On the United States currency we read, “In God we trust.” There are many citizens of our country who think that statement should be removed. They have no trust in God nor faith that God had anything to do with the founding of this great nation. More of us, on the other hand, believe that…
Category: The Book of On – Volume 2
On Assumptions
Making assumptions is probably one of the most common things we do on a daily basis, as well as one of the most dangerous. How many times a day do we act or do something based on the assumptions that we have made? Those assumptions are based on our previous experiences and knowledge or information…
On Blessings
Most every day I see a person that has some physical or mental disability. Some of them severe enough that the person struggles just to take a step. Some are blind or maimed in some other way. Then there are disabilities that represent bad choices by individuals, such as drug addictions, etc. When people see…
On Bigotry
I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when I was twenty years old and thought that I could convince my family to join as well, because it made good sense to me. My family never rejected it verbally, but they did in the sense that they denied me an audience. I…
On Martyrdom
The closest I have ever come to martyrdom or being martyred is when as a youth I felt bad about something, and a non-sympathetic sibling said, “Oh, you poor martyr,” as I was patted on the head. I have been so fortunate in my life to have always had work to provide for my family,…
On Being Legendary
Legends are most often tales that, because of a tie to a historical event, are made believable. Whether the story told is true or not, the fact that the story is being told at all allows people to make commentary upon the circumstances that circulated the legend. A legend is distinguished by the fact that…
On Weathering Storms
Around this earth of ours there are areas that will experience more extreme weather than other areas. Some of these areas have weather-related tragedies that other parts of the world seldom, if ever, experience. Along the U.S. eastern seacoast, for example, they have a series of hurricanes that we never see or feel in most…
On The Unusual
I don’t know how many times in my life I have heard the phrase, “Hum, that’s unusual.” What is unusual to one person may be usual to another. We all must wear clothes, and so the clothing worn by those around us is the first thing we notice about each other, if they are unusual….
On Mountains
In November of 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball told this moving story about the great Israeli warrior, Caleb: “Shortly after Moses led Israel out of bondage from Egypt, he sent twelve men to search out the promised land and to bring back word about living conditions there. Caleb and Joshua were among the group. After…
On Defense Mechanisms
While a student at a university, many years ago, I remember learning the psychological concept of ‘defense mechanisms.’ They represent the various, mostly sub-conscience, behaviors we use daily to defend and to protect our self esteem (ego). Healthy people normally use various defenses throughout life. Defense mechanisms are most often learned behaviors, mostly learned during…