Where Your White City Shines

Hello all! I'm back in the electronic world again. The weather in Boston has, so lamentably, taken a turn for the  cooler and we've gone straight from t-shirts to warm sweaters and jackets - no long sleeve t's or cardigan weather in between.  But - good news - that does mean , in combination with other factors, that I will have more indoor time for writing posts. :)  Sad news - that also means that the summer sunlight is fading and beautiful outdoor sunlit days are getting shorter (sunrise/sunset are decreasing by a minute each every day - a much to rapid pace if you ask me).

I love natural light.  I just finished my first series of Arabic classes today and one of the many new words I learned - and one of the few I always remember - is noor.  It means 'light'.  (I wish I could figure out how to type it in Arabic calligraphy here for you - it's a beautiful language both vocally and visually.)

Anyway, I'm working on another post right now, but a friend of mine just shared this video (she's in it) and I thought I would share it with all of you.  Unfortunately, she only posted it on facebook instead of YouTube or some other publicly accessible website, so I can only share the link and you'll have to have a FB account and log in in order to view it.  It was made by a friend of hers and is composed entirely of still photographs - roughly 800.  It's beautiful. (listen to the lyrics too...) And it's about light.

Towards the Light Music Video

Things as They Really Are

Our spirit and our body are combined in such a way 
that our body becomes an instrument of our mind and the foundation of our character.

-Boyd K.Packer

"The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. 
Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are,
and of things as they really will be;
wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly,
for the salvation of our souls."
Jacob 4:13

I have been working on multiple posts for several weeks, but have not yet posted them. Not because I don't know what to write - in fact, it's quite the opposite in that I often feel like I have too much to write - but because I haven't been able to make myself sit down at my computer long enough to finish one. I admit, I have a love/hate relationship with my computer, and my cell phone, and my alarm clock..... 

It's somewhat ironic, as this post is related to and a result of the post I am currently working on, the topic of which has led me make an effort to spend less time at my computer, but is something I earnestly wish to share. Don't worry, I will get there and will hopefully have it edited and up to par by next week. 

So, what is it that has caused me to neglect my blog so soon after making a commitment to post more often? It will become more apparent with my next post, but you can read these two articles now to more fully understand.  

The first article -Things as They Really Are -  is a talk by Elder David A. Bednar that I read in the Ensign several months ago. It really resonated with me and makes a strong statement about the need for balance between the benefits and detriments of modern communication technologies:

We live at a time when technology can be used to replicate reality, to augment reality, and to create virtual reality....I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies, and music.

Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience....Progressively, seemingly innocent entertainment can become a form of pernicious enslavement.

To feel the warmth of a tender hug from an eternal companion or to see the sincerity in the eyes of another person as testimony is shared—all of these things experienced as they really are through the instrument of our physical body—could be sacrificed for a high-fidelity fantasy that has no lasting value. If you and I are not vigilant, we can become “past feeling”... 

I am not suggesting all technology is inherently bad; it is not. Nor am I saying we should not use its many capabilities in appropriate ways to learn, to communicate, to lift and brighten lives, and to build and strengthen the Church; of course we should. But I am raising a warning voice that we should not squander and damage authentic relationships by obsessing over contrived ones.

Let me say again: neither technology nor rapid change in or of itself is good or evil; the real challenge is to understand both within the context of the eternal plan of happiness.

The second article - Reconnect Your Brain - is one that was shared by a friend today (online no less) and got me reminiscing about my time in Haiti and longing for a 'technology free' vacation from the world.  I have to say, that while cell phones and email have so many wonderful benefits, I often miss the days when I wasn't expected to be available and connected all the time.  

I've often thought about the possibility of cutting out certain technologies from my daily life - but realize that removing myself from the progression of the world is not the most beneficial or realistic option. It's not about rejecting or avoiding technologies, but prioritizing and managing the precedence they take in my life. 

Elder Bednar offered two questions for consideration when making decisions about technology use:

1.  Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?

2.  Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?

So, never fear - my reasons for not posting lately (and so soon after making a promise to post more often) have nothing to do with becoming 'stagnant' again.  I just, quite simply, am spending more time outside enjoying the wonderful summer weather - unplugged from electrical outlets and connecting with other people in a more 'natural' way.  And don't worry, I'll still be working on creating interesting and meaningful posts...they just may be a little more spread out while the rare and all too short New England summer sun is shining. 

Speaking of enjoying, connecting, and reminiscing, here are a few of my favorite experiences of past 'natural life connections' made possible to capture and share with you through modern technology. :)

Random outbursts of silliness and joy...

...memories of Haiti...

...adventures with family and friends...

...and happy moments shared with loved ones.

Now - go outside, enjoy what's left of summer, hug someone, laugh a lot, and ignore the urge to plug in and check my blog for at least a week. :)

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.