One of my girls recently asked me why I read so many books about wars?
I thought I had read quite a variety, but I guess alot recently were about different facets
of war.
First of all I've decided in this life there just isn't going to be enough time
to learn & experience all the things I want to know!! So I try to learn about them
& experience them through reading. I want to know what's going on in the world now
& in the past.
* I want to know how people lived in the past & what their experiences were like.
* I want to know how people faced & face today, life's struggles, & how they make the
the good times too or inspite of their situations.
* I want to know what challenges they faced & what they learned & how they
got through them.
* I want to know about people with different roles & different proffesions & the work
they do. The doctors, the psychologists the soldiers, the truck drivers, the politicians
the police instructors, the special forces, the journalists, the Iraqi & Afganistan people,
the scientists, the educators, etc. etc. Queens & peasants of the past!
* I wanted to really try to understand what was going on over in Iraq? All the in's &
out's of why we did what we did & what's going on over there. Why do alot of Muslims
hate us? And what do they believe?
Anyway . . . . . . . in the book I was just reading I came across the perfect answer.
I just finished reading: "Mormon Scientist" The Life And Faith Of Henry Eyring,
by Henry J. Eyring.
Henry knew the compatibility of the right kind of discipline and creativity not only
by virtue of a lifetime of working to get to the bottom of things, but also because of
a unique doctrine of Mormonism. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord challenged the
nineteenth-century Saints to seek knowledge "diligently":
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that
you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle,
in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain
unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand.
Significantly, in addition to teaching the need for deep, disciplined study, through
Joseph Smith the Lord also advocated an unusually broad search for truth. He
spoke of knowledge of all sorts:
Things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth;
things which have been, things which are, things which must
shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which
are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and
the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of
countries and of kingdoms.
Joseph Smith himself personified insatiable curiosity and thirst
for truth in all fields. Though he received no formal education
beyond the second grade, he spent his life studying a vast array of
subjects: history, astronomy, law, and linguistics, to name just a
few. In this respect, the Prophet's approach provided Henry with
a vision of discovery contrary to the academic dogma of the mid-
twentieth century.
Much of Henry's creativity thus flowed from ignoring the tra-
ditional, by-the-book kind of discipline. Like Joeseph Smith,
he sought truth everywhere it could be found.
If you think about it, having just read The Book Of Mormon again, it
contains alot about war along with the teachings of the gospel. It seems
to be a part of this life's happenings. . . . Well now this year I'm reading
"The Doctrine & Covenants" & the Primary Lessons I'm teaching are
about Joesph Smith's life & teachings & I'm enjoying reading the book
about Joseph Smith & people who knew him personally that Michelle
gave me for my birthday. Thank You Michelle!
. . . . And now I quess that's the end of Why!!!!
And that's a rap!!!!! For now!
10 years ago
