The following is from a very interesting email discussion with LDS composers about funding, grants, etc. of new music:
I have to admit, this has been one of my least favorite subjects of late. I think our art form has become infected with a depressing careerism which has crowded out the things that got us into this in the first place, which I guess would be the love of sounds. Clearly the support for the arts, and all other superstructure, has been on the wane in this country steadily since 1980 and this trend shows no sign of changing. Clearly there has been a steady philistinization of our culture. There are fewer resources to go around so it is natural that the competition gets stiffer.
Moreover, the music "industry" has been in a freefall for a few years now.
Attali suggests that the economy of music-making is a harbinger of economic trends in the culture at large. Does that mean that our society is in for complete economic collapse in the future?
Well, maybe music should be modeling something better, more sustainable.
I lived in Seattle in the '90s during which time I had a chamber opera company that did some unusual and really interesting events. They were all completely funded by ticket prices except the last one. There were three composers, a writer and some singers that came together simply to create some musical works and present them to audiences. We discovered that it was quite easy to rent a small theater and to make a simple arrangement for percentage of ticket sales for each participant in the productions. We were all invested in the success of each other. We always managed, even with all the expenses, to pay everybody involved, albeit modestly.
For the last show I was involved in, we applied for and received a grant from King County, but that piece was the most difficult to produce and the most problematic (maybe partially as a result). I think it was quite good, but the funding had many strings attached and added a kind of weight to the whole thing. The previous shows were much more fun.
I went to a conference of university music professors recently where a well-known composer gave the keynote address. The gist of it was that, it doesn't matter how good your music is if you don't know how to "get it out there", or "sell it", and that this is what we should be conveying to our students. It was kind of a depressing talk. I thought, why not talk about music, or sound, or harmony, or timbre. That's what I'm interested in. If I have to spend more time thinking/talking/teaching about self-promotion than this transcendent art form, then I want out, and I don't want to recommend the activity to my students. It all has to start with the work. What I would like to call sharing of this work can only occur when there is something of value to share.
Excessive self-promotion and grantwriting can be harmful to the imagination and spirit in my experience because you are forced to focus so much on yourself. Plus you end up trying to second-guess other people, and thus begin to self-censor your work. I guess this is where I think collectives that are run by composers (like Salty Cricket, and, I think, Seattle Experimental Opera) are quite good. You minimize the red-tape and help/support/nurture other artists. It's so much better than competing, trying to beat other artists in zero-sum-gain situations. If you create a performance situation using the same level of creativity that you bring to your composing and promote fellow artists' work in the process, then you get away from the kind of self-centered thing that I think is so corrosive.
I'm not against grants or applying for them, but I think we need to get our values straight and put music-making first. If fighting tooth and nail for a few dollars and trying to beat out the other guy crowds out the time, energy, attention and joy of imagining, making and sharing sounds (not to mention family, religion and other pursuits), then maybe we need to find other ways of making music.
Choose or find some sounds to make
Find/choose a time and place to share these sounds
Find people to make and hear these sounds
Do this a lot. After doing your best, working hard and listening to inspiration, don't worry too much about:
1. If people like it
2. If you'll become rich and famous
3. If it will lead to more "opportunities"
4. If it's any good
These are all by-products of inspired, diligent and joyous work. The rewards should be in the work itself, not so much in the byproducts, because they are unpredictable.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Man's Dominion
I encountered this by Hugh Nibley that appeared in the 1972 New Era. It almost doesn't seem possible that that magazine published such things at one time. I'm not sure what combination of things have changed. Check it out:
http://lds.org/new-era/1972/10/mans-dominion?lang=eng&query=demon+possession
http://lds.org/new-era/1972/10/mans-dominion?lang=eng&query=demon+possession
Monday, February 14, 2011
Egypt
The events in Egypt were wonderful and, at the same time, revealed some serious disconnects in our policy, and our beliefs. For decades we have propped up local dictators in order to stop international conspiracies, specifically communism and Islamic fundamentalism. This just doesn’t look so smart anymore and, in fact, the United States, which has in some ways, been the most benign imperial power, comes off looking really bad in the third world. It is looking more and more like the “Do what is right, let the consequence follow” is the way to go. I am reminded of ol’ King Benjamin’s words:
it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
If W. had anything right, it was that he maintained through much skepticism that people of Arab decent and the Muslim religion are just as capable and deserving of democracy as anyone. His mistake was, of course, trying to weirdly “impose” it on someone. I continue to hear euro-American pundits and smarty-pants people generally assert that “jacksonian democracy” or whatever they like to call it will take a long time to take root among people with “thousands of years”, or “many generations” of supposed “tribal” traditions, etc. that are supposedly against it. These are, however learnedly couched, little more than racial stereotypes.
