Christ toward us. Charity is not about what actions we take, but rather about our motivation. Verse 11: “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Our philosophy professor friend assumed self-centered motivation. Does that not seem like a childish way of thought? Let us put aside childish things. Let us be motivated by love. Let us keep in mind both the present and the long-term future. Let us be both mindful of the world where we now are, and other-worldly as we consider eternity. 

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Light, Andrew. 2009. "Ecological Restoration and the Culture of Nature: A Pragmatic Perspective." Chap. 30 in Readings in the Philosophy of Technology, edited by David M. Kaplan, 452-467. Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

What is Included in Philosophy?

In his article, Andrew Light focuses on the philosophical niche of environmentalism. His main argument is that philosophy should take a role informing activists, policy makers, and the public at large on ecological issues. “If we talk only to each other about value theory, we have failed…” (p. 453). To support this strong statement, Light argues from the specific perspective of ecology. Can such a normative pronouncement be generalized to other niche areas of philosophy, or even to philosophy in general?

In order to plead support for philosophical activism, Andrew Light examines the specific controversy of ecological restoration. The controversy is a normative should question. Should humanity invest in projects intended to restore ecosystems that have been changed through human activity? He examines positions by philosophers such as Robert Elliot and Eric Katz who are against any restorative attempts on several grounds; we have neither obligation nor ability, and any attempts yield artifacts not nature.

Light argues in favor of what he calls ‘benevolent restoration’ on a number of grounds. He notes how even an imperfect restoration can free nature to grow and replace itself where man starts the process. Without any effort by humans, nature often cannot replace itself in damaged areas except with maybe something completely different than what once was. He calls this catalyst approach ‘intermediate communication’. Light further points to how such attempts at restoration tend to restore a culture of nature, if not nature itself. This last point seems similar to Bruno Latour’s position that when a human actor and a technological actant join, it can result in something entirely different than either inter-actor would create on its own. Light calls this interaction “firsthand exposure… to the actual consequences of human domination of nature” (p. 464).
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This line of reason by Light is persuasive to one who may already be inclined to support ecological issues, but doesn’t actually make the case of why philosophy should do more than contemplate. For example, is sharing philosophical perspective with activists, policy makers, and the public more akin to scientific communications than philosophy?

Here in Virginia the weather has been vacillating between too-cold-for-an-old-guy-like-me, and perfect-for-an-afternoon-jog-or-a-little-yard-work. Sometimes at night we get clear skies that make for perfect star-gazing so long as the wind isn’t blowing enough to make the crisp night air feel more like bone-chills. This is the time of year when Mother Nature can’t seem to make up her mind. They say it’s all about the jet stream. Recently my wife and I were able to make the trek over to Solomon’s Island were we keep our little sailboat. We needed to change out two mooring lines that were excessively chafed. While we were there we did a few other maintenance requirements. It was nice to get a few hours on the water, even if we were just tied up to the dock.

In March I filled a church assignment by speaking in the young single adult (YSA) congregation. It was a nice change of pace for me. I’ve worked with youth for so many years. We always tell the youth that they would be making the most important decisions of their lives in just a few years. For the YSA members, they are making those decisions now. Decisions about missionary service, career paths, marriage, and whether they will choose to hold onto the light they have gained up to this point, or allow the ‘wisdom of man’ to sway them.

This question of whose wisdom we should aspire is an important one to me. I’ve had many thoughts and experiences over decades that have brought clarity around issues of ‘fact’ and issues of ‘truth’. I find it interesting that the current academic field of study I’m pursuing puts a great deal of focus on these concepts as to their forms, or even their existence. There are so many ways to think about the arguments. There is no way to really do these ideas justice in such a short format as this blog post. I find it so interesting that schools or disciplines in science and engineering claim solidity in either or both ideas (facts and truth), yet ultimately reach so many differing conclusions that the variability of support for and against ‘established’ facts, and the supposed truth they lead to, are left suspect. This variability in itself puts in question why anyone would stand firmly behind conclusions that directly contradict truth revealed by way of the Spirit. Let me give you just a few examples of what I mean.

Scientific and engineering disciplines seek to define ‘truth’ in a very specific way. Its practitioners (I am among them by the way) will argue that it starts with data (facts). It really doesn’t though. It really starts with a question, followed by a hypothesis, then the design of an experiment, then the carrying out of that experiment, then an interpretation of the data the experiment produces, then a depiction of the interpretation. At every step of the way a human is making decisions about how to do something, as well as what to leave in, and what to leave out. We call this deciding what is relevant. The human is communicating all of this to other humans. Each human looks at the information and process along the way slightly differently. Eventually, by convention, experts generally agree on what the facts are. Assemble enough agreed upon facts and one has evidence. Assemble enough agreed upon evidence and one has proof. Assemble enough agreed upon proof and one has truth. Sadly, the road along this method is riddled with facts, evidence, proof and truths that with subsequent similar effort prove to be neither facts nor truth. I know what we immediately derive from this. That means such a method is self-correcting. Yes it is, so long as the later correction is closer to truth than the previous version. Since we don’t have absolute truth to compare the outcomes of our effort to, we can never really be absolutely sure with this method.

I use two tools to explain. These tools are really the same tool described from opposite perspectives. They both address variability. If you are a mathematical person, you might wonder where the magic wand of a ‘constant’ comes from. As a young student I was taught what constants were needed for a given formula to perform a specific calculation. Constants are used in all scientific fields. A constant is either an unchanging number, or a standard function that one inserts into a formula to reveal a hoped-for outcome. I always wondered what motivated the genius scientists to create such a powerful mystical tool that can make the formula (sort of) work every time. The answer as it turns out is that a constant is a trick. One takes the formula that is thought up to create or interpret data. Often the data has variability, meaning it does not form a perfect pattern of some kind (a line, a curve, etc.). If there is too much variability then the data (facts) don’t support a hypothesis. Run the numbers enough times, such as in use of a Monte-Carlo simulation, and the data might sort of fit the pattern one is looking for (meaning the data are statistically significant). How to make that better? Figure out a constant that can lower variability to something more acceptable. Like magic, the expected shape, though not perfectly adhered to within the data, gets closer than the non-constant-laden formula produces.

If science approaches variability by cleaning up data through use of a formulaic constant, engineering approaches it through setting limits of acceptability known collectively as ‘tolerance’. Engineers simply accept that there is no actual perfect answer, but there is a range of answers that work ‘good enough’ to complete a task at hand. The result is a requirement creation in the form of a measurement of some kind plus-or-minus some degree of imperfection. It might be a length, weight, pressure, temperature, etc. measurement with an allowable percentage of variation. In my world of communications networks we call this approach creating a ‘link budget’. Science adjusts a formula to better align data with what’s expected. Engineering leaves out anything that gets too far from what’s expected. Is that thing actually a meter long, or is it more-or-less a meter long? The second is always the best answer.

