Unlearning

Sunday, June 20, 2010

This is a concept I developed for Stake General Priesthood meeting in June of 2010. It could be fleshed out in lots of additional dimensions. The primary concept is that we need to get educated spiritually so we can unlearn all the false traditions which the world teaches us every day.


Unlearning the beliefs of the world

Brethren, I appreciate the opportunity I have to visit with you this afternoon.

It is such a wonderful privilege I get to share time with you. I pray the things I say will bless and help each of us to better perform our duties in the priesthood.

I appreciate all that has been said to this point.

Its' hard being the son of the stake president. Ask Max. After everyone of these meetings, I ask him "how he liked the meeting." He'll say "It was really great Dad." I threw him a curve ball recently when I asked him specifically what he enjoyed most about the meeting, and he couldn't remember a single thing to comment on. Young men, may I suggest you think about something specific to comment on so when your dad asks you, you have a comment. It was embarrassing for max to just look at me like he was from another planet.

In fact, here's a little something you can tell your dad. "I liked what President Bassett said about how we should UNLEARN things." Remember that, and you may get by without getting too embarrassed.

June is a month of graduations. A month with a lot of recognitions given to those who have studied and who have achieved various degrees of knowledge. I was pleased to be able to speak recently as many young people in our stake graduated from Seminary.

Our education system is remarkable, and gives us a common set of experiences to which we can relate with each other.

For example, we all can think of the stress and challenges of that 'First Day of School'.

As a new parent, we wanted our first son to be prepared for his "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL" when he started kindergarten. So we talked to him about it. We coached him on what he might do that day. We tried to anticipate anything in particular which might be hard for him, and calm him on it. We told him how fun it would be. Well the big day arrived, and we took pictures of him and his friends with their little backpacks both at the 'bus stop' and then again at the school before walking in. Wendy kissed him goodbye as he went into the kindergarten doors. And then welcomed him when he came out of the doors a few hours later. When they finally arrived at home she asked him how his first day of school was. He said it was great! He had a wonderful time. Then she asked him if he was excited to go back the next day. He looked at her, "you mean I have to go back?" Somewhere we had forgotten to tell him that he had 12 more years of school.

Well, he graduated a few years ago from BYU in electrical engineering, and that wasn't enough school for him, as he just took his LSAT exam in preparation for a few more years of post graduate work. So I guess we didn't scar him too badly.

I would like to focus my time discussing the council we have received from our prophets to "Be Smart." And I want to talk not only about education as it applies to secular learning, but also as it applies to spiritual learning.

The Space Shuttle and Horses Rear Ends

If you go outside and measure the distance between train rails on any railroad in the US, whether it was built yesterday or 100 years ago, you'll find that the distance is 4 feet 8 1/2  inches wide. That's an exceedingly odd number.

Why was that distance used?  Because in the 1800's when they started building trains in the US, they used the same tools and machinery that were being used in England. And 4 feet 8 1/2 inches is how far apart the rails were in England.

Why did the English build them like that?  The answer is because they built the first trains using the same tools and machinery that built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the distance they used.

Why did 'the tramway people' use that distance then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same tools and machines that were used for building wagons, and that's the distance used for wagon wheel spacing.

So, why did the wagons have that particularly odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who built those old rutted roads?

Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads throughout Europe for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for (or by) Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

And why did the Imperial war chariot use that odd distance? Because it was the width of two war horses walking side by side.

So tying it all together, the United States built all of their railroads 4 feet 8 1/2  inches apart because imperial roman war horses standing side by side was 4 feet 8 1/2 inches wide.

There's an interesting extension to the story. When we see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad in Florida, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site.

The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is only slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track (as we know) is about as wide as two horses' behinds. So, a major design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's rear end.

We need to Unlearn Things

So why do I share this story? To illustrate a principle. That once an idea or a standard or a habit becomes established, it has a way of sticking around. For thousands of years if it isn't change.

○ Now If it's a good idea or behavior, then this concept of permanence or non-changing is a good thing, and we should encourage it's continued use.
○ But if it's a bad idea or behavior, it's bad. Then it needs to be unlearned or undone so that it doesn't continue to plague us.

That's why we get educated…. Why we go to school...

