Vicissitudes and Victories

We Won

BYU 31 TCU 17, Way to go BYU!! That's how you beat the #17 team in the country.

posted by Joel @ 7:38 AM 0 comments

Rexburg Temple

posted by Joel @ 8:33 PM 0 comments

Repairs

My roommates and I have a leaky shower. One day my roommate Phillip was in the shower and we heard dripping downstairs. We saw water coming out of the roof and we stopped using the shower. We immediately called our landlord, and she came to check out the problem. She was grateful that we noticed the problem before it did any significant damage. She told us not to use the shower and promised that she would get a plumber here as soon as possible. It has now been over a week and we still haven't heard anything from the plumber. Even more sad is the fact that we haven't heard from our landlady. My roommate Andrew emailed her a week after our initial call, and she responded that it would get fixed soon, but it has been several days since that communication, initiated by us mind you, as well. For this whole time, all of us have had to share my roommate's shower. He is kind of a germ-a-phobe and really dislikes this, but knows that it is part of the roommate experience.

My dilemma is: How nice is too nice? I know that the Lord will never punish us for being charitable, but how much responsibility do I have to try and help my landlord fill her responsibilities? Tonight I wrote her a genial, but urgent letter. I think if nothing happens tomorrow my other roommate is planning on writing a letter that will be not nearly as nice. It is just frustrating when you are paying for a service that you are not receiving. That is just bad business. So where do you draw the line? Patience is a virtue, but it doesn't mean letting someone step all over you. It just means that we should treat others like we want to be treated ourselves. So I wrote my nice letter, and I hope my landlady responds quickly. I don't want the cycle of trust broken.

posted by Joel @ 11:36 PM 0 comments

Sunday

Sunday is rapidly becoming a day to tackle big questions about myself and the world around me. How can Ashley and I improve our relationship even more? What can I do now to prepare myself to become a good husband and father? Why must some people suffer so much more than others? What difference can I make? Why can't I stop smiling when she's around? How can I reach out to those around me? What is the best balance in my life?

posted by Joel @ 10:24 PM 0 comments

She's Here

So I probably won't have much time to blog this weekend. I hope you understand:)

posted by Joel @ 7:54 AM 0 comments

Tomorrow Night's the Big Night

Tomorrow is the day!!
Hooray! Hooray!!
I can't wait to see you Ash!

posted by Joel @ 10:26 PM 0 comments

Run and Hide--I'm Contagious

Today the University of Illinois informed me that I have not turned in my immunization records in compliance with the law of Illinois. The long and the short of the message was that I am a health hazard until they see my records. The funny thing is that I actually have had many more immunizations than are actually necessary because I served a mission in South America. I just think it is funny that the University of Illinois is so worried about my health.

posted by Joel @ 10:27 PM 0 comments

Context and Understanding

I have focused on religious issues for the last two days, but I have something else that I want to think about through my fingers tonight. I was discussing the situation with my roommate about the pope and the comments he made in his recent speech in Germany that inflamed the Muslim world. He expressed the opinion that journalists that reported the incident in an inflammatory way should be held partially responsible for the deaths caused by raging Muslim radicals in Somalia. I defended the reporters at some level--trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I always try and see the world from the perspective of the people that I might have occasion to criticize. I tried to point out the complicated and pressure-filled world which reporters inhabit. He tried to explain to me that blatant misstatement and misrepresentation is a crime. I tend to agree that there is no excuse for blatant misrepresentation. Reporters should not disregard certain evidence regarding a story in order to present a more inflammatory headline. I also agree that reporters that purposefully lie hold some responsibility for the actions that such words incite. I pointed out that the killers hold primary responsibility. News stories simply gave the radical Muslims an excuse to commit crimes that they already wanted to commit--to express hate that they already felt. I am still not sure what level of responsibility I am ready to place on reporters. I read through the New York Times coverage of the story, and felt that their reporting was more than fare. But I don't know about how others wrote about the incident. I am trying my best to understand both the situation and my roommate.

posted by Joel @ 9:40 PM 0 comments

More Thoughts about Heeding

I have recently been intrigued by a General Conference talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks called "Alternate Voices" (April 1989) about heeding the Savior and avoiding alternate voices that would lead us astray. Elder Oaks presents the parable of the Good Shepherd given by the Savior in response to the Pharasaical question "are we blind also?" Jesus had just healed the man born blind, and this man had in the process of being healed had come to know Jesus as his Savior. The contrast between the blind man that came to see both physically and spiritually and the blind Pharisees that supposed knew the law presented the perfect moment for Jesus' parable. He said, "But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. . .I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep and am known of mine." (John 9:40; 10:2-4, 14)