Where am I going with this? Truth cannot be a function of what we agree to. For me, truth is a discreet statistical sample. Something is or is not true. The same can be said for facts. What is not a discrete sample, but rather a continuum, is the validity of what one accepts as fact or truth when dependent purely on human logic and reasoning; this is the ‘wisdom of man’. The answer for me has been in coming to rely on the revelatory guidance of the Holy Ghost. One must put in the effort of reason and logic to understand truth claims, then seek direct confirmation from Heavenly Father who knows all truth and is eager to share with those willing to both ask and act. For me, this is the definition of faith. It’s not just believing blindly. Faith is purposeful action that leads one to truth. Faith is understanding that despite all we do on our own we can never really come to knowledge of truth through data and reason alone.
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A few postings ago I wrote about an article I read in National Geographic. I was favorable on the content, but somewhat critical of the television channel created by the same brand. After I posted, it hit me I had not watched the channel much lately. Truth be told, I haven’t been much of a TV watcher for quite some time. I have nothing against the medium. I worked in that part of the business for nine years. Other sorts of media, mostly reading, just keep my attention these days. I thought perhaps I should remind myself how Nat-Geo and similar channels present themselves lately. In some sense of fairness I started watching the cable version of the product, and some of its direct competition as a sort of research sampling.

Unlike ‘real’ research there is nothing written down, no data to analyze, no hypotheses to either support or refute through statistical patterns. Instead I just made time to watch some hours of Nat-Geo, Discovery, and History. These three in the past were similar in content approach with a similar appeal. To be at least somewhat thorough in my shabby research, I note that each of these offers a traditionally programed cable channel as well as a number of online video options. I focused on the cable channel version of Nat-Geo. I also looked at some of the program descriptions available online. So what did I find in this very loosey-goosey amateur research?

I was still disappointed to some degree with History and Discovery. Both had some interesting (to me) programs, but their line up seems more and more filled with reality shows that don’t seem to match the brand name, and competition shows that also seem misaligned. Of the three, Nat-Geo seemed closer to my fuzzy idea of what they are supposed to be about. Nat-Geo also has some ‘reality’ shows, but these seem more like documentaries about some real-life setting, and less like unscripted (or scripted) soap-operatic peep shows. To be fair to History and Discovery, they had these better quality programs also, but fewer of the better version, and more of the not-so-good sort. I’m ok with reality shows that are more like documentaries that are showing real life, but not so much with shows called ‘reality’ but are clearly anything but real.

One thing that does bug me a bit about all three of these offerings. They each clearly have quality tiers. For Nat-Geo, the content offered on cable is generally ok, but their best quality (the sort I might have more interest in) is guarded behind the Disney+ pay wall. It almost feels like the cable version is the tease to get you to pay for ‘the good stuff in the back room’. This is not unique to Nat-Geo. The business model of online streaming channels you have to pay for to get better stuff sooner is quickly becoming the norm. Just about every network out there now has a paid streaming service. The model really does lend itself to an ala carte. That would great if we lived in an area where we could just get Internet without cable. Sadly that’s not the case for us. The only real option we have for Internet comes from Comcast. Since they have no competition where we live they will not allow you to purchase Internet without also bundling their cable service. Every year they mess with the channels (to more and more stuff we don’t care to watch), and jack up the prices. It’s pretty ridiculous. The amount they charge makes it difficult to justify paying them and separately paying a handful of online streaming providers that we might actually want to watch now and then.

Some of the better programming on Nat-Geo, Discovery, and History is offered outside the pay wall, but it tends to be older shows. The truth is that’s ok to me since if it’s the first time we watch something, it may not be new but it’s new to us. On the other hand, some of the show trailers can be enticing and make me wonder if we should give in and scratch up the fee. So far the answer to this last question has been a resounding NO!

I don’t know what these business model shifts in media mean exactly. All three of these educational content providers are for-profit entities. The fact that they feel pressured to shift away from their original name-sake focus to something that less represents it could be a statement about us as an audience. If we weren’t up to watching something that helped us learn something then perhaps they are simply succumbing to our own focus on escapism in order to stay profitable. Perhaps, and maybe the more likely, is I’m just getting older and stuffier. 

Anyone who knows me also knows that I’m not some sort of radical tree-hugger. At the same time, anyone who knows me also knows I’ve spent a lot of time in the wilds of this world, and I care about the planet. I do believe that God gave Adam and Eve and their descendants (us) a stewardship to take care of this world. There are many people who take political positions on both extremes of what we used to call conservation. Some would either seek to push us into paths that would have a strong negative impact on human life and livelihood through an overly restrictive approach. Others seek deeper exploitation with little-to-no restriction. In the midst of such heated polemics, I’m always happy to see good ideas that are neither irrationally restrictive, nor blatantly exploitative. I like practical ideas that are actually put into use.

While we were visiting relatives over the holidays this past year, my father-in-law decided I would be a target for his efforts to ‘spring clean’. For Christmas he gave me a stack of his National Geographic magazines, yes the printed variety. I’m already up to my eyeballs in reading between work, school, church, and even the occasional pleasure-read. Having yet another reading pile wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. On the other hand, I have respect for this particular brand, even if their TV channel seems less and less to mission. Last month I randomly pulled one out, and unlike the TV version, I was not disappointed.

The edition is from March of 2020. There is good story variety in this particular publication. Rather than add to anyone else’s paper pile, I’ll include a link to the online version of this specific edition. Then anyone can follow up if they have a mind to, and we won’t need to ship around a re-gift.

The main headline is an evocative assertion: “The End of Trash”. Although that statement seems unlikely, the focus is on ideas related to a circular economy with a growing emphasis on turning our waste into something useful. Although not completely circular, the idea of generating power through incineration is also not a new one. Since plastics are derived from petroleum products one could argue this approach is not that different from other electric generation plants burning carbon-based fuels. While that may be true, modern burning approaches do seem to produce fewer emissions then in the past. Using stored petroleum in the form of plastics can also reduce pumping demand. It does require transport, but so does every other form of energy in some way. Even wind or solar require manufacture and physical shipment for installation. In my opinion, nothing people do is truly neutral.

One interesting approach to trash incineration documented in the story is in Copenhagen, Denmark (my wife’s people) where they built a year-round skiing complex to hide the entire incinerator and the large pile of trash awaiting its demise. If we ever visit that town I will certainly be making some turns on the roof-top.

