"Of the people, by the people, for the people"

One of the main reasons I chose to come to Utah State was so that I could study what I'm interested in - Korea, or more broadly, Asia. My classes this semester include one on Chinese government and politics and one on the Cold War in Asia, which, for those of you who aren't familiar with either, are filled with a lot of fighting.

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In my Chinese government class, we're working our way to the present day, and are currently learning about the Sino-Japanese War that was a part of World War II (but most people in America don't know about, since we were only involved in an advisory capacity), and the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalist that followed it. It would probably be more accurate to say encompassed it, since the fighting started before the Japanese invaded, was temporarily suspended while China tried to fight the Japanese, and resumed towards the end of the fighting with the Japanese. In my Cold War class we're currently studying the first war in Vietnam. What? you say. There was another war in Vietnam? Yes, there was, and they don't really mention it in history class in American high schools. Vietnam was a French colony starting in the 19th century, and after World War II, the French were reluctant to let such a great source of natural resources go. But the Vietnamese understandably would have liked to have control of their own country, and so the nationalists, led by Ho Chi Minh, started a guerilla war with the French. And left to their own devices, they would have pushed the French right out of Vietnam. Only, Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh had Communist ideology. And Communist ideology -- or more correctly, the Communist power bloc -- was exactly what the United States was deathly afraid of in the 1950s. So what do you think happened?

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Needless to say, combined with the events currently taking place in the Middle East and northern Africa, this has really set me thinking. My first thought was to be disappointed that America was so often so quick to put the short-term goal of immediate stability and national interest over the long-term goal of helping the citizens of the country establish a self-sustaining government that followed the voice of the people. For all our rhetoric about democracy and the rights of the people America has historically done more to secure its own economic or political safety over supporting government "of the people, by the people, for the people". Yes, I understand that things are much clearer in hindsight, and that policymakers felt that the Soviet Union controlled any and all Communism in a huge plot to take over the world, and even that when you can't know the future you have to make decisions based on the best information you have. But I still claim the right to be disappointed that my childhood view of the US as the greatest country in the world, Supporter of Liberty, Democracy, and People's Rights, is not as true I was taught it was in sixth grade social studies.

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I Wish I Had a Camera

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We got quite a bit of snow the other night. In fact, it all came down in the space of just a few hours -- when I went in to volunteer at the English Learning Center, it was raining lightly. Two hours later when I left, the snow was above my ankles and it was covering my car faster than I could brush it off. I couldn't find my fuel door, even. I wish I had a camera, a nice one, so that I could do the beautiful scenery justice. It's been years since I've seen mountains covered with snow. Photography is one of those things that I wish I was good at, because I love pictures; but I'm just not. I especially love light in both photographs and films, and good lighting can make the difference between average and amazing. Maybe one day I'll take a class and improve my skills, even if I can't be great.

Recently I've started volunteering at the English Learning Center here in the city (which was, coincidentally, founded and is run by one of my neighbors from my old neighborhood when I lived here before) and also as an English conversation partner for a USU international student. As you'd expect, most of the students at the ELC are from Spanish-speaking countries, but there are also quite a few from other places; Wednesday night there was a boy from Somalia, a girl from Myanmar, and another girl from Georgia. My student is Korean (yay!) and through her I've gotten to meet other Korean students. There are quite a few more than I thought there would be, though not as many as are at BYU. It's nice to have people to talk to about things like dramas and music and TV shows that no one here watches or listens to, and they think I'm cool instead of weird for doing it. But anyway. The point of all that was to share how much I'm enjoying helping people learn English. I think I'm pretty good at explaining things understandably, mostly because my parents always taught me about my own language when I was growing up, and so I have a greater awareness of it than most people. Plus, I know what it's like to be on the other end and be the one learning rather than the one teaching. I think it makes me more patient and understanding. Or at least I hope so. Learning another language is hard, and there's so much you have to learn from experience and hundreds or even thousands of hours of listening and speaking. But I love seeing the light of understanding in people's eyes when they finally understand something they've been struggling with for a long time. I love teaching for that reason. Because as admirable as it is to help people attain stuff, if you help someone attain understanding, you've changed their life forever and given them the tools to help themselves. 

