Great Literature: A Daily Dose of Religious and Human Perspective

While visiting with a young man many years ago about the task of raising children, he explained that when the time came for him to marry and have children, he would raise them without the restrictions and compulsion of religious laws and principles and let his children choose for themselves once they were grown and ready to live in the world on their own. He touted that it is not fair to expose a child to a worldview when they are not able to defend themselves from beliefs they may disregard later in life. Often I have pondered upon his lenient goal and wondered of the result. Common sense tells me that his children floundered in confusion precisely as a foundationless home eventually collapses. Inasmuch as a builder employs a blueprint, a wise parent employs a formula for guiding children to happiness. God instituted that formula.

We come to know the formula through statutes and laws. God told Moses, “And thou shalt teach [the laws and statutes] diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up”.[1] Later, God enlightens Joshua of the blessings for obeying the laws and statutes contained in the Holy Writ, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”[2] Continual teaching and learning of the laws and statutes of God bring abundance and happiness. Additionally, the ideals God describes in His laws and statutes can effectively be supplied by literature.

Great literature acquaints the reader to stories and characters that shape such ideals and the more stories the more the understanding of the ideal. Furthermore, stories exhibit an array of human qualities and deficiencies from the best to the worst and the acceptable to the unacceptable. The ideal endows us with a tool to measure correctly in our quest to become happy individuals. Consider, reader, three literary works that define God’s laws and offer a superb foundation for a happy life.

Little Sister narrates her post-Civil War story, in the book, Laddie, about growing up with Mother and Father on their Indiana farm with the last of twelve children still at home. Hard work, faith in God, and a rich education shaped the semi-ideal Stanton family into a happy, charitable, and exemplary collection of characters. Father and Mother devoted every moment to the teaching and rearing of good values. When sorrow came, not infrequently, they faithfully knelt at the side of their bed and then hand in hand prayed for divine help and guidance. “Sometimes the clouds loom up pretty black,” Father declared, “and mother and I scarcely know how to go on, save for the help of the Lord.”[3] Father taught them that God would take care of each and everyone.[4] Daily morning devotionals played a tremendous role in the holistic education. Little Sister recalled, “Father always read a [chapter] before breakfast—no wonder I knew the Bible quite well—then we sang a song [and prayed].”[5] Hard physical work determined character. Getting the house and yard ready for Sally’s wedding was reminiscent to regular work throughout the year. Little Sister remembers the occasion, “There wasn’t a single spot about the place inside or out that wasn’t gone over; and to lots of it you never would have known anything had been done if you hadn’t seen, because the place was always in proper shape anyway”. If not the most profound theme in Laddie, then one of the most profound is Laddie’s far-reaching counsel to Little Sister, “The way to be happy is to be good.”[6]

In an artist’s painting, the shadows define the light, giving depth and perception. Similarly, stories that portray darkness, devoid of law and principle, bestow deeper understanding and a greater desire for goodness. Tolstoy portrays the darkness artfully in his book, Anna Karenina. Major themes depicted include adultery, lasciviousness, broken families and deceit. The book’s namesake seeks love outside her marriage and abandons all truth. In her pretense, Anna justifies living her life based on love, albeit deceitful love. She claims her main dilemma is that she wants Vronsky, her lover and Seryozha, her son by marriage, but she cannot have both together. She must choose one, only to give up the other.[7] Sister-in-law Dolly feels revulsion and disgust by the unnaturalness of Anna’s pretentious life with Vronsky, “all alone without children, playing at a child’s game”.[8] Eventually, Anna’s chosen path leads her to utter despair and then destruction. “That’s what reason is given man for, to escape from what worries him,”[9] Anna hears the words of a woman speaking to her husband in the carriage. Anna, repeating the words in her mind, considers them the answer she has been seeking and throws herself at an oncoming train to “escape what worries” her.

