Flaming Gorge

Friday, July 25, 2008

A group of about 14 friends and I left friday evening and drove the 4 hours to Flaming Gorge National Park in eastern Utah, bordering Wyoming. We camped out at the Red Canyon camp grounds. The clear night sky was inspiring. The milkyway and the countless stars were enchanting. Saturday morning we drove down the gorge to the river and tackled the 7 mile stretch complete with some rapids. The water was frigid but that didn't stop us from laying siege on each other's rafts and their occupants, it was great fun!! Good company, good food (tin foil dinners), it was a great adventure. We made it back home at 3am on Sunday morning tired but happy.

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Red Canyon Lake

Saturday, July 12, 2008

About 50 friends and I, all members of my university student church ward (the BYU 189th Ward and the BYU 206th Ward), went to Rock Canyon Park, near Heber, Utah, for a day of fun in the sun and water. The location is beautiful. Driving there was a treat in and of itself. The canyon was full of switchbacks and towering heights boasting breath-taking panoramic vistas of the area. Once at the lake, two motor boats were secured. One was assigned for skiing, wake boarding, and anything with a board or ski's. The other one was for tubing. There were also a couple of kayaks, and enough food to keep us going all day. The trip began at 8 in the morning. The first caravan made the hour and a half trek and set things up. There were second and third waves of caravaners, each arriving about every two hours. We got to enjoy each others company and gratefully the weather couldn't have cooperated any better. It was a glorious day with a lot of fun, thrills, and spills.

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Beware of Nationalism

I hear fools on the radio and TV spout their venom and pass off their hypocrisy and stupidity as genius as it touches to the future of this great nation, The United States of America. All the while they create a picture of their "America", what it means to be "American", and the infidels that thwart their purposes and way of life, whether they be domestic or foreign. Hannity, you and O'Reilly, and all those like you, are a danger to the United States. Your provocative banter and frivolous conversations are geared to incite mindless passions and are more for your ratings than spreading peace, understanding, sound truths and principles for the good of this nation.

My friends beware of these characters and those like them. They incite people to contention for their own purposes. They seek to retain controllable minions in positions of power, and in positions of followers, so to advance their shared gainful aims, at the expense of the freedoms and power of the majority of the citizenry and the world. They would build their advantages by denying the same opportunities for financial security, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from those that they trick into supporting them.

Webster's Dictionary defines "Nationalism" as:

1: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups
2: a nationalist movement or government

This concept has been a major tool throughout history in persuading the citizens of countries to do things that they otherwise would never do. The perfect example is that of the people of Germany under the leadership of Hitler and his Nazi party. Nationalistic propaganda spurred, convinced, and motivated, the otherwise good and industrious people of Germany to follow a madman's vision. A madman who cunningly painted his intentions as something that would be to Germany's benefit and wrapped it in the shroud of nationalism.

Today we have people that are just as dangerous amassing followers, popularity, resources, and power within this very nation! They too are using the guise of nationalism to gain and retain supportive followers.

To support a nation because it is the nation in which one was born, is to be a puppet. It reflects a weak mind, resistance to think for oneself, and slothfulness in seeking out common sense virtues and truths. This is especially true if one is trying to fit the definition or mold of what others re-define (for their own purposes) as patriots, nationals, or in our case, Americans. I do not hold up The United States of America as the ultimate nation, though I esteem it as a great nation, why? Simply put, because that which makes an individual or a nation great is its adherence to truth, virtue, and morality. Contrary to popular belief, especially most republicans I have heard, might doesn't make right, and shows of force are not more powerful than sincere shows of virtue.

"To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea." - James Madison

Of consequence, a virtuous nation would be the world's greatest servant not it's greatest police force. It would understand the all encompassing principle of agency. Such a nation of necessity would protect itself but not by forcing others to live the way that they want them to live and forcefully do what they want. Such a nation would understand that the benefits and advantages of obeying truth can only result from a free and willing mind. That mind, informed, and willingly accepting of the sacrifices and efforts needed to obey and maintain truths obligations and duties, virtues, and moral standards of living, willingly gives themselves over, along with all their energies, to the observance and enactment of every correct and necessary detail to the obtaining and maintaining of correct behavior's abundant way of life. This process is owned by the individual, and consequently becomes a self imposed life choice and character aim.

This is why a forced hand can not easily create, and ultimately can not maintain such a standard of living. They neither own the endeavor, wholeheartedly espouse the endeavor, see the truthfulness of the endeavor, and honestly never chose to take upon themselves all its attendant and requisite sacrifices and efforts. Ultimately, not understanding or believing the truthfulness of the cause, or regarding the price of the process too high and frivolous, they abandon the struggle and conform to more familiar ways. Forceful compliance is but another version of slavery, and oppressed individuals have a threshold of endurance, after which, they always retaliate and revolt against their oppressors.