I believe that all people are endowed by their creator (not by anyone else – they are gifts, birthrights) with certain inalienable rights. And among these(!) are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If anyone does not enjoy these rights on this earth, it is because some other person has stolen them. In the immortal words of reggae master, Carlton (of the Shoes), whom I have quoted elsewhere on this site, “God made man and he gave them all an equal share of blessings. Some men want to take it all and keep the rest of the world in bondage and oppression. But the Father, he’s not sleeping. He’ll set his people free. Better days are coming. Better days for you and for me.”
I am also reminded of Gandhi’s immortal and hopeful words:
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.”
The Egyptians have proven that it is very difficult to govern the vast majority of a people for very long without their consent. Not only do they have people power behind them, I think they have a little bit of divine power. I have, in my adult life, watched the Berlin Wall and the iron curtain fall, something that very few anticipated. (Think of all the “sovietologists”.) I have also seen almost every Latin American country go from military junta to democracy in a very short period of time. I see no reason to expect repressive regimes that deny civic and religious freedom to continue in the Middle East, all the fossil fuel in the world notwithstanding. Things will change despite our bumbling (at best) efforts, not because of them. The march of freedom will continue until it rings “from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, until all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews, [Muslims) and Gentiles, Catholics, [Hindus, Buddhists, Jainists, Animists, Secularists, Mormons,] and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
If W. had anything right, it was that he maintained through much skepticism that people of Arab decent and the Muslim religion are just as capable and deserving of democracy as anyone. His mistake was, of course, trying to weirdly “impose” it on someone. I continue to hear euro-American pundits and smarty-pants people generally assert that “jacksonian democracy” or whatever they like to call it will take a long time to take root among people with “thousands of years”, or “many generations” of supposed “tribal” traditions, etc. that are supposedly against it. These are, however learnedly couched, little more than racial stereotypes.
I believe that all people are endowed by their creator (not by anyone else – they are gifts, birthrights) with certain inalienable rights. And among these(!) are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If anyone does not enjoy these rights on this earth, it is because some other person has stolen them. In the immortal words of reggae master, Carlton (of the Shoes), whom I have quoted elsewhere on this site, “God made man and he gave them all an equal share of blessings. Some men want to take it all and keep the rest of the world in bondage and oppression. But the Father, he’s not sleeping. He’ll set his people free. Better days are coming. Better days for you and for me.”
I am also reminded of Gandhi’s immortal and hopeful words:
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.”
The Egyptians have proven that it is very difficult to govern the vast majority of a people for very long without their consent. Not only do they have people power behind them, I think they have a little bit of divine power. I have, in my adult life, watched the Berlin Wall and the iron curtain fall, something that very few anticipated. (Think of all the “sovietologists”.) I have also seen almost every Latin American country go from military junta to democracy in a very short period of time. I see no reason to expect repressive regimes that deny civic and religious freedom to continue in the Middle East, all the fossil fuel in the world notwithstanding. Things will change despite our bumbling (at best) efforts, not because of them. The march of freedom will continue until it rings “from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, until all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews, [Muslims) and Gentiles, Catholics, [Hindus, Buddhists, Jainists, Animists, Secularists, Mormons,] and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”
Friday, February 11, 2011
Budget appeasement
I wish I could put more positive posts up here, but I just heard a story on NPR about the budget and the defect, etc. What a sick bunch of people are running this place, tripping over each other to prove how nasty and heartless they can be to the poor. The democrats, including Obama are almost the worst, because nobody is making a case for why "social programs" exist and why the republicans are so bloodthirsty to get rid of them. Actually, I don't hear anybody talking about this.
I'll make an attempt. The libertarian view that has kind of taken over our public discourse is that people should fend for themselves and that when they get help from the government, they lose their will and their creativity. There is a feeling that anyone can just "go out and get" a living somewhere. This may have been true earlier in our country's history in the days of homesteading, when there were abundant free natural resources. ONce you have an industrial society, you have to run things differently. Most of us can't grow our own food, cloth, and forage for building materials and fuel. We're way past that now. We already cooperate and specialize whether we like it or not. And industrial societies make extended family networks unviable. People have to move around to work among other things. So a government that facilitates a safety net is essential in an industrial or post-industrial society.
