A Touch of Compassion

Captains Log 13: 17.4.2011

Mission leader: Shayne Clarke

Team Captain: Handsome Rob

Assignment: Find someone more stressed out than me, 

                     do something for them, 

                     write about it

Assignment Difficulty: Easy

Finding a person more stressed than me during the beginning of final's week was not particularly difficult. All I simply had to do was  find another human being enrolled at BYU.  Now, I am not saying I do not have my fair share of an exam workload...I simply do not stress about them. For example, two scheduled exams on Saturday back to back; I go camping over the reading days, attend the ward closing social, and go on a date. 

If I have been learning things like I should during the entire semester, all I need to do is a little review and then go take the sucker.

Suffice it to say, there are some on the BYU campus who do not operate, think, or comprehend such a notion. Take my room-mates for an example. One is always cramming and stressing before a big test and I had noticed last semester, the week of finals is something of a living nightmare for her.  

So instead of bugging her to come play with me and or distracting her with any such antics I have this week been encouraging her to do her studying. Every time she starts to give in to my other room-mates siren calls for video games, I  remind her that after this week she can play all the video games she wants.  

I started to do her chores for her as well, give her studying tips whenever she is having a problem with something, and voluntarily quiz her. 

However, for my assignment I chose to help her with the knowledge I have learned from the MCOM 320. She has to give a presentation for  her final tomorrow  in one of her classes.  I helped with her slides; using the 6 by 6 rule, creating a running agenda, and cleaning them up in general.

Now, I am helping her with the talking part: letting her practice on me, giving her feedback,  and timing her.

Her presentation is a lot better than mine had been for MCOM; I wish I had a me when I was doing mine. I have done all I can and we get to see if it paid off tomorrow. I hope it does and I'll let ya' know.

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out. 

RMYL is Divinely Inspired

Captains Log 12: 3.3.11

Attended the Master's or my Lord's great general conference.  Much of the counsel I received is quite personal but I will share some of the things I noticed about the conference. 

Four talks I counted involved with children with cancer.

The topic of marriage now resounds within every man of marriage-able age's head.

We live to die and we die to live. However, so not let one's fear of this displace one's faith.

Also, being faithful is more than merely having faith. Being faithful means working the will of Christ; it is being obedient to his laws and then acting on them believing he will keep his promises.

All my faith will be necessary to guide and keep me through the upcoming years. 

I realized  President Monson's message, "The future is as bright as your faith," does not have to mean your future on earth. In fact, the quote is more meaningful if taken to mean your post-mortal life. Where one's degree of glory directly correlates to one's exercise of faith on earth.

The gospel is simple and if one lives it then their life will become simple as well. The simplicity comes from following the two overall commandments: Love thy God with all they might, mind, and strength; Love thy neighbour as theyself.

Where charity exists gossip and unkind words cannot be. 

Kindness is an essence "of greatness" 

Jesus and or the Holy Ghost is not a butler or therapist; there to meet our needs and make us feel good. He is our master, to guide us in our progress and transformation to godhood. 

Lastly there were 5 recreation references. Two were canyons, 2 hikes, and one horseback riding/camping trip. My conclusion: RMYL is divinely inspired. Hahaha! 

Can I incorporate this counsel into my life? 

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

This Place is 'bout to Blow

Captains Log 11: 27.3.11

So the end is coming into view and I cannot say I am not excited for the whole thing to explode. Heh, I am reminded of Ke $ ha's song lyric, "This place is 'bout to Blow-oh!" Yep, that about summarizes the atmospheric readings of this semester's close. Not in the since that the semester has been horrible, but in the since that things are about to take-off. I feel as if the entire past three months were a long, gradual escalation into what is promising to be a freaking awesome summer. 

Never having actually stayed in Provo during the summer, I do not know what to expect. Granted, I am not expecting anything; just excessively excited about having the time and freedom to do the things I have been wanting to do or catch up on for quite a while. 

For example, do all the hikes in Capital Reef and the Uintas. Hit up the Arches National Monument Park place, try and get all the peaks surrounding Provo. Read books to my hearts content. Actually write more than a page a month on my novel. Tinker with some inventions clinking around in my mind. Actually finish the third phase of P90X. Become more politically aware and active. Delve hardcore into the scriptures and other spiritual things. Learn and practice old/new talents. Have a blast and relax before jumping into the coffee grinder once again.

