A Thought on Flag Burning

There’s been a lot about flag burning in the news and on social media lately. There have been cries from well-meaning patriots to outlaw the practice, impose fines and jail time, and even make it a felony. While I personally find the act reprehensible, I think there’s more than at stake here that just what appears on the surface.

For better or worse, the flag has different meanings to us all. Some see it as a sign of freedom. Some see it as a sign of nationalism. Others a sign of racial inequality. Some simply see it as the standard of the United States of America. But to others, it means so much more. To some, the flag represents their hero; their son, daughter, mother or father, brother or sister, husband or wife, who gave their life in the service of their country. It drapes their coffin and stands as a symbol that their life had purpose and their death was not in vain. It represents the promise of the American People to families of the fallen that we will never forget their sacrifice and that we are forever grateful for their service and that we owe them a debt that can never be repaid.

To others, the flag represents American Exceptionalism, or the idea that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world. To those that subscribe to this belief, the flag stands as a symbol of hope, courage, bravery, and the freedom to pursue one’s dreams. It stands for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It stands as a stark reminder of all the times America has stood up against the evil forces of the world and said “Not on my watch.” It reminds them of all the good our country has done and continues to do. It represents the movement to bring freedom to all peoples of the world.

Still to others, the flag is seen in other, more negative ways. It reminds them of the faults of our country and the difficulties we still continue to face. It reminds them that inequality, poverty, and discrimination still exist even after all these years. In those red stripes, they see the protests, crime, violence, and injustice that sometimes plagues us as a nation.  They feel marginalized, hated, and victimized because their American Dream has turned out to be a nightmare.

The thing about our flag though is it represents all of these views and they are all legitimate. Our flag is a symbol of who we are as a nation, as a culture, and as a people. It represents us all. It represents the liberty that we have to have our own opinions and views on any topic we wish and to express that opinion without fear of reprisal or censorship. It represents our freedom. And to me, that is worth protecting.

To those who seek to outlaw flag burning, I get it. It’s about respect and honor. But if we did that, we lose a part of who we are. There’s a quote from Star Trek: The Next Generation that reads: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured...the first thought forbidden...the first freedom denied – chains us all, irrevocably."

If we outlaw flag burning, we take away peoples’ rights to self-expression and we limit freedom. To me, that’s a blow to who we are, and to what makes America great. Sometimes this is what our freedom costs. Sometimes it means looking right in the eye of someone doing something you hate, and respecting their right do it. It means trusting in our Constitution. It means recognizing that those that fought and died for us, fought and died for them too and for them to have the right to do what they are doing.  Freedom is costly. Freedom is messy and sometimes uncomfortable, but I can promise you, it IS worth it.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that America’s best days are behind her, that the American Spirit has been vanquished. We’ve seen is triumph too often in our lives to stop believing in it now.” – Ronald Reagan

A Thought on Bullying

Time and time again, I read news articles and see stories about schools who punish not only bullies but their victims and those that are willing to stand up to the bullies. This is the wrong attitude. We need to cultivate a culture where people are empowered to stand up for what is right and speak out against those that do wrong. What happened to the world where we celebrated those who stood up for the good? Instead we now punish them and try and silence them when they speak out. To paraphrase Mr. Edmund Burke, all that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men (and women) to stand by and do nothing to fight against it.

It is time for us to rethink our school policies and our personal way of thinking. The world has changed. It is not enough to simply be a good person anymore. We must actively stand for good. We have to stand up for those that can't or those that won't. Someone has to. And if not us than who? Many of the problems that our society faces today exist, simply because the public at large tolerates them. The problems are allowed to exist and grow. In years past, members of the public would address them, and fight against their growth. Now most believe its' the Police's job. But they are ill equipped to deal with these societal problems. It is still incumbent upon us to stand up in our day to day lives to fight them.

