Thoughts on Nauvoo

This morning I was thinking about the experiences I have had in Nauvoo, Illinois (for those of you who don’t know, and who know about that area, it’s about 20 minutes North of Keokuk, IA, right on the river, just across from Montrose and the Galland School State Park Preserve. It’s a beautiful place.

I have been able to be in the Nauvoo Pageant (a Pageant my church puts on in the summer in Nauvoo), 4 different years. This last year I was on the tech crew and I was just thinking about that.

You know, there really is a special spirit there. It’s really amazing. As I was reflecting on my experiences there, I could just feel and remember what it was like to be in Nauvoo. It was as though I was back for a few seconds. I’d just like to recommend the place to everyone. If you live near there, go on! Take a Saturday and just check it out. If you don’t live nearby and you’re interested, I submit that it’s absolutely worth the airfare or the gas or whatever the cost is for the mode of transportation you will take. It’s an amazing place to be, and if you can apply for and be in the pageant, well, you will have an amazing experience. I did. To be there and participate in the pageant gave me a feeling of self-worth or perhaps just of significance. Even if you can just watch the pageant, I would recommend that you go. And even if you CAN'T watch the pageant, there are tons of historical sites to look at. Lots of things to know about the people who lived there. In any case, it’s amazing. But I don't think I can really describe how it feels to be there.

You’ll just have to check it out for yourself. :)

In Light of Recent Events

In Rexburg, on the 17th of April, a young man named Cody Simmons was found dead, and the assumption is that he committed suicide. My bishop talked with me and the other youth today concerning those events, and advised us to please, if we are feeling depressed, seek help. And he reminded us that it was definitely possible that the help we found and needed would be professional help. Professional counseling, or perhaps medication. I'd just like to second that.
Recently, I spoke with a friend about such issues. Unofficially, the term is called "scrupulosity." This is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder concerning theology, standards, and belief, where the subject is not obsessed about keeping things neat and clean in their environment, but rather about keeping their life in order; keeping themselves in check and confirming rigidly to their own standards and beliefs. This becomes an issue when the person is not able to forgive him/her self for what he/she has done; the mistakes that he/she has made. And it really is a hard thing to go through. I have empathy for those of you out there who have this problem, and I want to just tell you what I told that friend of mine.
Perhaps it is something just among certain members of the LDS church, but I think we believe that if we'll just have enough faith, everything will be all right. This is true in certain aspects of life; Jesus himself healed those in his lifetime who had faith that they would be healed. Certainly the healing power of Christ has the capacity to make us whole. But that does not mean we should disregard other methods of healing.
There is a scripture in 2 Nephi. It's chapter 25, verse 23:
23For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo. (italics added)
I think it's important to note that last part, "After all we can do." There are things we can do to help ourselves, and I think Heavenly Father is fine with that, as long as they are within the boundaries of reason. There is a very famous story in the church about Joseph Smith; when he was young, he had an infection in his leg. He was offered alcohol to help with the pain during the surgery, but he wouldn't take it. I think that was an intelligent thing to do. If your beliefs conflict with some activity, then I don't think you should participate in it. I don't think it would be wise, if you were a nervous person, to smoke cigarettes to calm your nerves, because I believe that Heavenly Father doesn't want us to do that, and I know that it harms our bodies. So for Joseph not to drink alcohol was a brave move. BUT, I have confidence that it is NOT in the beliefs of the church to avoid medication altogether: The following is an excerpt from a talk by M. Russell Ballard in the October 2010 session of General Conference:
"Now, brothers and sisters, please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I’m not questioning prescription medications for those suffering with treatable illness or great physical pain. They are indeed a blessing. What I am saying is that we need to carefully follow the doses prescribed by doctors. And we need to keep such medications in a safe place where youngsters or anyone else cannot gain access to them."
Elder Ballard's talk includes the dangers of addiction, including addiction to prescription medication, but he provides this disclaimer: That prescribed medication is not inherently evil. "It is indeed a blessing." I can see how it would be especially hard for those with the belief that medication was wrong AND with scrupulosity to submit to giving it a try. But, I sit here blogging this today and tell you that it is not wrong. An Apostle of the Lord has said that to take prescription medication is fine, so long as it is done in the right doses; appropriately. And personally, if medication for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Depression was not available to me, I don't know that I would be here today. I'm doing great now, but it is only through the help of medication and counseling. That brings me to my second point:
In my conversation with my friend, there were two things I asked him to give a chance: Counseling and Medication. We've talked about medication; let me talk about counseling. You might find yourself uncomfortable with the prospect of talking openly to someone about your problems, but I want to let you know that if you can give it a chance for a few sessions, and steer past those first bumpy parts, it can be a great benefit. These people can help you to work out big mental blocks and discrepancies in your thinking.
I know this is quite the post, but I just want to add my own personal opinion on the end. Another person I know talked today about the act of committing suicide, and deemed it as selfish. Let me say first that I am not advocating nor justifying suicide; far from it. I am advocating that you do what you can to help yourself to stop being depressed. Neither am I denying that indeed, when someone takes their own life, they are probably not thinking about the pain that they will cause their family, friends, acquaintances and fans when they leave. And you do have them. Don't think for a moment that you don't. You have people that look up to you, that love you, and that want the best for you. They don't have to be related to you to care about you. In that sense, suicide is selfish. A person who commits suicide is not thinking about others when he/she acts. But can you blame them?
How can people who are depressed have any time to think about anyone but themselves? Especially people with scrupulosity! They are busy focusing on being the best they can be and doing the best the can do! They're not going to take the time to look at someone else, because they have to focus so hard on keeping their standards. But those of you out there who are depressed or have a disease like this one, please, do yourselves a favor.
Get help.
I know that prayer helps in these situations, and that to turn to the Lord in times of need is more than just beneficial; it is essential for an optimal life. I also submit that it is indeed possible that the way the Lord will bless you when you ask for his help is by putting in your path a way to help yourself.
The family of Cody Simmons has my sympathies, and I hope that they will be comforted and assisted by their local neighborhood and community in this trying time. We will pray for you.