The lesson is well taken that those who know their Savior, hear His voice. I have continued to think today about when it is appropriate to listen to prophets and apostles trusting their words as revelations, or how to know when they are giving their own opinions. Yesterday I postulated with Elder J. Reuben Clark that the responsibility was on all of us to have the Spirit in order to know when apostles and prophets are speaking by revelation. Elder Oaks's talk taught me why this is possible: because the Lord's sheep hear his voice. That is what distinguishes the faithful from those with hard hearts--the faithful open their hearts so that the spirit can place truth in their souls in the form of faith. They give Him their will and do everything they possibly in order to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. Because they have the spirit, they hear the voice of the Savior through the scriptures; they hear His voice in the words of the living prophets and apostles whenever and wherever these men speak under the influence of the spirit. They even hear the Master's voice in the testimonies of the weak and simple. As they hear His voice, they become progressively more like Him and are often chosen to be instruments in the Lord's hands themselves (in a variety of different callings).

I have not reached a level of spiritual understanding to the point that I always hear when the Savior calls. I wouldn't even say that I hear His voice a majority of the time, but I believe that it is real. I believe it is possible to hear the Savior's voice with greater regularity, and this knowledge drives me to open my ears to hear and my heart to understand. I am not sure that the Lord has blessed me with a complete understand of the process, but I know that this doctrine of revelation tastes good.

posted by Joel @ 9:08 PM 0 comments

Questions

For the past few days I have really contemplated the place of prophets and apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of which I am a member. Our church believes that anything that one of these men states while under the influence of the Holy Ghost is scripture. I understand and argue wholeheartedly with this principle. What I start to question at times is the matter of personal opinions among the brethren--especially when these opinions sometimes contradict each other. I don't want to assume that inspiration is a rare thing among these great and good men. I believe that they hold a vibrant and dynamic relationship with our Heavenly Father. But how can I account for opinion?

I think the answer can be found in a quote from President J. Reuben Clark, a former member of the First Presidency in a talk he gave in 1954. The scriptures explain that good doctrine tastes good, and this statement tastes like good doctrine to me. President Clark said, "How shall we know when the things they have spoken were said as they were 'moved upon by the Holy Ghost?' I have given some thought to this question, and the answer thereto so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are 'moved upon by the Holy Ghost' only when we, ourselves, are 'moved upon by the Holy Ghost.' In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us to determine when they so speak." (When are the Writings of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?, 7 July, 1954)

I don't find perfect comfort in these words only because I know I don't always walk completely with the spirit and neither do most people, but it does give me a solid gauge to understand and evaluate the words of the prophets and apostles. It also motivates me to be more worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost in order to know and feel truth within the gospel.

posted by Joel @ 11:36 PM 0 comments

The Graduate Student Life

For the last two days I have been fulfilling much of my higher purpose as a graduate student: acquire free, and tasty food. Having the opportunity to talk about my work to interesting is pretty cool as well.

posted by Joel @ 10:23 PM 0 comments

Big Question for the Night

Why does society accept Japanese American men into leadership positions more easily than most other minorities?

posted by Joel @ 12:15 AM 0 comments

Busy

So much to do, so little time, but Ashley comes in a week. Hooray!!

posted by Joel @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

Gratitude

I just love my life. I am in an exciting PhD program with the opportunity to play with many exciting ideas and work with many brilliant people. I have good roommates and a nice roof over my head. I have been born in a time when the fullness of the gospel is on the earth, and I have the opportunity to know about it and to try and commune personally with my Savior. I have a wonderful family who love and support me in everything I do. I have a vehicle that runs well and gets me where I need to go. I have wonderful friends who help and sustain me. And more than anything else, I have a fantastic fiance who makes me feel like the luckiest man on earth because she wants to be mine. I am so blessed that, in many ways, I almost feel undeserving of so many blessings. All I can say is "thank you" to everyone that has helped me become who I am. I stand on all of your shoulders as one of the least that mankind has to offer, but also, for some crazy reason, one of the most blessed.

