I have recently finished reading an excellent book entitled The Broken American Male by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. I think it is important to note the subtitle "And How to Fix Him." I always like to read Rabbi Shmuley's work. I find it enlightening, entertaining, and inspirational. He can get a little repetetive at times in his books, but overall they are excellent.
The reason I liked this book so much (and the reason it caught my attention) is because I have long felt broken. I have felt like a failure, I have been driven into depression, and the thought of suicide has even crossed my mind on more than one occasion. You may be asking "How can that be? With all the great blessings you have, what would take you down such a dark road?" I have asked myself that very question. It seemed absurd to me too. But I couldn't shake the broken, hopeless feelings no matter how I tried to count my blessings.
The biggest driver, in Shmuley's opinion, for this broken feeling among so many of American males is the soulless capitalism that engulfs our culture and society. There is intense pressure to become wealthy at any cost. Beyond that is the pressure to matter in society or to leave a big imprint on the world before you leave it. I can agree with that. He wants the reader to understand that he is not opposed to the great blessings and opportunities our capitalist economy affords us. To be enveloped in it to the extent "success" dictates, however, is ruining families and hence it is destroying individual men. There must be balance in our prosperity.
Theologically and doctrinally I don't agree with all of Shmuley's viewpoints. That can be easily ascribed to a fundamental difference in faiths. He is an orthodox Jew and I am a Latter-Day Saint. Yet I agree whole-heartedly with his premise and his solutions.
Without going into too much detail, the main solution he proposes is for each man to define for himself what success really is, and to not base his definition on the shifty ground of wealth and fame. After all, money can be easily lost, and fame, well, look at Michael Jackson. Men get intoxicated by their riches and their power and they often become delusional, which explains Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot and many others. (It even explains Bill Clinton, but that is another story.) Many if not all of those who are deceived by their apparent "success" believed that they would be changing the world into a new model of their creation and that it would follow that model even after their death. Again, they were delusional.
The only way for a man broken by this faulty ideal to heal is to reject the faulty ideal and adopt one that has real substance. He needs to find a cause that will endure. He needs to have a family to love and that will love him. That must be his anchor to something with soul and with the capacity to heal.
My personal belief is centered in Jesus Christ and His ultimate healing power. Eventually everybody will come to know that he is the Son of God, the Savior of all mankind. Until then, and continuing thereafter, grounding ourselves in the family is our only hope. If we are careful to observe, the family is exactly what society mocks and derides. It knows that family will be its soulless power's demise.
The question is, what am I doing now that I have read the book? The information in the book was not new to me. Most of it agrees with the doctrine I have been taught my whole life. I have been praying for help out of my hopeless despondency for a long time. I think this book was, in part, an answer to my prayer. Even thought it didn't reveal anything to me, it sort of encouraged and inspired me to have more faith.
I need more faith to abandon society's definition of success and to adopt my own. I know most people would disagree with my definition of success, they would probably mock it too. They would say I am delusional and that I'm making something up to compensate for my weakness and inability to achieve "real success." That is exactly what Satan has been taunting me with since day one. To them I would say that my success is dependent on rejecting that notion. In other words, that "real success" is in reality completely irrelevant.
The reason? All ought to realize at some point in their life that the gifts of this world are ethereal and elusive. If a person bases their whole worth on success in terms of the world's gifts, he is just setting himself up for eventual heartbreak. Even the most rich and the most famous will eventually lose it all. Nobody in heaven is going to be impressed with things you amassed on earth. Jesus said, "Lay not up unto yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt," (notice he didn't say might corrupt) "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Families, sealed together by the power of God's priesthood, are the only things that will endure death. They are your treasures in heaven.
It has been very liberating to redefine success, even after only a few weeks. It has allowed me to set priorities in my life that really matter and that I really care about. I hope my family feels more loved by me, because I certainly love and treasure them more. It has allowed me to feel more energized by life and not so downtrodden by setbacks. It has given me true perspective and a greater reverence for God and His Gifts. It has especially given me more gratitude for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and His love and sacrifice for me. Suddenly everything that was so dreary and dying, has vibrant color and is thriving. Let the world mock me for this. It won't change the way I feel about things.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Eight Wonderful Years
Happy Anniversary, Erin!
I have been married for eight wonderful years to this beautiful and marvelous woman and I look forward to the rest of eternity with her at my side. You are an inspiration to me!
I have been married for eight wonderful years to this beautiful and marvelous woman and I look forward to the rest of eternity with her at my side. You are an inspiration to me!
The Proper Role of Government
The other day I came across a speech (I think it is a speech, maybe just an article) written 40 years ago by the then Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson. (He also happens to be a former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the church I belong to). In this speech, he outlines the proper role of government, specifically the Federal government.
Here is a link to that piece: http://laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm
I recommend reading that, signing your name at the bottom, framing it, and hanging it up in your house (It could take some serious wall space, just be advised). Hang it right next to the Constitution. Don't have a copy of the Constitution hanging up? Get one of those framed and hang it up too.
I completely stand by the ideals set forth in this article. I have felt this way for a long time and I am glad to see that it was proclaimed 40 years ago and that its relevancy hasn't changed one bit.
If you don't have time to read the whole thing right now, here is a 15-point summary, a creed if you will, that basically summarizes it:
FIFTEEN PRINCIPLES WHICH MAKE FOR GOOD AND PROPER GOVERNMENT
As an Independent American for constitutional government I declare that:
(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.
(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.
(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.
(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:
(a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;
(b) Protect the right and control of private property;
(c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense;
(d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.
(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.
(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.
(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.
(8) I am unalterable opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.
