The Lord requires of us a heart and a willing mind… – D&C 64:34.
Why
can’t they just change? Get with the program? See the obvious?
I
rather suspect that every human being (including, of course, myself)
on this planet has asked themself that question — some for
perhaps more righteous reasons than others.
And
what about this question: Why can’t I just change?
The
thing is, we’ve all spent years with our brains. The ones we
got in the very beginning. There is no switching them out, or any
part of them for that matter.
Our
family experience, our social experience, our intellectual experience
— everything we see, hear, feel, taste and smell. Every
chemical we take into our body. Every small and simple thing, either
good or evil.
It
is all part of our experience. We approach all that happens to us
with our vessels full of our past.
Our
brain receives all our sensory input, it controls our body, it is the
seat of our mortal memory, and the source of our emotion. And
untamed, it takes us wherever the prevailing winds blow.
Our
brain of flesh acts in a self preserving manner. Fight or flight,
survival through dominance and survival through cowering submission,
avoidance of scarcity, pursuit of reproduction. It will respond in
ways to optimize its success.
It
is uses emotions to control us. There are chemicals that cause us to
fear, and ones that cause anger. Endorphins soothe our pain and
reward us with happiness, even tiny drops of it, when we’ve
done something our brain or body has interpreted as success.
Our
emotions are not rational. They are instant reactions, and even the
nearly instant reaction to suppress an initial emotion is often a
thoughtless act, compelled by the desire to remain in social
acceptance.
We
are never without emotion or automatic reactions. Sometimes they
powerful and take complete control of us — wiping any rational
thought out. And sometimes they are merely a background murmur to the
task we are working at.
Repetition
reinforces neural connections — learning — over time, but
emotions can cement them in an instant. And because of this, emotions
can have more power over us than thoughtful reasoning.
“The
natural man is an enemy to God.” What is this natural man? It
is the one who never controls his emotions, but rather, lets his
emotions control him.
The
natural man is self-centered. He fears pain and insecurity, and so
protects himself from it in many ways. He may seek to control the
world around him through dishonest manipulation, accruing fortunes
and possessions, raising himself above others, pursuing pleasure, and
escaping through the satisfaction of addictions.
The
scriptures say that Satan will rage in the hearts of men. (2 Nephi
28:20) His raging in our hearts is not a loud and obvious roaring.
It may not feel like destruction, but it surely is.
It
comes to us through media, the twisting of morals and truths,
blasphemy both subtle and outrageous, even the light mindedness of
most sitcoms that reward us with enjoyment while feeding us false
standards of conduct. It is in the many false heroes and gods set
before us and the commercials selling snake oil cures for the natural
man’s fears.
It
comes through social media and our scrabble to meet its mandate for
popularity that invades the time we used to use for reading good
books. Now we see pictures with simple and emotionally charged
captions, and think we understand the world.
It
is in the failure of schools.
And
most devastatingly, in the failure of our families.
This
animal brain of mine, which so often betrays me, in anger and pain
and unworthy desire is the same one I use to serve the Lord. Even our
prophets have a brain of flesh, and so did our Savior.
Jesus
Christ is the beautiful exception to mortal failing. He is the Son of
God. The ultimate prodigy, with no social or emotional deficits to
accompany his supreme intellect. The perfect One. But
even so, he knows it. He has experienced it, simply during his life
here on earth and exquisitely in Gethsemane and on Calvary.
Sometimes,
it seems, we have no control. Pain or anger may wash over us, a storm
ravaging our souls, and there is nothing for us to do but to hold on
to that light — that beckoning of our Savior to take shelter.
For his house is built upon the pillars of creation and there is no
storm that can overcome it.
And
when we have come under his protection, been soothed and comforted by
his infinite love, when we have been taught true wisdom and have
received his strength that we may stand upon holy places, we see the
world again.
We
see that our brothers and sisters are wounded and fallen, and we want
to reach out to them, to show them the shelter.
We
speak rational words of truth. We point out to them why these things
are wrong. How they harm us.
But
they’re in the midst of their own emotions.
So
many believe in fate or self determinism. They go where the whims of
survival and instinct take them. They think that these desires are
the will of the gods, which they have no control over.
In
this state, how often will we be able to repeat the reasonable
invitations of our God and be heard?
Perhaps
not at all. So, there can be no reinforcement of precious truths by
only speaking them.
But
we can use emotion.
We
gave our heart to the Savior, and he tells us to use it, to love our
neighbor even as he has loved us.
And
we love them through service. Through kindness even in the face of
contempt and disbelief.
To
do such a thing, we must learn to overcome our own emotions. We must
ingrain upon our brains the sweet messages of God. We repeat these
over and over to ourselves through prayer, scripture study, and
temple service. We must make love our automatic reaction.
If
we do this, and serve others, we will sooth their emotions. Not
everyone, but perhaps some will ask the question — How? Why?
Why do we act against the whims of our bodies?
And
then, their minds are willing — if only just a little bit. We
may never know that they wonder. It may take many other repetitions
of love and patience by you or others. But this is how we win the
great war — the one I believe never ended, but still continues.
Only the battlefields and machineries of war have changed.
And now abide faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth. (1 Corinthians 13:13, 13:4-8)
Ami Chopine started out her mortal existence as a single cell. That cell divided into a collection
of cells that cooperated enough to do such things as eat, crawl, walk and eventually read a lot
and do grownuppy things.
When she was seven years old, hanging upside down on the monkey bars, she decided she
wanted to be a scientist when she grew up. Even though she studied molecular biology at the
University of Utah, that didn't quite come to pass. She became a writer instead. Still, her passion
for science and honest inquiry has remained and married itself to her love of the Gospel.
Ami is married to Vladimir and together they have four amazing children -- three in college and
one in elementary school, where Ami is president of the Family School Organization. Vladimir
is the better cook, but Ami is the better baker. She also knits, gardens, stares at clouds, and sings.
She can only do three of these at the same time.
Besides two published computer graphics books and several magazine tutorials, she writes
science fiction and has a couple of short stories published. You can find her blog at
www.amichopine.com.
Ami was surprised to not be given a calling as some kind of teacher the last time she was called
into the bishop's office. She currently serves as the Young Women Secretary -- somewhat
challenging for the girl whose grandmother used to call the absentminded professor.