The Battle Against Mediocrity

Sometimes I find myself wasting hours of time while playing stupid computer games.  It's different if it's Scrabble or something where you are at least using brain cells, but this game, Trio, involves no brain activity whatsoever.  Three at a time, little bubbles of color fall on this 2-D plane.  When three of the same color line up (either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally), they burst and disappear.  I have become obsessed with this game, so much so that I play it repeatedly in the hopes of beating my old high scores.  What's even more pathetic is the fact that I haven't gained a high score in over a month!  I don't even have that to show for my wasted time!

My situation/obsession is not uncommon to the average American.  We waste hours of our time being entertained with little or no growth gained from it.  We watch hours of TV and movies, play video or computer games, and seek easy ways out of doing work.  We are always looking for a "cheat" to help move things along.  Where is our patience?  Where is our desire to learn?  Why don't we play outside any more?  America is hurting itself.  While other countries give value to education by making it competitive and desirable, America allows its citizens to get as little out of education as possible.  Mediocrity is now accepted and even rewarded because we don't want anyone to feel badly about themselves.  I'm all about having high self-esteem, but sometimes you need to fail in order to be motivated to work harder.  Why would I wear myself out if just passing is acceptable?  Is an "A" really worth the work?  I'd rather play Trio.

And we ask why we don't have people like the Founding Fathers.  Can you tell why?  Back in the day, people had to work to survive.  And, they read books . . . . for fun!!  Many of the founders had extensive libraries full of books from all over the world.  They had a desire to learn and study philosophy and economics.  They looked beyond themselves and sacrificed so much for our good.  We must not let their sacrifices be in vain.  Let us work a little harder to do our best.  Why settle for anything less? Let us turn off the TV and computer and go outside or read a book.  Let us help teach our children the value of hard work and patience.  Let us strive to end the epidemic that is sweeping our nation.

Divine Protection

Not only was the Book of Mormon a history of the people who once inhabited the Americas, it is also very applicable to us today because it was written for us and our times.  We are meant to look to its pages for guidance on many doctrinal things (revelation, faith, the atonement) and on how we can prepare for the Second Coming when our Savior, Jesus Christ, will come again to the earth.  

One of the things we can apply is found in the Nephite people.  Whenever they were righteous, the Lord protected them, but when they forgot the Lord and became caught up in their wickedness, he would no longer protect them.  The main thing they needed to fear was not attack from the Lamanites, but pride and dissension among their own people.  If wickedness prevailed, they would be cut off from the Lord and destroyed.  

In the book, Just and Holy Principles, Orson Pratt relates a similar concept to the people of the United States.  He says, ". . . may we not be fearful because of the oppressor and the wicked, but trust in the living God, and He will continue to protect us all the day long, and no power can prevail against us. . . . All that we have to fear is our own wickedness, and corruptions, and liability to depart from the true faith" (24).

From what I've seen of the world, I'm beginning to get scared.  Even the former prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, has stated that "we as a nation are forsaking the Almighty, and He is forsaking us."  It is only a matter of time before our nation becomes so ripe in iniquity that it will be brought down by its own doings.