Sunday, October 19, 2014

1 + 1 = 2

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci

I found out that I love math, that is to say I love the easy math.  I think most of us think of math and we can't help thinking about those old math assignments that we would kill ourselves trying to figure out.  I used to feel this way until recently when I needed to help my kids with their math homework, now I feel like a math genius!!  Why is it that the math my kids are doing now is not only easy for me but enjoyable, but when I was their age it caused me to want to skip school?  I happen to think that there is beauty in the ability to break down complicated ideas and truths into the most basic ideas.  The savior did this when he taught using parables.  The savior taught the most complex and complicated ideas by using stories that the people could understand.  He taught them basic truths like 1 + 1 = 2.  Once they had these basic truths they could build upon those truths until they had a greater understanding of our Father in heaven.

"Simplicity is the key to brilliance" - Bruce Lee

I would love to break down the complicated and difficult questions we face everyday in our lives to their most simplified principals.  This is one of the ways my Father in Heaven taught me his gospel.  Over the years I have written these basic truths into the inside cover of my scriptures, much like notes taken in math class.  Whenever I have difficult questions to answer I refer back to these notes, in short I go back to the basics.  I have done this with every question I have ever had about life, work, marriage, parenting, government, health and even death, just to name a few.  Each question I have had I have been able to find an answer that has satisfied me and not only have I received answers but I have felt strongly that the answer I have received is from God himself directly to me.

I have had several conversations in the past few weeks that made me realize that there are a lot of questions out there and not many people are finding answers that satisfy.  I have had these conversations and at times I feel like I do when my daughter comes to me with a difficult math problem.  She is incredibly frustrated and demands to know the answer, I realize that if I give her the answer she won't learn anything and so I go through the basics with her and together we discover the answer.  What is wonderful about the whole process is that she is able to solve the issue but more importantly, she learns how to find her own answers.

I feel I need to write down the way in which I found a lot of my answers to life's questions.  If anyone truly wants to know the answer to any question I know that they can find the answer if they are willing to listen to what God is trying to teach them, and maybe if some of the experiences I have had will help anyone find an answer then this blog will be worth it.

I want to spend some time sharing these basic principals and explaining how they function to the best of my ability and than I hope to use some of these basic principles to answer some of the more difficult questions that are out there.  If you have questions please let me know and I would love to add them to the list.

More to come ...

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