A Peek at My iTunes Favorites List

I've been posting about music a lot lately, so I thought I'd just go right ahead and post about it some more. ^_^ At this very moment, my Favorites list stands thusly:


Total tracks: 44
Of those 44 tracks, 10 are in English.
The other 34 are in Korean.
Genre-wise of the 10 English tracks, 4 are alternative, 1 is folk, 1 is pop, and 4 are rock
Of the Korean tracks, 2 are from drama soundtracks, 2 are hip-hop, 7 are indie/indie rock, 16 are kpop, 2 are R&B, and 4 are rock
The most-played song (95 times since mid-August) is 비오는 날 (Rainy Day) by 김사랑 (Kim Sarang).
The least played songs (tied at five plays each) are Kingdom Come by Coldplay and No Response by MUTEMATH (to be fair, they haven't been on the list very long).
The most represented artist is 동방신기 (also known as TVXQ) with four songs;  10cm, No Reply, and the Yellow Monsters (all Korean indie/indie rock bands) come in second with three songs.


Putting my playlist on random, the first five songs are:

Just Tonight by Jimmy Eat World (a huge favorite my first year at SJC)

노을 (Sunset) by Every Single Day (from the My Princess OST)

처음 사랑하는 연인들을 위해 (반말송) by 정용화 (the song I posted yesterday, so I'll post another, too)

Kingdom Come by Coldplay

아무것도 아닌것을 (It Isn't Nothing) by Yellow Monsters

HEY! (Don't Bring Me Down) by 동방신기 (DBSK/TVXQ)

For First-time Lovers

처음 사랑하는 연인들을 위해 (For First-time Lovers) - 정용화 (Jung Yong-hwa)

This is a song about a concept that doesn't really exist in English. As some of you know and others of you don't, Korean is a language where levels of politeness are worked right into the grammar. Depending on your relationship to another person, you change how you say some words and you change other words all together. The formal half of this system is called 존댓말 (jondaemal) and the informal half is called 반말 (banmal, literally "half words" because you form it mostly by chopping off the polite endings used in jondaemal). (A good discussion about both jondaemal and banmal can be found by clinking on the links here: jondaemal and banmal.) To summarize, jondaemal is what you use with people who are superior to you in some way, whether by age, status, or otherwise, or with equals you're not especially close to or with whom you would like to maintain a polite or respectful relationship. Banmal is used to your social inferiors or with close friends or those older than you with whom you have a close relationship. 

So now you have a bit of a context to understand the context of this song. It's actually based on the actual experience of the singer (who also wrote and composed it, with a little help on the lyrics), Jung Yong-hwa, with his on-screen "wife" who is a few years younger than him. He sings about how he wants them to have a relationship where they can both speak banmal to each other -- in other words, both be comfortable enough to speak to each other informally, and thus remove the barrier of formal language. It's really quite a pleasant song, even if you don't know the words; I think, though, that the person who uploaded the song onto YouTube also has a translation of the lyrics if you care to click through.

And now, just because I can, and just because I love my Super Junior, I'll share my little sister's favorite music video ever (with English subtitles), 너 같은 사람 또 없어 (No Other).

It Is Enough

Yesterday I was reading in Matthew when I read in chapter 14 the story of the feeding of the five thousand (vv. 15-21). Usually I love chapter 14 for one of my favorite stories in the Bible, of Jesus walking on the water, but yesterday it was the story of the feeding of the five thousand that struck me particularly. 


The thing that stood out to me was the response of the disciples to Jesus' command to give the multitude food instead of sending them away to buy their own. They replied, "We have here but five loaves, and two fishes" (v. 17).  But what they forgot what that they also had the Savior there. The Son of God. They'd seen Him perform countless miracles and yet they still told the Savior that what He commanded was impossible. They didn't expect a miracle. They hadn't yet learned to know with all their hearts, like Nephi, that, "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7). Instead, they looked at the situation literally, at their five loaves and two fishes and the thousands of people around them, and said it couldn't be done. They responded first, "We can't" instead of, "Lord, how should we?"


Of course, I am guilty of exactly the same mentality. So many times, in one way or another, I have told the Lord, "It is not enough." That "it" might be my abilities, my time, my inclination, even. Instead of replying with faith, as the brother of Jared did, "I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man. . . . Behold, O Lord, thou cast do this. [I] know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of man" (Ether 3:4-5), I say with the disciples, 'What I have is not enough to accomplish what Thou hast required of me. I cannot do it. It cannot be done.'