Macbook Air, Installment #1 (Review)

I am blogging this straight from my brand new 11" Macbook Air. It's got me kind of excited. I just wanted to comment on what I've discovered so far so you guys can take this review into account if you're thinking of buying a mac.
These are the Pros (heheh.... the Macbook Pros) First of all, the computer itself is pretty fast. I can turn it off and turn it on and it doesn't take much extra time. I can save battery life that way. Second, it's really light. I haven't lugged around any other computers through college, this is my first, but it's kind of like I don't have it in my backpack at all. It only weighs 2.3 pounds, according to Apple. Now a disclaimer: I'm majoring in English, so I don't think I'm going to need very much processing power. I'll just be writing stories and papers and stuff; using Pages or Word. That being said, I only just installed Microsoft office this morning and am VERY satisfied. Works like a charm. I haven't really tried anything yet that really stretches any limits for the computer internally, but I'll let you know after I do. I'll tell you what I think.
The Cons are... well, I don't really think there are many cons. Except the computer did cost me somewhere around $1250 (that's with a student discount of $50 and not including the Brenthaven case I also purchased with it which is ALSO very good, and which I will speak about in 2 paragraphs). As far as I am concerned, you can buy a good Macbook Pro for that. If you need a disk drive, that would probably be the way to go. However, if you are concerned about portability, and you feel you won't need a disk drive on the go, you can purchase a Superdrive with the Air ($79, I think). But in the end, you could probably take that with you too. It's pretty small. It just seems like a bulky idea to me. I think that the best idea for a person who needs a disk drive wherever they go is a Macbook Pro. It's built into the computer and you don't need to worry about not having enough USB ports (that's the port the Superdrive will take up if you buy one), of which the Macbook Air has 2, and only two. Which, I guess is sort of another disadvantage. Except that the Macbook Pro has the same amount. Also, the battery life is only 5 hours (but again, that's pretty close to the Macbook Pro, which is 7 hours. And If you decide to get a 13-inch Macbook Pro, you'll still have the full 7 hours).
Concerning a drive, personally, I think that to exclude a drive from the picture will encourage me to be more creative. I'll write my own stories. I'll make my own movies. That's just my theory, but I like the idea of having a computer that encourages me to write as an English major. To produce something and not just consume what the world has to offer (you can credit that idea to my aunt). And after all, I'm blogging to you, aren't I?
Now, the case. The case is a Brenthaven ProStyle 11" sleeve. It comes with a cleaning cloth and a little pocket to put it in. Which is beneficial. But to me, what's REALLY cool is that the inside is lined with faux fur, and the outside is water-resistant. It's not just a piece of fabric to put your computer in. It actually does offer some protection (and, if the computer had feelings, I'm sure it would be more than comfortable in the faux-fur lining).
Well, I think that's it for now. As I explore further the capacity, portability, and overall performance of this little machine, I'll keep you posted.

