Vital Problems of Life

Vital Problems of Life

A Study for Advanced Senior Classes of the M. I. A. 1920-21

Lesson VII. — The Dtncloping Power of Responsibility- General View. The greater the responsibility the higher the intelligence, the less the responsibility the lower the intel- ligence. The first great responsibility is life, its preservation in the individual and the race; the second great responsibility is liberty, its possession, its continuance and its extension; the third great responsibility is happiness, its pursuit and its dis- tribution. Excess in acceptance of responsibility ends in breakdown, shunning responsibility stultifies growth.

Individual Aspect. 1. Strong characters yearn for responsi- bility. Inclination to have one's own way, to possess things, and to direct others, are forms of yearning for responsibility. The overhelping of children by parents, the ultrapaternal- ism of government, arrests the development of individuality, and cuts off the possibility of even normal development. 2. Excessive help is the most disastrous form of hind- rance; one would better be left to lose his way than to lose him- self in a maze of ultraguidance. Carrying responsibility makes for uprightness of character and length of life. 1. Races which carry heavy loads on their heads are phys- ically straight. "Give him responsibility and watch him grow," a well known adage, to which we might add, "and grow straight." It was the fervent desire of the great educator, Dr. Karl G. Maeser, that he might die in the harness and become a teacher in heaven. 2. Scientific survey goes to show that married men and married women live longer than unmarried men and unmarried women. However this may be it is certainly true that if life be counted by heartthrobs, and not by clock ticks, then married men live incomparably longer than old bachelors, and the life of the woman whose soul shuns maternity is but a spau when com- pared with the life of a mother. Land-owning, home-making, carry with them the responsi-

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bility of taxation and upkeep. But who would change the up- lift of these responsibilities for the "care-freeness" of the wan- dering gypsy, living by hook or crook, the Bohemian job- hunter, getting his pay every night; the hermit wood chopper, who said, "I don't want land, because I'll be taxed." Social Aspect. 1. Social responsibility grows out of in- dividual responsibility. An eminent educator illustrates it thus: Put a stick in a tub of water, turn it persistently in one direction, and all the water in the tub will finally move in the direction of your turning. The steps in producing social responsibility are one person, a few persons, many persons, a majority. A further illustration is, an individual thought, a class sentiment, community law. With these regular steps the progress of responsibility made the long upgrade journey from Francis Willard, to national prohibition; and from Susan B. Anthony's agitation to the 19th amendment to the constitu- tion. 2. Public responsibility is dependent upon individual re- sponsibility for its perpetuity. Heroism may start a reform, valiancy carry it over into law; but it is left for loyalty to sustain it, and loyalty loves, respects, and defends. The person who votes on the wrong side makes a mistake, the one who neglects to vote does a wilful wrong; but the one who forgets to vote shows a lack of love for the privilege, for forgetfulness and love are incompatible. 3. Social responsibility in democracies develops leader- ship. In a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, the ruler is the mass mind, moving under distributed responsibility. "Every voter a king, and every king a servant." 4. Responsibility makes for the strength of seriousness. Henry Clay, the great compromiser, said, "The subjects of a despot may be unfettered and happy if they can, but a free people must be a thoughtful pepole."

The Theological Aspect. 1. Instructive responsibility is

insufficient for man. 2. Instinctive responsibility is felt but not comprehended. The lower creatures have the responsibility of producing, car- ing for, and defending offspring, but it is not a free-agency re- sponsibility. Nature calls and they must come. She says, "Do this or do that" and they cannot disobey. They operate uner- ringly under blind impulse; choice is not theirs. They are where Satan's plans would have us all forever. He preferred to save all with life but not one with liberty.

—

54 IMPROVEMENT ERA "Freedom anil reason make us men, Take these away, what are we then? Itfeie animals, and ju*t as well, The heasts might think of heaven or hell."

