Precious Silence

Home in Finland we say silence is more precious than gold. This might have something to do with the culture of not saying too much and when saying something saying only what is necessary. This is just a stereotype but like all stereotypes it does have a grain of truth in it. In addition to this cultural message, this saying has another important lesson for the reader.

Think of the heart ache, quarrel, fights, enmity, bad feelings, conflicts and unnecessary warfare. It is not an all-encompassing reason nor the ultimate over-arching root of all evil but a good part of it is caused by audible spoken words. Some are uttered purposefully and some are voiced by accident or without thinking too much. Most clearly the damage of words is visible in the lives of ordinary people. Broken friendships, shattered families and disappearing self-esteem are the most common products of it.

Words do not only damage their target. They always have an effect on their speaker. I would describe the effects binding and manipulative or persuasive.

Words bind their speaker to what has been said. Naturally words do not have a forcing effect but they do set expectations, make the speaker responsible and/or, pressure him or her to act accordingly. A liar must either reveal the hoax or keep lying. A boaster must live up to his or her claims or cause disappointment. Also when thoughts turn into words, they become sharper and stronger. If an individual repeatedly goes about audibly hating while actually being just irritated, that irritation eventually becomes hatred.

Everyone have surely heard of the path how thoughts lead to words and words lead to actions. I recognize that there are some who would argue this and even reject the idea. I don't claim that mere audible expression of a thought immediately makes one to act. What I do claim and believe and have experienced very personally is that words are an agitator and an ingredient for escalation. Speaking of your thoughts boosts the likelihood of them actually happening.

Christ was confronted by scribes and pharisees from Jerusalem. They came blaming Christ's disciples of not following the traditions established by the jewish elders. "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread." Christ took this as an opportunity to teach the people around the scene.

"Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." This was the simple lesson. 

To defile means to corrupt the purity or perfection of something or somebody. Words we speak mirror and amplify our inner being. They either help us to be uplifted or they drag us down. What we say can cause unnecessary tears. If correction is needed, don't speak everything that comes to your mind.

Watch yourselves, my friends! Don't let your guard down and be active in going about doing and saying much good.

Godspeed!

Humbly Proud

Inner peace is something people through ages have sought after. I might have observed wrong but during recent years it seems like the value given to peace, harmony - what ever you wish to call it - has decreased where there should have been given an increased dose. This is the initial feeling I get.

A general rule for reaching this state is balance — balance in all aspects of life. It is nothing complicated but it is a complex art. Balance in one's life is a result of a combined sum of healthy practices, habits, values, attitudes and moral decisions. In connection with this I disagree with many. There are some among us that would have us believe that a balanced life requires an occational indulgement in a vice in order to create a balance with virtue. Not so. We are to get rid of our vices, overcome our weaknesses and make ourselves clean of all immorality, addictions and spiritually as well as physically harmful practices. This way we become confident and strong. This way we build a firm foundation to stand on.

During this process an individual aquires skills and talents. An individual grows in knowledge and achieves many things. There lingers a danger of pride in all this. Without being careful it is easy to start bragging or look down on those who have not achieved so much. It is easy to become blinded by the knowledge and know-how.

Pride is something to stay away from. It makes progress hard. It becomes a hinder for learning. Scriptures and many spiritual leaders speak against pride. Seeing the damage and trouble it causes they have a good reason to do so.

Here one might then ask: "am I not allowed to be proud of myself and of my achievements?"

My answer is yes, you are allowed to feel that way.

To be able to feel proud of what you have done or even more importantly of what or who you are is crucial to a balanced self-esteem. I consider being proud and being prideful to be two completely different attitudes regardless of them being close. To be proud is to acknowledge and to give appropriate credit. To be prideful is to boast and take credit that does not belong to you.

A happy individual is the one who is proud of what s/he has achieved, done and is. S/he does not boast or look down. S/he is humble and receives all experience with gratitude.

You can be humbly proud.

Insights from the Book of Mormon: Moroni 8:6-7

Regardless of Church being an institution established, upheld and led by a perfect God, it consists of imperfect men, women and children with different capabilities to recognize Truth. Sometimes misunderstandings and false conceptions creep in. Some stick for a longer time. Some are rooted out faster with teaching, explaining and studying the word of God.

Towards the early fifth century somewhere on the eastern side of the North-American continent Mormon, a life time military leader and a prophet, was leading the Nephite nation to a war they wanted and he knew they could not win. Once peaceful, righteous and blooming nation had fallen to most grievous sins and was indulging in war, bloodshed and immorality. All this regardless of what Mormon did to correct them.

He wrote a letter to his son, Moroni, who also was like him. A good, honest and righteous man of God who had served most of his life as a warrior and military leader in a war that he knew would end to the total destruction of this people. An argument had risen concerning infant baptism. People were practicing it against the will and commandments of God.

"I desire that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle. For immediately after I had learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. And the word of the Lord came to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, saying: ..." (Moroni 8:6-7)

When we learn of an error in understanding we should react immediately like Mormon did. He inquired of the Lord immediately. When he asked, he received the answer. This is an example to us of how we should do. Not wait a false conception to cause (more) harm but correct it before it causes (further) damage.