Tolstoy’s famous first line prepares his reader to solve the mystery of what creates an unhappy family. He writes, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”.[10] He seems to conclude that avoiding certain rules of measure bring varying levels of unhappiness to families. Moreover, he assumes that the reader knows the rules of measure for happiness. Levin may have said it best when after his lengthy search for truth and light he declares, “The one unmistakable, incontestable manifestation of the Divinity is the law of right and wrong, which has come into the world by revelation”.[11]God is our true ruler to measure our actions and rectify our wrongs.

Struggling to do what is right in a world of wrongs is Jane Eyre’s greatest achievement. Jane characterizes John Bunyan’s[12] struggling Pilgrim as she progresses from the possible “City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City”. Her laws and principles move her forward beautifully in the most trying scene where she shuns adultery and chooses freedom and peace of heart. Jane promises, “I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad – as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation; they are for such moments as this when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”[13] Jane’s unshakable knowledge of God fuels her persistence in keeping His laws and principles throughout the novel. Again she refuses another’s offer of marriage because, “I felt how—if I were his wife, this good man, pure as the deep sunless source, could soon kill me: without drawing from my veins a single drop of blood, or receiving on his own chrystal conscience the faintest stain of crime.”[14] The marriage promised no love, only a life of missionary service in far lands under the heat of sun and toil. Jane clearly and wholly understood not only the evils of adultery, but also the sanctity of marriage; a union between man and wife founded on love and not just for position and convenience.

Jane remained steadfast and strong in her trials, Little Sister learned to be good, and Anna shrunk from truth and light. Anna was devoted to self, Little Sister was devoted to good and Jane was devoted to God. These stories provide the ideals and the ideas to help us see the possibilities for self-improvement and growth. They teach the statutes and the laws of God to effectively convey the tool for which to measure our actions and build a solid foundation. God’s word is the formula for happiness.

If I could go back in time and face that young man with the knowledge I now possess, I would tell him that parents who avoid teaching ideals for the sake of freedom are enslaving their children. Exposure to religious laws and principles contained in great literature increase the healthy decision quotient. For long after reading the story, we ponder in solitude as we solidify thoughts and resolutions, likewise a child plays “make believe” within the walls of the playroom acting out the stories and the characters as she solidifies her thoughts and resolutions. There is no restriction, no religious compulsion; only stories of foundational truths and portraits of human nature, of which the reader can choose for himself the path he will tread, whether it be happiness or unhappiness.

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[1] Deuteronomy 6:7, Bible KJV

[2] Joshua 1:8, Bible KJV

[3] Gene Stratton-Porter, Laddie, (Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1988), 356

[4] Ibid, 6

[5] Ibid, 106

[6] Ibid, 374

[7] Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Simon & Brown, 2011), 778

[8] Ibid, 771

[9] Ibid, 924

[10] Ibid, 14

[11] Ibid, 984

[12] The reference here is to Paul Bunyan’s Christian allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress and tells the story of Christian’s progress through mortal life escaping the Evil One’s destruction and progressing to God’s Celestial City.

[13] Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (New York: Doubleday Book & Music Clubs, Inc), 325

[14] Ibid, 423

Evolutions of Thought

Shortly before his passing, Steve Jobs shared his thoughts regarding religion and death, “I like to believe there’s an afterlife. I like to believe the accumulated wisdom doesn't just disappear when you die, but somehow it endures.”[1] Aristotle hoped as much while he sought and taught truth and wisdom. He and his team were more distinctly philosophers than scientists. However, his Physics left an enduring foundation for modern science. Galileo and his contemporaries emerged from the dark ages and for the first time in history separated mathematical quantification from philosophy, creating separate and distinct studies of thought. The necessary separation of religion and science during the Renaissance allowed for a greater breadth and depth study of the sciences, independent of the coercive powers of the church. Today, as the 500-year battle between science and religion gradually subdues, we may find that empirical science is merging with philosophy and religion once again, but this time they may compliment and give evidence one to the other.