Here is a link to the edition:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/issue/march-2020
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Here is a link to the specific story on trash and the circular economy:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/how-a-circular-economy-could-save-the-world-feature

Here in Virginia winter has continued. We have had a series of snow and icy rain storms moving through Stafford, and the forecast says there are more to come. Clearly Punxsutawney Phil got things right this year. Between storms it stays cold, and the ground stays alternatively frozen or muddy. It’s made outside yard chores a bit more challenging, but I’m managing to clear some wood-fall, seed some bad yard patches, and till up some garden spots. If you want things to blossom in their time, work is required early.

In our gospel work we know that too. It’s true that church work is about the harvest. Gospel work is also about preparing ground, sewing seeds, and feeding truth and the Spirit for those who will follow to the harvest. Others have done some of that work for our harvest. We do similarly for others who later harvest. I’m reminded of how the Mormon pioneers approached the westward migration from Illinois to Utah. Along the path they planted grain fields. These were fields they would never actually harvest and eat from themselves. They planted those fields for the waves that would follow them on the same trail.

If you’ve ever been through western Nebraska and looked at the various trails west you would see how God’s wisdom was at work. One year while traveling from our home in Lincoln, Nebraska where we lived at the time to visit family in Utah, we decided to travel along the pioneer route (now known mostly as Route 2). At one point we stopped in Scottsbluff and went to the top to look over the expansive valley divided by the North Platte River that flows from west to east. There’s an observation point on top the bluff with all sorts of information. As it turns out the Oregon Trail passes through the same place. Oregon-bound migrants traveled on the south side of the river. Church members traveled on the north side. I found that curious as eventually those bound for Oregon would cross the river and head northwest. Those bound for the Salt Lake Valley would follow the river to the west-southwest. That means at some point along the way the trails crossed each other. In either case, by traveling on the north side church pioneers were able to plant their storehouse fields for those to follow without the harvest being taken by other travelers who might not have understood their purpose.

In our studies of the Doctrine and Covenants this year, my wife and I discussed some ideas of predestination and foreordination as shown through the story of the lost 116 pages of translation from the book of Lehi within The Book of Mormon. Nearly two thousand years before Joseph Smith received the plates from Moroni, Heavenly Father inspired Mormon to include the small plates of Nephi in his condensed version of the Nephite history. A thousand years earlier still He inspired Nephi to keep two sets of plates with similar information, but with a different focus. Those two small decisions allowed God to inspire Joseph Smith to publish The Book of Mormon while thwarting the evil intent of whoever stole the 116 pages of manuscript from him.

Were those with the evil intent of changing the words on the manuscript predestined to harbor those thoughts and attempt to discredit the prophet? If not then Heavenly Father might not have needed to inspire both Nephi and later Mormon about the small plates. Yet, all have agency. If it were not so we could easily fall prey to the idea that everything we do is preset and we have no agency. Some argue in favor of predestination to excuse poor behavior as if they have no choice. Many scientists and philosophers argue this point about whether or not we actually have agency, not from a religious perspective, but relying on logic. Some combination of genetics, chemistry, and circumstance cause our actions, they say.

Yet the gospel teaches that we do have agency, and are accountable at some level for what we do, say and think. I argue the foreknowledge of God does not preclude our agency. We are certainly influenced by genetics, chemistry, and circumstance. Influence is not a determinant, no matter how much the reasoning of science and philosophy says so.

One of the blessings of this life is the ability to develop faith. That only comes because Heavenly Father wisely removed memory of our pre-earth life. What we call a veil of forgetfulness also helps answer the question of the relationship between God’s foreknowledge and our agency as opposed to predestination. He may know all things, but thanks to the veil, we don’t. We are influenced by our own strengths, limitations and circumstance. We all are responsible within the varying levels of light we have received in our life. Ultimately Christ knows the level of our culpability and repentance, and He will be our judge. The experience of it all is a learning and growth opportunity for us. The knowledge we do not yet possess, that He does, makes our choices an act of agency, not mechanical predestination. In the end we will all agree his judgement is both just and merciful.

Just as the pioneers knew the blessing their field planting would be to those who followed, God knew the small plates would bless those to follow. The pioneer planters and reapers both had the choice to plant or reap, but those who reaped only had the choice because of those who chose to sew. Oregon-bound migrants did not sew, and none behind them were blessed. This all sounds a lot like the work of bringing souls to Christ.
​

Marcuse, Herbert. 2009. "The New Forms of Control." In Readings in the Philosophy of Technology, edited by David M. Kaplan, 34-42. Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
 
Review by Michael Beach

This article was shared in the aggregate referenced book, but is really the first chapter of a book written by Harbert Marcuse titled One-Dimensional Man. In the Marcuse reading The New Forms of Control, he argues, among other things, that use of mass media is one technological mechanism intended to align inner-dimension personal needs with outer-dimension societal (repressive) needs. The higher the personal level of indoctrination, the more the standards of priority align. Marcuse uses this idea of a societal need to indoctrinate as an implication of the two-dimensional person. ‘Society’ uses technology such as mass media to bring individual needs toward a goal of mimesis. When that societal goal is reached, the individual is now really one-dimensional. There is no longer any difference between personal or societal needs as expressed through technology adoption.

Marcuse wrote this in 1964. Mass media then was quite different from today. Television and radio broadcast channels, as well as newspapers and magazines, were essentially the communication technologies of the day. Marcuse focuses primarily on broadcast media, rightfully for the time in that these were the primary information and entertainment sources of most people, at least in many western cultures. Since then media have fractionalized considerably. One can make the argument that narrowcast two-way media is having the opposite effect as Marcuse depicts. As people have ever more choices, and increasing control over the sources they rely on for information, the number of ‘societies’ available through technical means has grown. Membership in any one society or culture has decreased. Many people even find themselves in multiple cultures simultaneously. Mistrust grows by way of technology in those cultures (societies) to which one chooses not to belong. Maybe this still makes each person one-dimensional as Marcuse implies. Does it also mean each ever-more-specialized society now adjusts its needs to match individuals in order to have enough ‘membership’ in order to exist? Is it the society that becomes more one-dimensional?

The attachment is of the specific reference above, but is the entire work. This article only reviews chapter 1. 

For the mid-term this semester we selected two topics from among six. I wrote these in reverse order. The first to appear was actually the second I wrote, and was rushed in the process. I think it shows. 

My wife and I recently drove south to Georgia to spend Thanksgiving week with our daughter Kyra and her family. Like several of our children, Kyra is a certified SCUBA diver, but has not done much diving since her certification. She and I made a side trip to north Florida to go diving in a popular diving spring known as The Blue Grotto. It’s not far from where our nephew lives with his family so we were able to visit with them for a night. We got a short night dive that Friday, then two dives on Saturday before driving back to Georgia.

