My Thoughts on the Contrast Between Worlds

I attended an Institute class tonight called "The Gospel and World Religions". For those foreign to "Institute", it is not a place where they lock up little Mormon girls gone bad, but a program in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for young adults who want to know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and doctrines of the church. Anyway, I have taken the class before, but I remember having greatly enjoyed it and so I decided to take it again for kicks and giggles. And I'm really glad I did.

Ok, so just know this about me: though I am very devoted in my own faith, I have always been interested in other religions. I find that studying other religions helps me to appreciate mine even more, as well as appreciate my friends' beliefs without casting judgement. I shun ignorance and believe that it is the root of hatred- thus, I like to ask questions to understand the beliefs and motives of others.

I believe that every religion has a certain amount of truth in it. Truth, pure and simple- not according to our view, but God's. The thing about humans, especially in Western society, is that we tend to always think that OUR way is right, and that people on the other side of the world are backward in some way.  But it's just not true! There is a lot to be learned from eastern philosophies. I read a quote in my class tonight that I wanted to share that illustrates the difference between Western and Eastern cultures. (It is from the point of view of an Indian man, so keep in mind that may appear a little biased. When he says "you", he means Westerners; by "we" he means Easterners.)

Observations by Hari Dam, student from India at the University of Minnesota: 

"You live in time; we live in space.  You’re always on the move; we’re always at rest.

You’re aggressive; we’re passive.  You like to act; we like to contemplate.

We always hark back to the past; you always look forward to the future.  We pine for the lost paradise; you wait for the millennium.

We accept the world as it is; you try to change it according to your blueprint.  We live in peace with Nature; you try to impose your will on her.

Religion is our first love; we revel in metaphysics.  Science is your passion; you delight in physics.

You believe in freedom of speech; you strive for [expression].  We believe in freedom of silence; we lapse into meditation.

You first love, then you marry.  We first marry, then we love.  Your marriage is the happy end of romance; our marriage is the beginning of a love affair.  Your marriage is a contract; our marriage is an indissoluble bond.

Your love is vocal; our love is mute.  You delight in showing it to others; we try hard to conceal it from the world.

Self-assertiveness is the key to your success; [self-denial] is the secret of our survival.

You’re urged every day to want more and more; we’re taught from the cradle to want less and less.  [Joy of living] is your ideal; conquest of desires is our goal.

We glorify austerity and renunciation; you emphasize gracious living and enjoyment.  Poverty to you is a sign of degradation; it is to us a badge of spiritual elevation.

In the sunset years of life, you retire to enjoy the fruits of your labor; we renounce the world and prepare ourselves for the hereafter."

Ok, now don't think that I hate Western civilization, because I don't. In fact, I love it and I am grateful that I live in the culture I do because there is so much good. But just think about this for a moment. Did you see any traces of yourself in his remarks? Maybe you were struck by an observation he made about your culture that you have never thought about before. Is there anything you would like to change in your life, or in yourself, based on what he has said? I personally found this quote to be beautifully poignant, and felt that I should pass it along. Why is it that we are always swept up in our busyness? When will we learn to slow down? 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, stated in his talk entitled "Of Regrets and Resolutions" (Visit http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/of-regrets-and-resolutions?lang=eng to read the whole talk.), 

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.

Is it?

I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.

I can’t see it."

Seriously, folks, it's time to reevaluate. Having desires and hopes and goals for the future is definitely important, and I myself look forward to the future with great anticipation, but I think we need to remember the past as well. After all, we would not be who we are today without it. And the world would not be what it is today- a beautiful, big, interesting place- without the difference of opinion and the balance of beliefs. My new challenge is to try to integrate more of Eastern philosophy for life into my own life, to give myself more of a balance.

Namaste!

From My Way to His Way

Friday, August 23, 2013 

Author John Ortberg said, "God isn't at work producing the circumstances you want. God is at work in bad circumstances producing the you He wants."

I don't know about you, but for me, it is so easy to forget God. Although I have been told I have strong faith, I am the kind of person who relies a ton upon what she sees. I am curious and I like to know about things. Know, not simply believe. This is a fault of mine. I often forget that God gave me life, and I become so ungrateful.