But it can, and it will if you have faith, because God is a God of miracle (see Moroni 7:27-33). And then, if you have faith and trust that the Lord knows more than you do, and that all things can be accomplished thorough faith in Him, the Lord will make whatever you have -- time, ability, resources, motivation, faith, anything -- enough, and to spare (see Matthew 14:17-20).

"L is for the way you Look at me"

Vodka Rain - 그 어떤 말로도 (There Are No Words) (feat. 장윤주 (Jang Yoon-joo))

I've been thinking a lot about the 'L word' recently. Not because it's February and the month of "love", but because I think any major change in your life makes you examine things in a new light.


I heard a commercial on the radio the other day as I was driving home, for a jewelry store. The gist of the add was that if you buy your woman a diamond necklace, your sad pathetic attempts to be romantic will be well reinterpreted in light of the fact that the diamond cost a lot. Or that it has magical properties to convey more love than, say, a pearl. Or breakfast in bed. Or whatever. 

Honestly, that really bothers me. Honestly, I think buying your girlfriend, or wife, flowers and chocolates and diamonds on Valentine's Day is something of a copout. I'm not saying that there aren't those women who love those things, but if you put no more thought into picking up some flowers than, "Oh, it's Valentine's Day -- guess I better get some flowers and chocolates" I think that you've completely missed the point. It becomes less an expression of love than it is an expression of social conformity. Take me for example. I have nothing against flowers, per se, but I don't like chocolate. If someone gave me chocolate, for any occasion, one of two things is true: 1) They've probably only known me for about a week, or 2) They haven't paid attention very well, or just don't remember. If I got chocolate from an admirer, I'd actually be pretty disappointed. As in all things, the intention and spirit in which you do things is what's important. 












Over the last few years I've come to realize more and more that love is a language -- and sometimes we're not all speaking the same one. What says "I love you" to one person isn't really anything special to another person, or it could even have an entirely different message all together. There are so many things that go into expressions of love, verbal and non-verbal, mental, emotional. Any one of those things could be misinterpreted. It's why we have dramas, and drama in our own lives. Love takes a lot of faith, I think. The more you love someone, the more they have the power to hurt you, even inadvertently. Some people aren't willing to take that risk. Others are much too eager.

Of course, love isn't limited to just the romantic kind. Our lives would be incomplete and rather emotionally monochrome without the love of family and friends. But I think the same principles apply: mutual respect, sincerity, trust, communication, and loyalty, to name a few. And constant nourishing and cultivating. Relationships are a lot like houseplants: leave them untended too long and they wither and die.

Hello, February

Ah, February. I've often wondered why February was the month that got shafted. Poor February, only 28 days.

If only I had something wise to say. I don't, though. Today was a lovely day, however. Just a lowkey, fun day. I learned something in Chinese Government and Politics, had a great Marriage Prep class for Institute afterwords, went to the temple, dropped in on my other grandma to chat about the social ills afflicting America today (my grandma is not the type to make you cookies and ask about your day -- she's more the type to lecture you on mental health issues or tell you five places to look for a job), went to the library and came home with a pile of books, and was treated to dinner by my aunt and uncle. All in all, not a bad day at all. Rather a good way to start of a new month.

Broaden Your Horizons

Tim - 그대여 (You)

I know that most of you don't speak Korean, but that's okay - tons of people listen to Korean music and love it without understanding a single word of Korean. This song has been on my favorites playlist now for months, ever since I was introduced to it at dramabeans.com. Don't worry, it's not Kpop, there are no dancing pretty boys or beat machines. Just one man's amazing voice, great instrumentals, and a mellow vibe that'll put you in a good mood and make you want to hit repeat.

Just a sampling of the lyrics (translated by me, so be nice):

The days when your heart is wounded and hurting,

Come to me.

The days when you want so much to cry,

Lean on me and cry.

---

The days when you're lonely and it seems you're all alone,

Take my hand.

The days when even smiling is hard,

Just cry out loud,

Don't just keep it all inside.

Even if you don't say anything, I understand.

Reflections on My Life at This Point

When faced with something challenging, or something I just don't want to do, I tend to put it off and off and off until I'm either forced to do it at the last minute or...well, yeah, until I'm forced to do it at the last minute.

Every day I live, and the more experience I gain in this world, brings me to a new appreciation of and respect for my parents. They're not perfect, but they do love me unconditionally and they did their best to raise me after the plan our Heavenly Father has outlined.  I know that they will always be there for me no matter what.