One of my church responsibilities is to work with the Stake Young Women President on stake sponsored youth activities. The activity planned last month was a movie night. I got the assignment to make sure all the tech was set up and working. I got word there is a portable large screen in the stake building. I called a brother I know in Aquia Ward to see if he knew anything about it. He described where he thought the screen is stored. Unfortunately to get to it required getting into the building. I have keys for a closet in the building, but not to the building itself. In the mean time I was scanning the Internet looking for screens to buy as an alternative, but for one reason or another never hit the add-to-cart button.

While wondering how to resolve the screen-need issue I decided to check my personal email. In it I found a note from Brother Zappe of the Garrisonville Ward. He is the Stake Executive Secretary. He sent me a personal code to give me access to the building. I had not reached out to him with a request. As a result I sent him this email:

Thank you! Perfect timing. You seem to be listening to the Spirit. I was just considering how I could get in to find and inspect the large projection screen we will need for the next stake youth activity. Brother Gillespie told me about it and where it is, but I had no way into the building.

Here is the response I got from him:

Great!! Well, likely the case. I was sitting here and it popped into my head that I need to issue the remainder of the codes. Glad it worked out!

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving season and I think what I am thankful for, I am thankful that Heavenly Father is involved in the details of the individual life of each of us. I’m grateful for the influence of the Spirit. I’m comforted to see others who are paying attention to moments of inspiration and acting on those promptings.

I hope each of us has experiences of similar note. Always act on them. I know in today’s culture being a ‘tool’ is thought of as a negative, but for me purposely being a tool of Heavenly Father is a goal. It’s His work. We can be a tool in His hands for the blessing of others.
​ 

Autumn has definitely arrived here in Virginia. October brought us cooler, wetter weather. It brings with it anticipation for costumes and candy to many. It also brings renewed church attendance. In this area we have been able to slowly return to church services. Before General Conference the wards were meeting on a rotational basis and in small groups. The Aquia Ward which we attend was meeting every third week with multiple sessions of Sacrament limited to 25 people at a time. Under those circumstances I was able to visit units in my capacity in the Stake High Council.

In October we  enjoyed general conference. What a joy, and so many specific and inspired messages directly applicable to the current world experience. At the same time, beginning October 1, the Virginia meeting restrictions have been loosened by state government. As a result we were all able to attend sacrament meeting together again in one body. Masks, social distancing, and a limit to just one meeting were the rule, nevertheless it’s clear coming together is a blessing.

I spoke at the Accokeek Ward. Bishop Bracero asked me to think about member-missionary work from the idea of what general conference message I would advise us to share with others. I immediately thought of President M. Russel Ballard. I’ve always liked his approach to speaking; direct and clear messages. I first heard him when he was serving in the First Quorum of Seventy. I was on my mission in southern Spain. His daughter was serving there as well. As she finished her time of service, Elder Ballard and his wife came to Spain. He was giving conferences across Europe on assignment. They timed it so as to be able to take their daughter with them on the tour before heading back home.

As it turns out his recent conference talk not only drew me because of the speaker, but because of the topic. It’s titled Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always. While setting personal goals this past year I decided to use the youth program approach. I divided goals in the areas of spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual. Among my spiritual goals I wrote, “Have more meaningful private prayer.” Before work shifted my efforts from office to home-office my schedule was quite overbooked. My morning prayer was something that tended to happen while riding the train into Washington DC each day. Evening prayer was less steady and often didn’t happen until I was pretty much exhausted from the day, if it happened at all. With this goal in mind I did become more focused before the pandemic. With all the changes I still have a heavy load to carry each day. Despite this, my schedule leaves me with more flexibility and privacy than I would in the public or office arena.

In his talk, President Ballard shares the following words from the Savior:

Luke 21:36
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

I can’t speak for others, but as I watch all the anger, fear, discouragement, and economic distress going on around me, I’m able to count my blessings as I speak with Heavenly Father. President Ballard speaks to our own prayer in this way. “I think often of those of you who are suffering, worried, afraid, or feeling alone. I assure each one of you that the Lord knows you, that He is aware of your concern and anguish, and that He loves you—intimately, personally, deeply, and forever.”

To the speaking topic assignment Bishop Bracero gave me, I think the best thing we can do is to encourage others likewise to pray. Again from President Ballard, “Today I expand my call for prayer to all people from every country around the world. No matter how you pray or to whom you pray, please exercise your faith—whatever your faith may be—and pray for your country and for your national leaders.” I firmly believe that if an individual approaches God from where ever they are today, He will lead them closer to truth. Approaching truth will inevitably lead people in one way or another toward the Gospel.

President Ballard also shared, “During the past few months I have had the impression come to me that the best way to help the current world situation is for all people to rely more fully upon God and to turn their hearts to Him through sincere prayer. Humbling ourselves and seeking heaven’s inspiration to endure or conquer what is before us will be our safest and surest way to move confidently forward through these troubling times.”

It’s easy to get pulled into judging and allowing ourselves to be angered. As we note how far away we judge others to be from our own way of thinking, do we seek some form of justice to them, or do we seek for them to find the same peace we seek for ourselves? Again from President Ballard’s talk:

Matthew 5:44
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Praying for a change of heart in others should be accompanied by a prayer for our own change of heart that we might be more in tune with His will, and more accepting of His will over our own. President Ballard points out how the Savior prayed, then He went about doing good:

Acts 10:38
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

May we follow the Lord’s example. Let’s pray for others, let’s encourage others to pray. Let’s go about doing good.
​

It’s the beginning of autumn. School has started up again, including seminary. Michelle has been called as a seminary teacher. She has had this calling a number of times in the past, in a number of different states. This year things are different as you might guess. In our stake, seminary is currently a virtual synchronous activity. They are using Zoom. In order to make the audio work better for her we invested in a nice set of headphones with a microphone built in. At the time we bought them the local Best Buy really only had the kind designed for online gamers. So now she sits in our living room, a little old lady, talking with teens as she communicates with them through a cool headset some of them wish they had. It’s funny to think about, sort of like that Beach Boys song, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena who is known for driving a hot-rod car.

In the past few weeks my Book of Mormon study has led me through the early parts of 3 Nephi. In particular my thoughts have dwelt some on the portion of events that happened immediately following the atonement and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem. Among the Nephite and Lamanite people what followed were three hours of destruction, then three days of darkness. In the midst of the darkness, the voice of the Lord was heard with a number of messages. In particular these stood out to me:

3 Nephi 6: 13 & 15

13. Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God.

AND

15. Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.