Yes, this summer is going to be glorious. And there is nothing that will thwart my determination to have fun. Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

Pavloved Myself

Captains log 10: 20.3.11

My friend introduced this wonderful music video by Ke$ha to me the other night. I must confess, it is a guilty pleasure of sorts. The pure stylized randomn-ness and excellent, quotable lines simply appease some sort of crazy  impulse within me. Right at the moment, when you are like, this cannot get any stranger or more randomn, something else happens. Like she makes out with a unicorn, they have guns who shoot bullets, and the unicorns bleed rainbows.  

What I think is ironic is that this particular friend and I started listening to Ke$ha because we think she is the most ridiculous person alive. We would look up her songs and make fun of every single line. Now however, I find that whenever we get together we listen to her just for the pure enjoyment of it. Granted we still make fun of her and think she is just about the trashiest person alive, yet we still like her songs now.

I think we may have pavloved ourselves. We enjoy her music so much now because we have conditioned ourselves to feel good feelings whenever we hear her voice. Weird how that works. 

Maybe all artists should be ridiculous so that this effect will occur.

I need to keep this in mind when I become famous.

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out. 

My Soul Doth Prosper

Captains log 9: 13.3.11

Spent the Saturday exploring the Capitol Reef National Park. All of us started out a 5:30 in the morning with high hopes that the day would be just a great as Friday: moderate temperatures, sunshine, and a refreshing breeze. This was quite a leap of faith considering the 25 degree temperature present at the wee hours of the morning.
I got pushed into the car with four of my guy friends instead of the car with two of my girl friends.  Probably because one brought her brother and his girl, so it would have been weird to stick me in there. That was perfectly fine with me, because sometimes it is just fun to chill and talk with the guys.

Well, on the ride there as we reach higher and higher elevation, snow starts to sparsely cover the ground. And though the guy's car is not really perturbed, I keep imagining the girl's car freaking out, specifically my friend Leah. She had a traumatic snow canyon experience. However, as we neared the park the snow disappeared and the sun, now risen, was warming up the world to a nice 50 degrees.
Driving among the majestic red-rock formations of sand stone, clay, and slate they guys were really getting pumped up. Talking about how beautiful it was, how they could live there etc...when one of them stated, "My soul doth prosper." The rest of us were like "Wait, wha?" and sort of made fun of him for speaking that way, but it made me pause.
There really is something in the beauty of huge rock formations carved by the wind and water that does make one's soul prosper.  I love it.
We finally got there at around 9:30 AM. Started the hike up to the arch as 9:45. The hike was beautiful and just the right amount of work, hard but not too long so as to you leave you tired in the canyon. The first repel is a 150 footer literally off of the arch. That was amazing. Suspended between the sky and earth with nothing but nature around you. Something about those kind of moments  makes you realize how fragile and short your life is in comparison. You really learn to appreciate and look at things differently.
My soul doth prosper.
The rest of the canyon was  just as photogenic, if not more. Six more repels into gorges and caverns  and an easy hike out back to the cars. Afterwards, we all decided to hit the hot springs in Meadow, since they are on the way. We reached them about 30 minutes before dusk started at 6:30 pm. The water was warm but not too hot. We soaked up the warmth as the air temperature decreased. The water soothed and relieved our bruises and wounds from the day. Then dusk started. The sky was radiant with pink and purple, storm clouds gathered on either side of the setting sun. Really the day could not have gone better.
I am so glad I went on this trip because recently I had been getting too caught up in school and work. The trip reset my outlook on life, making it longer and broader in scope.
Truly my soul did prosper that day.
The question is, will it until my next trip?
Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

At a loss

Captains log 8: 6.3.11

The thought that two months in their entirety have passed since the beginning of the semester. The time seems to be literally speeding by me as if I were one of those self-propelled railcars and it were a bullet train. Yes, I know that is a strange metaphor. I am taking my teacher's advice and trying out ways to say things differently. So if we get anymore of those, just accept their existence and move on.

One I heard recently that was interesting is "stopped her advances fast like a faucet gushing dirty water." What the- ? I had to read it three times to make sure I had read it correctly. The second time to confirm what I had just read, and the third to figure out what it meant. I guess I'll never forget it, though.

Haha, then when I was reading Stephen King's the Stand. I found several other gems of colloquial sayings I might want to incorporate into my everyday use. One is "Moses in a sidecar." Another, "Rollerskating Jesus." Maybe I won't say the Jesus one, because it feels a little like taking the lord's name in vain, but the Moses one is great. Very attention grabbing.

I've also recently discovered the phrase gank and I like it. I have even used it on a couple of people. However, I feel that in the BYU bubble not too many actually understand what I am trying to convey.
I will have to collect more.

