Good Advice for the Next Day

I’ve never been very good at predictions. But I do try to prepare for whatever may come, which means I’ve done a sort of war game in my head for various scenarios. I have a sense of what might happen tomorrow—and the days that follow. I’m quite a lot more optimistic about our country’s future than I was four years ago. But we’ll see.

I’ve told a few friends this, about last time, and maybe it’s worth sharing today. When I pray, I try to also listen for answers. Most times answers come in the form of noticing what is happening that I had prayed for and getting a sense my prayers were part of making it so. Sometimes an answer comes as words I hear in my mind. One of the more such notable times was four years ago in election season, shortly after the primaries. Ted Cruz had pulled out of the race. At the time I thought that meant the end of our constitutional republic, and I was mourning. And praying. And the words came to me, “Trust Me.” That was all. I wasn’t sure what it meant. But in hindsight I can see that God knew the good that Donald Trump would do for our country, and that maybe he was uniquely qualified to do those things. God knew that only such a person could stand up to the opposition during this unusual time.

Regardless of who we might have nominated, the other side would call that person evil in all the ways they can think of. So we needed someone that the insults would bounce off of, someone who was even energized by the battle.

My sense is that the swamp is only beginning to be cleared out. Truth is only just beginning to be shouted from the housetops. In the language of my religion, the “secret combinations,” or the “Gadianton robbers,” are being revealed. And maybe we were warned about them in scriptures, not just so we could sadly watch in dismay as our civilization collapses, but so that we could root them out in the nick of time and have some freedom and prosperity for a bit longer before the apocalyptic end that comes just before the millennial reign of Christ.

crowd comparisons from Sunday
found on Facebook here
Image from attn: on Facebook

Anyway, I’m gingerly predicting good things following voting day.

I don’t expect Wednesday to dawn with things settled. Maybe not for many days. But I think things will go better than we have feared in the wake of many reports of voter fraud.

We face a real enemy. A monster that requires God’s intervention to hold at bay. I don’t always know the details of God’s will. But I think His will at this time is more freedom—especially freedom of religion and speech—and maybe the return of a time of some prosperity. If it happens, that will be God’s will.

If things don’t go as I hope, then I can also be calm inside, knowing that it is in God’s hands, and He has a plan—even if I can’t see it all.

I don’t expect the enemies of God to stop their fight after Tuesday—regardless of how our elections turn out. But I do hope we offer evidence that a majority of the people choose God’s side, honoring God, life, family, truth, and property. Choosing freedom, prosperity, and civilization—rather than the alternatives of tyranny, poverty, and savagery.

Either way, I’m looking at this high tension time, and I’m looking for peace, and wisdom.

In literature, here are a couple of quotes from Gandalf in Lord of the Rings:

Some believe it is only great power than can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…small acts of kindness and love.—Gandalf

Image from attn: on Facebook

"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Image found on Pinterest

How about wisdom from a prophet in scriptures? I used this one the day after the 2012 election.   This is Paul’s letter to the saints at Philippi:

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Keep your mind occupied with the good that we still have around us, despite the turmoil in the world.

At our recent General Conference, President Dallin H. Oaks spoke to us about the appropriate behavior to have after an election. He quoted the 12^th Article of Faith, written by Joseph Smith following a time of intense persecution of the saints:

“We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying , honoring, and sustaining the law.”

President Oaks added,

This does not mean that we agree with all that is done with the force of law. It means that we obey the current law and use peaceful means to change it. It also means that we peacefully accept the results of elections. We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome.

At this point there’s a footnote referring us to a piece in the Economist called “A House Divided.” I wasn’t able to read beyond two paragraphs without a subscription, which started at $25, which I didn't pay. It started by complaining about Trump’s refusal in 2016 to accept the election unless he won; so I wonder if the remainder of the piece mentions that the Democrats in reality never accepted the election results even to this day. As I was searching for this, I came across another article by the same title, worth a read, by Tal Bachman. 

I admit that I took note here, during the conference talk, because, while I don’t foresee our side getting violent; I do foresee it being very difficult to accept election results in the face of so much known voter fraud by Democrats.

President Oaks goes on:

In a democratic society we always have the opportunity and the duty to persist peacefully until the next election.

I love and honor President Oaks. And I believe he knows a lot more than I do. I am more than a little concerned, this election, however, that if the Democrats win, we will not have the opportunity to persist peacefully until the next election, as we have always been free to do in the past.

I was worried. Was I in a position where I would find it difficult to obey? I hope not.

And then my optimistic side kicked in, and I thought, he must know our side is going to win, and these words are aimed at the side that has been refusing to concede elections, and has been threatening and participating in violence against anyone who doesn’t share their ideology.

He then spends much of the remainder of the talk detailing why violence cannot be part of civil protest for a believer in the gospel. And I’m thinking, Wow! Did members of our Church need to be told not to join in riots? Being reminded to accept results, yes. But to not riot?