posted by Joel @ 11:51 PM 0 comments

Adventures in "Elementary" Auto Repair

Today I replaced the turn signal flasher in my Bravada. This little gadget connects the mechanical arm on the steering wheel to the actual turn signal lights on the front and back of your car. It has a tendency, just like a fuse, to burn out after a while. The only difficult thing about this nifty little device is that it is found underneath the dashboard of my car. To get to the wicked device I had to loosen a ton of awkward bolts and screws as well as spend quite a bit of time laying on my back with my feet sticking out of the car in the rain. The whole process took several hours and required a trip to purchase a rachet set. When I finished, the car was absolutely as good as new. Needless to say, I don't really believe in the concept of elementary auto repair.

posted by Joel @ 11:30 PM 0 comments

Who Would You Invite to Your Wedding?

I have recently been racking my brain against this question as I try to prepare a list of the people I would like to invite to the wedding and the reception. The personal criteria that I established for inviting people to the reception is that they must be someone who has impacted my life or the life of my family in a meaningful way. These qualifications, however, have left me with quite a daunting list of people for whom I need to acquire contact information. The data gathering process now starts. Wish me luck.

posted by Joel @ 9:25 PM 0 comments

Pride

I have been thinking about the nature of pride tonight, and especially about how this ugly beast rears its head in my own life. If I let myself think too hard and not feel enough, I can easily start to feel superior to other people because I know more than them. I think that many of us in academic fields of study start to see society hubristically because we feel that the people around us don't understand as much about the world and its ways as we do. This tendency permeates throughout the Mormon community as well. Many well-informed Latter-day Saints look down on other members because they supposedly have a more shallow knowledge of the gospel and its principles. At times I just feel frustrated with all intellectual pride, for when we are learned we think we are wise and we hearken not unto the counsels of the Lord.

Yet by judging them for being judgmental, I am no better than they are. And I'm not, though sometimes the natural man inside of me would very much like to convince me of the contrary. Men judge according to the outward appearance or the intellect, but God looks at men's hearts. When Jesus Christ was on the earth, he looked at every person and fundamentally knew each person's heart. He did not favor the handsome or the beautiful; Isaiah said that Christ Himself had no form or comeliness. Christ did not favor the learned; He utterly despised and condemned the hypocritical Pharisees and the intellectually permissive Saducees. Nevertheless, the Savior told all men to follow Him. To the woman taken in adultery He said, "Come." To the repentant publican He said. "Come." To the overzealous zealot He said, "Come." To the thieves on the cross He said, "Come." To each and every Nephite in Bountiful He said, "Come."

The incredible thing about Christ was that he really was better than everybody else. He was the only person who could be completely proud about his actions, knowledge, and behavior. Instead He took every single person at their own level of spiritual development and offered them His life. He was perfectly patient, He was perfectly understanding, and He was perfectly merciful. What an example for all of us prideful academics! I might submit that the newest and most blatant type of prejudice is not according to color, or class, or gender but it is along intellectual lines. The sooner that all of us so-called "intellectuals" realize that we are no better than anyone else, the sooner we will really come to understand the true nature of humanity.

posted by Joel @ 11:33 PM 0 comments

Racism

Today in my seminar class we discussed the nature of race and ethnicity. We discussed many interesting things, but I ended up pondering a question brought up in a debate between Barbara Fields and Alden T. Vaughan about the nature of racism. These two academics were presenting a chicken or egg argument about whether racism or slavery came first in American History. Vaughan seemed to present some pretty compelling evidence proving that blacks came almost universally to the United States as slaves. Yet Vaughan conclusions do not prove that racism is innate or inherent in the human psyche. Racism is a construction created by human beings when we see someone as being less human than ourselves. I believe that there was a historical moment when racism was created, and ever since then, we as enlightened human beings have been trying to fight it.

posted by Joel @ 10:28 PM 0 comments

Vicissitudes and Victories

This blog has now reached readers on six continents. I don't know if anyone reads it more than once, but I welcome all national, international, and local readers. I would pontificate more about the significance of a truly international readership, but I am in the midst of writing a paper for a seminar tomorrow. Nevertheless, I hope that everyone feels welcome as I blog about the world as I see it--full of joy and sorrow. Since I began writing this blog, I have seen many endings: i.e. graduations, deaths in the family, breakups. I have also seen many happy beginnings: my engagement, my entrance on the road to the PhD, births in the family. I hope that my thoughts will help bring understanding, peace, and joy as all of you face the impending vicissitudes and victories of life!