As I reviewed these words I could not help being reminded of images of violence and vitriol we see constantly splashed on our screens these days within our country. It saddens my heart, but also makes me wonder. If I were personally attacked would I return railing for railing? There have certainly been times in the past when I would have with little thought. Even now when looking at current events and listening to how so much of what I hear seems disingenuous, it is hard not to become angered at how off track so many people seem to be. I firmly believe in the adage “by their fruit ye shall know them.” Sadly, by the fruit of what I see there appears to be so much negativity in the hearts of so many. Late last week I was listening to a talk entitled Fulfillment of Prophecy, by Elder Ronald A. Rasband, given in the most recent (April 2020) general conference. Quoting Joseph Smith, he said, “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”
​
For me, standing firm in the faith of the Savior is the antidote to the fear and anger that is growing in the world. May we find and share comfort through our faith.

Below is a synthesis short writing given at the end of a class I took on Philosophy of Science and Technology: 

Argumentative Claim:

Truth exists, but our understanding of it is an approximation.

Justification:

Newton conjectured existence of the ‘all-pervading aether’ (Ian Hacking, Representing and Intervening, 254). Hacking shows how for centuries many scientists held the existence of the substance. With this basic premise they were able to explain many phenomena, at least in part. The idea more or less gave up the ghost when Einstein’s relativity was generally adopted by the scientific community. That didn’t happen immediately. Interestingly, calculation such as those published by Maxwell were referenced by both Newtonians and Einstein. This points to Hacking’s idea that calculation acts as a bridge between speculation and experiment.

Then why did most scientists make the shift from Newton to Einstein? Thomas Kuhn would argue either could be justified as a paradigm suggesting relativity would eventually be supplanted by something newer, not necessarily truer. If one ascribes to Kuhn’s argument taken to extreme, then the existence of truth itself is in question. Kuhn might be accused of “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7, New Testament).

Describing skepticism, Baggini and Fosl point to a need for ‘criterion of truth’ (The Philosopher's Toolkit, 126). One could make the argument that such an approach makes truth relative to criteria. Who decides which criteria matter? Calculation and experimentation ultimately lead to a level of probability of truth.  Hacking argues experiments fill theoretical blanks (Representing and Intervening, 239). That only improves theoretical probability, what Nancy Cartwright calls an approximation of truth (Representing and Intervening, 218).
​

I would argue one must adopt one’s own criteria for truth. These criteria are what might be considered accepted basic principles. To maintain belief in a principle such as truth exists independent of man’s discovery or invention, a principle I personally hold, one must consider alternatives that introduce some level of doubt. Alternatives will have some logic, and likely some level of experimentation. To maintain confidence in the basic principle requires at least a rough understanding of the probabilistic comparison of the conflicting ideas, and a willingness to adjust if the probability of the alternate rises in comparison over time. Despite shifting probabilities, one must remember that either or both alternative principles may be wrong, and be comfortable living with some level of doubt.

Adjustment. Flexibility. Willingness to change. These and similar phrases are becoming more familiar than ever before. I’m impressed with how so many people have been able not only to adjust to restrictions, but have found ways to be at least as productive, if not more so, then before. At work I am interacting with more people than usual. For example, in the past we would put on a meeting we call a ‘brown bag’. The idea is some specific topic gets discussed over whatever lunch you bring with you, like in a (figurative) brown paper bag. Pre-pandemic, we tended to do them about once a month in our division. We might get something like 50% attendance. Since the pandemic, we’ve moved these meetings to every two weeks (remote of course), and our attendance went up to something like 80%, holding there pretty much every meeting.

A similar phenomena is happening in our church priesthood quorum meetings. Every two weeks on Sunday our ward holds this meeting over Zoom. When we met face-to-face it would be normal for maybe 10 brethren to attend. Now we routinely see something like double that. Granted, some of those brothers are normally acting in callings that keep them from attending, but even accounting for that we see the improvement.

Family history work is an obvious church-related activity that can benefit from more people at home on their computers. Recently, my wife and I participated in a new way. There is an Internet site called Billion Graves where you go to a cemetery not yet uploaded, snap a picture of each headstone linked to your GPS position, then go online and transcribe the information into a form. Most of the popular family history apps (including the church sites) have access to the picture and transcribed data. It was fun. We were able to upload pictures of 75 grave markers from Peoples Union Baptist Church in King George, VA.

The other church-related activity that has to be done different is missionary work. I have been thinking about my days as a full-time missionary in 1982 and 1983. Like many others, until lately, missionary work for us involved being among people. Whether in a home, at church, or on the street, missionary work was all about direct contact with others. I’ve been watching the missionaries assigned here in our ward. They are frustrated, I’m sure, with having to exercise social distancing. Despite that, they are not letting it get in the way of fishers-of-men work. The mission has established a Facebook site, Followers of Christ in Stafford, which invites engagement with people who show an interest in the topic. Members of the stake are adding testimonies, videos, and other kinds of info to assist the missionaries to share content with those investigating. Our ward is having success with it. The teaching pool, though remote, continues to stay full, and investigators are joining the church in our ward. I know that had similar circumstances come about when I was a young missionary back in the day, this adjustment would likely have been discouraging to me. If our elders are feeling discouraged, they don’t show it. They are certainly exercising faith and succeeding at finding the elect of God who are ready now to accept the Gospel.

I hope whatever approach our life’s work is employing, we are able to avoid discouragement and continue to exercise faith.

​Events continue to change as you are quite aware, both on the global and the local. In the area known as the DMV (DC, MD, VA) a combination of escalating orders have come from government officials and employers as the threat of COVID infections grows. As a result, my wife and I are both home. I work remotely, but I have a 24/7 operations center that cannot run fully remote without serious impact to distribution of public radio content throughout America. The DMV by-and-large have closed schools for the rest of the school year (though online assignments continue for students). Non-essential businesses are by-and-large closed putting lots of people out of work. Stay-at-home orders have been issued. For us that means we should stay home as much as possible, but it is fine to go to the store, order takeout food, pick up medications, etc. In VA there is not any real enforcement. Nobody is getting arrested or fined that I have heard of. So I work remote, get inside and outside projects done around the house, and dress more comfortably.

Early in April was General Conference for the church. It was certainly memorable as had been promised by the prophet six months ago. Everything was remote. There were no congregates onsite where the discourses were given. Everyone attended virtually, at home, through technology. That said, the Spirit was still strong. Because of the 200th anniversary of the first vision, when Joseph the prophet first saw God the Father, and His son Jesus Christ, we all participated in a solemn assembly which included the hosanna shout, usually reserved for temple dedicatory services. As seems so common these days, more temple construction notices were given. Michelle and I discussed a number of the messages we heard, and shared times when we each particularly felt the Spirit touch our hearts.

