Listen, listen

I was without computer access for a few hours today, due to a power outage. I almost think I should write about that, but I will stick with my previously planned subject.

In writing about supply chain issues last week, I said that the most important part of your planning is listening to the Spirit. I mentioned considering other people as well.

One of my deepest core beliefs is in the importance of being able to hear the Spirit and act according to that. That can be for doing things that are good, and setting you up for good things to happen, but it can go just as well for preventing terrible mistakes and suffering.  

I have been injured when I ignored a warning. There are other warnings I listened to that may have been matters of life and death. We don't always know, but I have enough evidence to know that it matters.

Caring about others and taking them into consideration goes along with that. It is not just that the fruits of the Spirit are love, so that our spending time accompanied by the Spirit would make us feel more love, but also that our following up on hate will kill the Spirit.

There is no getting around that.

Trying to control others, looking for the bad in them because of perceived threats, shutting out any light that might show you good things about them... these are all things that are going to kill your ability to feel the Spirit. 

There's no getting around that.

It has been a source of pain for me for some time that lessons and talks seem to have gotten so much shallower and less spiritual. Given the amount of time some people have spent hating liberals and devoting themselves to Trump makes that not at all surprising.

The spreading of racism and looking for ways to justify it is a spirit killer. No, it doesn't kill the Holy Ghost, obviously; that damage is to your spirit.

Focusing so much on the sex lives and desires and body parts of others is a spirit killer. Your job isn't to control their actions; it is to control your own behavior and expand your heart.

Then, feeling like you are under attack for being a bigot, well, that's not an attack; that's criticism. Given how unfamiliar criticism is, that is a great reason to listen to people who actually have been attacked.

I realize that sometimes as you listen to other people, there may be things that are disturbing because you don't understand how it can be. There might be some stuff that is definitely sin but it is mixed in with other things that are not sin. If you are trying to sort out which is which that could be really uncomfortable, but the good thing is, that's not your job. 

Your job is to work on overcoming your own sins, with the help of the Atonement and the Spirit. The more you do that, the more full of love you will be. You will want good things for others, but you will not feel compelled to try and control them. In fact, you will recognize trying to control them as unrighteous dominion.

If I include "the" and capitalize "Spirit", that is for respect, but also clarity. There are many spirits.

The question is then who are you listening to. 

If you are filled with rage that people are taught to respect pronouns, and protect kids which includes educating them about their bodies and that they have some autonomy, and you hate that people ever admit that this country has a racist past -- which it does, built into the Constitution, amended legally in part, but with a large remaining legacy -- 

... it is going to be very hard for you to feel a good spirit.