This week's spiritual thought will again come from the weekly Book of Mormon reading, but I encourage my other Christian friends to stick around, as the message I believe is universal. The messages in these verses seem to apply to today's times, as several of my friends have remarked in social media.
This story centers around the people of Nephi ... not the original Nephi, but the one that comes later around 10BC. Nephi was the designated prophet, and he told his people repeatedly that they needed to repent. He performed all sorts of miracles. A couple of weeks ago we read about how his father (also called Nephi) and uncle saw angels along with hundreds of people. And then how he predicted the death of their governor with great detail, but the people on the most part ignored all that.
And then last week it was about Samuel the Lamanite prophesying about the night that would be day and a new star that would appear in five years to mark the birth of the coming Messiah near Jerusalem.
This week, the sign finally happens -- there's a night as bright as day -- and a lot of people repent. There was no denying that the sign was of God. Or was there?
Only a few years pass, and a large group of people say: that sign was a work of magic or sorcery. I don't believe it really happened. And the people go back to being wicked.
And I'm all: really? Can people really be that blind?
Yes, they can. I see it all the time today, and have myself fallen victim to this very trap. Every time it's the same thing: people rationalize the obvious away. It's usually something they don't want to hear, so they ... make stuff up.
In the case of these "Nephites," they wanted to be wicked. So, it was easier to come up with crazy explanations for what actually happened. Because ... if it didn't happen, then it becomes okay to be wicked.
In the case of politics, no one wants to hear that their candidate is bad, so people tend to surround themselves with articles as to why their candidate is good, and why the other candidate is bad. And will also prefer to read apologetics as to answer allegations against their own candidate. However, we should all know that there is bad in every candidate ... so if you're hearing that your candidate is perfect, that should be a big sign that you're ignoring something. This phenomenon is usually referred to as "confirmation bias" in today's nomenclature.
As a mathematician, modeler, programmer, and logistician, I feel like I'm in tune with all the happenings with the coronavirus. It's all very clear to me what's all going on. I can see all the people dying all around the world, and I can see which countries are enjoying success, and how they're accomplishing it. I mean ... it's very easy to see. I try to describe this to others, and sometimes I'm dumbfounded when many people come up with the craziest stuffs. I feel like I'm this Nephi character trying to help people see the simple truth, but then I'm met with people who don't want to hear it -- all so they can feel good about not wearing masks?
And yes, I know I'm not immune. I can be stubborn. I think all we humans are made to be stubborn. That can be both good and bad. But I do know an important principle we should all consider:
There are signs everywhere, and sometimes they are as clear as day. With as many signs as there are, there are going to be some that you do not want to hear. You could choose to ignore the sign, but then you might miss the warning and/or blessings. If, on the other hand, you choose to consider the sign and act upon it, then you might be able to change your course and do something to avoid that punishment or gain that blessing.
In other words, I think it would be in our best interests to consider ALL signs -- even the ones we don't want to hear. The ones that we miss could mean everything in the world to us, and we might not know until it's too late.
So, go out there and keep your eyes open. Be prepared to see and hear what don't want to see and hear, and then you will be better prepared for what comes next.
Edited at 3:30 PM -- someone pointed out that I was mixing up Nephi - the son of Helaman with Nephi - the son of Nephi (the son of Helaman who was also the son of Helaman). And yes, I understand the confusion ... I'm named after my father, and some people thought I had died a few years ago. Anyway ... blog post fixed.
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