GK Chesterton said, "The chief object of education is not to learn things, but to unlearn things." Or in other words, we get educated to see with new eyes - not only see new things which you never saw before, but to also recognize errors in thinking, or errors in doing things which hold us back.

Importance of Education

Many of our children this year have graduated from Elementary School, others from Jr. High, and some of you young men graduated from High School this year. Others have graduated from College, in fact I had two daughters graduate from college within a week of each other this year. Others in our midst have gone on and graduated with a post graduate degree this year. And some have gotten professional credentials or certifications. Each of these major milestones in education represent years of study and years of pursuing knowledge and skills. Some study math, science, anthroloplogy, physcology, and linguistics. Some have become experts in law, or medicine, or architecture. They can describe for us in detail about quarks, and genomes, constitutions and compendiums.

For those who aren't graduating or advancing another year in school, most have taken the opportunity this year to study new skills, or trades which improve their ability to build, or sell, or teach, or function in this fast paced world.

The education which we achieve becomes a defining attribute throughout our lives. Those who get advanced degrees or professional credentials carry their title with them throughout their entire lives and put their credentials after their name. Some wear school rings as reminders of their education. Some return years after their graduation to reunions to relive the unique experience of attaining that education. Our education in many ways help defines us.

The prophets encourage us to get educated. President Hinkley said, "You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will in large measure pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field. You belong to a church that teaches the importance of education. You have a mandate from the Lord to educate your minds and your hearts and your hands. "

He said, "Be smart. The Lord wants you to educate your minds and hands, whatever your chosen field. Whether it be repairing refrigerators, or the work of a skilled surgeon, you must train yourselves. Seek for the best schooling available. Become a workman of integrity in the world that lies ahead of you. I repeat, you will bring honor to the Church and you will be generously blessed because of that training. There can be no doubt, none whatever, that education pays. Do not short-circuit your lives. If you do so, you will pay for it over and over and over again."


Importance of Spiritual Education

Now without minimizing the importance of all the learning and unlearning we get from the secular world we must remember….the world at large is very uneducated with regard to what's really important. The world has very little to say with any authority... About who we are, why we are here, and where we come from. They know only pieces about who God our Father, his Son Jesus Christ and about the Holy Ghost. They don't know how God works with man. And because they can't speak to these things, they have very little to say with authority about what is right and wrong, or what we are supposed to do AND NOT DO while we're here...

Fortunately for us, in our day, the Lord has restored truth of these things to us. He has made it possible for us to get a spiritual education as rich and deep as any education available through secular study. Through a study of the prophets, the scriptures, and our various manuals and church materials…and by giving heed to the gift of the holy ghost we can get a spiritual education which answers all of the critical questions and help us know who we are, and what we are here for.


In other words, a person can not only get a wonderful secular education, but can also get a spiritual education which will help them see with spiritual eyes, AND unlearn the false teachings that have permeated the world stage for thousands of years.

Unlearning things the world teaches

We could spend all afternoon discussing examples of false traditions that the world thrusts upon us, and how a spiritual education helps us UNLEARN those traditions. But let me share 5 or 6 examples with you just to give you a flavor of what a wonderful blessing having a spiritual education, really is for us.


1. The world teaches: That God doesn't exist.

However, as we become spiritually educated we unlearn these false teachings and we learn that God does exist, that Prophets communicate with Him and have seen him and been in His presence and his Glory. We learn that all of us can receive him as a companion through the power of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. That we can make eternal covenants with him. And that he will give us his priesthood through his Oath and Covenant.

○ In the course of our spiritual education we have received ancient witnesses of the existence of God, from Adam, Noah, Moses, Nephi, Jared and many, many others.

○ We have been blessed with modern testimonies of the existence of God. Such as that given by Joseph Smith in modern days.

○ "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the atestimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he blives! For we asaw him, even on the bright hand of cGod; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only dBegotten of the Father— That by ahim, and through him, and of him, the bworlds are and were created, and the cinhabitants thereof are begotten dsons and daughters unto God.

○ We've been given the witness of living and true servants of God when they say: We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

○ And we can receive our own witness of his existence through the power of the Holy Ghost.

2. The world teaches: There is nothing wrong with immorality or with immodesty. That these are just natural expressions of being human.