“It is not enough just to be good. We must be good for something. We must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for our presence. And the good that is in us must be spread to others. This is the measure of our civility.” - Gordon B. Hinckley​

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/family/bullied-12-year-old-girl-commits-suicide-after-school-allegedly-tells-students-to-toughen-up/ar-BBjPxSa

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/fort-pierce/student-suspended-after-she-says-she-recorded-video-of-teacher-bullying-student

http://rt.com/usa/texas-suspension-special-needs-923/

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/09/24/father-says-son-suspended-for-standing-up-to-bully/

http://gawker.com/5951998/teen-suspended-for-standing-up-to-longtime-bully-back-in-class-after-dad-spends-days-protesting-outside-school

A Thought on Living Without Fear

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

 It is said that of all the words in all the tongues of men, that saddest are those of “it might have been.” Often times in life, our fear of what could happen or how we could fail overcomes our desire to progress and we are left utterly paralyzed in inaction. As we watch the world pass us by, we utter a wish for more courage and bravery. But there must come a moment when we rise above our fear. We must make our wish reality. We must cast off the chains of self doubt and worry and rise toward the light so that we may have our day in the sun.

The greatest enemy we will ever face is that voice inside each of us that tells us that we will never be good enough. It tells us that we are weak and unworthy of achieving that which we desire. I tell you here and now that that voice lies. The greatest gift that God has given us is the free will and the ability to choose who we are and who we will become. Each and every day that we rise we are faced with a choice: do we cower and live in fear while our lives pass us by, or do we dare greatly, pursuing the dreams that we hold so dear? Even if we fail, we fail with the knowledge that we tried, that we gave our very best, and that at the very least we made a valiant effort toward a goal worth fighting for. Even in that failure, there is experience gained. Even in that failure, hope, the greatest and most essential of all human conditions, remains. And with that hope, remains the possibility of redemption.

My friends, we have but one life to live. May we live it well, without regret or fear. May we live it in such a way that at the end, when we stand before the Almighty and are asked to account for our time here on this earth, we can reply that we lived each moment with the courage to pursue the desires of our hearts, that we held on to the hope of a better tomorrow, and that we sought the goodness in the world. May we say that we lived our lives intentionally and with purpose.

A Thought on the What Matters Most

Every once in a while, life puts us in circumstances that force us to reflect on our own mortality. We think on those things which mean the most to us. I always find it interesting that more often than not these thoughts almost always focus on the people in our lives. Well, perhaps not necessarily in our lives, but those who have touched our lives, whether they are still with us or not. Sometimes they are good memories; Christmases, birthdays, or other holidays, dinners, parties, and celebrations, quiet moments spent in a warm embrace, or long philosophical talks on the problems or the world. Sometimes they are just memories of singing at the top of your lungs on a long car ride with someone. Other times they are thoughts of regret; missed opportunities or connections, loss, grief, or thoughts of “what could have been.” But even these moments give us insight into ourselves and who we’ve become. They are a testament to the lives that we’ve built. They offer sufficient proof that we cared enough about something or someone to love and miss them. And that is a beautiful thing.

It is in these moments of thorough introspection that we reflect on the times which have had the most impact upon our hearts, our minds, and on who we’ve become as a person. When I reflect on the memories which matter most to me, I realize that in the moment they were created, I almost always failed to appreciate how much they would matter to me down the road. Of all the expensive vacations, the adrenaline filled adventures, the fun filled parties, or the thrilling nights on the town, the moments that stick with me are the quiet times when I truly connected with someone. Sometimes it is these unobtrusive, seemingly ordinary events that have the largest impact upon us, and most of the time we don’t even realize it at the time. I guess what I’m getting at is this: life is not about making the most money, or having the coolest, most expensive things, it isn’t about the dream job, or the house on a hill, most of the time it’s not even about impacting the world. Life is about loving people. It’s about embracing them and connecting with them. It’s about engaging them. It’s about creating memories. Make time for those people in your life. Make time for those tiny, little moments that you may not think matter, because I guarantee you that they will someday, and more often than not, that realization comes too late.  We are all granted a very finite amount of time on this earth and few, if any, of us know just how long that time is. Just recognize that and embrace those people who matter the most, whoever they are. And don’t forget to tell them how you feel about them. We all forget to do that far too often. And it truly matters. Trust me on that one.

