Today I opened a can of minestrone soup and the first spoon full caused memories to flood into my mind. I never knew that such a little bite of food could provoke so many wonderful memories! I will explain...
I'm a vegetarian. So upon leaving for elevation (my school's backpacking trip) I stuffed my bag full of minestrone soup. I have always had a liking for that particular kind of soup, so when I went shopping for food I bought six cans of it. I usually like more verity than that, but I was backpacking...so I didn't mind. I ate minestrone soup everyday for five days. and amazingly enough, it still tasted good on the fifth day, even though I had eaten it the four previous days...
=I had an extra can of soup and, upon arriving home, I promptly put it away for another day.
that other day was today, and as I tasted it I felt like I was back in Crawdad Canyon with my dear friends from Williamsburg. I closed my eyes and remembered everything....sitting around the campfire singing hymns for hours into the night. Crossing precarious logs over a raging river. ascending a 100 foot rope. getting wicked awesome bruises from rock climbing. building a 'bridge' across an icy cold river. getting sucked under the water head and allwhile attempting to cross our bridge...aka an unsteady log. discussing philosophy, faith, God, and about everything under the sun all day everyday. chasing a small white cat into the pitch black forest. doing the dishes at ten at night. taking a nap in the warm (ish) sun after a hard morning simulation.
It would take pages and pages to list all the memories that came back to me from one simple bite of soup; the ones I mentioned are only a few of many.
After I finished my bowl of memories I came to the conclusion that I really like minestrone soup. its good stuff, especially when its loaded with memories :) I also concluded that this would not be my first and last elevation trip. yes, that sealed my fate for next school year! there is no way in the world that I can go to any other school than Williamsburg (soon to be changed to Lexington...) Academy. It has been an answer to my prayers, it was exactly what I needed. I have grown more in one semester than I have in my entire life thanks to an amazing mentor, incredible piers, and brilliant classic books.
and all this realization came from a simple bowl of minestrone soup.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
the finished first draft of my first essay on Christianity :)
Christianity
Strength or Weakness
Section One
There are many different types of strength and weakness; there is the strength of the body, the strength of the mind, the strength of the heart, and the strength of the Spirit, or of character. The different types of strength are achieved in different ways. In order to gain a stronger body you have to exercise and eat healthy. To gain a strong mind you must exercise it accordingly, you must read, write, think, and do any exercise that stretches your intellect. Strength of the heart comes when you are able to accept and love those around you despite their faults. It comes when you serve others and God through love instead of selfish desires.
Extremity in strength of the body, mind, or heart is bound to spell out disaster. The man who spends all his time building his body may achieve great things through athletics, but where is the meaning in his life? How can he help to better those around him when he spends all his time focusing on his bodily strength? He would have a weak intellect and nothing to live for except competition. What would happen when he grew old and was then unable to compete in competitions? The meaning in his life would be gone; he would be lost in hopes and dreams of the past.
The man that focuses all of his on building his mind and nothing else would, like the strength of the body, achieve great heights. But how can one live when all the energy you posses is dedicated to the strengthening of your own intellect. How can his knowledge be of worth unless he shares it with those around him? Unless he writes or in some way teaches those around him his life would have no purpose, no meaning, and no happiness. Without interacting with those around them they would never taste the joys of humanity. They would spend their time pouring over mind-strengthening actions, but all of this would mean nothing if they died without enriching the life of another through their intellect.
The third type of strength, the strength of the heart, when taken to extremity, can also be hazardous. It would be completely unbeneficial for anyone if someone were to spend all their time in service when they have not first taken care of themselves physically and mentally. We cannot teach someone how to read if we don’t know how to ourselves. We must gain knowledge before we try to share it, otherwise every one of us would be fools. If the great authors had not taken the time to learn and educate themselves before they wrote their great works we would not be able to partake of their understanding.
When we create a balance of these three forms of strength we can achieve strength of spirit and character. That is why it is so imperative that we don’t live in extremities and that we strive for a balance of heart, mind, and physical strength. This is Christianity. When we are able to balance our lives, and through that balance we positively affect the lives of others, we are living as Christ lived. We are following in the footsteps of one who was perfect. Christianity is not weakness, it is strength of spirit and character. We can achieve that strength through our heart, mind, and body, when we strive for this we will grow closer to our God and Savior and live with an assurance that when we die we will have a place at the right hand of God.