Satan's policy of assuming all responsibility was too much of a monopoly for the intelligences of heaven, and was voted down by us. See "Compendium," Gems, page 288. 3. Premortal acceptance of co-operative responsibility. lie then pressed his autocracy to the point of force, was de- feated and banished with his duped adherents. Our elder brother, Jesus, the author of the other plan, assumed nothing more than the joint responsibility with his Father and with us. His policy provided for a distribution of responsibility. He wroild not arrogate to himself the whole responsibility of sav- ing a single soul. Each soul must share with him the responsibility of its sal- vation. He would make them feel that not one could come back, except through liberty.

He'd call, persuade, direct aright, Bless him with wisdom, love and light, In \aricus ways be good and kind, But never force the human mind.

4. He refused to keep spirits in the realm of instinctive responsibility only; they must know the truth, and know that they knew it, and feel the responsibility of that knowledge. Such a world is not the Christ world else he would not have planned the great campaign of earth life as a struggle in which every soul should share the responsibility of the bat- tle, and receive a share of the victory. Whatever intelligences may have ante-dated man on this earth, the spirit children of our Father refuse to be handicapped in any way that would prevent them from being self-conscious, truth-knowing, duty- doing beings. The uplift of responsibility proclaims against their ever having been an animal type of man.

Questions and Problems

1. What are the three great responsibilities of life? 2. Give instances of the appropriateness of the saying: "Put respon- sibility on him and watch him grow." 3. Wherein is the responsibility of home-making a superior develop- ment agency? 4. Give your personal experience concerning the truth or the fallacy of the statement, that shirking responsibility makes for soul shrinkage. 5. Discuss the effects of neglecting to vote (a) on the individual (b) on society. 6. How has the responsibility brought about by the suffrage movement affected (a) the individual who carried it, (b) the cause that was carried?

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7. What three things must each person do to make prohibition a per- petual success? 8. What are the steps by which individual responsibility is developed into social responsibility? 9. Why must a free people be also a thoughtful people? 10. Who shares the responsibility of the success of any work accepted under the call of the Priesthood?

Lesson VIII. —The Sustaining Force of Covenants All promises are not covenants any more than all untruths are lies, or all mistakes sins. Indulging in pastime promises or careless contracts is a serious form of character slouchiness; it indicates a sort of ethical imbecility and the indulger needs

self-help as well as the help of his fellow man and God. The covenant must have behind it thought, sincerity and determi- nation. Every accountable person is capable of making covenants with himself, with society, and with God. There is a negative side to the subject of covenants, but it should be treated under the head of the "Chaining Power of

Covenants," or covenants for evil which have fittingly been called, "The Devil's Code of Honor."

/. Self-Covenant

1. Serious self-promise is an index to self-confidence, and self-confidence is something more than self-conceit. To say to self, "I will, and you must" is putting the self in an attitude of integrity posed for advancement. It is the mobilization of inner attention, desire, and will. There is a wide difference between the self-confidence of the person who says to himself, "I will be sincere," and the per- son who says, "I want to be sincere." 2. Self-covenant is a reinforcement of the will; once a promise is made the will has a new responsibility placed upon it by the intellect, and is given the task of sustaining the pledge

and gains strength through performing the task. 3. Covenant with self is a guard of the better self. Man is double-natured: he is sensual, carnal, and devilish: he is spiritual, ethical, and divine. These two sets of capabil- ities and inclinations are in constant conflict, each struggling for supremacy. The experience of Paul that when he would do good evil was present with him is the experience of all. Self-covenant is a sort of sentinel standing in the way of the lower self, and one feels in the presence of his self-covenant like exclaiming, "When I would do evil, good is present with me."

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Greed and generosity may grapple with each other, desire may divide her support between them, intellect may be in a state «>l indecision; the will may be weakening, but when mem- ory points to the self-covenant, the chances are all in favor of victory for generosity. The scouts' code of honor is built upon this psychology.