Moreover, libertarianism only accounts for the able-bodied adults. It doesn't make any sense for anyone else, for children and adults that are disabled or victimized.
Nobody is talking about making cuts in the bloated military, which, by some accounts spends as much as the entire militaries of the rest of the world combined. This is a result of the persistent jingoism and fear-mongering that we experienced in the Bush years. It just feels like collective insanity.
Nobody is even talking about the fact that Clinton balanced the budget, an accomplishment that was viewed as impossible. Bush created the deficit by means of tax cuts for the filthy, obscenely rich and war. If a republican were in the white house, all you'd hear about was how the previous administration messed everything up.
Maybe what it all comes down to is that democrats spend so much time trying to convince republicans that they are not too liberal instead of trying to convince everybody of the tenets of liberalism, or even just basic civic decency.
I'll make an attempt. The libertarian view that has kind of taken over our public discourse is that people should fend for themselves and that when they get help from the government, they lose their will and their creativity. There is a feeling that anyone can just "go out and get" a living somewhere. This may have been true earlier in our country's history in the days of homesteading, when there were abundant free natural resources. ONce you have an industrial society, you have to run things differently. Most of us can't grow our own food, cloth, and forage for building materials and fuel. We're way past that now. We already cooperate and specialize whether we like it or not. And industrial societies make extended family networks unviable. People have to move around to work among other things. So a government that facilitates a safety net is essential in an industrial or post-industrial society.
Moreover, libertarianism only accounts for the able-bodied adults. It doesn't make any sense for anyone else, for children and adults that are disabled or victimized.
Nobody is talking about making cuts in the bloated military, which, by some accounts spends as much as the entire militaries of the rest of the world combined. This is a result of the persistent jingoism and fear-mongering that we experienced in the Bush years. It just feels like collective insanity.
Nobody is even talking about the fact that Clinton balanced the budget, an accomplishment that was viewed as impossible. Bush created the deficit by means of tax cuts for the filthy, obscenely rich and war. If a republican were in the white house, all you'd hear about was how the previous administration messed everything up.
Maybe what it all comes down to is that democrats spend so much time trying to convince republicans that they are not too liberal instead of trying to convince everybody of the tenets of liberalism, or even just basic civic decency.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Advise the Advisor
Response to David Plouffe's email requesting feedback on the subject of "innovation," specifically answering
* How is American innovation affecting your community?
* What are the obstacles to innovation that you see in
your community? And what steps can be taken to remove them?
My Answer:
Job prospects are poor and watered down versions of libertarian principles will not create career jobs with living wages. It used to be that the government set an example and raised the bar by providing decent jobs.
The way to remove barriers is to stop trying to appease or please republicans and start representing a sane and compassionate vision for our shared society. Put it on the table at least. Speak truth to power. The widening gap between rich and poor and the scandalous level of wealth enjoyed by some are ugly unsustainable.
* How is American innovation affecting your community?
* What are the obstacles to innovation that you see in
your community? And what steps can be taken to remove them?
My Answer:
Job prospects are poor and watered down versions of libertarian principles will not create career jobs with living wages. It used to be that the government set an example and raised the bar by providing decent jobs.
The way to remove barriers is to stop trying to appease or please republicans and start representing a sane and compassionate vision for our shared society. Put it on the table at least. Speak truth to power. The widening gap between rich and poor and the scandalous level of wealth enjoyed by some are ugly unsustainable.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Civil Servants
At the superbowl they recognized Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since 'Nam. I always feel a sense of gratitude when I see members of the military and was predictably teary. I had to make sure my family didn't notice my sappiness. I started thinking about the many souls who serve us in non-military capacities, the people we used to call "civil servants". Surely they deserve some recognition for the things they have done for our society, the postal carriers, the government workers, the people that try to keep our food and water safe, even the IRS auditors. Yet, these people are kind of vilified right now, since "the government" is supposedly "the problem". In a strange moral inversion, it now it seems the most morally suspect among us, those that fleece themselves on the labors of others are the fabulous "job creators" and the people who quietly take care of things that need to be done are viewed almost as parasites who must face up to the "hard choices" that our supposedly broke society must make. It is very sad to be old enough to watch this moral inversion take place.