Section Two
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Many would say that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness, and that by doing so you are letting people walk over you. It depends on what weakness is, and what strength is. In this essay I define strength not only by the power of one’s hand, but buy the power of his character. Therefore, Christianity would not be weakness, but the epitome of strength itself. Physical dominance over another is not, in reality, a way of showing strength, except the strength of the body, which is far less superior to strength of character and spirit.
Christ is the root of Christianity; therefore, by saying that exercising Christianity is sign of weakness, we could deduce that the Son of God was weak. This is far from truth. Christ is perfect, perfect in all things, perfect in strength. He allowed men to crucify Him, but by doing so, was he showing weakness or strength? He cried from His cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I say that a man of weakness would never be able to proclaim that about his murderers. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, this could only be done by the Son of God, by the ultimate Savior and strength.
When someone strikes you, would you be exercising more weakness by succumbing to your bodily urges to strike back? Or staying in possession of your temper and your composure? When someone is ‘walking all over you,’ yelling, screaming, hitting, or swearing at you are they exercising strength or weakness? The way you respond to them decides your own character’s strength. Which reaction would be easier, to strike back verbally and physically? Or to react in a calmer, more civilized manner? It would be logical to assume that in this situation the most difficult path would be the one in which you would have to exhibit more strength. This would prove Christians a strong, instead of weak, people.
It is human nature to want to strike back when someone harms or offends you, this is referred to in the scriptures as the natural man. We learn from the scriptures that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that in order to return to Him we must cast it off (Mosiah 3:19). We are mortal, therefore we are imperfect. In this life we will never be able to reach perfection, but if we strive for it we will be able to become better and progress eternally. Striving for perfection, and striving to throw off the natural man takes, an incredible amount of strength, it is an impossible feat to accomplish without the help of the Lord. By following Christianity we will be able to grow closer to God and grow stronger spiritually.
However, is it always unchristian to fight back? I believe that Captain Moroni was inspired when he created the Title of Liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” It is my belief that it is Christian to fight for our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children. Christ usually didn’t use force, but when He went to the temple and found people had blasphemed the house of God he forced them out of the temple. He was fighting in defense of His God and His religion.
The bottom line of this is that God knows when it is right to fight and when it is right to turn the other cheek. If we are in tune with His Spirit we will be able to exercise strength instead of weakness and continue to strive to be like His Son, perfect in all things. Perfect in strength.
Strength or Weakness
Section One
There are many different types of strength and weakness; there is the strength of the body, the strength of the mind, the strength of the heart, and the strength of the Spirit, or of character. The different types of strength are achieved in different ways. In order to gain a stronger body you have to exercise and eat healthy. To gain a strong mind you must exercise it accordingly, you must read, write, think, and do any exercise that stretches your intellect. Strength of the heart comes when you are able to accept and love those around you despite their faults. It comes when you serve others and God through love instead of selfish desires.
Extremity in strength of the body, mind, or heart is bound to spell out disaster. The man who spends all his time building his body may achieve great things through athletics, but where is the meaning in his life? How can he help to better those around him when he spends all his time focusing on his bodily strength? He would have a weak intellect and nothing to live for except competition. What would happen when he grew old and was then unable to compete in competitions? The meaning in his life would be gone; he would be lost in hopes and dreams of the past.
The man that focuses all of his on building his mind and nothing else would, like the strength of the body, achieve great heights. But how can one live when all the energy you posses is dedicated to the strengthening of your own intellect. How can his knowledge be of worth unless he shares it with those around him? Unless he writes or in some way teaches those around him his life would have no purpose, no meaning, and no happiness. Without interacting with those around them they would never taste the joys of humanity. They would spend their time pouring over mind-strengthening actions, but all of this would mean nothing if they died without enriching the life of another through their intellect.