Self-Covenant is a Restrainer of Passion. When the pas- sions of hatred, envy, revenge, or lust, seek by subtility or "on- rush" to devastate the fields of high ideality, every self cove- nant of righteousness will stand in their way as did the French at the Marne when they exclaimed, "You shall not pass!" A young man at a conference heard his name presented and saw a sea of hands go up in token of the willingness of a community to accept him as a leader. He said to himself, "Jo- seph, with the help of God, I will make a better man of you." The self pledge unspoken for years was kept. Good as he was at the time of making this self promise, he became constantly better, and died one of the most beloved of leaders, and the best of men.

//. Social Covenant

1. Covenant as a Creator of Confidence. As the absence of self -covenant would point to a lack of self-confidence, so the absence of social covenant indicates a lack of social confidence. The whole fabric of society is held together by a confidence which grows or withers just in proportion to the existence and keeping of social covenant and in business contracts. Of the two forms of contract, oral and written, the former furnishes the better field for the growth of confidence. There is a form of security better than that of real estate mortgage; it is the word of honor security of an honest man, adhering to

the slogan, "Every man a Regulus." Adherence to the slogan, "Every man a Regulus" would create a condition of confidence which would make written notes and contracts simply memory conveniences. The young business man who failed in his business enter- prise and was advised that he could escape the payment of an account because his creditors had no security and he had no property, said, "They have more than security, they have me or my word, and my word is me to the last ditch." It is needless to say that he met his obligation, and the keeping of his cove- nant created both self-confidence and social-confidence.

2. Social Covenant is a Citadel of Safety. Society is not a unit, it is a unity, and its fundamental unity is created by

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the marriage covenant. The marriage covenant lifts and holr 1

humanity above the level of mere mating. The destructiveness of family feuds and devastation of marshaled armies, halt in the presence of peace arguments and national treaties- The world's last great experiment has given evidence that there is more safety behind the pen than behind the sword. Hu- manity rallied to the cause of covenant-keeping and proved that a promise is more than a scrap of paper. Germany's breaking of a promise meant a break with the world.

3. Covenant is an Instrument of Progress. A world cove- nant of peace should mean a citadel of safety for civilization. The world has progressed in spite of war. Peace progress may be slower but it is the surer way. The great currency system is but a promise-to-pay method of doing business. Left to the purchasing power of the gold of the earth, the wheels of prog- ress would clog before a day passed by.

///. Divine Covenant

1. Divine Covenant is an Evidence of Divine Love. Behind the highest conceivable covenant must exist the highest prompt- ing and that prompting is love. Covenant with God is a link that holds man close to his Maker. Covenant terms place Di- vinity at the disposal of humanity. God so loved the human family that he gave his only Begotten Son to place that family beyond the power of its enemies. This gift was made, first, to the great dispensator, Adam, then in turn to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. And through each of these and other prophets, to the inhabitants of the earth- His business covenant with Israel teems with a generosity such as comes from parental love. See Malachi 3:10, 11, 12- And that same promise in this day is a proposition of ten to one in our favor.

2. Divine Covenants are a Means of Proving Gods Infal- ibility. Perhaps the greatest of God's covenant declarations is recorded in Matt. 24:35. From his first promise in Eden up through the ages his covenants with man have been kept with a certainty that proclaims his dependability. Already in this dispensation twenty-seven or more promises and prophecies recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants have been fulfilled. The predictions of God's prophets have been recognized by him as his word of honor. Covenant with Divinity is an evidence of man's confidence in God as well as in himself. It is related that an eminent educator, not a member of the Church, said of tem-

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pie marriages: "If my daughters could marry men whose chas- tity was as well fortified by sacred covenant as is that of the 'Mormon, worthy of this temple ordinance, I should feel safe 1

as to the physical inheritance of my grandchildren." Latter-day Saint covenant-keeping is a process of heaven- making. Head "Gospel Doctrine," page 132, as matter for the discus- sion of this topic, also Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 1.