This is why the struggle in Iraq is a gross error. It displays the lost virtue and ulterior agendas of the United States' leadership. It also demonstrates the majority of the citizenry's disconnect in enacting their power to oust dishonest men who would hurt the union and diminish the nation's virtues.

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Benjamin Franklin

Three warring groups of people, on their own unable to live together in peace and harmony, were only able to live together, as a nation, by the applied force of a dictator, a ruthless, barbarous master. Had the majority of the people of Iraq joined together in unity, on their own, for equality and freedom, forming a rudimentary government organization, militia, and the nucleus for a new nation, then it would have been prudent and proper for the United States to have assisted them once asked. Is it any surprise, that in trying to dole freedom as if it were some material commodity, we have had such a hard time winning hearts and minds in Iraq for their own unity? Is it any wonder that having gone contrary to the proper and necessary process, it has been increasingly difficult to find the stability needed for a United States type Iraq to stand up on its own and face the responsibilities of maintaining freedom. A virtuous nation would recognize the difference between assistance and compulsion.

I remember when the President of the United States pitched his lies on invading Iraq. Stories of weapons of mass destruction and supposedly verified reports of imminent threats pointing towards the like of 9-11. I remember when he launched his attack without the express consent or needed command from Congress.

The Constitution of the United States reads the following under Article 1 section 8, "The Congress shall have Power.... To declare War,...." The President had no authority to do what he did. There has been a long list of his administration overstepping their authority and aggrandizing the measure of their office. When will we recognize that these usurpation's of authority are undermining our future freedoms. When will we recognize that they are laying the foundations for our slavery, not our protection.

"Towards the preservation of your government ... it is requisite ... that you resist with care the spirit of innovation upon its principles, however specious the pretexts. One method of assault may be to effect, in the forms of the Constitution, alterations which will impair the energy of the system, and thus to undermine what cannot be directly overthrown." - George Washington

When I celebrate the United States of America, and I do celebrate the good in it, I celebrate how well we as a nation are moral, how well we keep to truth, and how virtuous we are. I do not celebrate our military, economic, or technological stockpiles or superiority. To celebrate the fruits at the expense of the roots is to hurry the day of famine. Remembering the virtues that brought about the grains and the planes is more productive than just remembering what we have. I realize criticism is never pleasant, and I am aware I may sound pessimistic, unpatriotic, and critical of our great nation at first glance, but that is furthest from the truth. I believe in the power of doing that which is good and right irrespective of its popularity, and that's why the United States of America is a special nation for me. It's birth came from the same character. It troubles me to focus so much on the negative at the opportunity cost of highlighting the great good that belongs to the United States family. However, there have been a long enough train of events clearly establishing patterns of public moral degradation at the hands of private interest groups, and their patterns and systems are not diminishing, but intensifying, and captivating greater numbers to the point of becoming the majority. Only a return to virtue and morality, will save our nation from the painful foundational erosion which is setting us up to walk the path of every major super power civilization in times past. We must get back to our roots as individuals and as a nation. This country was founded upon the virtues and morality of a God following, God fearing, people. When we lose the fear for living moral lives we place ourselves squarely in the path of the consequences. Arrogance, pride, lies, greed, sensuality and avarice have their consequences. They all espouse disunity, increase selfishness, self-centeredness, egotism, narcissism, and blast loyalty to the common good. The foundation upon which this the United States stands is in the very name - United, and to what, to all the truths that promote and bring about life, liberty, and happiness, for all. As soon as the happiness, life, or liberty of a few becomes more important and encroaches and denies the same for the rest, be assured, contentions, manipulations, injustices, cruelties, and suffering will follow like darkness at the setting of the sun. We must return to the principles of happiness. We must stop feigning allegiance through dead works and truly turn our hearts to the great lessons on morality that have come to us from the Son of God.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens... Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education... reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." - George Washington

There is a difference between CLAIMING to be virtuous, truthful, moral, and actually BEING virtuous, truthful, and moral. One merely provides a song and dance, lip service, all for the crowd, while the other is rooted deep in personal character. The word hypocrisy comes to mind. Are the actions of our nation hypocritical. Can stealing and lying really be redefined as good once the mightiest nation on Earth says it is, and that, for its own self interest. Does that go along with doing unto others as you would have them do unto you? Or is our national philosophy now, do to others before they can do to you? Are we denying unto other nations and peoples what we ourselves demand for ourselves? Are we more interested in keeping to the extravagances we know and amassing more, more than respecting the agency and disposition of those that actually own what we supposedly need? Are all men really created equal, or is it just all men that are like us, or maybe all men who carry a big enough stick so that we have to respect them?

