Guest Blogging @ MMM: Fresh Asparagus & Sweet Oblivion

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http://www.modernmormonmen.com/2013/12/guest-post-fresh-asparagus-and-sweet.html

Poppies and Crosses

Normandy American Cemetery - August 2012

Normandy American Cemetery - August 2012

Utah Beach - August 2012

The English Channel from Pointe du Hoc - August 2012

It's just over a year since I had the opportunity to visit the invasion beaches of Normandy. As I dug out my poppy today, in anticipation of Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day here in the US), I couldn't help but be reminded of that day.  It was stunningly beautiful, yet deeply disquieting.  

We visited Omaha and Utah beaches, Pointe du Hoc, and the hedgerows of the surrounding countryside.  We finished the day watching them retire the colors at the Normandy American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach and the English Channel. I will not forget the palpable sense of sadness and gratitude I felt there, as I looked at 9387 white crosses and stars on the graves of strangers with whom I felt connected. Engraved in the white stone was a name, their home, and the day they died in June 1944. I am not so naive to think that every man interred there was a hero, but I am certain that their sacrifice for their country, their families, their brothers, and a continent of strangers will not go unrewarded in eternity. 

Having grown up in a town of 5000, I have always had a tendency to think of these kinds of statistics in terms of the size of my town.  Everyone in my town would fit in that cemetery--twice.  And that was just the US forces lost in the battle of Normandy.  There are other cemeteries for the British and Canadians, for the French and the Germans.  I have read estimates that 60,000,000 people (2.5% of the world's population) lost their lives in World War II. It would take 6,000 cemeteries like this one to hold them all.  It is staggering.  

When November 11 comes around, put on a poppy, or fly a flag, or take a few moments to pray and be grateful--lest we forget. 

Faith in Picogram Quantities

The proverbial mustard seed

In a footnote to the account of Jesus healing the afflicted child that his disciples failed to heal (here for my post; here for Elder Holland's talk), Jesus said: 

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.      Matthew 17:20

There are 90,000 mustard seeds in one pound of seed.  If you do the math and convert to grams, 1 mustard seed weigh 0.005 grams or 5 mg.  It makes me wonder how many grams of faith it took to heal that child.


I spend my days looking at laboratory measurements of a variety of hormones, which when deficient or present in excess result in disease. Hormones are incredibly powerful molecules that have dramatic effects on human physiology.  Even picogram (1 trillionth of a gram, or 1 x 10^-12) or nanogram (1 billionth of a gram, or 1 x 10^-9 grams) quantities of hormones can cause dramatic changes in physiological parameters like blood pressure, heart rate and glucose utilization.  Adrenaline and noradrenaline are some of the best examples, but cortisol and thyroid hormone are also impressive in this regard.  The pituitary and adrenals especially have a dramatic ability to respond almost instantaneously to situational demands brought on by illness or circumstance.  By secreting minute quantities of highly potent chemical messengers, these glands adapt physiologic activities to  keep us going in the face of stresses that would overwhelm us.

It is interesting to speculate what kind of effects would be generated by a picogram of pure faith. I'm certain it would be more than enough to get us through the trials and tribulations on even our worst days. It's a shame we haven't figured out a way to synthesize faith in a test tube or genetically modified E. coli so we can supplement people with hypofaithism as if they had hypothyroidism or hypogonadism.  I guess we're pretty much forced to manage this deficiency state with lifestyle modification.

Guest Blogging @ Modern Mormon Men

If you're a fan of the The Princess Bride, then take a look at my latest post as a guest blogger at Modern Mormon Men. 

Eritis Sicut Deus: You Will Be Like God

Faust in his arrogance, as Mephistopheles patiently waits.
An etching from page 4 by Harry Clarke in
Faust - by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (translated by Bayard Taylor)

I'm stuck on and struck by many nuanced messages that fell out of the tragedy of Faust, which I just finished reading (here for quick a summary of the story). For example, in what seems to be an unimportant filler scene from Act IV, Faust leaves Mephistopheles (the devil) alone in his study. A young student comes to Faust seeking direction in what to study. Mephistopheles, pretending to be Faust, immediately seizes the opportunity to ensnare the young man. The devil deceives the student with his feigned wisdom and great knowledge. He directs him away from the study of theology and directs him to study words. Convincing the student that he was sharing a great secret of wisdom, Mephistopheles writes the following in the young man's notebook: 

“Eritis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malum"

(You will be like God, knowing good and evil). 