Starting My Second Semester

Well, today was the first day of my second semester here at BYU-Idaho. I thought i'd write about it.
Today, my classes were Mission Prep and German 101. From what I hear of my Mission Prep teacher, he's an amazing guy. He's served as an MTC president in [was it Guatemala?], and has gone on several missions, 2 with his wife. He looks to be an excellent teacher. He asked us today why we decided to be in that particular class. I just said that I thought I should be preparing more for a mission, and thought that would be a good way to do it. For those readers out there who are not familiar with my religion, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Male members of the church are expected to serve a proselyting mission when they reach the age of 19. Of course, it is still our decision, but the church strongly encourages it. That's the reason I'm taking this class. BYU-I is basically an LDS University (though those who are not members of the church can still be accepted if they are in good standing with the church and its standards), and so a lot of classes relating to our religion are taught here. It's nice to be able to take that kind of a class in that kind of an environment. Wouldn't it be awesome (those of you who are religious) to be able to attend a large school where the large majority of your classmates were of your religion, and had your standards, and took classes in your religion with you? That's how it is here. You should visit sometime.
Now, my German class was okay, but it almost got off to a bad start. I left my house at 10:45 in my car, and I only live a block away from campus. A friend has recommended to me that I leave for classes 30 minutes early to counterbalance any unforeseen circumstances. Good advice. It took me 30 minutes to find a parking spot. I was ALMOST late to my class, but I think I got in just in time (at least, before he took attendance) It probably would've looked pretty bad to be late to class on the first day. The only seat left was on the front row. But ANYWAY, what we learned today was how to ask for someone's name and how to respond to such a question. To ask what someone's name is, you say "Wie Hießen Sie?" in a formal setting, and, "Wie Hießt Du?" in an informal setting (The 'ß' is basically just pronounced as an 's,' and Ws as Vs. The 'S' in Sie is pronounced with a Z sound) The response is, "Ich Hieße (insert name here)" In a formal setting you use a title (Herr for males and Frau for females) with your last name (i. e. Herr Davis), and in an informal setting you just use your first name (i. e. Ich Hieße Gabe).
Anyway, today was mostly good. Tomorrow I have 4 classes: German 101, Doctrines of the Gospel (another church-related class), Philosophical Thinking, and The Developing World. Wish me luck.

P. S. This is kind of for your guys' benefit, you readers out there (sort of). If I'm putting in too many boring details, just let me know.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies (or the people of Ammon)

I promised I was going to give you a post every week at least, and so I was trying to think today of what to write about. Nothing very interesting has happened to me this week. I registered for classes and purchased my books, one of which is for a philosophy class. I read the introduction yesterday, and it’s made me really excited for the class itself and for the opportunity to learn more about philosophy. I have all the classes I can register for before the semester starts set in place, and so that makes me happy. I’m all set. I also bought a computer, an 11” Macbook Air. But I’ll write more about that when it comes. I want to write a solid review about it so that those of you who are looking to buy a computer can take it into account. I’m not sure what my conclusions will be.

In any case, what I want to write about today (since it is Sunday, and that’s probably the day I put the most effort into my spiritual progression) is a verse in Alma 27, and an incredible example of faith. Verse number 28:

"And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it."

Now, the first thing I want to do is put this in context. The verse is about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (or the people that Ammon and his brethren converted to the church). They have made a covenant with the Lord to no longer use their weapons of war, and they bury them in the ground so that they will not be stained with blood. They change their ways and become people of the Lord. But that bit isn’t what I want to focus on. It’s the last part that interests me the most:

“they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.” (portion of Alma 27:28, italics added).

If you look at the bottom of the page where this is found in the Book of Mormon, you will find that the time period in which the events surrounding the verse are occurring is between 90 and 77 BC. Now, we know from the system widely accepted for counting years that BC means, “Before Christ.” This is 90 to 77 years before Christ is born, and yet death is still swallowed up to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies by the victory of Christ over it. They have no temporal confirmation that he will be born, and certainly no conformation that he has been born because he hasn’t yet. Nor do they have any confirmation that he has undergone the steps which they believe will lead to his victory of death, and no confirmation that he has been resurrected. Now, I’m not trying to tamp down anyone’s faith. This is what I know: That Jesus Christ does live, and he loves us, that I have felt the healing effects of his Atonement in my life, and that there is a world after this one, where we can be with our families again forever. I'm just trying to point out that it amazes me that these people, who have not heard tell of Jesus in the flesh, can believe that he will exist, and that he will have a victory over death. And then that they apply that principle, and have no fear of death, because of the incredibly firm faith that they have. It impresses me and is a great example of faith in the Savior.

Personal Revelation

No, I'm not going to go into detail as to what I have been asking about, and what I have felt I should do, but I would just like to post a post about Personal Revelation.
I want to say that Personal Revelation is an effective tool. To have the opportunity to kneel, and talk to your Heavenly Father one-on-one, and feel the spirit as he answers your prayers and your questions is a real privilege. I am grateful for such experiences. I have a testimony that Heavenly Father has plans that he wants us to be privy to. To pray and open yourself up so that he can relate those plans to you is a privilege and a great opportunity for us. It can help us to attain direction and (even if we don't know all parts of the plan) comfort that we are on the path which our Father would like us to be on.