What Matters Most

A Thought on When the World Seems Dark

Regret is the mourning of the loss of possibility. But our deepest regrets come when we are forced by time or circumstance to give up on something or perhaps someone we love when every fiber of our being tells us that this is the fight worth fighting. Perhaps these moments are the ones meant to try us. Perhaps they are meant to teach us. Perhaps they are meant to inspire us to grow. Regardless of their purpose they are the times when the world seems so colorless so dark, and so devoid of hope. But I promise you that light still remains. It is constantly emitted from the embers of our souls, and that light, no matter how dark the world becomes, can never go out. Take comfort in knowing that no matter how hard the moment may seem, you are strong enough to bear the burdens that you have been called to bear. You are where you are meant to be. Each life has a purpose and is precious. Every soul will find its worth.  You are loved for who you are, who you were, and who you have yet to become.

A Thought on Evil

One of the greatest philosophical battles of all time centers on the belief in a good and just God in the context of all the evil that exists in this world. In every day life, this problem manifests itself in questions like "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" or "Why does God hate me?" Thousands of philosophers, theists, believers, atheists and everyday folk have argued over this question for as long as man has doubted the belief in a higher power. Most of the arguments for God center on a belief in free will or that God allows evil to exist because without evil good could not exist. Other arguments deny a belief in true evil or say that perhaps God is not able to create a world where no evil existed. While I tend to support the Free Will defense, I have decided that I believe in an alternative view. Perhaps its not evil that matters so much, but rather our reaction to it.

The power that evil possesses is a product of the fear that we as humans exhibit. When we rise above the fear, evil loses its power. That’s not to discount pain, and suffering, anguish, and grief, agony, and sorrow, because surely these things exist. We have all experienced them in one way or another. But rather the point is to recognize that these feelings are simply emotions and tactile reactions to a hostile world. When we remember that, they can be endured, overcome. We can rise above the pain. We are strengthened, lifted up. We can fly free, even in captivity. When we reach the point that we can exhibit selfless, celestial grace unfeigned, when we can forgive without thought to retribution, revenge or compensation, when we can let go of our hatred and our selfish, misguided sense of justice, when we can exhibit the tender mercy of God through our every thought and action, then evil ceases to matter and the battle is won. I think that’s the point that most people in this debate miss. Evil is not an end in itself, but rather a challenge to be overcome.

A Thought on Attitude

Each of us will face difficulties in our life. We will have trials and obstacles to overcome. We will experience defeat and we will suffer and bleed and eventually die. We will feel pain and sadness, misery and sorrow. We will lose loved ones and experience loss and grief. Very few of us are immune to the evils of this world, but as certain as I am that we will face these challenges, I am equally as certain that we are naturally endowed with the strength to overcome them. One of the tools that we are provided with for this task is the ability to control our attitude and how we react to whatever life throws at us.

 One of our tasks as individuals is to make meaning in our own lives. No one else can do that for us. And while I believe we are the product of our experiences, we are also defined in part by our reactions to those experiences in the first place. For example, a basketball player may attend grueling practices every day in preparation for a game. His coach may push him and make him run and do all sorts of painful exercises, hoping to strengthen him. The player may work hard, and at the end of each practice be so sore that he can hardly move. An outsider who doesn’t’ understand why the player does this might say “This is horrible. He’s in pain! This is torture. That coach should be imprisoned for inflicting such evil on that poor soul!”While the basketball player understands why he is being pushed and accepts that if he endures these hardships, he will do better in the game to come.

 Perhaps no better definition of this principal exists than that penned by Viktor Frankl:

“We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: The last of his freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

 And so it is with life. If we believe that the hardships we face are designed to make us better individuals, then the evils we face are diminished, until such as time as we don’t see them as evil anymore, but rather trials and exercises in faith. So the next time challenges are on your horizon, see them for what they truly are: opportunities to grow. Go out and meet them head on. Embrace them with a thankful heart and a determination worthy of the champion inside of you! Good luck!

A thought on Ethics.

There are moments in life when each of us is presented with choices to make. Sometimes these choices are easy, and sometimes they are difficult. I have always dedicated my life to trying to make the right choices as I see them. You see, I have patterned my life on a set of moral values and ethics that my upbringing and experiences have imparted in me, and for me the world is a very black and white place or at least most of the time it is. But as I get older, it seems to me that there are far more areas of differing shades of grey than I once believed. So how do we deal with those choices:  the choices where no action is one hundred percent morally or ethically right and yet the choice still needs to be made? What then?