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.

My Own Worst Enemy

Captains log 7: 26.2.11

As I wander through this life, I become increasingly aware of a few universal conditions that are common among all men must overcome in order to obtain even a fraction of their potential. One condition in particular seems to be an umbrella for all others. This condition is man.

Man creates his own stumbling blocks, through fear and doubt.

Man stunts his growth through his own self-centeredness, self-interests, and self-contentment (pride).

Man is his own worst enemy.

Fortunately an imperfect nature happens to be what qualifies man the potential for perfection or in other words achieving his full potential. As illustrated by the law of the harvest, anything of true value must be worked for with efforts equal to its worth. Nothing is free. In other words: You always pay for everything  you get. 

Some may disagree but they fail to recognize the non-monetary price. The payment required by such supposedly "free" but ultimately worthless items include precious moments of time from our earthly life. These moments once lost, never can be recovered. Never.

Perfection or full potential most certainly is not free, in fact it is the exact opposite; Its price is infinite.

And we must work and sacrifice everything we have for it. 

If God is infinite in this universe and if we are gods in embryo––as our doctrine would have us believe––then man's potential is also infinite. Here in lies the problem.  If man 's potential is infinite, including his potential for perfection, how can man ever follow the Lord's admonition to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect (Mat 5:48)." Many argue that you cannot.

Your view on the matter depends upon how you define perfection.

No, man being an imperfect being living in an imperfect world cannot per se become perfect in any physical way. If you believe as I do that God does not give any "commandment(s) unto the children of men, save that he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (1 Ne 3:7)." Then an uncomfortable conflict in God's character arises.

Perfection thankfully is just like any other eternal principle: flexible.  

When I say flexible I mean this; What is perfect varies. Perfection changes with every situation and with every variable. Therefore each moment's perfect outcome varies with the factors involved, meaning there are––literally––degrees of perfection.

Man is one such variable. 

Being a variable gives man a power. The power to become perfect. 

If man does his best to achieve each moment's or situation's outcome then he CAN become or perform perfectly through his actions while on Earth.  

And here is where man's nature fails him. 

The three parts of man's nature that are the primary perpetrators keeping man from his full potential are Selfishness, Fear, and Pride.

Collaboratively, these three human inclinations create, for many, insurmountable barriers to perfection or full potentiality. How is man capable of acting in a perfect way in every situation if his own nature prevents him from performing so?  The answer to this question is simple; Man is not capable.

At least, man is not capable of this on his own. He can go a long way by himself but without help failure will always result. Man must seek the guidance or tutelage of a more perfect being: God. 

 Most of know the price for the remission of our sins and the Holy Ghost: a contrite heart and a broken spirit. However, perfection or full potentiality is more than merely being sorry for one's sins. Reaching one's full potential or being perfect in essence is to qualify for godhood. Such tutelage requires a much greater price. The Lord, in order to prevent those who are not ready from damning themselves,  requires a much more telling sacrifice as proof of one's commitment. The price the Lord asks of man for entering  his apprenticeship of godhood is the same he asked of Jesus: his will. 

Therefore the ultimate price man must pay for his full or ultimate potential of godhood or perfection is the one possession that is truly his own. The only item of equal value to the condition he is seeking.

So what then is stopping man from becoming perfect? It all cycles back to the nature of man.

Selfishness, Fear, and Pride. 

Man is equally selfish of his will as he is prideful of it.  He takes pride in the fact that he can do whatever he wants as long as he is willing to pay the consequences. He takes pride that no one can forcefully take his will from him, some to the point of flaunting it. He feeds this pride by selfishly disregarding others in order to assert his own will and achieve his wants.

Since God is charity and justice. The price of man's will then is the perfect sacrifice to ask. 

The Lord asks man to prove he is ready to become a God to others by making him willingly give up the one and final item that prevents him from being god-like.  

Once man has determined he can do this the final test occurs. The test of faith, with the last trait of fear to overcome. 

The fear of losing one's individuality. The fear of losing control of one's self and one's fate.The final question then becomes whether or not you believe God would take away the essential parts of what makes you you. Whether you can believe a god who has created and knows each person individually as his children, a god who knows you better than yourself, would change you into someone  you were not meant to be?

Another more subtle fear prevents man from his potential as well. The fear of power. I think Marriane Williamson states this fear best with her renowned quote. "Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, which frightens us."

  

The leap of faith is man's to take.  

Whether or not I will take it remains to be seen, but I am working on it. I guess we will see. 

Maybe, if life continues.

Floyd, out.