"Government jobs" used to be viewed as stable, but boring sort of dead ends that nonetheless provided decent compensation and excellent benefits. They also had a very beneficial effect on the labor market, pushing wages and benefits up a bit, setting a good example for the public sector. After a 3-decade process of layoffs, reductions in pay and benefits, and replacing salaried positions with contractors in the public sector, I think we are left with a very bleak and unfriendly employment environment. What a sad devil's bargain.
"Government jobs" used to be viewed as stable, but boring sort of dead ends that nonetheless provided decent compensation and excellent benefits. They also had a very beneficial effect on the labor market, pushing wages and benefits up a bit, setting a good example for the public sector. After a 3-decade process of layoffs, reductions in pay and benefits, and replacing salaried positions with contractors in the public sector, I think we are left with a very bleak and unfriendly employment environment. What a sad devil's bargain.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Look To God and Live
The following are notes for a talk I gave yesterday:
LOOK TO GOD AND LIVE (Al 37:47, Alma to Helaman)
SCRIPTURES/EXAMPLES
Humans differ other animals, gaze up
-secular world traces the origin of religion to this attribute, that observance of the stars was the origin of deities, heaven and ultimately religion
The story of the fiery flying serpents in the book of numbers was beloved by the Book of Mormon prophets. It gave them a vivid image of the damaging effects of some of the skepticism and lack of faith that we all have, and, more importantly the means of deliverance from the troubles that afflict our fallen species.
Num 21
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Nephi talking to his brothers recounted the miracles of the exodus included:
1 Ne 17
41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.
The meaning of this event was given by Jesus as he spoke to Nicodemus in the night:
14 ¶ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Alma to the poor of the Zoramites: Alma suggests that there is more to this story, that, in fact the serpent raised on the pole represented Christ
Al 33
19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.
20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.
21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?
22 If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.
IMPORTANCE/MYSTERY
The command to always remember him (and to take his name upon us) has always been a strangely difficult to articulate yet palpable and powerful concept
I have always been somewhat attracted to things I don’t fundamentally understand yet are powerful, and compelling, and right. In music I have many colleagues who are interested in figuring out music, in explaining every aspect of it. I prefer music that I can’t explain or analyze, but that is nonetheless powerful
Why should fixing our mind on Jesus be efficacious? And yet it is. It works.
White Handbook/Brigham Young
If you go on a mission to preach the Gospel with lightness and frivolity in your hearts, looking for this and that, and to learn what is in the world, and not having your minds riveted—yes, I may say riveted—on the cross of Christ, you will go and return in vain.
Looking to the savior is not just for those who are beginning on the path of conversion. It is just as important for those who have been on that path for some time. Perhaps we need to depend on him more and more the further we go on that path.
-Joseph Smith’s dream of the apostles with sore feet not looking at Jesus who was in their midst:
1/21/1836: “I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept" (HC 2:381)
Often people are brought to look because of hearing or feeling:
-Nephites watching him descend (after hearing and heeding a still small voice, they cast their eyes, 1Ne11:8)
-Alma, Paul, Lamoni, etc. all became immobile after hearing, whereupon they saw visions, they let go of control and looked to God
-Jesus said that he would lifted up that all men would be drawn to him
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
-God being judged, humiliated , punished by his children, as well as raised from the dead, and ascending – 3 events of being raised:
demonstrated the worst that could happen and a response to that, the victory over death, and the presence of worlds beyond this one
– he became a impossibly compelling presence in the world – despite all of the attempts to the contrary (obscure, unsubstantiated)
To look up:
-Lift thine eyes unto the mts. Whence cometh help – something bigger than ourselves – reminder of the ascendancy of God, that we are part of something bigger – the sublime
-get outside of yourself (Matt 10:39)
-other religious traditions are very good at this – Buddhism – observing what is outside and what is inside from a sort of objective place
-meditation, pondering
-it’s very difficult to observe things and to try to control them at the same time – maybe that’s what the “easiness” means: don’t try to control, let God take over – recognize the distance between your effort and the outcome
-also listening – listen to God and (be awakened) live
-see divinity in all things
-see divinity in all people
-overcome prejudice – recognize uniqueness of things
-scales fall from eyes – let them be burned away by light
-remove the beam from your own eye
-if thine eye be single vs. evil – i.e. w/o prejudice
-lift up your head (and rejoice)
WHAT IMPEDES
What prevents us from looking to God?