The trap of Mephistopheles was hauntingly familiar, and it certainly was one that had worked before.* As the young man leaves awestruck, Mephistopholes says under his breath: 

Follow the ancient text, and the snake thou wast ordered to trample!  

With all thy likeness to God, thou'lt yet be a sorry example!

The student naively believed that words from his renowned teacher could save him. In reality Satan exulted in knowing that by using a catchy phrase, he had persuaded the student to follow the same serpent that was climbing the trees in the Garden of Eden. This old, but simple formula worked: this young student was now less like God that ever before. 

Fundamentally, Faust made the very same mistake. Supremely arrogant, he trusted solely in his own intellect, his knowledge and his power with words.  He no longer feared the devil and considered God unnecessary. He just needed one favor, and that's where Mephistopheles factored in. It was the perfect storm. 

When I first met Faust in Act I, I was struck by his Abrahamic ambitions for knowledge.** Tragically, in his hour of desperation, he summoned a devil to help him. Contrast this with Abraham who called on the Lord in his hour of desperation. Where Faust was enslaved, Abraham and was delivered and enlightened.*** 

Seeking knowledge is an essential part of becoming more like our Savior. But in this quest we must ever remember that knowledge of good and evil is not enough to make us like God.**** And it is certainly not our intellect or our clever aphorisms that will save us in our moment of terror.

_________

* Genesis Chapter 3
** Abraham 1:2 describes Abraham's desires for happiness, peace, rest and great knowledge in a way that resembles the inner yearnings expressed by Faust in his study.
*** Abraham 1:15
**** Even knowledge of the divinity of Jesus Christ is not enough to make us like God: Mark 5:1-14; Acts 19:13-16

Faustianity and the Battle for Souls

Justifying the Means
"Faust Painter"

I just finished reading Faust, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  It is touted as one of the greatest works in German literature, and is full of themes about heaven and hell. I liked it, but knew very little about what I was getting in to.  This play puts the "T" in tragedy. Here's a quick overview:

In heaven, God agrees* to allow Mephistopheles (the devil) to try and foil Faust, a brilliant physician that was restlessly searching for inner peace and infinite knowledge. Frustrated, Faust resorts to magic to conjure up a spirit to help him in his search.  Unwittingly, he summons Satan. Mephistopheles initially appears in the innocuous form of a poodle, which Faust brings home to his study. The poodle transforms into Mephistopheles and Faust recognizes him as the devil. Faust is titillated and invites him back not once, but three times. Mephistopheles then persuades Faust to a wager, which he signs in his own blood. The devil will serve Faust and bring him knowledge and power, but at the moment Faust wishes to stay in the moment forever, he will die and forfeit his soul.**

Faust falls for Margaret, a beautiful and virtuous god-fearing girl. With the assistance of Mephistopheles, Faust makes use of magic potions, bribery, lies and flattery to seduce her—and impregnate her.  To make things worse, the potion they used to make Margaret's mother sleep ends up killing her. Things continue to unwind when Faust kills Margaret's brother, who finds out about the sordid affair.  Faust and Mephistopheles flee and when they return, find that Margaret is in prison and sentenced to death for drowning her illegitimate child. Faust immediately offers to free her. But, racked with guilt, Margaret refuses and calls on God for forgiveness.  We hear a voice from heaven announce that Margaret is saved as Faust and Mephistopheles simply run away. It's not exactly a Princess Bride ending.

In the beginning, Faust wanted good things: knowledge and understanding. Yet, he was so desperate to get them that nothing was off-limits. Faust actively conjured up a devil and sacrificed his spiritual values for power and knowledge—things he deemed good. But his methods caused him to rapidly lose sight of his lofty goals.  In no time he was bogged down in things that he would have found abhorrent before his compromise. Nothing good ever happens in this story.