Questions and Problems

1. What is the difference between self-confidence and self-conceit? 2. What is the difference between desire and determination? 3.Name the passions that belong to the better self. 4.Give an example of self-covenant causing the better self to triumph. 5. What is the scout code of honor? 6. Under which heading of this lesson does the following illustration belong: A man said to a mischievous boy, "I feel like thrashing you, and I would do it if I had not promised myself never to strike a child."?

7. Why is the honoring of verbal contract more productive of confi- dence than the payment of a secured note? 8. What is meant by "Every man a Regulus"? 9. Why would dispensing with social covenants bring civilization to an end? 10. Explain how business panics are caused by a loss of confidence in contracts or business covenants. 11. What must be prompting a stronger person who seeks covenant relations with a weaker one in a manner that always gives the latter the advantage? 12. Quote Matt. 24:35.

Lesson IX. — The Driving Power of Duty Duty is based upon the idea that something is due. As a mental condition it consists, first, of the conception of obliga- tion; second, the desire to give what is due; third, the deter- mination to execute this desire. It is intellect, conscience, and will rallied for righteousness. It is conscience ready for ac- tion, to drive or hold, impel or sustain. As a part of conduct, duty is the giving of dues- It is the doing of what one believes ought to be done. The Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, wisely claimed that "can" is the measure of "ought." Duty in action is simply carrying one's conscience over into conduct. Duty holds to the doctrine that one is responsible for that which he does not do, which he ought to do. The caption of this lesson limits the consideration of duty to its driving power. Duty drives after inclination ceases to impel. Had Lord Nelson depended upon the lure of adventure or

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the love of conquest, in his troops, instead of appealing to them with those words, now immortal, "England expects every man to do his duty," the battle of Trafalgar might not have been one of the decisive victories for civilization.

Duty Drives to Heights Unreachable by Selfish Ambition. When there were no more worlds to conquer, Alexander wept; when a race was emancipated, Lincoln rejoiced. The one fol- lowed the line of ambition, the other was driven by a sense of duty. Not the lure of adventure, the hope of conquest, nor the expectation of ease led the Pilgrim Fathers to this land of lib- erty. Behind this great drive of duty the following sentiment was massed: We owe it to ourselves, to our posterity, and to our God, to find a place where we may worship God according to the dictates of our conscience.

The Driving Power of Duty may be Increased. The doing of duty increases its driving power. Ethical ideas and good in- tentions unapplied in the hour of opportunity are as certain to become weaker as a bud is certain to wither that does not blossom at the time and season provided for unfolding. An awakened conscience is not character, it is simply a soul call for character, a promise of character. Character is promise plus payment; and payment is duty. Conscience says, "You owe;" duty says, "I pay."

The Driving Power of Duty is Affected by Social Standards. Community toleration of loafing husbands or gadding, gossip- ing mothers, whose children are left in vagabondage, strikes at the very roots of parental duty. The community assent to a juvenile disregard of parental authority, home regulations, so weakens the driving power of filial duty that habits are formed by the young which in later life are transmitted, in defiance of all civic regulations, and instead of the civilian we have the criminal.

Publicity Premiums on Duty. Publicity premiums en- hance the driving power of duty. Perhaps no valorous deed was ever performed under an impulse of winning a Carnegie medal; but the fact that such deeds are recognized by con- ferring a medal brings the duty-side of life into the lime light of attractiveness, and makes of it the capstone of a great tem- ple of ideality. The custom of keeping a dead hero on the com- pany roll and having a comrade answer, "died at his post of duty," made of every soldier who heard it at least a would-be

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hero, ami so the past hero persists as a present hero and be- comes a maker of the future hero.