But, I have great desires- desires that I feel are definitely righteous.  For one, I would love to be married to a worthy man in the temple someday and raise an obedient family. For another, I want to pursue all types of education and expand my talents. Those are pretty general desires that I have always had, and I know that God approves. I wonder, though, if He approves of the specifics. You know, such as the exact guy I've got my eye on for the whole temple marriage thing. I ask, "Why, God? Why can't it just happen the way I want it to? I know that it will make me happy- don't you want me to be happy? Well then, make it happen!"

Then, I realize what a pain in the neck I must be to Him. I mean, I complain A LOT more than I have the right to. Yet being the loving and perfect father that He is, He always reminds me gently of what Mr. Ortberg stated so beautifully. If I can just let go of what I want and trust more fully in my Heavenly Father's plan for my life, I know that I will end up happy, even if- dare I say it- it's not with my current dream guy. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart," David said, "and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)  This is my super scripture right here! You know why I like it so much? Because I need it so much!

God DOES want me to be happy! And I need to trust that He knows me better than I know myself, and He knows what will make me happy.

Sometimes, we are so preoccupied with our own lives, our own desires, dreams, and needs, that we forget about who we are becoming in the process. We complain about the bad circumstances, thinking that God is trying to punish us for some misdeed we have committed, when it's quite the opposite. God is trying to shape us into better people, more compassionate, more understanding, more faithful, more trusting, more obedient servants.

Job said, "When God hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." I know that God's process of trying is a continuous one, that is perfectly tuned to each person's specific needs. I, for example, need to become more selfless and more humble; so He gives me opportunities to look at how I can help others or let go of my pride. These are opportunities that my neighbor probably won't have because his needs are different than mine. I can already pinpoint several specific experiences that have transformed me from an ugly piece of metal into  a shining piece of gold-in the making. I'd like share one such experience with you.

During my fourth year in college, I was called as the Relief Society president in my single student ward. This was something I was not expecting, even though I had been praying for a calling that would help me to be an influence for good in others' lives. Well, ask and ye SHALL receive. Juggling being Relief Society president and full-time student, and not to mention being in a serious relationship simultaneously…. was quite the experience. I know that I often failed in what was expected of me, but I learned and grew so much from it all. I was, in a way, forced to think about others and not zone in on my own life as I usually do. I was also forced to put the things of God first in my life. On top of that, I gained more humility as I came to see that grace made up for everything that I simply could not do. Through this trial, I took one more step on my journey to becoming who God wants me to be. I have a new mantra that goes like this: I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.

Wouldn't it be great if, rather than complaining about the bad things that happen in life, we could look at our situations and ask, "Heavenly Father, what do I need to learn from this? What do you want me to do here so that I can grow?"

Sometimes, we won't get an answer right away, but that's what the trying process is for.  We might have to lean upon the scriptures every day. We might have to lean upon going to church every week. We might have to rely on our families and their words of wisdom. We might have to rely on losing ourselves in service to others.

And, through it all, we might just find ourselves.

By Erica Perry

The Pledge

Yes, I am actually starting a blog. After all, it's the thing to do these days! I have thought of so many specific things I would like to blog about, but I didn't feel comfortable settling on just one. So, I have decided to create a general blog about my life, my musings, my talents, my struggles, my attempts at success, blah blah blah.

 I have decided name my blog The Sunshine Diaries. Firstly, because I had a great friend who called me sunshine:) Secondly, because in a world that is becoming ever darker, more sinister, cynical, and depressing, I like to find the good things, the "rays of sunshine". Every cloud truly does have a silver lining, and my faith in God sustains me through so many dark times in my life, even given me my own little piece of sunshine when everything else seems cloudy and dismal. I am starting my last semester of college on Monday (that's two days away- oh my gosh!) and for me, it's all student teaching from here.
 
So, I would like to make a pledge to myself and to the world as I step closer toward a new phase of life:

I pledge:

... to always look on the sunny side of life. Look for the positives!
... to BE a ray of sunshine in others' lives when they are in need of comfort.
... to love myself and treat myself with respect.
... to trust in God and let Him light my path.

Thanks for checking out my blog! Please leave a comment if you would like to take the Sunshine pledge with me!

Erica