The very essence of science is the study of cause and effect in nature and since science builds from what is known before, it is vital that we study from the Ancient Greeks in order to fully understand modern science.[2] Heidegger boldly stated, “Without Aristotle’s Physics, there would have been no Galileo.”[3] Aristotle based his science upon the natural world around him. He studied things as they are and appear. His study of nature was a search for “causes” and assumed that everything is exactly the way we observe it. His writings are philosophical and easily integrated into religious theory. The early Christians felt his approach to the study of nature fit very well with Christianity. “The idea that every organism is beautifully crafted for a particular function…in the grand scheme of nature certainly leads to the thought that all this has been designed by somebody.”[4] As a result, Aristotle’s physics stood as the irrefutable authority for nearly two thousand years.

Although Aristotle’s contemporaries may have ventured upon the path to Modern Science, Aristotle remained true to a holistic philosophy and believed that everything in nature followed a natural continuity, meaning that finite indivisible bodies did not exist. He believed “a line cannot be made of points, if the line is continuous and the point indivisible”.[5] Aristotle refuted Zeno’s paradox of the flying arrow that states for an object to be in motion, it must change place and therefore a flying arrow stands still in the instants, but moves from place to place. Zenos says that if everything is always at rest when it is at a place equal to it, while what is changing place is always doing so in the now, the flying arrow is motionless. Aristotle denied that a line could be composed of many finite points or that time is composed of many infinite “nows”. His holistic approach allowed him only to see things as they are, such as an arrow floating through the air in a continuous motion or time passing in a continuous flow. Unlike Zenos and later, Galileo, he could not separate motion or time into parts.

Aristotelian philosophy did not take into consideration serious empirical experimentation. Though it boasted of a broad sense of nature, it was without substantial quantitative determinations. In order for a real breakthrough in science, it would be necessary for science to separate from philosophy. Two thousand years after Aristotle, the renaissance brought new thought and with it a new dimension of mathematical science. Where Aristotelians embraced his philosophical and holistic view of nature, brave new minds separated the mechanics of physics from the philosophy, at the perils of facing The Inquisition. Galileo, who consequently passed his last nine years in house arrest, was the most influential and known as the Father of Modern Science.[6]

Knowledge builds upon knowledge and Galileo depended upon Aristotle’s foundations for a starting point, of which he could build. He refuted Aristotle’s statement that a line cannot be composed of an infinite quantity of finite points. He explains that a single point can be understood to be equal to a line. In the diagram below Galileo shows two equal surfaces and two bodies and how they will “go continually and equally diminishing during the same time…until finally the surfaces and the solids terminate their preceding perpetual equality by one solid and one surface becoming a very long line and [the other] solid and the other surface [becoming] a single point.”[7]

In the proof below, find the semi-circle AFB, the rectangular ADEB and the triangle CDE. Now imagine that they are spinning on their axis CF. The semi-circle becomes a soup bowl, the rectangle becomes a cylinder and the triangle becomes a cone. Now, in your mind, remove the cylinder, leaving the bowl and the cone in place.

Galileo next proves that the volume of the bowl is equal to the cone by first drawing a plane parallel to the top of the bowl and placing it at DE. As it is moved up through line GN, it cuts the bowl at points G. I. O. and N. and the cone at points H. and L. Galileo explains,

“This leaves the part of the cone CHL always equal to the part of the [bowl] whose cross section is represented by the ‘triangles’ GAI and BON…[as a result,] the plane at any level, provided that it is parallel to the base, or circle of diameter DE, always makes the two solids equal; that is, the part of the cone CHL and the upper part of the [bowl]. Likewise it makes equal the two surfaces that are the bases of those solids; that is, the washer and the circle HL.”[8]

As the plane moves up and gradually diminishes the area of the solids equally, it leaves a point at both the top of the cone at C and the circumference of the bowl, thereby making each of them now equal to a single point. As it turns out, Zenos was not far from the path of modern science since its path diverged from holistic philosophy to the separation of things into distinct separate parts.

            Galileo’s empirical studies led the world through an explosion of discovery. One of the most important achievements was his application of mathematics to the natural phenomena. He greatly influenced Newton and later, Einstein.