Similarly, I gain a new appreciation for my family. I've been incredibly blessed to have the brothers and sisters that I have. They are my best friends and I am so glad that we will be a family forever, even after we die.

Heavenly Father has blessed me with so many opportunities to develop my character, my talents, and my testimony. I look back on my life and I can see His hand guiding and directing me through some important choices and changes in my life.

And of course this opportunity at USU is just another one. There are a lot of things I'd like to accomplish here, but even if I don't learn to snowboard or rock climb, I hope that I learn the lessons that God would have me learn so I may be prepared for the next step in my life.

"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

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Lately I've been feeling rather sorry for myself that I don't have any friends here at USU. I think it came to a peak this last Sunday morning. I'd made some not-so-good choices Saturday night (stayed up waaaaay too late), and when I'd gotten up to take my grandparents to church (their's is at 9 am and mine's at 12:45 pm), my grandfather refused to get ready in his passive-aggressive way and my grandma said her hair wasn't done so she would only go to Relief Society. So I stomped back down to my room in a temper to watch a Taiwanese melodrama that made me feel even worse because everyone was making themselves miserable through bad choices and miscommunication (such is the melodrama genre). I got ready and was headed out to church only to find that my grandpa was finally ready and determined to go to church. I tried telling him that church was over, but I think the dementia has taken away a lot of his logic and reasoning abilities, and I just couldn't convince him to stay home and wait for my grandmother, so I dropped him off on my way and hoped my grandma would find him (otherwise he would have walked down to the church himself).

Anyway, that morning as I was reluctantly pulling myself out of bed, I'd sent up a little prayer that someone would notice me at church. I wish I could be more outgoing and just integrate myself, and I have been trying, but it's not something I'm really good at. So I sat there as Relief Society was about to start, with an empty chair on either side of me, feeling sorry for myself. The lesson was definitely one I needed to hear, on Elder Scott's talk from October's conference, about building character. In it, I made a comment and said something about my mission, as did a few others. Well, at the end of the lesson, the girl sitting in front and to the left of me turned right around with a bright smile on her face and asked, "Hi! What's your name? Where did you serve, again?" My goodness. It felt like sunshine had flooded into my gloomy soul, and the first thing I thought was, "Thank you, God, for hearing my prayer."

Strangely enough, it turns out that this girl had also served a mission, but not just that -- she'd served in Hong Kong with my brother, and her last name was Sanders! I'd even heard of her before, since my brother had written to us one time about the Sister Sanders people kept asking him if he was related to. The conversation was short and she moved on to her friends almost right after that, but it made such a huge difference in my mood that day. It's amazing how such small things can make such big changes in our lives. I know it didn't mean much - or anything - to her, but it literally was an answer to a very desperate prayer of mine.

And that's not even the end! This morning when I woke up I asked the Lord to help me reach out to others and for others to reach out to me so I wouldn't feel so lonely at school. In my first class, a girl presenting remembered me by name and asked me to read something for her. Before my second class, I saw my cousin coming out of the classroom and got to say hi to him. As I was chatting before class with the one person I've managed to have more than three conversations with and add on Facebook, she invited me to a flapjack party at her boyfriend's apartment this Friday. Going out of that class, I saw my other cousin (his older brother) and got to say hi to him, too. Not five minutes later, on my way to my next class, I saw one of the three missionaries from my mission at USU and got to chat with him for a few minutes. Before today, the most interaction with other people I'd had on campus amounted to running across one of the other missionaries I served with and saying hi on our way to class. Coincidence that today should suddenly be so different? I doubt it.

I've had so many similar experiences with prayer -- lost things were found expeditiously, answers and guidance came, blessings were received, peace was granted, burdens were lifted. Truly, I know that if we but ask, we will receive; if we knock it will be opened to us (see Matt. 7:7-11). I love what the Bible Dictionary entry about prayer says: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings" (emphasis added).

Prayer is one of the most precious gifts God has given us, and it is sadly underutilized by His children -- myself included. I hope that each of us can be more diligent in using this precious gift we've been given, for ourselves and in behalf of others.