The next day, was my birthday. I got some birthday fun when I could open and install a new docking station for my Surface tablet. The tablet only has one USB port. With the docking station I can attach multiple devices through the single port. So far I have added my digital microphone/headset, and an external hard drive. Eventually I’ll add a keyboard/mouse, and large monitor. The other desk in our little home office has been cleared away and I’m able to actually use it for work, while I use the smaller desk with our old tower computer set up for things like typing this posting. Thanks to all of you who were able to reach out with birthday well wishes.

Other than setting up the new toy, the rest of my birthday was pretty heavily booked with meetings, including several that I played a leadership role in. My evening was taken up attending a class I’m enrolled in as part of my post-graduate work at Virginia Tech. There were two groups presenting last night, and my group was one of those. No rest for the weary I guess.

As the prophet asked, we participated in a global fast the Sunday before general conference. He asked us to do it again the following Friday (10 Apr), so we did. I’ve always found fasting a strengthening process. Aside from the standard approach of monthly fasting on the first Sunday of the month, I have found fasting at additional times for specific reasons a fruitful tool for me.

​I hope you are able to bring some good out of the challenging times we live in. Let go of any fear and have confidence in Heavenly Father.
​

The arrival of March brought with it more comfortable weather. For the first time in a long time I was able to wander around outside without a sweater or jacket. Flowers were up. The frogs in the swamp at the bottom of our road got very loud. Our fruit trees had small leaves emerging. I became ready mentally to get some outside work done around the house. You might think it strange, but I consider that sort of thing as my therapy. It’s much cheaper than the professional sort, and probably more effective.

This spring has brought something new with it in the form of the COVID-19 (corona) virus. Our son Matthew lives in northern Italy. His area was quarantined early. He could still go to work each day, and make some trips around the area (shopping, etc.), but he couldn't, and still can’t, leave the country, or even drive to other parts of Italy. Jacob, and his family live in Bellingham, WA. That’s just north of Seattle, another hotspot for the virus. So far there have not be so drastic actions there as Matthew has experienced in Italy. Here in DC cases have been diagnosed so we’ll see what sort of effects it will make in our life. The main effect for us so far has just been policy changes at my work. Several trips I had planned are now cancelled, and we are prepping for the possibility of a significant portion of our staff being unavailable to work. Many can work from home, but others can’t. If they are sick they can’t work even if work from home is an option.

Before stay-at-home orders came to our area I was busy with a lot of church obligations. Stake High Council meetings, ward activities, and the like. One Saturday night in March I helped set up the sound system for the youth dance, conducted the Stake AP and YW Committee meeting, and then chaperoned at the dance. That’s a late night for an old guy like me. That same Saturday night was  the shift to daylight savings time so we lost an hour of sleep. Next morning I had to get up early to participate in the King George ward conference. On the way home from that event I pulled off the side of the rode to snap some picks of an old house that is slowly succumbing to encroaching nature. The day didn’t end there. In the afternoon I attended the Rising Generation meeting at Bishop Johnson’s house. That’s a monthly meeting the stake sponsors during the school year for graduating high school seniors. Finally my wife and I finished up our evening with a ministering visit to one of our families. It makes me tired just thinking about it all. This is how people get gray hair and bad knees!

Prior to general conference President Nelson challenged us all to consider the words of Heavenly Father when he encouraged Joseph Smith, and others in the scriptures, to ‘Hear Him’. He was of course referring to the Savior. This has been a topic I’ve been considering for some time now. How does one have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? I felt for some time this was a puzzle. For example I pray to Heavenly Father and receive answers through the Holy Ghost. In this way I felt like I can have a direct relationship through direct interaction with two members of the Godhead. The role of Jesus Christ as my mediator is of course important, even critical, but that would make my relationship with him more indirect. Back then, after a few months of focused study I came to the conclusion, and felt a confirmation through the Spirit, that I have a direct relationship with Him when I repent and feel the healing power of the Atonement. That really helped and has built my testimony.
Fast forward to President Nelson’s challenge. How do I ‘hear Him’?

As part of my normal routine, while riding the train into Washington DC every day I spend some time praying, then reading for school. As I approach the city I put up my reading, put on my ear buds, and listen to a chapter of the Book of Mormon, followed by other audio. A few weeks into the invitation by the prophet I was listening to 2 Nephi 27. I heard the following in verse 23: “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.” It quickly came to me that in this verse were the words of the Savior being quoted to us by the prophet Nephi. Because I was listening to the words through technology, I was literally hearing Him. My direct relationship with Jesus Christ could come, at least, through listening (literally or figuratively) to His words as they come to us in the scriptures. What a blessing!

There are so many competing ideas in the world. I am deeply studying many topics around the disciplines of science and technology. This semester approaches these topics from the angle of philosophy. I’m thankful for a measure of truth I can use with which to gauge other ideas. Confirmation by the Spirit trumps all logical debate, especially since most of the debate finds no real agreement even among the scholars who advance their respective areas of study.
​
As the world begins to consider and fear an advancing virus, we can find peace knowing such challenges, though concerning, are but temporary. Despite quarantines and travel restrictions, we can find joy in the positives of life. Believe me, I have seen some of the worst this world has to offer. I understand how so many people can despair, or at least feel discouraged. I encourage each of us to follow the words of the prophet and ‘hear Him.’
​

I find the psychology of what things stand firm in my mind from my time growing up as a kid puzzling some days. Back in early February I was particularly reminded of the classic Bugs Bunny episode when Elmer Fudd was out hunting. Bugs and Daffy Duck tried to point Elmer toward each other. Over and over Daffy would claim it was ‘wabbit season’, then Bugs would say ‘duck season’. As the pace of the argument grew, Bugs would shift sides. Daffy would follow suit yelling “Duck season! Fire!” Then Elmer would give Daffy a face full of buckshot. Daffy then looked at Bugs, and with his classic lisp would say, “You’re despicable!”

Why did this silly Saturday morning cartoon come to mind? In February we celebrated the birthday of our son, Matt. We also celebrated Groundhog’s Day when Punxsutawney Phil decided spring was just around the corner. After Phil made his annual prediction another season showed up… TAX season! I sort of see this season much like Daffy sees duck season. I spent much of an entire Saturday filling out forms online, digging out the pertinent documents, and sifting through a full year’s worth of receipts. All that effort left me with about half-a-trash-bag-full of paper that required shredding. The shredding effort took several weeks here and there.