Whether we are still in the era of modern science or in the post-modern era, even now, we know that knowledge builds upon knowledge. It appears that philosophy and science are merging once again as in Aristotle’s day. Darwinism may be abroad in the land, nevertheless, many scientists are leaning toward philosophical ideas, such as Intelligent Design. Sir Arthur Eddington implies philosophical inquiry when he states, “We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about 'and'.”[9] Galileo expounded upon the numeric values, but it is Aristotle that teaches us to expound upon the “and”. John Lewis, a renowned scientist and advisor to the European and NASA space programs, brings science and theological philosophy together, “The Universe is God’s Handiwork; therefore, if the scriptures are God’s handiwork and the universe is God’s handiwork then science and religion represent two independent witnesses of the creation.”[10]

Today, with an array of epistemological avenues such as Aristotle’s philosophical reasoning, Galileo’s proofs, and God’s revelation, our world is heading for another grand explosion of discovery. The diversity of thought in the scientific and philosophical views provides distinct evidence, but when examined together they compliment each other and furnish a holistic panorama of truth. Precisely, as wisdom from Aristotle and Galileo is secure within the foundation of Western Thought, the wisdom of Steve Jobs is far from disappearing. Perhaps this realization led Jobs to ponder the melding of science and metaphysics when he commented on the existence of an after-life. “Maybe that's why,” says Steve, “I didn't like putting on/off switches on Apple devices.”[11]

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[1] Walter Isaacson, Jobs' Biography: Thoughts On Life, Death And Apple, http://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141653658/steve-jobs-a-computer-icon-on-life-death-and-apple, October 2011

[2] Aristotle’s Physics, translated by Joe Sachs, (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2011), 1, punctuation is updated.

[3]  Martin Heidegger, The Principle of Reason, trans. Reginald Lilly, (Indiana University Press, 1991), 62-63

[4] Michael Fowler, Aristotle, http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/109N/lectures/aristot2.html, September 2008

[5] Aristotle’s Physics, translated by Joe Sachs, (New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2011), 147

[6] Einstein writes, "Propositions arrived at by purely logical means are completely empty as regards reality. Because Galileo realized this, and particularly because he drummed it into the scientific world, he is the father of modern physics—indeed, of modern science altogether,” Einstein, Albert, Ideas and Opinions, translated by Sonja Bargmann. (London: Crown Publishers, 1954), 271

[7] Galileo Galilei, Two New Sciences, translated by Stillman Drake, (Toronto: Wall & Emerson, Inc., 1989), 35-37

[8] Galileo Galilei, Two New Sciences, translated by Stillman Drake, (Toronto: Wall & Emerson, Inc., 1989), 35-37

[9] A. L. Mackay, A Dictionary of Scientific Quotations, (Bristol and Philadelphia: Institute of Physics Publishing, 1991), 79

[10] LDS Church, Our Divine Creator: John S. Lewis, https://lds.org/pages/we-lived-with-god?lang=eng, 2011

[11] Walter Isaacson, Jobs' Biography: Thoughts On Life, Death And Apple, http://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141653658/steve-jobs-a-computer-icon-on-life-death-and-apple, October 2011

Education Reform and Ancient Chinese Secrets

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 States across the nation are scrambling to solve the prevalent problem of the achievement gap in schools. Utah business leaders cry out to the “village” for help. “If we want Utah to stay competitive, business leaders believe raising the education level for all kids is key.”[1] The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now recognizes that the gaps are steadily growing. Director Jennifer Alexander states, “We’ve got to do something to fix these numbers,” adding that it will take “bold reforms and bold leadership.”[2] From ever-increasing performance awards to ever-increasing numbers of teacher’s aids, school districts implement dozens of programs designed to increase achievement. Experience shows that student achievement has declined over the past several decades and yet society continues to implement new programs and technology to solve these issues. Solutions lie not in complicated plans and reforms, but in the ideas we glean from an array of great literature and histories. These teachings are available to any at a small price compared to the current plan of costly programs. As we look to the past, we remedy the present. I propose we delve into some ancient Chinese secrets and ask Lao Tzu and Confucius to consider the remedy of today’s educational ills.