The third type of strength, the strength of the heart, when taken to extremity, can also be hazardous. It would be completely unbeneficial for anyone if someone were to spend all their time in service when they have not first taken care of themselves physically and mentally. We cannot teach someone how to read if we don’t know how to ourselves. We must gain knowledge before we try to share it, otherwise every one of us would be fools. If the great authors had not taken the time to learn and educate themselves before they wrote their great works we would not be able to partake of their understanding.
When we create a balance of these three forms of strength we can achieve strength of spirit and character. That is why it is so imperative that we don’t live in extremities and that we strive for a balance of heart, mind, and physical strength. This is Christianity. When we are able to balance our lives, and through that balance we positively affect the lives of others, we are living as Christ lived. We are following in the footsteps of one who was perfect. Christianity is not weakness, it is strength of spirit and character. We can achieve that strength through our heart, mind, and body, when we strive for this we will grow closer to our God and Savior and live with an assurance that when we die we will have a place at the right hand of God.
Section Two
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Many would say that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness, and that by doing so you are letting people walk over you. It depends on what weakness is, and what strength is. In this essay I define strength not only by the power of one’s hand, but buy the power of his character. Therefore, Christianity would not be weakness, but the epitome of strength itself. Physical dominance over another is not, in reality, a way of showing strength, except the strength of the body, which is far less superior to strength of character and spirit.
Christ is the root of Christianity; therefore, by saying that exercising Christianity is sign of weakness, we could deduce that the Son of God was weak. This is far from truth. Christ is perfect, perfect in all things, perfect in strength. He allowed men to crucify Him, but by doing so, was he showing weakness or strength? He cried from His cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I say that a man of weakness would never be able to proclaim that about his murderers. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, this could only be done by the Son of God, by the ultimate Savior and strength.
When someone strikes you, would you be exercising more weakness by succumbing to your bodily urges to strike back? Or staying in possession of your temper and your composure? When someone is ‘walking all over you,’ yelling, screaming, hitting, or swearing at you are they exercising strength or weakness? The way you respond to them decides your own character’s strength. Which reaction would be easier, to strike back verbally and physically? Or to react in a calmer, more civilized manner? It would be logical to assume that in this situation the most difficult path would be the one in which you would have to exhibit more strength. This would prove Christians a strong, instead of weak, people.
It is human nature to want to strike back when someone harms or offends you, this is referred to in the scriptures as the natural man. We learn from the scriptures that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that in order to return to Him we must cast it off (Mosiah 3:19). We are mortal, therefore we are imperfect. In this life we will never be able to reach perfection, but if we strive for it we will be able to become better and progress eternally. Striving for perfection, and striving to throw off the natural man takes, an incredible amount of strength, it is an impossible feat to accomplish without the help of the Lord. By following Christianity we will be able to grow closer to God and grow stronger spiritually.
However, is it always unchristian to fight back? I believe that Captain Moroni was inspired when he created the Title of Liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” It is my belief that it is Christian to fight for our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children. Christ usually didn’t use force, but when He went to the temple and found people had blasphemed the house of God he forced them out of the temple. He was fighting in defense of His God and His religion.
The bottom line of this is that God knows when it is right to fight and when it is right to turn the other cheek. If we are in tune with His Spirit we will be able to exercise strength instead of weakness and continue to strive to be like His Son, perfect in all things. Perfect in strength.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Essays on Christianity
I started writing a series of essays on Christianity, and this is the first one. All of the essay topics came from discussions that I've had in WBA, so I thought I would write about them. Feedback, criticism, suggestions and etc. would be most appreciated!
Christianity
Strength or Weakness
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Many would say that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness, and that by doing so you are letting people walk over you. It depends on what weakness is, and what strength is. I define strength not by the power of one’s hand, but buy the power of his character. Therefore, Christianity would not be weakness, but the epitome of strength itself. Physical dominance over another is not, in reality, a way of showing strength, except the strength of the body, which is far less superior to strength of character and mind.
Christ is the root of Christianity; therefore, by saying that exercising Christianity is sign of weakness, we could deduce that the Son of God was weak. This is far from truth. Christ is perfect, perfect in all things, perfect in strength. He allowed men to crucify Him, but by doing so, was he showing weakness or strength? He cried from His cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I say that a man of weakness would never be able to proclaim that about his murderers. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, this could only be done by the Son of God, by the ultimate Savior and strength.
