j . a . m . k . m . b: Political Mumbo Jumbo

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

... Professor Harold Hill, one of the principal characters in [The Music Man], voices a caution that I share with you. Says he, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”

f you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”³ We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, Church member Jay Hess, an airman, was shot down over North Vietnam. For two years his family had no idea whether he was dead or alive. His captors in Hanoi eventually allowed him to write home but limited his message to less than 25 words. What would you and I say to our families if we were in the same situation—not having seen them for over two years and not knowing if we would ever see them again? Wanting to provide something his family could recognize as having come from him and also wanting to give them valuable counsel, Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.”

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

Said the Lord in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”¹⁰ May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.

Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Political Mumbo Jumbo

One of the interesting things about working at Google is I get a unique opportunity to see a wide variety of speakers come to the company to present their message. The best one I've seen lately is Grete Waitz, the best women's marathoner of all time. But equally as interesting in an "I can't believe people are actually buying this" sort of way are the presidential candidates who swing through and give their spiel. Since I've been here, John McCain, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson have all spoken. Here are some thoughts...

I'm blown away by how fickle politics can be. It really is just a game of spouting whatever the current hot topic is, and either jumping on the bandwagon for or against depending on the tide of public opinion. The Democrats are obviously very forceful against the war, and against anything President Bush has done or stood for. To be honest, their speeches and platforms remind me of the Jr. High and High School campaigns where they promise the world without offering anything by way of how they'd actually accomplish stuff. I catch myself chuckling because I expect the next words to be "...rootbeer in the drinking fountains..."

So I finally broke down and donated a little bit of money to Mitt Romney's campaign. I did this for two reasons - 1) so people would stop asking me for donations, and 2) because I think he's the candidate who most closely matches my personal ideals and fits what I hope our President can be. I have been pleased to see him picking up steam in some of the critical polls, and I was also surprised to see that he has raised the most money among Republicans. Support whomever you want - this is definitely NOT a plea for you to contribute to Mitt, or to try and say you should do anything. I just wanted to mention that I've been impressed with him and his campaign so far, taken as a whole... that's all.

3 comments:

Cammi said...: John & Angela,

I love your blog! So - I wish you would have been able to sneak me into Google for the candidate meetings. Angela knows I am a political JUNKIE! Did you think Gov. Richardson was more honest and less "high school campaigner" than the other two? He seems so. Maybe because he isn't a front runner so he has less to lose by being more honest. I'm getting pressured to contribute money to Mitt Romney but it seems odd that someone like me is giving money to a gazillionaire. Also, I'm still trying to come to peace with his flip-flopping. But I do like several things about him. If any other candidates are invited to Google, please give me a full report! I love this stuff.

Sorry to hear you all had the flu/colds. We had it here, too. Not fun in the summer! When everyone is well, let's get together.; June 26, 2007 at 5:08 PM
jamkmb said...: Great insights Cammi. Here are a few thoughts:
1) Gov. Richardson seemed less of a campaigner and a little more straight forward, but he also seemed somewhat naive in that his answer to everything was "diplomacy". He really harped on the "let's talk it through in a diplomatic way" message and I'm not sure that's the answer to everything. I think he's really campaigning at this point to get the VP slot in a Democratic ticket.
2) I had two questions re: contributing to Mitt...why has he been flip-flopping, and how will my money be used (NO NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN ADDS!). I have come to a reasonable level of comfort on the changing positions because of the state he led as Governor. He ultimately had to take a softer stance on some issues in order to uphold the law, regardless of his personal feelings. In going back and looking at some of his statements, I think he actually tried to make a distinction between his personal views vs. the laws he would uphold as Gov/Pres. That's how I got somewhat comfortable with his supposed changing stances. As for the money thing - I only donated because I expect him to pay me back with interest...that's how it works, isn't it? ;-); June 26, 2007 at 5:39 PM
Cammi said...: You're right, John. Gov. Richardson does always talk about "diplomatic" resolutions - I think his international experience is the only thing that sets him apart from the others so he just wants to bring it up constantly. Good insight on the VP thing - I hadn't thought of that being his end-goal but you are most likely correct.

As for Mitt, I do realize that he had to soften his stance for Massachusetts. And to be fair, he never completely sold himself out to do it. I just like poeple who say 100% true what they really believe - even if it won't get them elected. Isn't integrity more important than gaining higher office? BUT - he never really crossed the line into saying he was for something he wasn't - he just made the line a little gray. I think he has appeared the most presidential in the debates and I do agree with much of what he says. It's still so far until the election that I can't imagine what's going to happen (whose skeletons will be dragged out of the closet, etc.) as we get closer. I think my final decision factor as we near the election will have to be who can best deal with the Iraq mess and our international relationships. All of the other issues seem less relevant when I read the reports of how many young American soldiers are dying each day. So, we'll see what each candidate has to say about that and go from there....It seems like Mitt's specialty is breaking down failing organizations and fixing them. So, maybe he's the right guy for the job?
If more candidates come to Google, please fill me in on your personal response to them. I imagine it's pretty easy to assess their intentions (fake vs. sincere) when they are up close and personal.; June 27, 2007 at 2:32 PM

j . a . m . k . m . b

Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Oct 2008

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Political Mumbo Jumbo

3 comments:

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