President Dallin H. Oaks, speaking at BYU, October 27, 2020
image found here

President Oaks recently spoke on the same subject, in more detail at a BYU Devotional. Both talks emphasized how to love better those we don’t agree with, even those who might be our enemies. At the devotional, he said,

Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can unite and bring peace to people of all races and nationalities. We who believe in that gospel—whatever our origins—must unite in love of each other and of our Savior Jesus Christ.

This is a challenging thing we’re being asked to do.

I have asked for divine help with this frequently these past few years. I ask my Heavenly Father to fill me with love, both so that I can feel safely loved, and so that I have a full reservoir of love to give. I don’t think I’m good enough on my own to love those who hate me and despitefully use me,[i] but with His help I believe I can.

Still, I hope that we have enough peace going forward that those I face in my neighborhood and at the grocery store don’t begin to appear to me to be enemies. I heard today that a friend of mine, in a nicer neighborhood not far from here, was confronted and threatened by neighbors who found out they had voted for Trump. This is in Texas, in the state’s largest and most conservative senatorial district. Things are less civilized than they appear.

At the same General Conference, another of our apostles, M. Russell Ballard, also urged us to love our enemies, and to redouble our prayers. A year ago he had asked Americans specifically to pray for our government leaders, and the good families of our nation. This time he made that call to the whole world:

Today I expand my call for prayer to all people from every country around the world. No matter how you pray or to whom you pray, please exercise your faith—whatever your faith may be—and pray for your country and for your national leaders…. We stand today at a major crossroads in history, and the nations of the earth are in desperate need of divine inspiration and guidance. This is not about politics or policy. This is about peace and the healing that can come to individual souls as well as to the soul of countries—their cities, towns, and villages—through the Prince of Peace and the source of all healing, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He then pointed out that, after praying, Jesus Christ took action to help people. So, pray, and then act in service and love. That’s what to do after the painful tension of this election season. And always. No matter what happens.

Here’s what I expect to do the day after the election. And every day after that, as long as we have the freedom to do it:

found on Facebook, here

One final quote of wisdom, from poet Robert Frost:

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.

---

[i] Matthew 5:44 

Start with Ourselves

During weeks like this, when the news is covering mainly one horrible event, it can wear on a person.

One response is, as Mr. Rogers’ mother advised, to look for the helpers. And there have been many. Stories of heroes, in Las Vegas, who acted instinctively to do what would help others—those are the stories that really tell who we are as a people. Here’s one.

Johnathan Smith, hero
image from CNN

The less helpful response is to insist that anyone who doesn’t believe in taking all the guns from all the law-abiding citizens lacks compassion. And I feel the urge to respond. If pinned down, these gun haters aren’t against all guns; they’re against anyone but the government having them. Because they won’t be against police and military having them—unless they’re in favor of dying defenseless. So, they’re really just against non-government citizens having weapons to defend themselves. I’d like to know why they suddenly trust the government so much.

There’s talk of outlawing the bump stock, apparently used in the Las Vegas shooting to make a semi-automatic rifle fire almost like an automatic rifle. Fully automatic weapons are already outlawed. The NRA is not against outlawing the bump stock. Most shooting ranges already forbid them. If a person isn’t trained in rapid fire—the kind of training you might get in the military—it’s easy to lose control and shoot the ceiling or anything (or possibly anyone) within range.

So there’s a good chance there will be some agreement on this. At the very least there may be some control over where such items can be owned or used, since they make a legal weapon into what is essentially an illegal weapon.

I don’t know how the debate will go. What I expect, though, is that when a murderer doesn’t have access to one way of killing, he will find another.

What we really need is a better way to identify the kind of mind and heart willing to mass murder. I don’t know if that’s possible. Isn’t that the idea of the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report? I don’t think things went well when interventions pre-empted actions.

Even better would be creating minds and hearts that don’t go so far awry.

Scarlett Lewis, the mom of one of the Sandy Hook Elementary victims, says that gun control isn’t the answer; misuse of guns is a symptom of a larger societal problem. She suggests teaching young people social and emotional learning. A program she promotes focuses on five points: how to have positive and healthy relationships, deep connections, coping skills, resilience and compassion.

Lewis believes we can see the end of these killings, if we teach every child how to cope with anger, how to be compassionate, and how to love.

Getting out of savagery and up to civilization is a simple but not easy process. We live in a fallen world, with too much evil. A lot will still go wrong. But we can start with ourselves, and with helping and encouraging those around us. The basics include those things that get us beyond our selfishness, the things we get from the Ten Commandments: honor God, life, family, property, and truth. A person who follows this path doesn’t plan and carry out savage atrocities.

During the LDS General Conference last weekend, Elder M.Russell Ballard said this:

We need to embrace God’s children compassionately and eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism. Let it be said that we truly believe the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are for every child of God.

I testify that “the trek continues,” and I invite you to stay on the gospel path as you continue pressing forward by reaching out to all of God’s children in love and compassion, that we may unitedly make our hearts pure and our hands clean to receive the “multiplicity of blessings” awaiting all who truly love our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son.