When someone strikes you, would you be exercising more weakness by succumbing to your bodily urges to strike back? Or staying in possession of your temper and your composure? When someone is ‘walking all over you,’ yelling, screaming, hitting, or swearing at you are they exercising strength or weakness? The way you respond to them decides your own character’s strength. Which reaction would be easier, to strike back verbally and physically? Or to react in a calmer, more civilized manner? It would be logical to assume that in this situation the most difficult path would be the one in which you would have to exhibit more strength. This would prove Christians a strong, instead of weak, people.
It is human nature to want to strike back when someone harms or offends you, this is referred to in the scriptures as the natural man. We learn from the scriptures that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that in order to return to Him we must cast it off (Mosiah 3:19). We are mortal, therefore we are imperfect. In this life we will never be able to reach perfection, but if we strive for it we will be able to become better and progress eternally. Striving for perfection, and striving to throw off the natural man takes, an incredible amount of strength, it is an impossible feat to accomplish without the help of the Lord. By following Christianity we will be able to grow closer to God and grow stronger spiritually.
However, is it always unchristian to fight back? I believe that Captain Moroni was inspired when he created the Title of Liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” It is my belief that it is Christian to fight for our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children. Christ usually didn’t use force, but when He went to the temple and found people had blasphemed the house of God he forced them out of the temple. He was fighting in defense of His God and His religion.
The bottom line of this is that God knows when it is right to fight and when it is right to turn the other cheek. If we are in tune with His Spirit we will be able to exercise strength instead of weakness and continue to strive to be like His Son, perfect in all things. Perfect in strength.
Christianity
Strength or Weakness
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Many would say that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness, and that by doing so you are letting people walk over you. It depends on what weakness is, and what strength is. I define strength not by the power of one’s hand, but buy the power of his character. Therefore, Christianity would not be weakness, but the epitome of strength itself. Physical dominance over another is not, in reality, a way of showing strength, except the strength of the body, which is far less superior to strength of character and mind.
Christ is the root of Christianity; therefore, by saying that exercising Christianity is sign of weakness, we could deduce that the Son of God was weak. This is far from truth. Christ is perfect, perfect in all things, perfect in strength. He allowed men to crucify Him, but by doing so, was he showing weakness or strength? He cried from His cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I say that a man of weakness would never be able to proclaim that about his murderers. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, this could only be done by the Son of God, by the ultimate Savior and strength.
When someone strikes you, would you be exercising more weakness by succumbing to your bodily urges to strike back? Or staying in possession of your temper and your composure? When someone is ‘walking all over you,’ yelling, screaming, hitting, or swearing at you are they exercising strength or weakness? The way you respond to them decides your own character’s strength. Which reaction would be easier, to strike back verbally and physically? Or to react in a calmer, more civilized manner? It would be logical to assume that in this situation the most difficult path would be the one in which you would have to exhibit more strength. This would prove Christians a strong, instead of weak, people.
It is human nature to want to strike back when someone harms or offends you, this is referred to in the scriptures as the natural man. We learn from the scriptures that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that in order to return to Him we must cast it off (Mosiah 3:19). We are mortal, therefore we are imperfect. In this life we will never be able to reach perfection, but if we strive for it we will be able to become better and progress eternally. Striving for perfection, and striving to throw off the natural man takes, an incredible amount of strength, it is an impossible feat to accomplish without the help of the Lord. By following Christianity we will be able to grow closer to God and grow stronger spiritually.
However, is it always unchristian to fight back? I believe that Captain Moroni was inspired when he created the Title of Liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” It is my belief that it is Christian to fight for our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children. Christ usually didn’t use force, but when He went to the temple and found people had blasphemed the house of God he forced them out of the temple. He was fighting in defense of His God and His religion.
The bottom line of this is that God knows when it is right to fight and when it is right to turn the other cheek. If we are in tune with His Spirit we will be able to exercise strength instead of weakness and continue to strive to be like His Son, perfect in all things. Perfect in strength.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Mostly Dead
After school got over I have been mostly dead. There is a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. When your mostly dead, your slightly alive. That's how I've felt the past several days....not dead, but not very alive at the same time. My first week of summer has been spent in sleep. Don't get me wrong, sleep is pretty amazing, but an excess of it gives one the 'slightly dead' feeling. My schedule during the school year goes as follows:
School for three hours.