This is by no means the first Faustian pact, but Goethe's story is so memorable that it now defines the genre. Though we may not conjure up a devil and sell him our soul, it is very easy to place ourselves in his company. Our choices and compromises so easily force away the Holy Spirit, leaving us alone with the likes of Mephistopheles. It's not long until we find ourselves comfortable in his presence, and repeatedly inviting him back for a visit.  As Cervantes*** wrote:

"Tell me thy company and I will tell thee what thou art."

So what is my point? It seems that our Christianity is increasingly replaced by Faustianity: the relentless pursuit of our selfish goals without regard to ethics or spiritual values. We take little heed of the casualties we create along the way—so long as we are able to get away safely. I see it as supreme selfishness and blind ambition, and it is very much the up-and-coming thing. It may be the fastest growing religion on earth.

__________

* Shades of Job 1:6-12

** This is one of most famous parts of the work:

When thus I hail the moment flying: 

"Ah, still delay--thou art so fair?" 

Then bind me in thy bonds undying, 

My final ruin then declare

*** Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha, LVI:1021 

To Blave

I have always been puzzled as to why two people can witness the same seemingly divine manifestations and one walk away changed forever while the other remains completely un-phased.  The miracles of Jesus are one example, but there are so many more, including this classic scene from The Princess Bride.

I you haven't seen seen the movie, then put this blog aside and go watch it. Better yet watch it for your next FHE because it's that good!  If you have seen it then you can refresh your memory of this scene here, or just read the script below.

Miracle Max:  Hoo hoo hoo! Look who knows so much, heh? Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Please, open his mouth. Puts the bellows to Westley's mouth, and blows air in.  Now, mostly dead is slightly alive. Now, all dead... well, with all dead, there's usually only one thing that you can do. 

Inigo: What's that? 


Miracle Max:  Go through his clothes and look for loose change.  Removes the bellows.  Hey! Hello in there! Hey! What's so important? What you got here that's worth living for? Pushes on Westley's abdomen. 


Westley:  t-r-u-e  l-o-v-e. 


Inigo:  "True Love", you heard him? You could not ask for a more noble cause than that. 


Miracle Max:  Sonny, True Love is the greatest thing in the world, except for a nice MLT--- mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, when the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomato is ripe.  Makes puckering sound.  They're so perky. I love that. But that's not what he said--- he distinctly said "To blave" and as we all know, to blave means to bluff, heh? So you were probably playing cards, and he cheated-- 
A little old lady storms into the room. 


Valerie:  Liar! Liar! Lia----r! 


Miracle Max:  Get back, witch! 


Valerie:  I'm not a witch, I'm your wife, but after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that anymore. 


Miracle Max:  You never had it so good. 


Valerie:  True Love, he said "True Love", Max. 

Though Westley was mostly dead,* true love gave him a noble cause to live on. Everyone heard him say it and were amazed and inspired--except Miracle Max.  Why?

You could argue he just needed a hearing aid (Rob Reiner had Billy Crystal made-up to look older than Methuselah in this scene). More likely, this scene is teaching us about not hearing something because you don't want to hear it. Jesus Christ had plenty to say about this as well:

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive 

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.   (^{Matthew 13:14-17)}

What Max heard, speaks mostly about Max. He accuses Westley of bluffing. Yet in response to hearing something that, deep down inside, he knows is truly remarkable, his personal response is to blave.  He pretends he doesn't hear it and explains it away until he hears something more to his liking (which in this case is revenge).  

Our world is perpetually listening intently for things we want to hear--things that will inspire and lift us and make us better.** Though much of it is good, even more is just distraction and filler, and far less transformative than it pretends to be. Yet so often we blave when hearing the words that are legitimate game-changers, like the words of eternal life.  Let's not forget that those who watched and heard the miracles of Jesus were there because they were searching as well.  Sadly, what they heard wasn't what they wanted to hear. It's worth keeping in mind as we get ready to "listen" to General Conference in 2 weeks.

_____

* Mark 9:26
** [Insert here your favorite distraction: sports, social media, the blogosphere, TED talks, The Great Courses lectures, Netflix or your carefully planned DVR recordings]