Fear:
-don’t bury head in sand, i.e. don’t be afraid
-military: keep your head down, avoid being noticed, mocked by great and spacious
working at desk or in field, or, in trench (i.e. military, don’t get head shot) – metaphors
Distraction
-head down: working at desk or in field, computers and other technology
Al 10 (Amulek)
5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his amysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.
6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was acalled many times and I would not bhear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know
Disbelief
This is, strangely what I think impedes the those who are on the path from looking up most. We have many problems. As we know, problems do not go away as we go down the path. Perhaps they even multiply. But we need to remember that we are always dependent on God, that we can’t ultimately solve any of our problems without him. We are told that all things must fail, and we know this from experience, but charity, or the love of God never fails and is the only thing that never fails. This is where we stumble because of the “simpleness or the easiness” of the way.
SIMPLENESS/EASINESS
Judging:
We judge others, and find fault, maybe not so much because of malice, but because we feel unsure about our own standing. But it is hard to look up when we are looking down our nose. It is hard to look at all when we have a beam in our eye.
Looking beyond the mark:
-want to show off (virtuosity) – broaden phylacteries, borders of garments, etc., greetings in markets
We like to show off how busy and important we are. We focus on position and achievements and connections. I think this is because of pride, but also because we feel we need assurance of our progress and standing with God.
These make it hard to look up.
Moreover, it is hard to look up when we become obsessed with our many goals, tasks, and projects.
No matter how wonderful or important we think we are, the salvation of our children, our neighbors, the people of the world, or even ourselves does not hinge on anything we do. Salvation of any kind comes depends on God. We can be of great assistance to Him and to His children, we can accomplish great and wonderful things, we can have great influence on others, but the ultimate power to save, to bring about the most important transformations comes from Him, not from us.
Our example will have more positive impact than anything else can if we look to God.
If our many projects, however noble, deter us or others from looking to God and living, then we should question their necessity.
Oaks:
“In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.””
- Ballard quote: “The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify.”8
-Uchdorf: OF Things that Matter Most:
Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.
It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.
My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.
Finally, I want to emphasize the last part of the scripture, “look unto God and live.” We don’t have to wait to live. Every moment, every breath is a marvelous and miraculous gift. Jesus said that he came to give us life, and to enable us to live more abundantly. This means, in part, that we should get out and experience all that life has to offer, to take in the variety of experience, of sounds, sights, smells, feelings, associations that even the most ordinary of lives offers. The sun, the moon, the stars, the air, snow, and rain, animals, and plants and people— all things which come of the earth are made for the benefit of man… to please the eye [and the ear] and to gladden the heart.
May we all look to God and live.
LOOK TO GOD AND LIVE (Al 37:47, Alma to Helaman)
SCRIPTURES/EXAMPLES
Humans differ other animals, gaze up
-secular world traces the origin of religion to this attribute, that observance of the stars was the origin of deities, heaven and ultimately religion
The story of the fiery flying serpents in the book of numbers was beloved by the Book of Mormon prophets. It gave them a vivid image of the damaging effects of some of the skepticism and lack of faith that we all have, and, more importantly the means of deliverance from the troubles that afflict our fallen species.
Num 21
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Nephi talking to his brothers recounted the miracles of the exodus included:
1 Ne 17
41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.
The meaning of this event was given by Jesus as he spoke to Nicodemus in the night:
14 ¶ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Alma to the poor of the Zoramites: Alma suggests that there is more to this story, that, in fact the serpent raised on the pole represented Christ
Al 33
19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.
20 But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them.
21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?
22 If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.
IMPORTANCE/MYSTERY
The command to always remember him (and to take his name upon us) has always been a strangely difficult to articulate yet palpable and powerful concept
I have always been somewhat attracted to things I don’t fundamentally understand yet are powerful, and compelling, and right. In music I have many colleagues who are interested in figuring out music, in explaining every aspect of it. I prefer music that I can’t explain or analyze, but that is nonetheless powerful
Why should fixing our mind on Jesus be efficacious? And yet it is. It works.
White Handbook/Brigham Young
If you go on a mission to preach the Gospel with lightness and frivolity in your hearts, looking for this and that, and to learn what is in the world, and not having your minds riveted—yes, I may say riveted—on the cross of Christ, you will go and return in vain.
Looking to the savior is not just for those who are beginning on the path of conversion. It is just as important for those who have been on that path for some time. Perhaps we need to depend on him more and more the further we go on that path.