Teaching, Learning, and Repentance

I had the opportunity today to teach at church. My calling is to teach Primary, and so normally I teach the 11-year old boys of the ward with my fellow ward-member, Mike Tatum. Today, however, I had the opportunity to teach the fellow members of my Priests quorum. Our leader called me earlier in the week and asked me to teach, and told me that the lesson was #12. Repentance. I didn't think much of it at all (which probably explains why I didn't prepare for it until last night). I figured that I'd be able to manage teaching it, so I didn't put much into it, which was a mistake. I think that both it and my Primary lesson could've gone better if I had spent a little more time preparing. And that's one of the lessons I learned today: that I need to spend more time preparing to teach. I need to take my calling more seriously.
In any case, my favorite lesson to teach was the Priesthood one. And I'd like to attest to two things: First, the Priests and Teachers (they ended up being in the same class) in my ward are amazing guys. And I'm not bragging about my quorum, I'm saying that each and every one of them are great. They listened intently, really took the time to read the scriptures I assigned them, and, in short, really helped me to get through the lesson. Second, the Aaronic Priesthood Lesson Manual is AWESOME. All I did was follow the suggested lesson development, and it went great (though I still think I should've prepared more).
To give you some more background on why I thought this lesson was so awesome, let me just say that I've been having a hard time forgiving myself for the things I've done. But teaching this lesson, bearing my testimony about the power of the repentance process, and giving something back really helped me to feel like I had made restitution. I taught something which I had experience in and helped to testify that to repent of your sins is the best way to go. A huge burden is lifted, and you can continue to go about your life, knowing that you are doing your best.This is from the Manual, and was a great insight for me:
"Emphasize that repentance is more than overcoming particular sins. It involves turning away from all sin. It involves reaching the point where we no longer have any desire for sin. Through repentance we stop sinning completely. (Italics added)"

Today is Fast Sunday. and I don't feel comfortable going up to the pulpit and bearing my testimony in front of my whole ward, so I thought I'd just blog it:
I know that the Savior lives and loves us and that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us and that the Holy Ghost is a real being who, if we will let him, will assist us through our lives and help us to make the right decisions. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know from my experiences in Nauvoo that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the account he has given of his vision of the Father and the Son is true. I know that the repentance process, though it can hurt deeply, is so important and will help you feel better than you have before. I know that Thomas S. Monson, the prophet of the church, is a Prophet and a good man. I know that, because the Book of Mormon is true, and Joseph Smith was a prophet, and we have living prophets on the Earth today, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. If you have not yet looked into the church, please do.

Review: Quantum Mechanics and Parabolic Calculus - Source Code

So, though I hope to post more significant topics, ideas, and discussions in the future, I went and watched  Source Code tonight and just wanted to write about it. I won't give anything away.

First of all, I'll just say that it was a good experience for me to just go see a movie. It was fun. I needed to get out of the house and do something. And there's not much to do in Rexburg recreationally (at least, not outdoors) after a recent snowfall like the ones we had today.

In any case, I thought it was an interesting movie. The ideas pertaining to the Source Code itself were mind-bending. I had to sit there for a minute as the credits rolled and everyone was leaving, trying to wrap my brain around what had just happened. There are a few surprises not contained in the trailers that the movie springs on you. It makes the whole film a lot more interesting. I enjoyed it.

One thing I thought might've made things more interesting was more information about the antagonist, or more character development or something. He/she (I don't want to give anything away) was intriguing, but sort of hard to appreciate (and, by appreciate, I mean, conjure any real emotions about). I thought they might've elaborated on the character, but maybe that was the point. You don't get time to learn about the characters on the train.

After all, you only have eight minutes.

P. S. For those of you out there who are sticklers about swearing (and I'm not saying I'm not, and I'm not condemning you or anything...), I'll have you know that Jake Gyllenhaal does drop a 4-letter f word. Might want to take it into consideration. Just letting you know.

Prologue, as it were

My name is Gabriel Truman Davis, and I go by Gabe. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am currently attending college at Brigham Young University - Idaho (or BYU-Idaho or BYUI, for short), and Majoring in English with an emphasis in Literary Studies, and a minor in Music (not because it has anything to do with my major). I plan on using my education to write books, poetry, and/or short stories. I am just about to start my second semester.

At the conclusion of my second semester, my birthday will be near. It is an expectation of Young Men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to serve a proselyting mission when they reach the age of nineteen. This August will be my nineteenth birthday. Therefore, I am going to be beginning the process of preparing for, requesting, and receiving a mission call in the very near future.

In the meantime, I blog.