It would be efficacious to understand the underlying premise of their teachings. Living in an immoral and degenerate society, both Lao Tzu and Confucius[3] recognized the urgency for reform, not from the top-down, but from deep within the individual. In a sagacious manner, they counseled their people to return to the Way (Tao) of the ancients. Lao Tzu gracefully describes this return to Tao: 

Hold on to the Tao of old in order to master the
Things of the present.
From this, one may know
the primeval beginning(of the universe).
This is called the bond of Tao.[4] 

In the literal translation, bond refers to “a thread” and indicates discipline or principle, thus, the actual study and lifestyle of Tao is its fundamental concept. The authors of Tao devoted their lives to promote the Way as a panacea for societal corruption. Lao Tzu describes that the action of the Tao is to perpetually return to it, suggesting that human nature inherently and eventually pulls us away if we are not careful to check ourselves: 

Reversion is the action of Tao.
Weakness is the function of Tao.
All things in the world come from being.
And being comes from non-being.[5] 

Lao Tzu’s two basic concepts underlying the Tao are the non-being and the being. Both are not without the other and come from each other. For example, imagine a clay pot. The usefulness of the pot is not found in the clay, but in the emptiness. The non-being is to the emptiness of the pot as the being is to the clay. Non-being suggests a state of calmness, an absolute peacefulness and purity of mind. It may be that being implies a soul empty of worldly cares and primed for the Tao. If so, then the non-being could be those virtues that fill the soul.

Invariably existing before heaven and earth, the eternal Tao is without beginning or end and operates in a manner corresponding to irrefutable laws and principles. One of Tao’s earliest commentators, Han Fei Tzu states that, “Tao is that by which all things become what they are.”[6]  Here, the key word is become and hints of transformation. Tao provides a coarse of action by which we both prime and fill our waiting and ready soul with virtue (te).

Supposing that our Chinese sages were correct and that Tao is foundational to all learning, then I propose that our educational reform take the direction of the Way. According to Confucius, learning pertains to one’s actual conduct first before the acquisition of academic knowledge. He believes that learning is a mixture of scholarly studies, which he calls cultural refinement built upon native substance, which is the moral character that is learned in early childhood. In other words, a student must bring with him a foundation of virtue before he can add to it academic scholarship. Confucius maintains that a man becomes a gentleman, a possessor of Goodness, “Only when culture and native substance are perfectly mixed and balanced.”[7] What virtues do our children learn outside the home and away from the family?

Commentator Wang Shu[8] compared the education of his day with that of the ancients, “The primary focus of students in ancient times was to cultivate themselves by being meticulous in speech and careful in action, rather than merely memorizing, reciting, and composing texts…Students nowadays, on the other hand, devote themselves exclusively to memorizing, reciting and composing texts with the sole purpose of passing the civil service exams and obtaining official positions. Very few of them never get around to paying careful attention to their actual behavior or speech. Perhaps this is why they pale in comparison to the ancients.” I find it very interesting that Wang Shu wrote this in the fifteenth century and it is still extraordinarily applicable to our day, over 500 years later.

The universal call for academic achievement seems to be to get the students to achieve scholastically. This process of enticing students to learn often requires incentives, rewards and external motivation. The dictionary enlightens us to the true meaning of educate, which means “to draw forth”.[9]  A teacher cannot educate, but can only help a student educate himself or “draw forth” what is already there. As our Chinese sages see it, the only way is to teach those who have the desire to learn. That desire is nurtured more abundantly as children are taught the Way at the feet of a loving and firm parent. Only then do they go on to seek higher learning with great desire and accountability. Confucius spoke of the great responsibility of the student to learn. He suggests that the teacher require great inner desire on the part of the student, “I will not open the door for a mind that is not already striving to understand, nor will I provide words to a tongue that is not already struggling to speak. If I hold up one corner of a problem, and the student cannot come back to me with the other three, I will not attempt to instruct him again.”[10]