As a consequence, when I go to celebrate our great nation, and especially when I look to remember the sacrifices and efforts of just men in times past who have provided for the liberties and advantages I enjoy, of necessity I must assess the present. This means that on some 4th of Julys instead of celebration, I mourn. I mourn for lost virtue, diminished adherence to truth, and the open attacks to morality as it is denounced and spit and trampled upon. I mourn for the shackles I see being fitted around me due to unrighteous dominion from public servants leashed by private agendas.

I do not everyday feel the same about our great nation. When the systems of government change in such fashion as to restrict past commonplace freedoms and distort agreed upon organizational powers and duties, this is when I do not support the new powers even though they call themselves after the old defenders of freedom.

What this means is that I do not support or exalt the manifest agendas and purposes of every war. This means that of consequence, at times, I will be at odds and will not lend my support to the direction and intents of leaders that follow standards which will jeopardize the future unity and prosperity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the millions under the name - The United States of America. This means that while I recognize, learn from, and appreciate the sacrifices of past citizens, to make this nation great, I do not erroneously associate the support of the past with decisions that guide the nation in the present. Anyone that would call me unpatriotic for viewing our nation in this manner is a fool and either does not understand the great truths this nation originally was founded upon, or is actively seeking to thwart them. I would say to them that they are the ones that are unpatriotic. They are the ones that have sold their patriotic birthright, neglected their duty, and handed over their power in exchange for mind numbing traditions, festivities which obscure the problems, and enough blinding glitz, glamour, and sensationalism to eclipse the sun. Our allegiance is not to a land, or a flag, or a history, those things don't make us great, they are merely the vehicles, the tabernacles, the vessels, of that which we should pledge our complete loyalty unto, and that is truth, virtue, and morality.

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" - John Adams

"In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened." - George Washington

The decline we are witnessing in our nation is a direct result of the cumulative loss of virtue, morality, enlightenment, and observance of common place principles and truths, both by citizens and elected officials. The economic hardships we are enduring are direct results of prominent individuals as well as hordes of working people being more concerned in their greed, self-interest, self-centeredness, and pride than the mathematical human relation realities of the day, the economy of life. The housing troubles we are witnessing are a perfect example. The more people try to take from society what they refuse, or can not realistically give back to society, the more we witness our economic decline. Whether it be the unethical exaggerations of a loan officer spinning a pitch that would secure a loan, not in the best interest of home buyers, but which will result in a nice commission for themselves, or whether it be the home buyer not wanting to understand the specifics of the agreement entered into and racing through the process merely to acquire what they want, and, or getting into a home and loan much bigger than what they can afford or even need, morality lost in the daily transactions in the marketplace add up, and eventually when enough of their natural consequences have amassed they have an all encompassing effect. The more lies abound, the more the consequences to those lies result.

In truth, in our day honesty is being lost, lies are shielded with words like creative ideas, luxurious living is the entitlement, and self-centeredness, arrogance, and egotism the fad, all the while keeping us blind to the mounting problems, until tragedy and disaster hit, and we are powerless to do much if anything at all. Our entitlements have to come from somewhere and often they unjustly originate from the disenfranchised, less intelligent, less powerful, or poor, whether they be from our own lands or that of others. Today is the great day of ME, and ever more difficult to find is the concept of WE, not just for the sake of WE, but the WE that also includes commitment and allegiance to principles of honor, virtue, honesty, truth, and morality.

When will we understand that any disparagement, immoral act, unvirtuous and slandering act, breaks our allegiance to our fellow countrymen, breaks up our union, and thereby causes divisions which ultimately weaken our country and thereby diminish its progress. When will we realize that the united in "The United States of America" means unity to virtue, honesty, morality, truthfulness, and in those ways to each other. When our country, as a whole, again remembers these things and throws away the idolatry of the pagan gods of nationalistic rhetoric we will again shine bright as a city set on a hill.

Driven Hearts

What drives a car? Is it not the engine? Is not the engine the place where motion is created? Is it not the engine where the ability to move and operate a car begins? Is it not the engine where all the details of electrical spark, fuel, and oxygen combine to result in the force to go?

Likewise, is not the heart of man or woman the engine of the body? Is the heart not what keeps the body's operations moving?

Can one not refer to another's disposition of mind, fundamental feelings, belief, or reasons for action as that person's heart. Effectually, is it not the catalyst, or reason for movement, action, work in any person?

