Go Forward With Faith

 One of the more challenging obsticles to successfully ride an adventure motorcycle through is deep sand. It took me several years to learn the right technique. I noticed that no matter how deep the sand was, if I only had a short distance of sand to ride through, say 30 ft or less, I seldom had a problem, but if the sand  stretched on for a long way, I would struggle. 

I started asking myself, if I can ride through a 30 ft stretch of sand without problem, why do I struggle if the sand continues 30 ft more. If I could do 30 ft, why not the next 30 ft, and 30 ft more, and on and on. I realized that when there is a short stretch of sand, like crossing a wash, my focus is not on the sand and all the ripples and ruts from previous vehicles, my focus is on the the bank at the other side. By keeping my eyes on the goal, the exit point on the other side, any unevenness or minor disruptions in wheel travel could be compensated for and I would emerge safe on the other side. 

On the other hand, when there wasn't a bank or exit goal to focus on, I would focus on the rut or softness in the sand right in front of my wheel and I would panic and react to those obstacles and find myself weaving and sliding and even falling over. I decided to try an experiment. When in sand I would keep my eyes focused a minimum of 30 ft in front of me, always looking at where I wanted to get to not directly at what was in my immediate way of getting there. The result was amazing. I could suddenly ride through long stretches of undulating sandy wash without difficulty.

I am reminded of the story of the Savior walking on water.

Matthew 14

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

President Howard W. Hunter Said: “It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over ‘the swelling waves of disbelief’ and remain ‘unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.’ But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair” (“The Beacon in the Harbor of Peace,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 19).

What Unites Us

I recently finished the Ron Chernow biographies of Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. In both books we find individuals with much willingness to sacrifice what they have for the what they believe will bring about a government that recognizes this declaration:

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - Declaration of Independence

The declaration maintained that certain rights are universal and endowed by God, not by man. These rights should be beyond the control of a government. They are naturally given to every individual at birth and that these rights are retained throughout life.  This is the radical idea brought about by the founders of this nation and it should be the idea that unites us as Americans. The constitution enumerates these rights further as summarized by the Legal Dictionary below:

• To act in self-defense
• To own private property
• To work and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor
• To move freely within the country 
• To worship or refrain from worshipping within a freely-chosen religion
• To be secure in one’s home
• To think and speak freely 

The French revolution was inspired by the American revolution and followed it by 6 years, but the results were a horrifying disaster. Hannah Arendt argues that the turning point in the French Revolution occurred when the leaders rejected their goals of freedom (Liberty) in order to focus on compassion for the masses which manifested itself as revenge against the monarchy and other elites in authority, including the church. The French revolution lost track of allegiance to the divine and adopted the behavior  that any means will justify the end goal of ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’. In this way, the French revolution had more in common with the later Russian revolution. The French revolution removed the monarchy, only to be replaced by another dictator, Napoleon.

I am currently reading Rod Dreher's book Live Not by Lies. Like him, I have been horrified with the rapid willingness to surrender our freedoms for security and convenience. Our stand for liberty should be what unites us.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall

Dreher argues that we are allowing ourselves to drift into a soft totalitarian society and we need to wake up.

"There always is this fallacious belief: ‘It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible.’ Alas, all the evil of the twentieth century is possible everywhere on earth."—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

"A totalitarian society is one in which an ideology seeks to displace all prior traditions and institutions with the goal of bringing all aspects of society under control of that ideology. Wherever totalitarian philosophy has ruled, it has begun to destroy the essence of man" - Hannah Arendt

"Soft totalitarianism has the same goal, but it is therapeutic, it comes to you under the guise of helping and healing…. Many conservatives today fail to grasp the gravity of this threat, dismissing it as mere 'political correctness'-a previous generation’s disparaging term for so-called 'wokeness.'” - Rod Dreher

Soft totalitarianism won’t be enforced with prisons, it will punish you in more subtle ways; it will grade you regarding the controlling societal narrative. If you support it, you will be rewarded with better job opportunities and loans. If, however, you are considered a racist, sexist, or homophobe, many of these benefits will be slowly but surely taken from you via algorithm. This is not primarily from the government, it is actually much more controlled by major corporations and in particular by Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Apple, and others mega companies that now have our data and know how to use it. Their social engineering of a good person, a good life, and a good society is what counts. Left leaning philosophy now controls the entertainment industry, the news media, and the social media.

Media with the power to influence what you buy has the power to influence what you think. We have invited this media into our lives for convenience. Google snoops our internet searches and our email and tracks our movement via smart phones. Tech companies monitor conversations through speakers we place in our homes to see what our interests are and they monetize this data. This leads Rod Dreher and me to be very concerned about what might happen to Christians and Conservatives.

The comforting thing is always the knowledge that God is leading and directing his Church and that all will work out for the best in the end. It is what we will endure during the journey that concerns me.