Study for eight to ten hours.
Sleep.
Start over again.
Now, take away the school, which takes away the imparitiveness of study, which decreases the amount of time I study...then increase the amount of sleep by quite a bit, and you have my life at present. I'm pretty sure I might be loosing my sanity from the lack of study and school. I have caught myself walking aimlessly around my room, usually in circles, several times the past week.
So, my solution to my insane and mostly dead state? Set up a study/reading schedule for the summer, including the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Abolition of Man, the Great Divorce, the Health Care Bill (yes, all 2800 pages of it), Mere Christianity, and etc. Also in my recovery plan is spending excessive amounts of time outside in the sun, and storing up on sleep in preparation for the coming school year. By doing these things I hope to leave my state of 'mostly dead' and return to the realm of the living.
School for three hours.
Study for eight to ten hours.
Sleep.
Start over again.
Now, take away the school, which takes away the imparitiveness of study, which decreases the amount of time I study...then increase the amount of sleep by quite a bit, and you have my life at present. I'm pretty sure I might be loosing my sanity from the lack of study and school. I have caught myself walking aimlessly around my room, usually in circles, several times the past week.
So, my solution to my insane and mostly dead state? Set up a study/reading schedule for the summer, including the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Abolition of Man, the Great Divorce, the Health Care Bill (yes, all 2800 pages of it), Mere Christianity, and etc. Also in my recovery plan is spending excessive amounts of time outside in the sun, and storing up on sleep in preparation for the coming school year. By doing these things I hope to leave my state of 'mostly dead' and return to the realm of the living.
Memories of the Williamsburg Quote Wall
"Just think! in marriage there is one person that is contractually obligated to like you!" -Dan
"Dear Parents, we are going to be gone for the next two weeks on a service project. We will be fighting the drug dealers in Mexico in hand to hand combat." -Dan
"Whats the ACL?" "umm...American Confederation of loove!" -Eric
"You should just hit him with your car! forced happiness right there!!" -Jake
"Daaang! Lets just stay here and create our own tribe!" -Ben
"Barack Obama was born in Hawaii" "WAIT! I thought you had to be born in the US to be president!" -Bonnie
"Hey I'm a liar; I like your dress!" -Dan
"If I'm going to be a street sweeper I'm going to be the best sweet streeper ever!!" -Hailey
"You know historical records of hotness are not kept..." -Dan
"Jake, do you know how fast I want to kill you?! Not fast at all...very slowly actually." -Jameson
"I don't care if he's going to dissect me! I liike him!" -Ashley
"We gave Japan a biig present at the end of WWII..."
"Russia?!" -Bonnie
"Hitler, I LOVE you!" -Hailey
"I found a BIG flaw in our court system: you're not under oath when you take the oath!!" -Jameson
"What happens if one immovable object..." "hits another immovable object? that's impossible!" Jake/Jameson
"Dear Parents, we are going to be gone for the next two weeks on a service project. We will be fighting the drug dealers in Mexico in hand to hand combat." -Dan
"Whats the ACL?" "umm...American Confederation of loove!" -Eric
"You should just hit him with your car! forced happiness right there!!" -Jake
"Daaang! Lets just stay here and create our own tribe!" -Ben
"Barack Obama was born in Hawaii" "WAIT! I thought you had to be born in the US to be president!" -Bonnie
"Hey I'm a liar; I like your dress!" -Dan
"If I'm going to be a street sweeper I'm going to be the best sweet streeper ever!!" -Hailey
"You know historical records of hotness are not kept..." -Dan
"Jake, do you know how fast I want to kill you?! Not fast at all...very slowly actually." -Jameson
"I don't care if he's going to dissect me! I liike him!" -Ashley
"We gave Japan a biig present at the end of WWII..."
"Russia?!" -Bonnie
"Hitler, I LOVE you!" -Hailey
"I found a BIG flaw in our court system: you're not under oath when you take the oath!!" -Jameson
"What happens if one immovable object..." "hits another immovable object? that's impossible!" Jake/Jameson
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