Aside from tax season, February is the time of year when it’s still too cold to get much enjoyment outside without snow to play in. I was quite ready to get going on yard work, jogging on the ground instead of the treadmill, getting back into a boat of some kind, and riding on bike paths. Don’t get me wrong. Winter is a good reading season, but I’d much rather read next to a fire in our fire pit in the yard than be sitting on the couch inside. I also ride my motorcycle to DC once a week because of an evening class I’m taking. I have the right gear to stay warm as I ride, but it’s just extra work to put it all on before leaving, then taking it all off when arriving that makes the experience less enticing.

I do have some saving graces in late winter. As I mentioned it was Matt’s birthday in Feb. It was also the birthday of our twins, Jake and Emily. Our son-in-law Ryan is also a birthday boy this month. I’m likely missing someone else. I haven’t gotten them all on my calendar. In addition, I’m in charge of the stake Aaronic Priesthood (young men age 11-18) encampment this summer, so worked with others as we planned (and continue to) for a week-long fun time in June for about 200 people. It’s got me thinking about (and buying gear for) summer activities. My faithful old .22 rifle is laying on the floor next to me in our home office, even as I am typing this. I got it out recently to check out its condition for use in June.

One Sunday in mid-February I noticed a few of the earliest forest wildflowers beginning to poke out of the ground, and there were small green buds forming on the lilac bushes on either side of our driveway. Although it was chilly outside, the sun was bright, and the sky was blue after a week of mostly gray and rain.

Although my nature in late winter is to be a little gloomy, I decided to actively push myself to look for the positives. Even if spring had not yet sprung, the warm months were just around the corner. As much as I don’t like tax season, I do look forward to the tax return that eventually came our way in just a few weeks after the pain was over.
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I suppose a little pain, some negativity, in life is required to make the sweet that much better. Just as Adam and Eve gained understanding through transgression and expulsion from Eden, we all need to recognize and appreciate our own Edens by feeling some distance from them at times. 
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This year my wife and I traveled to Utah to spend time with family for Christmas. It was fun opening presents, eating too much food, playing games, and getting in a ski day with our son Jacob. We also saw two movies, the next installments of Star Wars and Jumanji.

Before we left for Utah the wonderful missionaries serving in our congregation here in Virginia shared this year’s nativity video. This is a powerful tool to convey the Spirit. I was particularly peaked by the Spirit at the moment of His birth, again as the shepherds saw the angels, and one last time as one of the wise men first sees the star appearing in the sky. I shared the link to the video on my Facebook page. I hope it helped someone.

An interesting note, I have a particular interest in navigation. In the video the wise men use a specific tool to check their position relative to the north star. At first I erroneously thought they were using the device in reference to the new star. I didn’t recognize it so I consulted Google. The device is called a Kamal. In the video the Magi put one end of the chain in his mouth. He held up a rectangular card attached to the other end of the chain to gain a position. How it is used is explained on the website Online Star Register:

The Kamal was composed of a wood or horn parallelogram one inch by two inches long. Strings were inserted through the center. The string composed of knots at different points along its length. Each knot, called an isba, equaled one degree 36 minutes. The knots ranged from 1 to 16 isba. The navigator would put one of the knots between his teeth and hold the Kamal at arm’s length. When the upper and lower edges of the device became coincident with the pole star and the horizon, the navigator knew his latitude was correct. The latitude of different ports corresponded to the position of particular knots on the string.

One other point that came out as my wife and I discussed the Come, Follow Me topic in the car on the way to Utah. Although the star was a sign the Messiah was born and helped guide them to Jerusalem, it did not light directly over the manger in Bethlehem (contrary to popular depictions). The wise men had to seek out Harod’s scholars who in turn had to dig around through the records to find the name of the town. The video points out that their visit was much later, after Christ was more of a toddler than a baby. By that point they were no longer living in a barn. So the wise men first had to have studied over years to know the sign and to understand basic astronomy. Then they had to be diligent in watching for the sign. Then they had to be willing to follow the sign. Despite that, they still had to consult scripture to know of his location. Then once close they had to ask the townspeople to point to the specific house. Is that not unlike our efforts to seek Him as well?

One final note. This year was the first we celebrated Christmas without our mothers. They both passed away last year within three weeks of each other. As we were traveling home we noted how this year just didn’t feel like Christmas. Not all of our family could be there, but that is always true. However, of our parents, only her father is still with us. Despite the games, presents, family and all the rest, without our mothers it just wasn’t the same.
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For Christmas we visited family in Utah. Our daughter Kyra and her family weren’t able to be there so we took the time at Thanksgiving to visit them.

The weather in Georgia was much nicer than here in Virginia, a good ten degrees warmer. We did all the normal holiday things. We all ate too much. The grandchildren played in the fallen leaves. Friday night we put up a tent, sat around the large fire pit and camped out for the night. I brought along some fireworks like I sometimes do. The kids always like the racket that makes. There were some minor home repairs to take care of. It’s an old house so there is always something to do to it. Watching the Macy’s parade was fun too. It was apparently windy in New York City so they were not sure if the big character balloons would fly. In the end they just held the balloons closer to the ground to better keep them under control.

On Sunday we were able to attend church in our old ward, the Stockbridge Ward. It was fun to see some of our friends who we’ve known for years. We lived in Georgia for eight years. We’ve now been in Virginia for five and a half years. Every time we visit we get the question about when we are moving back to Georgia. I suppose they ask because we still own our home there. That will only be true for another three years or so. Our plan is to retire when I turn 60, then go serve a church mission as a couple. We’ll see how that all works out. For us to do that we will need to sell our Georgia home.

Earlier in November I had an unusual church assignment. I was the High Council speaker at the Stafford Branch. What is unusual about it is that it is an all-Spanish unit. I was able to meet with branch leaders before church, then speak and attend meetings using my Spanish. I hope the members were able to understand my message, and more importantly, feel the Spirit.

The theme, of course, was about being thankful. One of the references was a talk by President Monson in the October 2010 conference, The Devine Gift of Gratitude. The other reference was Luke 17 and the story of the ten lepers. I thought about what to say all week. The main ideas finally came on Saturday, while I was jogging on the treadmill in our basement. The word “distance” was front and center.

You may remember the story. There were ten lepers who approached Jesus and from a distance they cried to him asking to be healed. Keeping distance was the traditional requirement for lepers in that part of the world at that time, a reasonable approach to allay fear and spreading disease. They were healed. He told them to go to the priests to follow the Law of Moses and be “cleansed”. There was one, however who approached him giving thanks, even falling at his feet.

Here are the two thoughts. The nine were about doing their traditional life, their routine. Seeking help, they left their tradition in part and approached Jesus in part. Once they received their help they followed his council and returned to their tradition, their routine. The one who gave thanks did not just immediately slip back into a routine, but cried and gave thanks.