(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person’s property or income be taxed at the same rate.
(10) I believe in honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the Constitution, and a circulation medium convertible into such money without loss. I regard it as a flagrant violation of the explicit provisions of the Constitution for the Federal Government to make it a criminal offense to use gold or silver coin as legal tender or to use irredeemable paper money.
(11) I believe that each State is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution and it is destructive of our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to regulate or control the States in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself.
(12) I consider it a violation of the Constitution for the Federal Government to levy taxes for the support of state or local government; that no State or local government can accept funds from the Federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions.
(13) I deem it a violation of the right of private property guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to forcibly deprive the citizens of this nation of their property through taxation or otherwise, and make a gift thereof to foreign governments or their citizens.
(14) I believe that no treaty or agreement with other countries should deprive our citizens of rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.
(15) I consider it a direct violation of the obligation imposed upon it by the Constitution for the Federal Government to dismantle or weaken our military establishment below that point required for the protection of the States against invasion, or to surrender or commit our men, arms, or money to the control of foreign or world organizations of governments.
I think that says it all. I plan to memorize this list because this is what it is all about. If we want to keep our freedom, we MUST (and I say that without any equivocation) stand up for each and every principle listed there. No matter how inconvenient life might become, it could become a whole lot worse if we stand idly by and let these principles get trampled upon and eradicated from our government.
I think what we need to understand is that it isn't just the terrorists in some far-off land that want us destroyed. There are domestic enemies as well. There are people right here in our own country who claim to espouse the principles of good government, yet they turn around and try to legislate or court mandate principles of bad government, such as social welfare programs (including universal health care), military neuterization, central bank authority without controls, eminent domain, banning of firearms for private citizenry, etc.... The list goes on and on. There are those who believe the Constitution and ideals of the Founding Fathers are passe. They want a new law, a new constitution that will bring this country down economically and as a beacon of truth, justice, and freedom. They have this as their agenda even though they sound like they are for the principles of individual liberty. They are devilish and I will not stand for my country to be destroyed by these enemies. They are treasonous and if we do not watch out for them and take them down early, our very liberty could be destroyed.
Our government is our agent to do what we collectively need to do. They are to enforce what we collectively need to enforce. We are not owned by our government, our government is owned by us and politicians should never even have the slightest notion that it works the other way. It is up to us to make sure that they are not under this illusion.
There it is.
Here is a link to that piece: http://laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm
I recommend reading that, signing your name at the bottom, framing it, and hanging it up in your house (It could take some serious wall space, just be advised). Hang it right next to the Constitution. Don't have a copy of the Constitution hanging up? Get one of those framed and hang it up too.
I completely stand by the ideals set forth in this article. I have felt this way for a long time and I am glad to see that it was proclaimed 40 years ago and that its relevancy hasn't changed one bit.
If you don't have time to read the whole thing right now, here is a 15-point summary, a creed if you will, that basically summarizes it:
FIFTEEN PRINCIPLES WHICH MAKE FOR GOOD AND PROPER GOVERNMENT
As an Independent American for constitutional government I declare that:
(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.
(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.
(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.
(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:
(a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;
(b) Protect the right and control of private property;
(c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense;
(d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.
(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.
(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.
(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.
(8) I am unalterable opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.
(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person’s property or income be taxed at the same rate.
(10) I believe in honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the Constitution, and a circulation medium convertible into such money without loss. I regard it as a flagrant violation of the explicit provisions of the Constitution for the Federal Government to make it a criminal offense to use gold or silver coin as legal tender or to use irredeemable paper money.
(11) I believe that each State is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution and it is destructive of our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to regulate or control the States in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself.
(12) I consider it a violation of the Constitution for the Federal Government to levy taxes for the support of state or local government; that no State or local government can accept funds from the Federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions.
(13) I deem it a violation of the right of private property guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to forcibly deprive the citizens of this nation of their property through taxation or otherwise, and make a gift thereof to foreign governments or their citizens.
(14) I believe that no treaty or agreement with other countries should deprive our citizens of rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.
(15) I consider it a direct violation of the obligation imposed upon it by the Constitution for the Federal Government to dismantle or weaken our military establishment below that point required for the protection of the States against invasion, or to surrender or commit our men, arms, or money to the control of foreign or world organizations of governments.
I think that says it all. I plan to memorize this list because this is what it is all about. If we want to keep our freedom, we MUST (and I say that without any equivocation) stand up for each and every principle listed there. No matter how inconvenient life might become, it could become a whole lot worse if we stand idly by and let these principles get trampled upon and eradicated from our government.
I think what we need to understand is that it isn't just the terrorists in some far-off land that want us destroyed. There are domestic enemies as well. There are people right here in our own country who claim to espouse the principles of good government, yet they turn around and try to legislate or court mandate principles of bad government, such as social welfare programs (including universal health care), military neuterization, central bank authority without controls, eminent domain, banning of firearms for private citizenry, etc.... The list goes on and on. There are those who believe the Constitution and ideals of the Founding Fathers are passe. They want a new law, a new constitution that will bring this country down economically and as a beacon of truth, justice, and freedom. They have this as their agenda even though they sound like they are for the principles of individual liberty. They are devilish and I will not stand for my country to be destroyed by these enemies. They are treasonous and if we do not watch out for them and take them down early, our very liberty could be destroyed.
Our government is our agent to do what we collectively need to do. They are to enforce what we collectively need to enforce. We are not owned by our government, our government is owned by us and politicians should never even have the slightest notion that it works the other way. It is up to us to make sure that they are not under this illusion.
There it is.
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