Dear Reader,
Yes, this blog is not very popular. Yes, this is a political post. Yes, I know nothing about politics. However, I have been watching several of the political debates (In an attempt to be an informed citizen) and the most preoccupying aspect of the 2016 presidential race is the countenance of the candidates. Again, my knowledge of politics is very limited and it is most likely that I am missing something, but my thoughts must be put out there. At this point I do not formally endorse nor belittle any of the current candidates. Rather than a description of his/her policies, this is a description of what I believe a president should be like in character.
Truth be told, I didn't know how to put my thoughts into words until our Family Home Evening activity tonight. Every Monday our apartment gets together with another apartment in the ward for some kind of activity. To start the activity, there is always a spiritual thought given, based on what a person has read in the scriptures or some spiritual experience they have had. Tonight I was asked to give a spiritual thought by one of the group leaders and it helped clear up a lot of what has been on my mind.
The scripture that came to my mind through inspiration was Alma 48:11-17. In this chapter, an evil man leads his army to attack the people that a man named Moroni is in charge of. Moroni takes the time to "prepare the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God" (verse 8). After talking about the preparations that he made,
Moroni is then described by the author.
"Moroni was a strong and mighty man; he was not a man of perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
"Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God...a man who did labor exceedingly for his people.
"Yea, he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion..." (Alma 48:11-13).
During most of my life I have imagined all leaders should strive to have these attributes. Obviously I have learned that not all leaders have them, and worse, they do not strive to obtain these principles.
It is important for a leader to strive for this strength and service. A verse later on in this same chapter illustrates why.
"...I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." (Alma 48:17)
In other words, if every man were like Moroni, or at least strove for that way of being, the devil and his evil would be shaken and struck with fear.
With that description of Moroni in mind, I would like to add a couple of points to what a good leader should be:
A president of any organization should be an honest person. Lying cannot be tolerated on behalf of anyone, but especially any leader who has the influence to guide other the actions of other people. It's hard to know sometimes whether a politician is lying, and sometimes it gets complicated on what the truth about a situation actually is. However, there are many times when a politician or other leader will lie through their teeth. I automatically lose respect for any person who does so.
A president should value each person under their influence. This particular issue hits home because of a certain candidate of this year's presidential race that seems to have no regard for anyone. A leader or president should enforce the rules and make sure people are tried and punished accordingly. However, it is not tolerable to completely disregard the decency of human beings and shove them around. I have heard and seen comments from the candidate mentioned time and time again, demonstrating that he is not capable of holding the presidency of the United States.
I am proud to be an Citizen of the United States. I intend to keep it that way. We need to strive for what our country has always stood for, which is very similar to what Moroni wrote on his famous Title of Liberty:
"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46:12-13)
Yes, this blog is not very popular. Yes, this is a political post. Yes, I know nothing about politics. However, I have been watching several of the political debates (In an attempt to be an informed citizen) and the most preoccupying aspect of the 2016 presidential race is the countenance of the candidates. Again, my knowledge of politics is very limited and it is most likely that I am missing something, but my thoughts must be put out there. At this point I do not formally endorse nor belittle any of the current candidates. Rather than a description of his/her policies, this is a description of what I believe a president should be like in character.
Truth be told, I didn't know how to put my thoughts into words until our Family Home Evening activity tonight. Every Monday our apartment gets together with another apartment in the ward for some kind of activity. To start the activity, there is always a spiritual thought given, based on what a person has read in the scriptures or some spiritual experience they have had. Tonight I was asked to give a spiritual thought by one of the group leaders and it helped clear up a lot of what has been on my mind.The scripture that came to my mind through inspiration was Alma 48:11-17. In this chapter, an evil man leads his army to attack the people that a man named Moroni is in charge of. Moroni takes the time to "prepare the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God" (verse 8). After talking about the preparations that he made,
Moroni is then described by the author.
"Moroni was a strong and mighty man; he was not a man of perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
"Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God...a man who did labor exceedingly for his people.
"Yea, he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion..." (Alma 48:11-13).
During most of my life I have imagined all leaders should strive to have these attributes. Obviously I have learned that not all leaders have them, and worse, they do not strive to obtain these principles.
It is important for a leader to strive for this strength and service. A verse later on in this same chapter illustrates why.
"...I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." (Alma 48:17)
In other words, if every man were like Moroni, or at least strove for that way of being, the devil and his evil would be shaken and struck with fear.
With that description of Moroni in mind, I would like to add a couple of points to what a good leader should be:
A president of any organization should be an honest person. Lying cannot be tolerated on behalf of anyone, but especially any leader who has the influence to guide other the actions of other people. It's hard to know sometimes whether a politician is lying, and sometimes it gets complicated on what the truth about a situation actually is. However, there are many times when a politician or other leader will lie through their teeth. I automatically lose respect for any person who does so.
A president should value each person under their influence. This particular issue hits home because of a certain candidate of this year's presidential race that seems to have no regard for anyone. A leader or president should enforce the rules and make sure people are tried and punished accordingly. However, it is not tolerable to completely disregard the decency of human beings and shove them around. I have heard and seen comments from the candidate mentioned time and time again, demonstrating that he is not capable of holding the presidency of the United States.
I am proud to be an Citizen of the United States. I intend to keep it that way. We need to strive for what our country has always stood for, which is very similar to what Moroni wrote on his famous Title of Liberty:
"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children" (Alma 46:12-13)
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