The Driving Power of Duty through Legislation. Legisla- tion in a democracy is an expression of the public conscience, and carries with it the driving force penalizing neglect of duty. It does more; it becomes the greatest community "ought," or the public ethical sentiment becomes crystallized into a force that says what must be done, and the individual "ought" out of harmony with the public conscience must yield. The ethical concept that every man ought to do his share is supplemented by the income-tax law. The ethical conviction that every child should have educational opportunities is reinforced by the pro- vision that children must attend school.

Literature Affects the Driving Power of Duty. The driv- ing power of duty can not fail in communities that sing with fervor, "Why should we think to gain a great reward, if we now shun the fight?" "Do what is right, let the consequence follow." Wrapt up in each of the following quotations may be found material for the acceleration of the ethical impulse:

"Stern daughter of the Voice of God!" O Duly! if that name thou love Who art a light to guide, a rod, To check the erring, and reprove; Thou, who art victory and law When empty terrors overawe; From vain temptations dost set free; And calm'st the weary strife of frail humanity V— Wordsworth "A sense of duty pursues us ever. It is omnipresent, like Deity. If we take to ourselves the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter- most parts of the sea, duty performed or duty violated is still with us for our happiness or our misery. If we say the darkness shall cover us, in the darkness as in the light our obligations are yet with us."—Daniel Web- ster, Argument on the Murder of Captain White.

"Not once or twice in our island story, The Path of Duty was the way to Glory."— Tennyson

"So nigh is grandeur to our dust, So near is God to man, When duty whispers low, thou must, The youth replies, I can."—Emerson The Highest Form of Duty Driving Power is Found in Re- Ligion. As recognized religion's obligation is the highest form ot conscience, so is religious fervor the greatest accelerator to the dr.vmg power of duty. No secondary place as a duty stim- ulant can be given to the sentiments.

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"Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, Our God will never us forsake."

"God will protect you, do what is right."

"How can a man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temple of his gods?

The ideal illustration of this aspect of our theme is to be found in Matthew 16:21-26; John 18:11. Latter-day Saint spirituality has the widest reach as a driv- ing power of duty; duty to the dead, duty to the living, duty to the unborn. These doctrines and ordinances cover the whole field of obligation, the past, the present, and the future, just as their gospel philosophy circumscribes the whole field of knowl- edge. Doctrine and Covenants, Sec. 93:24. Gospel Doctrine, Joseph F Smith, pages 393-603- Wordsworth's Ode to Duty. Samuel Smiles' Essay Duty in Action. Gospel Doctrine, p. 386.

Questions and Problems

1.To the consideration of what aspect of duty is this lesson limited? 2.Discuss the philosophy of Pythagoras concerning the relationship of "can" and "ought." 3. Contrast the effect produced by the sentiment, "Let the world wag," and the expression, "Do what is right, let the consequence follow." 4. Quote or read from Shakespeare's Othello 1, 3, beginning line 181. 5. Connect up the patriotism or driving power of duty to country with the French national hymn, the Marseillaise and the Star Spangled Banner, and by quoting from each. 6. Discuss the driving power of duty to the scientist who devotes his life to dicovering an antitoxin for typhoid, to the mechanic whose de- fective pipe fitting poisons a water supply that gives typhoid to a com- munity. 7. Who was Lord Nelson and when and where was the battle of Trafal- gar fought? 8. Wherein is winking at moral neglect a kind of consorting with sin, the parent of crime? 9. Discuss the merits and demerits of the Carnegie medal provision. 10. Tell the story of the French Grenadier. 11. Show that legislation is capitalized public conscience. 12. Select from the literary references your favorite memory gem and recite it.

13. Connect up the fifth line in our quotation from Wordsworth's "Ode to Duty" with the scene in the garden of Gethsemane. 14. Discuss the following: Religion furnishes the highest form of ideality; therefore, religious obligation is the highest form of conscience. 15. Wherein is the "Vision of the Redemption of the Dead" a new contribution to Christian theology? Era, Vol. 22, 1918, pages 166 to 170. "Gospel Doctrine," pages 601 to 602.