However, as we become spiritually educated we unlearn these teachings and we come to understand that the natural man is an enemy to God. That morality and fidelity are critical to our happiness. And that modesty is an outward expression of who we are inside.

○ Regarding modesty, when we receive a spiritual education we learn "How we dress affects who we attract, whether positive or negative. We learn that our body is a temple, and that we need to be clothed with purity, yea even with the robe of righteousness." And that dressing in a sloppy or worldly fashion sends a message that our character is sloppy or worldly.

○ Regarding morality, we learn that "Physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred. It is ordained of God for the creation of children and for the expression of love between husband and wife. God has commanded that sexual intimacy be reserved for marriage. When you obey God’s commandment to be sexually pure, you prepare yourself to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple. You prepare yourself to build a strong marriage and to bring children into the world as part of a loving family. You protect yourself from the emotional damage that always comes from sharing physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage."

3. The world teaches - "Man is not free to choose, but is a consequence of his genetic makeup, or at best of his environment. He has no real choice"

However, as we become spiritually educated we unlearn these false teachings and we learn that we are children of God and that one of the fundamental elements of his plan for us, was to give us the ability to choose.

We have been blessed with scriptures which teach us that "...men are afree according to the bflesh; ... And they are free to echoose fliberty and eternal glife, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; ...And now, my sons, I would that ye should ...choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the aevil which is therein, - 2 Ne 2: 27-29

Regarding this agency, we have been blessed to hear prophets teach "Your Heavenly Father has given you agency, the ability to choose right from wrong and to act for yourself. You have been given the Holy Ghost to help you know good from evil. While you are here on earth, you are being proven to see if you will use your agency to show your love for God by keeping His commandments. While you are free to choose for yourself, you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. When you make a choice, you will receive the consequences of that choice. The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow, for good or bad. Wrong choices delay your progression and lead to heartache and misery. Right choices lead to happiness and eternal life. That is why it is so important for you to choose what is right throughout your life.

4. The world teaches that we can "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die."

However, when we are spiritually educated we unlearn these things. We learn that this is the day to prepare to meet god. That we should first seek the kingdom of God, and then all these things will be added unto us. We learn that Cursed is he that putteth his atrust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the bprecepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5. The world teaches: There is no good and evil. Everything is relative.

But when we're spiritually educated we unlearn these things. We come to understand that learning Good from Evil is one of our primary purposes in this life. And that the Lord has given us the spirit of light - the holy ghost - upon which to measure the truth of all things.

○ We read:
○ "Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is aevil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
○   15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to ajudge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
○   16 For behold, the aSpirit of Christ is given to every bman, that he may cknow good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
○   17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do aevil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
○   19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the alight of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a bchild of Christ."

6. The world teaches: That you are entitled to have all your needs taken care of by someone else. That you deserve anything that anyone else has regardless of how hard they worked or how much they applied themselves to get it.

○ However, when we are spiritually educated we unlearn these things. We learn that no one owes us anything. We learn that hard work is a virtue, and that the Lord wants us to learn to be self reliant.

○ In the course of our spiritual education we learn that “The [individual] growth required by the gospel plan occurs only in a culture of individual effort and responsibility. It cannot occur in a culture of dependency. Whatever causes us to be dependent on someone else for decisions or resources we could provide for ourselves weakens us spiritually and retards our growth toward what the gospel plan intends us to be” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 40).

○ We learn that “The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be reenthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership” (First Presidency, in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, 3).

○ We hear the importance of self reliance in the scriptures, including "Galatians 6:4-5"
“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:4–5).

○ And we hear prophets speak about the value of Work. I love what Pres. Uchtdorf said ina recent General Conference about Work:

" To this day, I am deeply impressed by the way my family worked after having lost everything following World War II! I remember my father—a civil servant by education and experience—taking on several difficult jobs, among which were coal miner, uranium miner, mechanic, and truck driver. He left early in the morning and often returned late at night in order to support our family. My mother started a laundry and worked countless hours doing menial labor. She enlisted my sister and me in her business. With my bike I became the pickup and delivery service. It felt good to be able to help the family in a small way, and though I did not know it at the time, the physical labor turned out to be a blessing to my health as well. It wasn’t easy, but the work kept us from dwelling too much on the difficulties of our circumstances. Although our situation didn’t change overnight, it did change. That’s the thing about work. If we simply keep at it—steady and constant—things certainly will improve. How I admire men, women, and children who know how to work! How the Lord loves the laborer! He said, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,”1 and “The laborer is worthy of his hire.”2 He also gave a promise: “Thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you.”3 Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church. The Lord doesn’t expect us to work harder than we are able. He doesn’t (nor should we) compare our efforts to those of others. Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can—that we work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be."