-Joseph Smith’s dream of the apostles with sore feet not looking at Jesus who was in their midst:
1/21/1836: “I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept" (HC 2:381)
Often people are brought to look because of hearing or feeling:
-Nephites watching him descend (after hearing and heeding a still small voice, they cast their eyes, 1Ne11:8)
-Alma, Paul, Lamoni, etc. all became immobile after hearing, whereupon they saw visions, they let go of control and looked to God
-Jesus said that he would lifted up that all men would be drawn to him
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
-God being judged, humiliated , punished by his children, as well as raised from the dead, and ascending – 3 events of being raised:
demonstrated the worst that could happen and a response to that, the victory over death, and the presence of worlds beyond this one
– he became a impossibly compelling presence in the world – despite all of the attempts to the contrary (obscure, unsubstantiated)
To look up:
-Lift thine eyes unto the mts. Whence cometh help – something bigger than ourselves – reminder of the ascendancy of God, that we are part of something bigger – the sublime
-get outside of yourself (Matt 10:39)
-other religious traditions are very good at this – Buddhism – observing what is outside and what is inside from a sort of objective place
-meditation, pondering
-it’s very difficult to observe things and to try to control them at the same time – maybe that’s what the “easiness” means: don’t try to control, let God take over – recognize the distance between your effort and the outcome
-also listening – listen to God and (be awakened) live
-see divinity in all things
-see divinity in all people
-overcome prejudice – recognize uniqueness of things
-scales fall from eyes – let them be burned away by light
-remove the beam from your own eye
-if thine eye be single vs. evil – i.e. w/o prejudice
-lift up your head (and rejoice)
WHAT IMPEDES
What prevents us from looking to God?
Fear:
-don’t bury head in sand, i.e. don’t be afraid
-military: keep your head down, avoid being noticed, mocked by great and spacious
working at desk or in field, or, in trench (i.e. military, don’t get head shot) – metaphors
Distraction
-head down: working at desk or in field, computers and other technology
Al 10 (Amulek)
5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his amysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.
6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was acalled many times and I would not bhear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know
Disbelief
This is, strangely what I think impedes the those who are on the path from looking up most. We have many problems. As we know, problems do not go away as we go down the path. Perhaps they even multiply. But we need to remember that we are always dependent on God, that we can’t ultimately solve any of our problems without him. We are told that all things must fail, and we know this from experience, but charity, or the love of God never fails and is the only thing that never fails. This is where we stumble because of the “simpleness or the easiness” of the way.
SIMPLENESS/EASINESS
Judging:
We judge others, and find fault, maybe not so much because of malice, but because we feel unsure about our own standing. But it is hard to look up when we are looking down our nose. It is hard to look at all when we have a beam in our eye.
Looking beyond the mark:
-want to show off (virtuosity) – broaden phylacteries, borders of garments, etc., greetings in markets
We like to show off how busy and important we are. We focus on position and achievements and connections. I think this is because of pride, but also because we feel we need assurance of our progress and standing with God.
These make it hard to look up.
Moreover, it is hard to look up when we become obsessed with our many goals, tasks, and projects.
No matter how wonderful or important we think we are, the salvation of our children, our neighbors, the people of the world, or even ourselves does not hinge on anything we do. Salvation of any kind comes depends on God. We can be of great assistance to Him and to His children, we can accomplish great and wonderful things, we can have great influence on others, but the ultimate power to save, to bring about the most important transformations comes from Him, not from us.
Our example will have more positive impact than anything else can if we look to God.
If our many projects, however noble, deter us or others from looking to God and living, then we should question their necessity.
Oaks:
“In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.””
- Ballard quote: “The instruction to magnify our callings is not a command to embellish and complicate them. To innovate does not necessarily mean to expand; very often it means to simplify.”8
-Uchdorf: OF Things that Matter Most:
Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.
It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.
My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.
Finally, I want to emphasize the last part of the scripture, “look unto God and live.” We don’t have to wait to live. Every moment, every breath is a marvelous and miraculous gift. Jesus said that he came to give us life, and to enable us to live more abundantly. This means, in part, that we should get out and experience all that life has to offer, to take in the variety of experience, of sounds, sights, smells, feelings, associations that even the most ordinary of lives offers. The sun, the moon, the stars, the air, snow, and rain, animals, and plants and people— all things which come of the earth are made for the benefit of man… to please the eye [and the ear] and to gladden the heart.
May we all look to God and live.
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