So Much to Do, So Little Time

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I'm so proud of myself. Today I finally buckled down and did a lot of things I've been putting off for weeks now. I suppose it started last night, when I decided I should probably finally unpack. Three weeks after I moved in. But hey, it's done, right? Unfortunately, the next thing I accomplished should have been finished Saturday night: a paper for my 830 Intro to Islam class this morning. At only two pages, I thought I'd be just fine if I woke up at 530 to finish it. It turns out, if you have to learn APA style when you've never, ever before used it, and research a topic you know nothing about (evidences for Mohammad's prophethood), two hours is not enough time to write a two-page essay. So, needless to say, I did not end up going to class this morning (and I feel really guilty about it). I finished it about 1015, packed up my life, and made it on time to my 1130 class (Cold War in Asia -- we started on the Korean War today!).

During my one hour break before my Study of Language class, I ran over to the International Student Services office and signed up to be a volunteer English conversation partner for an international student. I don't know who it'll be, but I did ask them to give me a Korean if at all possible. I figured I owed it to the universe to pay it forward; this summer when I went to do my thing in Korea, I was blessed with an amazing peer tutor that I'm still friends with and adore to death. I learned more from her than I did from my four hours of class everyday, I swear. That volunteer opportunity is on top of the other two I've already signed up for -- the adult literacy initiative and the ESL outreach run by the community. Now if only I could find someone who would pay me for my time...~sigh~

As soon as I came home, I found a rep from the home care/hospice people talking with my grandparents (and a wonderful neighbor who came over to help interpret). So I sat down and had a talk with him about some options we can explore to help out my grandparents, and some insurance stuff, too. Tomorrow we're going to go talk to a social worker and try and get hooked up with someone who can help us get them enrolled in Medicaid and my grandpa matched up with the VA hospital. But I got the ball rolling on my taxes (thanks, Mom!) and the car's state inspection and registration renewable. And this afternoon I finally got ahold of the bank to request a replacement card for my expired debit card.

I still have so much homework to do, and I haven't had a chance to start on it yet. I really wonder if I'm going to make it through this semester alive sometimes. Or at least, make it through this semester all caught up on my dramas. But the two are practically the same.

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Getting back into the groove of being responsible and doing homework is not fun. It's like getting back into shape: you know it's for the best, but it hurts and you don't really want to do it.

Thank goodness that I find all my classes interesting and engaging. I enjoy going to class in a way that I haven't for...well, a really long time. Even predating SJC and UTM. Maybe the last time I enjoyed school this much was back when I thought kindergarten was the coolest thing ever.

Unfortunately, while the academic aspect of it all is a blast, the social side -- or lack thereof -- is killing me. One of the biggest cons of transferring to a new school was having to start all over again socially. I've never been terribly good at social things, especially when it involves new relationships of any kind. Probably I'm just lazy and complaining, right? Yeah, that's it. I need to get my head on straight and get out there and MAKE FRIENDS.



~sigh~

Things To Do Tomorrow

At least USU gives us MLK Day off. SJC never gives off, not even for Labor Day. Still, no teacher could let a perfectly good long weekend go by with assigning more homework to keep us busy, now could they?

Finish unpacking
Make 김치찌개 (kimchi stew) for lunch!! ^___^
Read textbook intro and Week 2 readings for Intro to Islam
Start researching presentation topic (how Islam views other books of scripture) for Intro to Islam
Read the five million readings I have for Cold War in Asia - US policy in post-war Japan, background on the buildup to the Cold War in Asia, more background reading... (it never ends!!)
Read textbook Chapters 1 and 2 for Chinese Government and Politics
Write 1-2 page position paper on what I know about China (not much) for CG&P
Start researching presentation topic (Liaoning Provence) for CG&P
Read textbook Chapters 1 and 2 for Study of Language
Do the Chapter 2 homework for SoL (which involves -- you guessed it! -- lots more reading)
Go sledding
Start looking over Grandma's family history records
Generally take care of, clean up after, and help out the grandparents

UPDATE
Put together bookshelf
Get the car inspected
Find my lost sanity ~sigh~

Off On A New Adventure

Old Main - Picture here

So.

Yeah.