The answer is sometimes there is no right answer. Sometimes there really are no win situations.  To some, this might seem like a pessimistic approach, but I disagree. I believe that if we acknowledge that fact, we can move on to facing whatever obstacle or challenge awaits us as a result of our choice. The key here is simply that you have to make the choice that you can live with. At the end of the day, whatever moral code or guiding principles that you subscribe to has to be satisfied. Otherwise, you will destroy yourself. There is a scene from one of my favorite TV shows that illustrates my point.  The hero is lying badly injured and perhaps dying in a hospital bed after undergoing immense hardship in order to save a major city from sure destruction. To do so, he has had to break many laws and do things that most of us would find, at the very least, unethical. However, there is still a threat out there that could potentially threaten the lives of the city’s inhabitants. The hero’s partner knows that she can stop the threat, but she will similarly have to disregard some of the same laws and rules that the hero has in order to do so. As he lays there she approaches him and asks his advice.

“ Hero: I can’t tell you what to do. I’ve been wrestling with this all my life. When I see fifteen people held hostage on a bus, everything else goes out the window, and I’ll do whatever it takes to save them and I mean whatever it takes. You know, maybe I thought, if I save them, I can save myself.”

Partner:  “Do you regret anything that you did today?”

Hero: “No. But then again, I don’t work for the FBI.”

Partner:” I don’t understand.”

Hero: “You took an oath. You made a promise to uphold the law. You cross that line, it always starts off with a small step. Before you know it, you’re running as fast as you can in the wrong direction just to justify why you started in the first place. These laws were written by much smarter men than me. And in the end, I know that these laws have to be more important than the fifteen people on the bus, I know that’s right. In my mind, I know that’s right. But I just don’t think my heart could ever have lived with that. I guess the only advice I can give you is try to make choices that you can live with.”

So folks, that’s my advice to you. Life can be difficult and eventually, we will all be faced with what seems to be an impossible situation. When no choice seems right, make the choice that is you can live with and have faith. We all have been granted the knowledge of right and wrong. We all have been given our agency to make whatever choices we choose.  But in the end, we all have to live with ourselves and God. Make sure that no matter what, when you look in the mirror, you can look yourself in the eye with self-respect, and dignity, and that on that final day, you will be able to say “I did the best that I could.”

A thought on happiness.