How often do we tend to approach God when we need help, but upon finding relief from whatever pains us, fall back into our normal life, even our normal church life? He who returned and gave thanks was told to go his way, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” He did not just blindly follow tradition by keeping distance and seeking ritual cleansing.

The other idea, the distance idea also felt important to me. All ten drew somewhat nearer to Jesus while asking for help. The one got even closer when praising and giving thanks. I would submit that seeking guidance or help from God will bring us to a point close to him. However, thanking God for what he has already given will bring us closer still. As we recognize his hand we are acknowledging what he has already done. When we seek a blessing we are asking for something yet to be done. Both require faith, yet recognizing builds a stronger recognition. I hope that I am able to show more gratitude for things both asked for, and not asked for, but yet are expressions of his love for me.

I hope you had a great Christmas season, wherever you are. Like many, I have been away from family over the holidays in past years as a missionary, in the military, and because of work. I encourage each of us to consider what he has done perhaps you will miss your loved ones a little less, and in the years to come, when we are with them, will be that much sweeter.

De-centering the ‘Big Picture’: The Origins of Modern Science and the Modern Origins of Science
By Adrew Cunningham and Perry Williams
 
In this article, the authors look at historical approaches to science. They divide scientific histories into two sorts, those that seek a macro story, and those that focus on more personal experience. The macro version of history attempts to paint broad patterns. Patterns and major milestones dominate the depictions. The micro version of history tends to focus on individual scientist experience and resultant breakthroughs.
 
The origins of modern science refers to the period of time in seventeenth century Europe commonly referred to as the scientific revolution. The authors note at the macro level historians in general consider areas of:

• Philosophical - particular method of inquiry to produce general causal laws - mathematical
• Moral - basic values of freedom and rationality, truth and goodness, social and material progress
• Universal human enterprise - human curiosity - new humanism - science as human civilization

 
In the area of modern origins of science focus is more about a plurality of ways to know the world. The is an expression of a transition from considering nature as created by God, to an attempt to understand natural processes.
 
When the authors speak to de-centering the big picture histories, they note how these histories are often confided to the last 250 years and are Europe and North-America-centric. As opposed to seeking only scientific process knowledge, Cunningham and Williams also stress other sorts of knowledge such as knowledge of fact, technical knowledge, relational knowledge and moral knowledge.
 
In terms of de-centering, the article does not go on to speak to other scientific, or knowledge centers geographically such as Asia, Africa or South America. The authors also don’t speak to traditional local forms of knowledge such as non-western approaches to medicine. Cunningham and Williams depict science as an invention, or perhaps they might have better stated it as a convention. If this is true, then why only focus on one conventional approach?

In November, I had the assignment to speak in the Garrisonville, Virginia Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as part of my assignment as a member of the Stafford, Virginia  Stake High Council. The theme was “Be still and know I am God”. Among the ideas and stories I shared there were two that was the focus. I spoke of the peace that comes from serving in the temple.

I also shared a story about one of our family spring-break trips when we visited Mount Rushmore. When you go, there are two highways approaching from the south. The first is a modern multi-lane nearly straight freeway. We used that one to visit the giant stone sculpture. Once there we were all impressed with the scale of the work, and we gained some appreciation for how much effort it must have taken. We saw many people there from different states and countries. I’d say that part of the visit was worth the effort.

It was after we left, though, that we had a unique Black Hills experience. The other highway is not modern. It is two-lane, twisty-turny, and sometimes passes through drilled out portions of rock. As we left Mount Rushmore and headed south on this road, a few miles south of the monument we found a little turn-off, so we stopped and got out of the car to stretch our legs. Unlike at the monument, there were no other people but us. We found a set of boulders that rimmed a small cliff-edge from where we could look back the few miles we had traversed and see the sculptures from afar.

We decided to just be silent for five minutes and see what we noticed. You might note, this is no small task when you have small children in the mix. As we talked after, there were some common themes. Looking back at the sculpture that seems so impressive up close, now was sort of like a scratching on the side of one mountain. At the same time we were surrounded by many mountains of various shapes, sizes and colors. It was a sunny day with light puffy clouds that moved with the cool breeze. As the clouds moved the colors around us shifted. We could hear small birds and other animals, and see a few of them flying or scurrying about. There was a heavy scent of pine in the air. We could hear the blowing of the breezes at different volumes as it sifted through the trees. We could feel the changing flow of the air on our faces as it passed by us.

The message we all seemed to get in our discussion was how great man’s artistic talent is, but that talent comes from God. Then when one contrasts man’s art with the art of God’s creation, man’s effort pales in comparison.

Over the few weeks following my talk to the Garrisonville Ward, I took my own advice and made some time. My wife and I drove to Philadelphia on a Friday after work. We spent the night in a hotel and on Saturday morning we put in a few hours of service in the temple. As always, we were both uplifted and inspired. The next Saturday morning we helped clean the Courthouse chapel. When we were done I took my camera and went for a hike in The Crow’s Nest nature preserve near our home in Stafford. I walked down to a backwater bog known as The Birding Pond. I only sat there for 30 minutes. With the hike on either side it took me just over an hour. It was worth the effort. I’ll share a few pictures with you that resulted.

I hope each of us will make time to be still. In those moments of stillness, look for the comfort that reminds us of our loving Heavenly Father.

Below are a few pictures I took at The Birding Pond that Saturday.
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The Newest History: Science and Technology
By Melvin Kranzberg
May 1962
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In this article, Melvin Kranzberg argues for a new approach to history through the lens of science and technology. Old history is about politics and the state. Democratizing history adds society (the people) to history. A few of his arguments in favor of a focus on science and technology in history include:

• History is incomplete without including science and Technology
• Regular citizens make decisions based on science and technology
• No single group has a monopoly
• Science and technology add a fun factor
• One can gain solace in human potential through science and technology when civilization seems to fall backwards
• Science and technology progress even if society doesn’t

Kranzberg points out that interest has been increasing in the topic. The Cold War drove increased focus on science and technology, and that focus also drove interest in the study of its history, processes, social influences, etc. He also notes interest I stories about scientists and their ideas, human use of technology, and how understanding the history helps make modern science and technology decisions more informed.
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The original article was published in 1962. As it turns out much of his predictions have panned out in that there are whole disciplines related to science and technology that is academically concerned with history, philosophy, sociology and policy for example. Despite that, his point about using history to make better decisions about modern employment of science and technology may be overstated. Most college graduates today completing a degree in a STEM field have likely not taken any courses in any of the liberal arts areas that focus on STEM areas. Despite the fact that most “soft science” programs consider it important for “hard science” majors to have some understanding of such topics, perhaps the hard science program directors are not yet sold on the idea.