One of the things that interested me most so far is the author's observation of man's inward ability to hope, to believe that things will be better in the future no matter how bad the present is. I have been thinking about this a lot over the past week and think it is quite true. I have been doing a bit of "searching for meaning" myself, and through it all I have had this vision of a future where everything will work out, where things will be better than they are now. It is that more than anything that has given me the strength I need to simply enjoy life as I know it.
Then I started thinking about the world we live in, particularly in America. As Larry the Cable Guy says, "They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq; why don't we give them ours? We're not using it anymore." All around us, marriage and family are being attacked. It seems like no one has a moral center anymore—life is all about pleasure and greed. When you look at the world this way, it is hard to believe that any of us could hope for a better future—surely it is going to get worse, not better.
And then I went to my brother's Court of Honor. I have never been to one before and it ended up being a much more emotional experience than I thought it would be. For once I was glad to have only one brother, so that Tyrel could enjoy accomplishments like this without having to compete with any brothers. The limelight was all on him. I was incredibly touched by the love his leaders showed him and that Brother Hansen and Tanner were there to witness it all. Tyrel may have lost his best friend when he was 9, but Tyler's family has still witnessed most of Tyrel's life-changing moments.
Anyway, there is a point to this rambling. . . . As I watched Tyrel recite the oath, I couldn't help but rejoice inwardly that the world has such a being. Temptations of sin have no power over him—he is only capable of good. This greatness is seen in individuals all around the church, and, thankfully, outside the church as well. Boys and girls are still being taught values and morals and they will go on to teach their children and their neighbors those same principles.
So when I look at the world through this light, I have every reason to hope that things will get better. Of course, things will have to get worse before they get better, but there is still a light at the end of the tunnel. We're not going to kill each other off until there are no humans left. We're not going to become so immoral that we become mere animals. There are still good parents in this world, good people who follow the examples of their parents. Better yet, God has given us tools—scriptures, living prophets, modern revelation—so that we won't fail like so many Nephite generations did. So I'm not worried too much about the future. The world is still crumbling away, but there is a bright hope that things will be better in the future.
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