Happiness. Not even the Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail, or El Dorado is more often sought after. And yet, for some, it seems so elusive. Why is that? Why is it so hard to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I'm happy?" A lot of people think that we are entitled to happiness, especially here in the United States. I think that might be part of the problem, this sense of entitlement that is. No one ever promised happiness. The only guarantee we've ever been given is that no matter what, we are entitled to the pursuit of happiness. That's an interesting phrase isn't it: the pursuit of happiness? Our forefathers were wise when they first penned those words. I think they realized that happiness is not something freely given, but rather earned and they also realized that some wouldn't be willing to put in the effort to find it. Our country was founded on the belief that hard work and sacrifice is often necessary. Sometimes we have to put things ahead of our own wants and needs. Unfortunately I think that that principal has fallen on deaf ears when it comes to a lot of my own generation. A lot of people also believe that happiness is equal to the amount of money and stuff one can acquire. Realistically, I can say, that I do enjoy being able to go out to dinner, or to go rent a movie, but I don't think that's where true happiness comes from. Those things are just the icing on the proverbial cake. No, I think that true happiness can be found in the sense of purpose and service we find in our lives, in the relationships we enjoy, and in the small, quiet moments away from this loud and crazed world. Some of the happiest people I've known in my life were the quietest, most unimposing people. They been through good times and bad times, they'd lost loved ones, they'd endured hardships, but there were also four qualities that they all exhibited that I think are the true secrets to happiness. First, it seems to me that they'd lost themselves in the service of their fellow man. I guess what I mean is, they'd given up a portion of themselves in order to serve others: their time, money, or effort. Have you ever seen someone doing selfless service for another angrily? It seems almost impossible to me. The second quality that unites them is their family lives. One friend of mine goes home to his wife and dog each night in a small, rundown, one bedroom studio in a crime ridden part of the city. It’s kind of a bleak picture, not one that screams success. But every time he walks in that door, he has a smile on his face. He doesn't have the nicest car, or the latest electronic gadgets, or even a cell phone, but he has a wife who loves him dearly and a dog that thinks he walks on water. That is what makes him happy. Another man that I've always considered one of the happiest men I know is a small, unimposing man that works as a general handyman/plumber. Each day he comes home streaked with sweat, tired, dirty, and worn out, but he knows he's put in a good, honest day and that his wife and children will be waiting for him. He also has never failed to answer the call of those in need. His small, older home is always open to someone who needs a meal, or a place to stay. His heart breaks to see someone in need. He might not be the most successful, or the richest, but he is one of the happiest. The third quality they share is character. By this I mean they have committed themselves to upholding their morals, virtues, and ideals, no matter what. When you make that choice, the rest of life's choices become easy. They have decided to live their lives in such a way that at the end of the day, they can live with themselves. Nothing breeds unhappiness like a troubled conscious. It nags at you on and on until it either destroys you, or you right it. The last quality that they all exhibit is hope. Hope in faith, hope in themselves and their families, and hope in the world. Happy people are not cynics, or pessimists. They see the good in people. Each and every person you meet is fighting his or her own battles and undergoing their own struggles. When you see that, you see who they really are and why they act the way they do. When that happens, you can love them instead of getting angry or upset. So here's what it all boils down to: if you’re feeling unhappy, go find your wife/girlfriend, or your husband/boyfriend, or a sibling, or maybe mom and dad, and just give them a hug. The next time an argument springs up, remind yourself that whatever you’re arguing about probably isn't that important in the long run. Go out and make someone’s life better. Pay for the guy behind you's dinner, hold the door open for someone, stop and pick up the trash that someone left, whatever it is, serve your fellow man. Make up your mind about what you believe and stick to it, no matter what. Always try and make the choice that you can live with. After all, at the end of the day, the only person you have to answer to is yourself and God. Lastly, try and see the good in the world. Even with all its downfalls, good is out there. Just go out and find it! Try and do these things without a smile, I dare you!

A thought on failure.

One of the questions I always used to find myself asking was "What is my purpose here?" I used to have this plan for my life: where I wanted to be, how my family would turn out, what job I was going to have, even what kind of home I wanted. But I never could get all the pieces to fit together just right. If it wasn't one thing, it was something else. I went from always knowing success to all of a sudden knowing failure, defeat. No matter what I did, something would happen to dash my ambition. Failure. Its an interesting word. Its so negative, so final. I used to say that I'd never fail at anything I really wanted. I've learned that that's not true. In life, we will experience failure. We will be defeated. We will fall, sometimes through no fault of our own. That's just the way life works. But the true test is this: Will we get back up? No failure no matter how devastating and overwhelming is complete if we refuse to give up. I don't know if our destiny or fate is predetermined or not, I don't believe it is, but regardless, we must always retain hope that things will turn out however they are supposed to be. This has been such a hard lesson for me, but I think that perhaps I've finally come to understand it. Keep your hopes alive. Keep dreaming. Keep fighting!

A thought on choices.

Each and every choice we will make in this life comes with consequences, both good and bad, intended and unintended.  These consequences become our experience. When we make a choice, it becomes part of our history, of who we are. We become the sum total of our experiences. The key though, is to not let our past define us but rather to teach us how to become our better and best selves. Take each problem, each controversy, each argument, each dilemma, each trial, each puzzle, and each choice and learn from it. Put in your best effort, stand for what you believe in, and always try and do what’s right. Then move on and let go. Plain and simple.   

Unanswered prayers

The topic of unanswered prayers has been on my mind as of late. Its funny, I used to hope and pray, beg, plead, and negotiate for a particular outcome in matters that have arisen in my life. I used to believe that somehow, someway, if those outcomes could come to fruition, then my life would magically become happy, and that I would be fulfilled and satisfied. Well, as you can imagine, a lot of those prayers went unanswered, or so I believed. It now seems to me that had those prayers been answered in the way I'd wanted them to, I'd be a lot less happy than I am now. So, in a way, if happiness was what my prayers were truly about, then it seems as if they were indeed answered. Its a strange feeling to know that you were wrong about your own personal feelings and desires, but nonetheless, its one that I seem to be growing happily accustomed to. I guess these experiences are to become a testament to me of Divine wisdom.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

