The Tale of Two Wolves

A grandfather was talking with his grandson and he said, "There are two wolves inside of us which are always at war with each other."

"One of them is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred and fear."

The grandson stopped and thought about it for a second. Then he looked up at his grandfather and asked, “Grandfather, which one will win?”

The grandfather quietly replied, "The one that wins will be the one you choose to feed."
- An old Cherokee legend

“What win I, if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy.
Who buys a minute's mirth to wail a week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?
For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Or what fond beggar, but to touch the crown,
Would with the sceptre straight be strucken down?”
- William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece

In life we usually end up doing what we want. The key is to want the right things!
- Elder Clate W. Mask Jr

What we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.
- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Sources
The Tale of Two Wolves
Elder Mask: "Friend to Friend: Righteous Desires," Friend, Oct. 2004
Elder Maxwell: "According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts," Ensign, Nov. 1996

A Besieged City

"The kingdom of God is like a besieged city surrounded on all sides by death. Each man has his place on the wall to defend, and no one can stand where another stands, but nothing prevents us from calling encouragement to one another."
- Martin Luther

Every person has their own trials to go through in this life. We cannot go through another person's trials for them. But we can and should be a source of strength and encouragement for each other.

The Hero's Journey

There are several different ways to view typical story narratives. Here are a few.

The Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey can be boiled down to three stages:

• Departure: The Hero leaves the familiar world behind.
• Initiation: The Hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world of adventure.
• Return: The Hero returns to the familiar world.

More elaborate taxonomies usually include the following stages, not all of which need to be present:

• Birth: Miraculous or unusual circumstances around the Hero's conception or birth. Bonus points if there was a prophecy. These are less common in modern stories, which tend to emphasize the role of personal choice in defining a hero, although there may still be a Prophecy Twist involved.
• Beginning: The journey begins in the ordinary world of the Hero's hometown, often in one of two flavors (save or restore) using one of these three scenarios:
  • Peaceful Kingdom: The Hero must save the world from impending doom.
  • The Wasteland: The Hero must restore his world.
  • Suburbia: Can be either, depending on where the story falls on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.
• Desire for adventure: The Hero may be dissatisfied with the ordinary and express a desire for adventure. In musicals this can be expressed through an "I Want" Song.
• Call to Adventure: The Herald brings a Call to Adventure. The Hero learns that s/he must leave the known world behind and travel into the land of adventure.
• Answer the Call: The Hero must then decide how to answer the Call:
  • Refusal of the Call: More common in classic stories.
  • Jumped at the Call: The hero accepts the call. The Hero may initially be found not worthy or s/he may reluctantly accept out of duty/destiny. More common in modern stories.
• Supernatural Aid: Frequently, the first step on the Journey is receiving some kind of magical item or other Supernatural Aid.
• Crossing the First Threshold: The Hero must make a conscious, willing decision to embark on the adventure and leave the known world behind. The Hero may have to defeat Threshold Guardians, who are not necessarily adversarial but do test the Hero's resolve.
• The Land of Adventure: the Hero enters a strange, dreamlike realm, where logic is topsy-turvy and the "rules" are markedly different from the ordinary world. The Hero may meet their Hero Partners here and rescue a Damsel in Distress.
• The Belly of the Whale: Represents a symbolic death for the Hero. The Hero is defeated and killed, his flesh scattered, ready to be reborn and emerge as a new person. Part of this step involves the Hero Losing The Guide.
• Road of Trials: the path out of the Belly of the Whale. Usually the meat of the story. The Writer's Journey calls it Tests, Allies, Enemies. Stops along the way might include:
  • The Shapeshifter: someone you don't trust but nonetheless need for his or her help/information.
  • The Goddess.
  • The Temptress.
  • Atonement With the Father: Variants include a final showdown with an Archnemesis Dad (sometimes still ending in atonement if Death Equals Redemption) and Calling the Old Man Out.
  • At least one "Leave Your Quest" Test, usually after meeting the Goddess or Temptress.
• Night Sea Voyage: the Hero must sneak into the Big Bad's Elaborate Underground Base and retrieve something or someone.
• Time out just before the big battle: the Heroes gather around a campfire and prepare for the battle, tell stories, confess their feelings, etc. It reminds them of what's at stake, and serves as a breather after all the action of the Road of Trials.
• Apotheosis / Fight against the Big Bad / Ultimate Boon (These are typically very closely related, often intertwined.)
  • Apotheosis: The Hero comes to view the world in a new and radically different way, either because of a critical breakthrough he's made or some crucial information he's uncovered. If it is something to do with himself then this is a good time for an I Am Who?.
  • The Hero confronts the Big Bad: Typically this plays out in a David Versus Goliath fashion. He is usually called upon to sacrifice himself or something/someone important to him. Choosing between a friend and a goal object is a common scenario. Note that asked is the key word here—it's usually enough that the Hero be willing to sacrifice something without actually having to do it. Someone else will sacrifice himself in the Hero's stead, or the Hero will prove to have outwitted the Big Bad somehow (so that the apparent sacrifice isn't really a sacrifice), or it was all a Secret Test of Character, or...
  • The Ultimate Boon: getting the reward the hero has been chasing all this time.
  • The Final Temptation is often involved in one or more of these three events: A hero originally motivated by a self-serving goal may receive their Ultimate Boon with the option to take it and run before saving the day. A hero on a Homeward Journey may find a way home, but turn back after their Apotheosis makes them realize their work isn't done. Another may be offered the Ultimate Boon or a tempting substitute by the Big Bad...in exchange for stepping aside. Still another may find that the Ultimate Boon is exactly the sacrifice they are required to make to defeat the Big Bad.
• Refusal of the Return: At this point in the story, the Hero has mastered the strange world s/he was thrust into and probably has earned a permanent place there, if s/he wants it. The Hero may even want to stay, but usually there are forces at work that propel him/her home.
• The Return: Also called the Magic Flight; the Hero now has the boon and high-tails it away, with the villain or his forces in hot pursuit; while they engage in a battle of wits and magic (especially shapeshifting) during the chase. The Hero's escape may not require actual magic, but will require all of the new skills s/he's learned and new allies s/he's made. Or alternately s/he could realize the Awful Truth that s/he can't return home because sometimes Failure Is the Only Option...
• Crossing the Return Threshold. Sometimes a fight against the forces of the Muggle world, which the Hero wins thanks to help from his Muggle allies. This is where the Post-Climax Confrontation happens, as the remaining antagonistic forces have followed the Hero beyond the threshold and attacked him/her at a time when the plot should be wrapping up. In the absence of any action, it may be a Boring Return Journey instead, a chance for the Hero to reflect on what has been gained or experienced through the journey.
• Freedom to Live: The Hero grants the boon to his/her people.
• Celebration: A Dance Party Ending is often in order.

