When laws exist, we need to follow them. If they are bad laws we need to get rid of them.
We need unity, but not just unity in anything. We need unity in the right things, the things that bring prosperity, happiness, and success. Ben Carson rose out of poverty because he did those things that transform one out of poverty. People are not bound by their circumstances. We can become better and rise above our circumstances. To do so, we have to follow the principles that lead to where we want to be and that transform us into who we want to become. We need to learn the laws of success in whatever field we desire to excel or improve, and follow those laws. This is true for happiness. This is true for good relationships. This is true for providing for one’s self and one’s family. Don’t blame others. Instead, search for correct principles and strive to live them and teach them to others.
Equality means that all are treated equally by the law. No groups are favored or disfavored. We cannot create Justice or repair wrongs by being unjust to people now in the name of correcting past injustices. That only creates further Injustice and inequity. We are not our fathers. Instead of seeking revenge and finding fault, let us seek to treat all people with fairness and love. Evil means do not produce righteous results.
External elements act upon a rock. If it rains, the rock sits there. If the driving winds come, the rock sits there. If you pick it up and set it somewhere else, that is where it will remain until forces outside it move it somewhere else. Don’t be a rock. Choose how you will respond to what happens outside you. Look for solutions. Enlist the help of others. Choose. Don’t be a rock.
(Photo credit: Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash)
Imagine the Commander-in-Chief of the United States saying to his troops: “We have great weapons. We have an outstanding military and technology and training. But none of that compares to the power of God. Without God’s help we could be destroyed in spite of all of our technology and our training and our bravado.
“To take human life is a serious matter. And yet we have an obligation to defend ourselves and our families and our neighbors. But as we do so, let us follow the mandates of God as best we can. As we turn to Him and pray to Him and seek His will and to live as He wants us to live, He will protect us.
“For the sake of your loved ones, avoid doing what you know is wrong. Keep yourself healthy mentally, physically and spiritually. Live as purely as you can. Strive to make yourself right with God.
“War is not an excuse for evil, for rudeness, for treating others with disrespect, for raping, for stealing, for abuse, or dishonesty. It is not an excuse for betraying your loved ones, your wives and your children. It is not an excuse to disappoint or disillusion your girlfriends and your friends.
“Be true to what you know. Be your best self. And turn to God who ultimately is the only one in whom we can trust. It is God that can deliver us.”
Would you follow such a commander-in-chief? Would you enlist in such an army?
The negative state or the negative aspects of our society and nation today… what contributed to it or caused it, is complex but it is also simple. To the degree that we as a people have not followed the Commandments of God, our society has lost His favor and protection and blessing.
There are many actions and lifestyles and ways of doing things that bring about negative consequences both immediately and within or upon future generations. We have poverty and families that are not earning enough to live comfortably. And we want to help those who would go without. In many cases those who need help might not have needed that help if they or others had made different choices. This does not mean that help should not be extended, but that the long-term solution must include encouraging people to make better choices and learning the true principles of prosperity and following them as a society.
The situations we are in are not just caused by our choices but also by the choices and example of our leaders. Values (in contradistinction to virtues) are not inherently good. Some values are beneficial and some are negative. And when isolated from other virtues or taken beyond where they should be taken or put in the wrong priority they can become vices. Infidelity in marriage ruins society. Sexual intimacy outside of marriage is detrimental to society, to families and individuals. One of the best things we can do to get rid of poverty and violence is to have a society where men and women marry, are true to each other, and stay together and raise their families together. Many of the problems in our society today come from not keeping the basic principles of marriage between man and woman who stay together and raise their family together in complete fidelity.
Another detriment to society is contention and the stirring up of people in anger against other people.
Another is the lack of self-reliance and personal responsibility. People sometimes shift the responsibility they have to care for each other and for their community and friends and neighbors, and place that responsibility instead in government. Or the government takes that responsibility from the people, thus hurting both the people who could have blessed others and the people who could have been blessed by their friends and neighbors.
When government tries to what we should be doing, the result is the degradation of individuals and communities and the whole nation. Character is lost. Inefficiencies abound. Prosperity decreases. Love and familial and societal bonds degrade. The government is no smarter than we are. And even if it were, freedom and liberty and what it means to be human requires that we as family and friends and neighbors and communities help one another and make our decisions and govern ourselves and solve our problems and seek help from others. We are not beasts to be managed by a master called government.
In today’s episode we’ll be diving into our American family history, learning about some of the people who came to North America in the mid-1600’s. In learning about them, we also learn something of what it means to be American.
The history called, “Of Plimoth Plantation,” written by the second governor of Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation, William Bradford, tells the story of the people who came to America on the Mayflower. Some of those on the boat called themselves “Saints,” while others were called by the Saints, Strangers. Although the story Of Plimoth Plantation eventually becomes the story of both groups, it starts out in the broader context of Christian warfare, namely, of multiple groups seeking to worship God as they saw fit, and of Christians fighting against Christians in a decidedly unChristian way.
Jesus of Nazareth, whose name Christians take upon themselves, taught that the two greatest commandments were to love God and to love others. As recorded in the Bible’s book of John, He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35). The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, records Jesus as teaching, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Nephi 11:29).
In spite of Jesus’ clear teaching, in too much of history, Christian denomination fought against Christian denomination, treating those who dared practice their religion differently as though they were criminals worthy of torture, persecution, and death.
Thus, chapter 1 of Governor Bradford’s history begins like this:
More than just an enjoyable hobby, knowing our personal family history can give us a sense of identity and of belonging. We need that in this crazy, deep-fake, Instagram world where traditional values have eroded, truth seems to change constantly, and people communicate more often with strangers on the other side of the country, or the world, than with their neighbor three houses down.
Everybody goes through hardships. I do. You do. And the perfect family on social media does.
Learning about the hardships that our ancestors experienced and how they handled them has the power to strengthen our own emotional resilience and our ability to handle the trials and challenges of life. …
As knowing our ancestry can give us courage, identity, and direction, so too, knowing the history of our country can give us an idea of what it means to be American.
Let me share a few examples of family history from the life of my great grandfather, John LeRoy Lee, taken from a history about him.
In today’s episode, I want us to think about economic policies. To help in that, I’ll share two parables.
One reason that parables are powerful is that they can teach different lessons to different people, and even teach different lessons to the same people when considered at different times. A parable can have a primary meaning or lesson but may also teach or convey additional lessons.
The two parables I am about to share are from the New Testament portion of the Bible, specifically, the Book of Matthew. The primary topic of the parables is the Kingdom of Heaven. But the parables also teach important lessons about business, labor, rights, money, and contracts.
Whether you are religious or not, Christian or not, they can help frame principles that can be used to decide what government should and should not do.
Today we’ll be discussing self-governance, the right of contract, and the inalienable right to work. Our context will be a supreme court case from 1905, which is an example of the government appearing to be compassionate, purporting to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves, but in reality, at least in part if not in whole, protecting some businesses at the expense of others. In other words, the case involves a law that was anti-competitive. Just as some of today’s regulations are anti-competitive.