A Thought on Courage and the Courageous

In today’s world, many qualities are admired: wealth, power, beauty, even sarcasm.  Things like honor, and duty, and integrity are often undermined in the all-consuming rat race that now dominates the world. While wealth, power, and beauty are not inherently bad things, there are qualities that are more important, and that time is better spent pursuing. One of them is courage. Courage. One simple, two syllable word that represents so much of what the human spirit is comprised of. It never ceases to amaze me how much courage a single person can possess. I don’t speak of the false image of courage that society has painted for us; courage painted by a manipulation of facts, or exaggerated through embellishment and then paraded on T.V. , the newspaper, and over the radio. On the contrary, I speak of the quiet, determined, courage that only manifests itself under the direst of circumstances. This courage is as a chunk of coal; refined, and purified through tremendous pressure until a stunning diamond is created. This courage is rare. This courage does not manifest itself in victory, but far more often in failure. The courage that I speak of is found in those lonely souls who always seem to fight, and fight, and fight, and yet never seem to gain the inches that they so valiantly strive for but who continue to keep fighting anyway. The indomitable spirit, the need to persevere no matter what; that’s courage. You want to see courage? Don’t look for the mountain climber who climbs the tallest peaks, after all, he likes to climb mountains. Don’t look to the warrior who runs into battle, he’s trained to fight. Instead, look to the youth who has been dealt the lowest hand life has to offer, who has had his dreams trodden on for as long as he can remember and yet he still maintains his hope for a better life and seeks to change his circumstances.   That’s courage.  Often, the truly courageous are those who endure mortality’s hardships without complaint, with a smile upon their lips, thankful for the hope that this life provides for them.  They are often the quiet ones, going about their business without pride or vanity, seeking to make the world better than they found it.  To many, they may seem ordinary, unremarkable, and not worth a second glance. But underneath the exterior, lies the diamond in the rough. So the next time you need a hero, try and fine one of these people. Chances are you know one.    

A Thought on Standing for Something

I was reading a book entitled "Standing for Something" earlier today. One of the chapters is on honesty and integrity. These phrases might not mean much to some, but their importance could not be more paramount in the society in which we live. Far too often honor, virtue, integrity, and honesty are undermined and devalued by those whos' greed and lust for power demand the shortest possible route to "getting ahead," regardless of the consequences, the people they hurt, or the sacrifice of their own moral character. Fulfillment of personal desires become the all-consuming purpose of these peoples' lives. Promises are broken, character eroded, covenants shattered, families destroyed. Lies, greed, and lust become their cohorts. It is a never ending spiral downward into a life that is sure to be filled with heartbreak, despair, and mourning. Unfortunately the world we live in has made this type of life an all-too-possible reality for us all.  At our colleges and universities it has become almost expected for students to break underage drinking and illegal drug laws or to cheat on a test or two. At our businesses, it has become acceptable to cut corners in order to increase profit margins.  In our personal lives it has become OK to lie to our loved ones. Nearly daily the news services carry a story on some CEO or unscrupulous business man defrauding his company or his clients of money, or of some masked man holding up a store or bank. The picture is dark and bleak. It has been said that no man can be honest all the time. I disagree. It starts with an individual choice, a choice to stand for something! 

"Very Simply we cannot be less than honest, we cannot be less than true, we cannot be less than virtuous if we are to keep sacred the trust given us by those who have gone before us, or if we are to merit the trust and confidence of those with whom we live, work, and associate. Once it was said among our people that a man's word was as good as his bond. Shall any of us be less reliable, less honest than our fore bearers? Those who are dishonest with others canker their souls and soon learn that they cannot trust even themselves." -Gordon B. Hinckley "Standing for Something"

So my friends, stand for integrity and honesty, stand for honor and virtue. Stand for the truth and what is right. Plant your feet where you stand and refuse to yield even an inch to lies, deception, and greed. Seek after the good in life. When faced with a dilemma, always do the morally right thing, even if it isn't easy or popular. Be courageous in the fight for truth and justice. Be the person who's word really is as good as their bond, for if a man's word means nothing, of what worth is the man?