Ultimately parents are the real solution to education reform as they carry the weighty obligation to teach virtue to their children. Confucius teaches the best order for learning the Tao, “Those who are born understanding [the Way] are the best; those who come to understand it through learning are second. Those who find it difficult to understand and yet persist in their studies come next. People who find it difficult to understand but do not even try to learn are the worst of all.”[11]

The inertia of our current path of education with its reforms and programs will be a difficult one to break. States will do well to learn from the ancient Chinese sages. Instead of pushing and even coercing students to achieve through extrinsic rewards, they ought to allow parents to assume the duty of teaching virtue to their children before sending them to the schools. Parents hold the very key to change as they begin to understand the power of Tao in rearing their growing children. No educational program can compete with the simple and ideal foundation of learning virtue first at home and in all aspects of life.   

[1] Richard Platt, Leaders say 'village' mentality is key to educational success, http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=690&sid=15808814&title=leaders-say-village-mentality-is-key-to-educational-success, June 2011 

[2] Abbe Smith, Connecticut students show little progress on Nation's Report Card, http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2011/11/02/news/doc4eb1ec0c42687228221092.txt, November 2011 

[3] Both sages lived in the sixth century BC. 

[4] The Way of Lao Tzu: Tao-te Ching, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1963), chapter 14, pg. 124 (The comma added on the third line was added for reading comprehension.) 

[5] Ibid, chapter 40, pg 173

[6] The Way of Lao Tzu: Tao-te Ching, translated by Wing-Tsit Chan, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1963), 7 

[7] Confucius, Analects, translated by Edward Slingerland, (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2003), 6.18, pg. 59 

[8] A virtuous and effective minister of the Ming Dynasty who believed in the “essential unity of knowledge and action, with action being the natural unfolding of any sort of true knowledge, as well as in his assertion that the purpose of learning is realized in words and actions, rather than empty speculation.” (Edward Slingerland)

[9] The Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980), 833

[10] Confucius, Analects, translated by Edward Slingerland, (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, 2003), 7.8, pg. 66

[11] Ibid, 16.9, pg. 196

In Force For Everyone, or Not?

There is a law in the universe that brings happiness or misery depending upon the adherence to that law. The law is that all things in our lives must be in order or at least reaching out to order—all things spiritually, mentally, emotionally, etc. When it is so, we find happiness and when it is not we are on the path to misery.

In my scripture reading today I came upon a scripture that makes me think of the Humanist Manifesto (the humanists do not believe in the universal laws of right and wrong, among other things). Many, including the humanists, do not want to acknowledge laws because they believe everything is relative to individual beings and situations. What do you think? Do you think that laws can change for every individual according to their own situation or are these laws straight forward for any and all?

The scripture I was aluding to above is 2 Nephi 2:13 and it says, "And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."

While talking with our family this morning, I shared this scripture, of which is talking particularly about the law of the Atonement for salvation, but includes all the other laws of truth (laws of the universe). We talked of our family problem at hand, of going to bed late and waking up late and how this scripture related to it. It was a fascinating discussion of the old Franklin adage, "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." and the scripture in D&C of retiring early to our beds and waking early that our minds will be invigorated. We decided that if the law is practiced, we will indeed be strengthened in our desire to wake on time.

My opinion is that all laws are in force for everyone, no matter their situation in life and that when the laws are obeyed to a certain degree, there is happiness to a certain degree, always in proportionate amounts. What is your opinion? What are your experiences with universal law/s?

Educating Oneself is the best way for us

Today eleven-year-old Edie pushed herself to write a required paper for her shakespeare class in the commonwealth school. It was a refreshing scene to watch as she quickly and obediently went through her jobs so she could have time to write. She used examples from our home life and from the current book we are reading together, Little Women, in order to articulate the principle that being a good example is key to being a good leader. She wrote all twenty lines in beautiful cursive and was very attentive to spelling correctly.

