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It would be quite a change to have less gravity on the earth! What would it be like to float around all the time? Would the oceans just be blown all over the earth? Would a shark suddenly fly by in a desert? How would I wash my hair?? I might have to unleash the water below me and have the droplets go up through it! When trees shed their leaves, maybe the leaves would just float off into the atmosphere. I can't decide if that would be more annoying then having to rake the piles on the ground! Would the Earth stay on its course? Would plants have strong enough roots to stay on the ground? They would definitely have to adapt in that way. Would it affect the oxygen levels at all? Maybe I would invent rocket boots so I could get around easier and faster. Drinking and eating would become more of a challenge. Somehow, kitchen appliances would have to be rooted and have something to hold the food down on them. It would be so funny to walk outside and see your friend floating by in a gust of wind. How would animals get their food? I guess trees would be more eaten than the grass! Lawns wouldn't be mowed and board games would probably go extinct. The difficulty of keeping pieces on the board would make them quite exhausting. Not the fun games they were intended to be. Playing the piano would require some heavy-duty straps to keep you there long enough to play. Imagine just looking out and seeing people, animals, cars and other things, floating above the ground. Would rain fall to the ground the same way? Would rivers run their same course? Joan of Arc has always been a great example to me. She defended and worked for what she believed in. Joan fulfilled her mission despite the persecution and adversity. Could she have led the French army at seventeen without her vision? Joan probably wouldn’t have. She had faith and was willing to do hard things. She was prepared before her leadership position by her two brothers, who made her strong and quick–witted. However, Joan did not learn how to read and write because she believed they weren't important. If only she had known how much reading and writing were used in the war! This is another lesson to me to learn all I can so I will be prepared for what God wants me to accomplish. Joseph Smith had a great mission. Before that great mission he was prepared without realizing it. His mother, Lucy, supported him and taught him to love God. He was inquisitive, studious, humble, and kind. Like Joan, he KNEW from his vision what he needed to do and no one could take Joseph's knowledge away. My patriarchal blessing has given me great insight into what Heavenly Father wants me to do. Sometimes it's hard to choose the right, but as I remember that blessing, those choices become easier. I am sure Joan and Joseph had trying times and remembering their experiences gave them faith and hope. Serving and learning with my family has helped prepare me to be a mother and to teach my children. It is easy to be swayed by the world, but knowing of a surety I have a mission, makes me stronger. I know all I have learned has made me who I am today. I also know that Heavenly Father guides my life and gives me great opportunities. Those opportunities prepare me for the future if, like Joan and Joseph, I take advantage of them. I never know when an experience I've been given will be a great blessing and help to me later. Like Christ said, “all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7) What happens in a discussion when there are millions of different ideas? What happens to thoughts and theories if no one writes them down? Division is what happens. There is no way to learn new things because everyone is too busy arguing over the old. Books unite us by making people think. Learning truths in books and working together helps us discover new truths. A group that has gained knowledge from common books has the opportunity to share common ideas and develop new ideas. If a scholar, such as Einstein, didn't record his discoveries, where would we be? Would we know the principles of physics or the theory of relativity? If Newton hadn't recorded his laws, we still might be trying to figure out laws of gravity and motion. Books are amazing. What would we do without the scriptures? Christ's life wouldn't be recorded! All of the great works would not be available and we would be living in the Dark Ages. I love using books to learn about history and mistakes others have made. I love reading about inspirational people who have overcome adversity. I love being able use those things I've learned to benefit others and myself. I’m not sure what I would do without books. I might not be able to find out truth for myself. In the Middle Ages, the popes didn't want the poor people to read the Bible. They liked to interpret it the way it "should be written." Denying books and words limits free thought and individual ideas. Like John of Seville from The Walking Drum said, "The most important thing is to learn. Money can be lost or stolen, health and strength may fail, but what you have committed to your mind is yours forever." Webster's 1828 Dictionary states that, "[Discovery is] the act of finding out, or coming to the knowledge of; as the discovery of truth." Whenever I think of discovering something, I think of finding a gold mine or searching for buried treasure. Searching with all my might, no matter what, to find what I've been seeking. A discovery is whatever makes a person feel they've dug up "gold". It is something that makes them feel rich and satisfied knowing they've found the answer. Being taught doesn't always give this feeling. However, there is nothing that can replace discovery and sometimes it comes through teaching. Maybe the love of discovery will be inspired through a teacher. Just like miners, sometimes we have to be taught to find gold. I love to discover truth. I love to learn and research things I'm interested in. I have great teachers and have learned a great many things, but some of my most memorable learning experiences have been through quiet pondering and meditation on my own. Often, these quiet moments have been inspired by a teacher. They have encouraged me to take what I have learned and seek knowledge and better understanding. Every person learns in their own way. I agree with Thomas Aquinas' statement, "Since there is a twofold way of acquiring knowledge–By discovery and by being taught–The way of discovery is the higher, and the way of being taught is secondary." We all have to start somewhere, and learning is good. As we learn, we can start to discover gold nuggets and discover truth. Teaching and discovery both have important roles and we can benefit from both. Logic is very important when seeking truth and knowledge. Sometimes we are wrong and need to take a step back to see the truth. If the great scientists and mathematicians had just gone with what everyone was saying, or thrown a fit about other ideas, they wouldn't be the great people we know today. They took what they knew and figured things out calmly and composedly. However, sometimes we learn things the hard way. Sometimes things are difficult and logic doesn't make sense. Sometimes, things we feel can't be explained. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns that what's right isn't always easy or the best option for your reputation. Logic would tell him to send Jim back to be punished, but in his heart, he knew doing that was wrong. Love, friendship, hope, these things can't always be logical, but as we use logic, reason and our own conscience, we can grow and learn truth despite what the world's views of it may be. When I first read Fahrenheit 451, I felt a connection with Guy when he realized that books aren't worthless, that they could teach him and help him learn truth. Today people are throwing books away in exchange for electronic versions that just aren't the same. Every day libraries are getting rid of classics while filling shelves with garbage. It makes my heart ache. Books teach us things we otherwise would learn the hard way. With books, we are able to learn things from a safe distance. We are able to think for ourselves just like Augustine knew. Books provide freedom. They give us hope and strength, and they expand and open our minds to new possibilities and different opportunities. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "From the reading of good books there comes a richness of life that can be obtained in no other way. It is not enough to read newspapers...but to become acquainted with real nobility as it walks the pages of history and science and literature is to strengthen character and develop life in its finer meanings." Having a personal and/or city library with paper books is truly a blessing. Henry Ward Beecher said, "Books are the windows through which the soul looks out. A house without books is like a room without windows...A little library growing larger every year is an honorable part of a young man's [or woman's] history. It is a man's [or woman's] duty to have books. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessaries of life." I have been surrounded by books my entire life. I consider them some of my best friends, and they have made me who I am today. The fight to keep physical books is worthwhile. |
AuthorJust a girl who loves to read. Archives
March 2018
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