My brethren, may we seek to become educated. And may we honor the education we are blessed with. It will help us change the world, both by the things we learn, and by the things we unlearn.

May we continue with all our hearts to seek spiritual education. May we put as a high priority attendance in Seminary, Institute, Sunday School, and Priesthood instruction. May we study our lesson manuals, and seek daily from the scriptures. May we seek wisdom and knowledge from the best books. May we our conference reports.

So that we can see with spiritual eyes. So that we can unlearn the ways of the world.

And may we share our spiritual education with others who haven't received this knowledge, to help break down the ignorance that they still labor under. Help them unlearn those false teachings which they have inherited from the world so that they can find happiness and joy.



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ADDITIONAL STORY If Time allows:

The day is coming whether you like it or not. One day you're going to look at someone you went to school with and think, "Man, do they look old! And then you're going to realize, that you also look old…"

I like this story which illustrates this point to a t…

MY NAME IS ALICE SMITH AND I WAS SITTING IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR MY FIRST
APPOINTMENT WITH A NEW DENTIST. I NOTICED HIS DDS DIPLOMA, WHICH BORE HIS
FULL NAME.

SUDDENLY, I REMEMBERED A TALL, HANDSOME, DARK-HAIRED BOY WITH THE
SAME NAME HAD BEEN IN MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS SOME 40-ODD YEARS AGO. COULD
HE BE THE SAME GUY THAT I HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON, WAY BACK THEN? UPON
SEEING HIM, HOWEVER, I QUICKLY DISCARDED ANY SUCH THOUGHT.

THIS BALDING, GRAY-HAIRED MAN WITH THE DEEPLY LINED FACE WAS WAY
TOO OLD TO HAVE BEEN MY CLASSMATE.

AFTER HE EXAMINED MY TEETH, I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ATTENDED
MORGAN PARK HIGH SCHOOL.

"YES. YES, I DID. I'M A MUSTANG," HE GLEAMED WITH PRIDE.

"WHEN DID YOU GRADUATE?" I ASKED.

HE ANSWERED , "IN 1959. WHY DO YOU ASK?"

"YOU WERE IN MY CLASS!", I EXCLAIMED.

HE LOOKED AT ME CLOSELY. THEN, THAT OLD, BALD,
WRINKLED, GRAY-HAIRED, DECREPIT MAN
ASKED, "WHAT DID YOU TEACH?"

So as you leave High School remember that while getting old is tough, it beats the alternative.

I want to take 7 minutes to share a few thoughts for you to consider as you hit this huge milestone in your life.



B. The Old Hermit and the Cave
An old hermit stumbled into a cave in which he found an enormous hidden treasure. As he left the cave, he saw three men and started to run, hoping to lead them away from the hidden treasure. But the three men were curious; why would an old hermit run from them? So they stopped him and asked where he was going. "I'm running away from death. Get out of here."

His warning, of course, had just the opposite effect on the three men. They were suddenly very curious about the place the old hermit did not want them to go, and forced him to retrace his steps to the cave. "Here," said the hermit, "is where death was running after me."

The three men drove the old hermit off, went in the cave and found the treasure. They decided that one of them should go into town to get provisions to eat while the other two guarded the treasure. One volunteered to go get the food, thinking to himself that while he was in town he would poison the food, come back, give it to the other two, watch them die and then have the treasure to himself. 

But while he was away, the other two decided there would be more for them if they killed the third man when he came back from town with the food. This they did and then settled down to eat the food he had brought. But the poisoned food killed them, leaving three dead men beside the treasure which remained hidden in the cave.

The too obvious moral of this story is that greed lurks in caves, deals in death, and doesn't deliver on its promises.[6] 

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