Unity

n. peace, summation

v. mix, join, blend, tie

adj. harmonious

adv. together

conj. and

I titled my blog An Experience in Humanity on that day oh-so-long-ago because I wanted to capture and share the wonderful and sometimes difficult lessons of this short experience of mortality; the brief time in our eternal progression in which we share a common bond known as humanity.  I've learned many lessons over my relatively few years here, and I know that I still have many more to learn in the years to come.

And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, 

from all eternity to eternity.  

Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; 

and thus may all become my sons.

-Moses 6:67

I've often wondered about the driving purpose of this mortal earth experience.  I don't pretend to know the full richness of The Fall, The Atonement, or obtaining physical bodies and eternal families, but I do have a personal and motivating understanding of them. The primary answers fit nicely onto a chalk board schematic, but they often leave me with more questions than they answer.  Yes, the Fall started the process, the Atonement rectifies the Fall, and our bodies and families can become eternal.  But why are we here? Why humanity on earth? If God knows the outcome of all things, why not just skip this part and move forward in our assigned heavenly roles?

There are many answers to these questions, some of which I am beginning to slowly understand (line upon line, and precept upon precept), but the one which seems to encompass them all is the concept of unity.

...that they may become the sons of God, 

even one in me as I am one in the Father,

as the Father is one in me,

that we may be one.

-D&C 35:2

This human experience is a lesson in unity - in 'becoming one' - in many ways and on many different levels; uniting our spirits with our physical bodies (overcoming the natural man), becoming one with an eternal companion (becoming one flesh), becoming united with all fellow children of God (building Zion), and being of one mind with God (thy will be done). All other lessons, attributes, and concepts complement and contribute to the unification process: love, forgiveness, patience, prudence, temperance, sacrifice, understanding, learning, humility, endurance, submissiveness, meekness, gentleness, loyalty, trust, faith, hope, mercy, peace and joy are all things we must experience and cultivate in order to become truly unified.

And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man...it must needs be that there was an opposition;
2 Nephi 2:15

Of course, those attributes are often only discovered and refined through difficult experiences.  Opposition and hardship are necessary for growth.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.

If not so,...righteousness could not be brought to pass, 

neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.

Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one;

2 Nephi 2:11

But not all oppositional circumstances need be so adverse or contradictory as 'happiness and sorrow' or 'joy and pain'.  Many lessons in unity come from the merging of contrasting and diverse concepts, situations, attributes, and individuals.  Humility is a balance of pride and self-loathing. Men and women are different for eternal purposes.  All relationships benefit from some difference and opposition.  Some of the most intimate and beneficial friendships I've had are with people who appear to be the complete opposite of myself - we balance one another, learning from our differences, pulling towards one another until we grow enough to meet in the middle, each richer for being forced to stretch beyond ourselves to reach that common ground.  It takes two different, opposite, and complete halves to make a whole - separate souls to 'become' one.

One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions.

Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

In filling the pages of this 'Experience in Humanity' I'm going to focus on how my mortal journeyings help me to better understand this concept of unity, of becoming one.  I will share with you, through my thoughts, my experiences, my photos, my quotes and my art, (and yes, occasional boring and overly philosophical ramblings) my strivings to find and understand my God, my other, and my purpose in this beautiful stage of eternal life. And I hope that my sharing will somehow enable your growth and striving as well, and help you to find the many blessings and experiences God has in store for you.