contention

The prevalence of a spirit of contention amongst a people is a certain sign of deadness with respect to the things of religion. When men's spirits are hot with contention, they are cold to religion. - Jonathan Edwards “The Book of Mormon does not supplant the Bible. It expands, extends, clarifies, and amplifies our knowledge of the Savior. Surely, this second witness should be cause for great rejoicing by all Christians.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Shortest conference talk

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1972/04/a-teacher?lang=eng

A Teacher

It was on a summer day early in the morning. I was standing near the window. The curtains obstructed me from two little creatures out on the lawn. One was a large bird and the other a little bird, obviously just out of the nest. I saw the larger bird hop out on the lawn, then thump his feet and cock his head. He drew a big fat worm out of the lawn and came hopping back. The little bird opened its bill wide, but the big bird swallowed the worm.

Then I saw the big bird fly up into a tree. He pecked at the bark for a little while and came back with a big bug in his mouth. The little bird opened his beak wide, but the big bird swallowed the bug. There was squawking in protest.

The big bird flew away, and I didn’t see it again, but I watched the little bird. After a while, the little bird hopped out on the lawn, thumped its feet, cocked its head, and pulled a big worm out of the lawn.

God bless the good people who teach our children and our youth, I humbly pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday, October 30, 2023

What everyone else is reading

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Haruki Murakami

Monday, October 23, 2023

Truth brings reconciliation

 

"Truth brings reconciliation."

| Elon Musk


Life is too short to worry about little things. Have fun. Fall in love. Regret nothing, and don't let people bring you down. Study, think, create, and grow. Teach yourself and teach others.

Saturday, October 14, 2023

two kinds of people


“There are only two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’” - C.S. Lewis

Thursday, October 12, 2023

try something innovative

 “If you’re going to try something innovative then you’re in unexplored territory, so the odds that something will go wrong are pretty high. It’s only if you try to do something that is well-understood that there’s little chance of failure.”

| Elon Musk


“Words are a very lossy compression of thoughts.” | Elon Musk

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Innate peace

 

"A happy person isn’t someone who’s happy all the time. It’s someone who effortlessly interprets events in such a way that they don’t lose their innate peace."

@naval
"To me, the real winners are the ones who step out of the game entirely, who don’t even play the game, who rise above it. Those are the people who have such internal mental and self-control and self-awareness, they need nothing from anybody else."
Knowledge is having the right answers. Intelligence is asking the right questions. Wisdom is knowing when to ask the right questions.

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Do right

 

"It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God.” - C.S. Lewis

Monday, October 9, 2023

Enjoy learning

 

• Don't fear mistakes. • Be open to new ideas and opinions. • Read books. • Enjoy your learning.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

a clearer, more independent thinker

 What can I do for the next 60 days to become a clearer, more independent thinker?

"Read the greats in math, science, philosophy. Ignore your contemporaries and news. Avoid tribal identification. Truth above social approval."

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Unity in diversity - international

“The concept of a global community of shared future reflects the common interests of all civilizations – peace, development, unity, coexistence, and win-win cooperation. 

A Russian proverb holds, 'Together we can weather the storm.'
"The Swiss-German writer Hermann Hesse proposed, 'Serve not war and destruction, but peace and reconciliation.' 

A German proverb reads, 'An individual’s effort is addition; a team’s effort is multiplication.' 

An African proverb states, 'One single pillar is not sufficient to build a house.' 

An Arabian proverb asserts, 'If you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk together.'
"Mexican poet Alfonso Reyes wrote, 'The only way to be profitably national is to be generously universal.' 

An Indonesian proverb says, 'Sugarcane and lemongrass grow in dense clumps.' 

A Mongolian proverb concludes, 'Neighbors are connected at heart and share a common destiny.' 

All the above narratives manifest the profound cultural and intellectual essence of the world.”

https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202309/t20230926_11150122.html