posted by Joel @ 12:09 AM 0 comments

Ashley

posted by Joel @ 10:45 PM 0 comments

A Mormon Intellectual

One thing that I learned but didn't discuss last night was how amazing it is to be a Mormon in graduate school. The community created amongst the members of my church here in Champaign gives me the opportunity to hang out with all different types of students both graduate and undergraduate, both male and female, both humanistic and scientific. The church community to which I belong gives me a greater network in which to share my ideas and listen to the ideas of others. It keeps my intellectual pursuits grounded in the realms of real and interesting interaction.

posted by Joel @ 11:49 PM 0 comments

Being a History Major

Being a History PhD student is a great gig. I get to think, learn, and grow every day as I encounter some of the best scholarly minds in the world each and every day.

posted by Joel @ 11:47 PM 0 comments

Whiteness of a Different Color

Since I read so much for my major, I've decided to post book reviews and summaries on my blog for the books that I am reading. Today I finished reading a book by the above name about the creation of race by Matthew Frye Jacobson. Jacobson's premise is that the nature of what it means to be considered "white" has changed over time. He argues that the Founding Fathers gave the right to vote to all white males which encompassed the majority of European immigrants at the time. Jacobson argues that Americans began to doubt this unified and white racial identity in 1840 with the entrance of large numbers of Irish immigrants fleeing the Irish Potato Famine. Anglo-Saxon and Protestant Americans perceived the Irish as Celts--members of a completely different and obviously inferior race. White people extended their ideas about racial inferiority to Italians, Greeks, Jews, and Slavs. All of these marginal groups fell outside the accepted definition of whiteness at one time in American history.

The initiation of a more inclusive perception of whiteness began in 1924 when the United State's immigration laws severely limited all immigration from places viewed as inferior. As first generation immigrants remained out of sight, a more unified definition of whiteness began to develop in contrast to other racial minorities. Jacobson illustrates this process by showing how race consciousness is determined by politicians, courts, and popular culture. He follows the stories of Jews, Japanese, and African Americans as they negotiate interstitial racial space. Although Jacobson's approach tends to be rather white-centric, he successfully incorporates a study of race, class, and even gender into the story of the fluid nature of what it means to be white.

posted by Joel @ 11:29 PM 0 comments

A Call

Tonight I was hanging out with three twenty-something PhD students in the sciences, and we decided that the University of Illinois does very well in attracting male LDS students because of its phenomenal science programs. It does not attract nearly as many good and successful LDS women. So I am issuing a call (not for myself mind you--I am very happy) to Mormon women studying the humanities or the arts to come to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. If you come there is a ready made population of intelligent, faithful, and available men seeking good Latter-day Saint women.

posted by Joel @ 11:27 PM 0 comments

The Graduate School Experience

One of the things I truly enjoy about graduate school is that I can disagree with someone without thinking any less of them or them thinking any less of me.

posted by Joel @ 10:30 PM 0 comments

The Sabbath Day

I don't know the religious beliefs of many of my readers, but I just want to promote the idea of a Sabbath, or day set apart by the Lord. I am a PhD student in History at the University of Illinois. I read many books every week about a variety of historical topics. I go to intense seminars with intelectually stimulating colleagues that constantly push my thinking about myself and the world in which I live. Yet in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle of my academic life, I love having a day to relax and renew my spiritual connection with my Heavenly Father.

Today I got up in the morning and went to church. While there, I learned about the Lord's mercy and about my duty to serve others. I had the chance to testify to my peers about my relationship with God. I later returned home and took a nap. I talked with my wonderful and cheerful girlfriend for several hours. I also went to a congregational potluck with everyone in my ward. I spent some time reading and pondering the scriptures and also discussing spiritual things with my roommate Andrew. I truly feel renewed and edified tonight as I start a new and adventurous week. I just seems nice to have a day set apart when I can revamp my energies in the exhilarating adventure of life.

posted by Joel @ 10:46 PM 0 comments

Watching BYU Lose

After watching the cougars lose in a very close game tonight, I came to realize just how much more important Ashley is in my life than any football game that I might want to see. Being in love can help you put your life in perspective--especially when combined with a lesson in the inconsequentiality of something like football.

posted by Joel @ 12:42 AM 0 comments