Reflect on your own motions - works, efforts, in the course of a day. Do they not all originate from desires in your heart, your belief system created from perceptions developed from the sum total of all your experiences. Some actions practiced so long that they've become almost instantaneous and habitualized, but intitially, and even in the triggering cues of the mind processes, still irrefutably designed by what you believe or disbelieve.

Does not everything you choose to believe or disbelieve carry with it the same force to action and accomodation as the stroke of a piston in a car?

What's in your heart?

Do you believe you are of more value than others? Do you believe you are of lesser value than others? Do you believe you share in the same value as all others?

Do you believe that people with more money, better looks, more toys, more talent, more...., are more valuable than the people that have less?

Do you believe that a person's value is based on their actions? Do you believe that those that do things right are more valuable than those that do things wrong? Do you believe that right and wrong carry no value?

Do you believe that always being right makes a person more valuable? Do you believe that control and power make a person more valuable?

What do you believe value means? Value to what end? Money is only valuable when it is exchangable for another object of interest, but if I have all the money in the world but no access to food and water, that money is worthless. So, to what end is value defined for you? Is it defined for the moment, for pleasure, for profit, for learning, for growth, for humanity, for comfort, for what? Is not that which is of most value those things that keep opening new and greater opportunities for life and growth? Is that what you value? Shall we check?

Sometimes its difficult to clearly become aware of the answers to these questions because we are extrememly biased and don't honestly assess our positions. The fact that this state exists only proves that we are caught in a delusion. It only proves that we want things to be the way we want them to be; irregardless of the truth of how things work and the needful steps to be taken inorder to achieve what we need or want, if its attainable at all. This is why truth is freedom. Truth is not in the eye of the beholder. The truth on truth is that it is the existing reality of things and it stands independent and irregardless of whether we perceive it in its totality, a mere portion, or not at all. Progress is recognizing the truth of a matter and in full awareness acting in accordance with how things work. This is why truth sets us free. We are not subject to false beliefs which have not the power to deliver our anticipated and desired results. We do not wear out our lives and waste our energies for things that we cannot get. We do not damage ourselves by procuring what we want but through improper means and thereby incurring losses or damage we otherwise would not need suffer had we tended to the appropriate steps a truthful awareness would of granted us in our desired objective.

An awareness of the truth of things is most valuable indeed! But is that what we want in our hearts? Is that what drives us?

The beauty of planting a tomato crop is that it will not yield cucumbers. Neither will it yield watermelon, or bananas, or mangos. It will yield tomatoes. Likewise if we take a drink from the ocean we will not find the water to be sweet, it will be salty. What does all this mean?

Sometimes we have trouble seeing the truth of where we stand on certain issues, we believe ourselves to be one way, when in reality we act in completely contrary ways. Our actions however do not lie. They conform to the truth of our thoughts and feelings. They are the direct fruit of the seeds in our hearts. If our actions are salty then we are lying to ourselves by believing that we are drawing our water from a fresh water river. This is how we can become aware of the true seeds in our heart. It is the first step. Awareness of action, once mastered will lead us to an awareness of our feelings. Once we have recognized our feelings we can become aware of the thoughts which hold together our beliefs. Once we've exposed the core beliefs to our actions, we then can match them with the truth of things. Where they are in opposition we hold the great power of changing our thoughts which in time will reorder our feelings and consequently our actions and character.

Now we arrive to the fuel of the matter. In a car the engine is worthless if it doesn't have the proper fuel. In a body, take away food and water long enough and your magnificent pump will eventually cease pumping. In the heart of our minds it is the ideas we believe to be true that drive us. Recognize here that belief is a choice that one can apply to any information brought to our awareness, whether it is factual, purposely deceptive, accidentally misrepresented, inadvertently misunderstood, only a part of the entire portion, etc. etc. The great power of mankind is that we have the power to choose, we decide what information we will subject ourselves unto, we are agents unto ourselves, and then once we've made a choice, servants to that path's culminating outcome. So, where does the fuel, which keeps us on those paths, of belief come from? The fuel for belief comes from evidences, assurances, witnesses, testimonies, it is the substance of our thoughts and the value of proof we place on those ideas we hold firm in our minds. However, our minds much like some court trials are sometimes corrupt. For a desired payout or outcome we sometimes tamper with evidence, hold some evidences as inadmissable, still yet at other times we even fabricate and plant evidences that support a ruling we desire but which are untrue and unjust.