Just one year ago, we were bombarded with caustic remarks filled with fear and anger as our loved ones were in complete disagreement with how we were educating our children. At one point, one family member tried to help by encouraging Edie to read often with her to make sure she was getting her schooling in. I was aware of this family member's intense fear that our children might not learn to read and write or have the necessary social skills to function in society. Thus, I humored her and let the activity go on. At first it seemed okay, however as time passed I noticed some changes in Edie and her younger sister, Hannah. Instead of educating themselves throughout the morning and afternoon like before, they seemed to wait around until it was reading-practice time in the afternoon. They sat by the window almost frozen for long periods of time as if by doing so, they would speed up the time. Their normal activities of work and play became boring and cumbersome. After praying and seeking guidance, I felt it was necessary to quit the reading sessions and return to our normal routine of hard work in the home and freedom to educate on their own. It took a long while to return to our old and good ways. Again, I am convinced that formal academic structure is not right for our young children until they have reached the age Edie is now. Today at the age of eleven, she became the propelling factor in her education as she poured out her best effort to express what she knows about being a leader.

Civil Rights Bill of 1875: Antidote to Slavery or Freedom?

James T. Rapier’s speech to Congress in support of the Civil Rights Bill of 1875 suggested that the supposedly republican nation ought to practice what it preaches. Written into the Constitution’s Fourteenth amendment is the provision that all people born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the country and the state. Rapier expected that all African Americans be treated as ordinary citizens, but instead they were treated as the lowest of the low such as in a Caste System. Some of his arguments were that freedom cannot be divided between being free and being a slave and that inferiority is maintained by suppression of quality education and that the dark color of skin constitutes a crime in the minds of the white men.
First, the Alabaman Senator argued that man cannot be half free and half slave. He questioned why, in America, can he enjoy political rights while being denied civil ones. He was protected while in Congress, but not on the road to get to Congress. He could “legislate for a free people, while his own chains of slavery [hung] about him.” Ratification of the Civil Rights bill would allow him and his race to be completely free from discrimination and the “half-time” slavery, or so it seems.
The distance between the educated white and the suppression of quality education perpetuated inferiority of race for the African Americans. Rapier noted that the colored man was “cut off from every avenue that [lead] to the higher grounds of intelligence and usefulness and then [was] challenged…to a contest upon the highway of life to decide the question of superiority of race.” In Rapier’s experience he “always found more prejudice existing in the breast of men who [had] feeble minds and [were] conscious of it, than in the breast of those who [had] towering intellects and [were] aware of it.” His cry was for equal opportunity in seeking and obtaining higher education.
Rapier contests that the African American was accused with the crime of color. He questioned Congress if they had ever reflected that this was “the only Christian country where a poor, finite man must be held responsible for the crimes of the infinite God whom they profess to worship,” the crime of color. According to the majority of the white men, the color of the skin was the determining factor that kept men inferior intellectually and morally.
To sum up, Rapier was an advocate of the Civil Rights Bill that resulted in the endeavor to regulate the conduct of individuals and to compel private businesses to accept all people without discrimination. The bill was in force for eight years before it became unconstitutional.
What do you think? Was Rapier right?

Altruism: Help or Hinder?

“[The] old people felt rich because they were free”, and “we are poor in spirit because we are not free”, was the cry of Clyde Warrior of the Ponca tribe in 1967. He draws a distinction between those Native Americans before the addition of government assistance and those of today who are the casualties in the thrall of government social programs. As a result, his people have lost the ability to be industrious and responsible and furthermore have turned to crime, alcohol and self-destructive acts. Warrior proposes a solution in three parts; that the Native Americans demonstrate their competence, exercise free choice and learn through their own mistakes.

First Warrior suggests that his people demonstrate their competence through exertion and effort. They must have the responsibility in the ultimate sense of the word or they fall to the incompetent pit of hopelessness. Warrior declares, “Our children are learning that their people are not worthy and thus that they individually are not worthy.” Those who feel unworthy turn to self-destructive acts. Work and industry set the stage for realizing achievement. As the individual performs and completes worthy tasks he gains a strong sense of personal adequacy and competence.

Secondly, the Native Indians ought to be free men and exercise their right to choose. To choose is to have power. How they will make their living, raise their children, or how they will improve their communities and situations will be up to them. Similar to the first proposal, responsibility coupled with free choice will aid them to be prosperous and industrious to the degree that will help them to be free.