Yesterday ended my first week of classes at USU. My first impressions went something like this: Wow, this campus is so big. Look at all that snow and they're still having classes! There are so many people! A syllabus? The classes are so big and hardly anyone ever talks...Man, I have a ton of reading to do. Blackboard? What? It's not that thing in the front of the room? Oh, you mean we get our homework online? Wow, we're actually talking about RECENT HISTORY! There are right answers to all the questions! I can bring my computer to class? People are calling me by my first name again. Weird. Taking notes...what? All the PowerPoints are on Blackboard so don't bother? Another six readings? ~sigh~


You wouldn't think there'd be much culture shock, coming back to Utah. I mean, I was born here in this very town. I've driven past the hospital I was born in at least ten times since I've been here. I lived here for most of the first half of my life. And yet...there is culture shock. When I walked into church last Sunday, into a room literally bursting with young, single LDS girls, I was...shocked? Not really shocked, I guess. Maybe overwhelmed. But it wasn't really that, either. It was just so different from what I've been used to for my whole adult life (I know, like it's been so long) that I was a little taken aback and didn't know what to think. And always before, I've either been with someone else, or been unique enough to stand out so people would go out of their way to find out who I was. This time, I'm pretty much just another girl in a room full of more than a hundred. Strange.

I think some of the reason I felt discomfited was that suddenly, most of the things that have defined me and made me unique over the last ten years were no longer unique or singular. Plenty of other people had been on missions, speak different languages, have five or more siblings, don't drink, smoke, or mess around, and go to church every Sunday. I'm not saying I lack other distinguishing qualities, just that those were the ones that stood out the most in people's minds. It's taking some getting used to, that's for sure. And the sheer number of people is just...overwhelming. I've never been good at making friends or good first impressions, and I literally know no one, not in my classes or my ward, or my extracurricular activities. How do I even go about making friends when I don't live on campus or have an in into the social scene? Thankfully, by the end of the first week, I know probably five people's names and have had at least a conversation with them. But the prospect of integrating myself into this system is sometimes enough to make me contemplate moving back home and becoming a hermit.

Seeing my grandparents again was a shock, too. I hadn't realized just how much their health -- both mental and physical -- had deteriorated in the few years since I had seen them last, my grandfather especially. I guess I had this idea that they were the grandparents I'd known ten or so years ago when we left for Tennessee, but of course that's absurd. I just didn't expect things to be this bad. I don't regret living here and helping to take care of them, but it's definitely a challenge. I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot from this experience, even if all I learn is patience.

Two Years Ago Today*

*Note: Keep in mind that Korea is anywhere between 13-16 hours ahead of the US, depending on where you are and if it's Daylight Savings. So even though the date in the US is 5 January, "today" in Korea is 6 January.


This is what I wrote in my study journal two years ago today. At that time I was on my mission, in 서울 (Seoul) 강서구 (the district Gangseo), with Sister Kaitlan Marsden:

6 January 2009
Ether 6:4-12 --> This story is a clear illustration of the principle that "smooth sailing" (literally in their case) is not always the best thing for us; and the absence of it [smooth sailing] is not evidence that God doesn't love us or isn't taking care of us. The Jaredites faced many dangerous winds and waves, and yet, they were always safe, and they recognized that the Lord was guiding and blessing them. Yeah, it wasn't exactly a pleasure cruise, no matter what happened, but no matter how violently they were buffeted by the winds and waves, they were still safe, still being guided and protected by the Lord. Sometimes the fastest way to the "promised land" is not always the most pleasant; but if we, like the Jaredites, "thank and praise the Lord all the day long" and "not cease to praise the Lord [when the night comes]" we, too, can "set [our] feet upon the shores of the promised land" and know "the multitude of His tender mercies over [us]."

Nov 2007 Ensign, Elder Wirthlin ["The Greatest Commandment"] --> Love is a purifying, unifying, sanctifying power. When we love God, we love ourselves, because He loves us and not loving and respecting ourselves would hurt Him. When we loved God, we love our neighbors, for exactly the same reason -- because we want to serve Him and make Him happy, and we do that by loving and serving others. As we do that, the Lord ours out HIs Spirit and His blessings upon us, and we become gradually more like Him, and increase our capacity to love Him. And so it becomes a self-sustaining cycle, if we put in the work, the energy to keep it going. Thus, we are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. "It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities."

Matthew 22:39 --> There is an idea here that gets overlooked, I think. The second [great] commandment is to "love thy neighbour as thyself [emphasis added]" -- obviously, this is meant to mean that we should love them greatly. But if this is meant to mean that...surely that implies that we should then love ourselves as much as we love our neighbours? The Gospel was never intended to degrade the individual, but instead to lift him up -- we are each, individually, God's work and glory [see Moses 1:39], and as such, we should have great love and respect for ourselves.