This is where an honest awareness and a firm mind is key. The ultimate and honest truth about truth is that it needs no defender or great lawyer. Truth is unrelenting. It is unchangeable. The truth will always result, it will always win out. And all deceipt and lies will utlimately in time be overcome by the truth of things. Truth is subject to no man. Man is subject to truth. So no matter how we handle verdicts in the courtrooms of our minds, the final judgement of life will result in compliance to the truth of all matters and to the misfortune of all those that are operating on untruths.

A young woman once jumped out of a second story window fully believing that she could fly. She fell and miraculously was uninjured. Believing she had not exerted enough belief and somehow had not laid aside all doubt, she went back up to the second story window and jumped again, this time injuring her ankles, and at that point she gave up on her foolishness.

What fueled the drive to believe? What set her into motion? The answer to that question - the ideas gained from stories of miraculous experiences from her church's scriptural accounts. These stories were attractive to her, the people depicted in the stories exercised supernatural powers that God had given them, and which she did not have, and she wanted to enjoy a similar power. She also had another thought, which had been presented by the popular culture of her society. The idea was that if you believe in something hard enough, you can make it happen. This idea was also attractive to her because it meant that she held the power to do whatever she wanted to do, and she liked that idea. It meant not having boundaries or limitations. Inherent to that idea was the fact that you don't need consent or permission from any authority figure who held more power than you do, you need not be restricted by anyone or anything, you need only believe hard enough. Ultimately and succinctly put, you become your own God or an extension of God.

Casting out all thoughts and feelings of warning and reason aside, she flooded her mind with the evidences that what she was attempting was attainable. The ultimate persuasion came in the memories of her own experiences where she had gained an awareness and understanding that God indeed exists. Knowing that, she trusted He could do this thing, if she only exercised enough belief in Him. Her firmly held assumption was always that God was in agreement with what she wanted to do and that He would be a facilitator to her strong belief. Quite frankly, she unsuspectingly fell under the delusion that if she believed hard enough, irregardless of God's will or consent, she could cause what she wanted.

Here an honest assesment would have saved her unnecessary physical as well as spiritual damage. The truth is that an all powerful being that has the ability to manipulate the elements at will could very well produce the experience this woman sought. However the truth of the matter is that this woman made herself out to be God and unsuspectingly put herself in a position, in her mind, where she could tell God what he would do. She never got God's consent or promise.

Bottom line, God never said He'd do what she wanted. The lie - she liked the idea that if she believed hard enough that she'd get her way. She believed she could lay claim to a power that was not her own by believing hard enough. That's why she went back the second time and jumped again. Having built a solid case in her mind, her only conclusion on her first failure was that she had not had sufficient belief. The truth however, is that no matter what she believed she never held the power, was never promised the power, nor was ever given the power to fly. The truth is that no matter how highly this woman felt about herself and her ability to manipulate God and his power, she was subject to his order and not the other way around.

Many people would take this last story and use it as evidence to prove that there is no God, however, that is a manipulation of information too. These people seek occasions to form evidences that suit their own preference and not the truth. The truth is that evidence, like statistics can be misconstrued and manipulated to support whatever desired proof one would be so inclined to try and establish. This however changes nothing to the effect that there are specific truths governing all matters.

Another example. A man in deep emotional and physical pain may convince himself that suicide is a way of escaping the pain he suffers. However, an honest and candid look at the situation would show that his conclusion is based upon an assumption. The assumption is of what death has to offer, and in truth carries zero proof in affording his desired end, peace and freedom from pain. The man has never been dead, he has never spoken to someone who has returned from death. Why would he think that death would offer anything different or the same than what he currently experiences? The truth is that he desires death to bring him peace and freedom from pain. His only firm thought - I know nothing of existance after death so there must be nothing after death. And nothingness sounds better than the somethingness I here suffer. The attractiveness of that thought with nothing substantial to refute it, like an overplayed commercial finally persuades the man that it must be true, and he seeks the imaginary comfort of ending his existance. But what if he is wrong?

How do we find truth? We can find it the inevitable way-thru experience. Or we can find it out from those that have endured experience and learn from them. Ultimately, and personally, I believe in a God in Heaven who is our Father and who seeks to impart truth to us as we allow it to enter our hearts and have place therein. The problem is that we love our fantasies all too often more than our future comfort and progress. We in essence are worse than the donkey that chases the carrot tied to a stick on his back. Though he never gets the carrot, at least his is real. We often chase carrots which don't even exist. Mind your beliefs. Recognize the actions they produce. Ultimately they will prove us friends to truth, or hypocrites who deceive ourselves into insanity. Insanity as described by believing and trying to get a desired specific outcome by methodically ascribing to incorrect, improper, and ultimately erroneous means. Means which can not give us what we want the way we want it.

What drives your heart and where is it taking you?