Finally, with competence and the freedom to choose come the inevitable consequences of failure. Warrior advocates a people who can make their own mistakes and learn from them as a process to success and freedom. He says, “Failures must be Indian experiences because only then will Indians understand why a program failed and not blame themselves for some personal inadequacy. A better program built upon the failure of an old program is the path of progress.” Wisdom is gained through mistakes.

Warrior’s solution to the Native American social ills is not found in more government assistant programs. It cannot be resolved by others, but must be determined by the Native Americans themselves. Through their experimenting upon competence, their freedom to choose and profiting by their own mistakes, will they eventually ascertain what is needed to help their own circumstances and their communities. The order of Warrior’s solution begs the question if profiting from mistakes ought not to be the first part of the solution. Can our society allow the Native Americans to make mistakes and profit by them? Are we too altruistic to allow that kind of freedom and growth?

Church and State: Separation or Protection?

Emily and Isaac Arnott are engaged to be married the first week in May 2011!

Visit Original Fast Foods

Our Christmas Letter 2010

From David's memoirs:

I was reflecting on life and how quickly it passes by. (I reflect much more since Julie and I celebrated our 20th anniversary in Europe studying the art and architecture of Paris, Rome, and Florence. We see things so differently now and look for meaning in all that we observe.)



I realized that Christmas is a touchstone that allows us to reflect and re-evaluate who we are and where we are going and at times how fast we are arriving. I figure that most of us will enjoy about 50 to 60 Christmases. We will have more but we will enjoy about that many. A few on the front end we did not remember, spent in diapers, and didn’t have any ability to eat and enjoy the food and festivities of the season, such may be the case with a few more on the back end of our life. That leaves a few others in the middle that may not have been enjoyable due to our own bad attitudes or lack of love for others. Julie and I have spent 21 Christmas seasons together plus the Christmas season while we were engaged. Each year has been wonderful and full of treasured memories. This year has been exceptionally tender. This may be our last year with our whole family home.




Emily is moving into the realm of adulthood and is quite self-sufficient in her studies at George Wythe University. It has been a treat to have her here, as she is not able to come and visit us often.

We are not sure where Andrew will be next year at this time as he could be getting ready to leave on a mission since he has a January birthday. It seemed like last year that he was a 5 foot little kid trying to look his age but never looking tall enough or old enough. Now he is 6’2” and singing bass in the choir.

Elissa has informed us that she is moving to France to become an au pair. It seems that her time in Europe this summer did not satisfy a desire but created a passion to travel and to learn. She claims that she is going. I say that it is doubtful. Those who know Elissa will not need to hear an update.

The chance of looking at my home in 365 days from now with half the children causes me to reflect and ponder if I have taught all that they need to know to the essential things of life. Where have I spent my time in my discussions, teachings and activities? Where is my heart and my focus? I hope that next year as well as next week will find me gathering those of my family who are home around me and teaching of the matchless love of our savior, of his infinite goodness, of his perfect plan.


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As for the year to come- I will still have much to do with each child. Emily will still need guidance in life and in college (or at least she will still have the grace to ask my opinion even if she does not need it.



Andrew and I will still fix things together and work on projects. Elissa, Andrew and I will still go on epic mountain bike adventures; we may even be joined by Erica a bit more this year. Erica will still be reading and asking me questions about life. I will still count on Edie to look like a princess but attack me when I least expect it like a ninja. Hannah will still keep me on schedule and continue to rule the world from her point of view.



Through all of this, we will continue to draw closer to the Lord and seek to do his will in all that we do.



Photos: 1) Edie and Hannah playing with the Lionel train under the Christmas Tree. 2) Julie and Dave on Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy--June 2010. 3) Our family's visit to see Emily at university. 4) Emily with her very special friend, Isaac Arnott in December 2010. 5) Andrew, David and Elissa up in the Brian Head mountain area--Cedar City. 6) Another family picture during our visit to see Emily at George Wythe University.