Classic Mono-Myth Structure

Biblical Meta-Narrative Paradigm

A biblical meta-narrative model by Chester Branch

Morphology of the Tale

A man named Vladimir Propp analyzed perhaps 100 fairy tales and came up with what he termed the "Morphology of the Tale", which breaks stories down into 31 Naratemes (basic units of a story or narrative). Later, an initial step 0 was added. Not all stories will contain every element, but when they do appear, they will usually occur in the sequence given here. They may also be repeated.

1st Sphere: Introduction

Steps 0 to 7 introduce the situation and most of the main characters, setting the scene for subsequent adventure.

0. Initial situation
1. Absentation: Someone goes missing
2. Interdiction: Hero is warned
3. Violation of interdiction
4. Reconnaissance: Villain seeks something
5. Delivery: The villain gains information
6. Trickery: Villain attempts to deceive victim
7. Complicity: Unwitting helping of the enemy

2nd Sphere: The Body of the story

The main story starts here and extends to the departure of the hero on the main quest.

8. Villainy and lack: The need is identified
9. Mediation: Hero discovers the lack
10. Counteraction: Hero chooses positive action
11. Departure: Hero leave on mission

3rd Sphere: The Donor Sequence

In the third sphere, the hero goes in search of a method by which the solution may be reached, gaining the magical agent from the Donor. Note that this in itself may be a complete story.

12. Testing: Hero is challenged to prove heroic qualities
13. Reaction: Hero responds to test
14. Acquisition: Hero gains magical item
15. Guidance: Hero reaches destination
16. Struggle: Hero and villain do battle
17. Branding: Hero is branded
18. Victory: Villain is defeated
19. Resolution: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved

4th Sphere: The Hero’s return

In the final (and often optional) phase of the storyline, the hero returns home, hopefully uneventfully and to a hero's welcome, although this may not always be the case.

20. Return: Hero sets out for home
21. Pursuit: Hero is chased
22. Rescue: pursuit ends
23. Arrival: Hero arrives unrecognized
24. Claim: False hero makes unfounded claims
25. Task: Difficult task proposed to the hero
26. Solution: Task is resolved
27. Recognition: Hero is recognized
28. Exposure: False hero is exposed
29. Transfiguration: Hero is given a new appearance
30. Punishment: Villain is punished
31. Wedding: Hero marries and ascends the throne

Sources:
Story Structure Theories
The Hero's Journey
Vladimir Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale

Death and Bedtime

"We are but older children, dear,
Who fret to find our bedtime near."
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass, Prologue

The poem that this quote is from compares a child's dreading of bedtime with an older person's fear of death. The imagery of this was very powerful for me.

We have a night-time ritual which is probably similar to most people's. We try to get our kids to go to bed and they actively try to avoid going to bed. I did the same thing to my parents when I was a kid.

As a parent, I know that my kids will be better off if they go to bed. We have bedtimes for a reason. They will get the amount of sleep they need, they will be able to awaken refreshed in the morning, etc. I think that if they would just listen to us as their parents they will be better off.

I then contrasted this with how much we (in general) fear death. And we mourn the loss of those who pass. This is natural, and I do not mean to diminish the sorrow that people feel when they are separated from loved ones. However, when I heard the words of this poem, I wondered if Heavenly Father views our passing from mortality in a similar way as we do to putting a child to bed.

He knows what is best for us, and He knows when it is our "bedtime." With an eye of faith, I think that perspective can help us to fear death less, and to be able to better accept the loss of a loved one. We can, with faith, accept the loving, guiding hand of our Father in Heaven in our lives. That acceptance can bring us peace.

Source: Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind: Literature's Most Fantastic Works

The Best Time to Plant a Tree

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
Chinese Proverb

Procrastination can be one of our worst enemies. And if we have wasted time or not fully prepared for something it can cause us to lose hope or become discouraged.

Instead of admitting defeat, the best option is to move forward. Yes, I should have planted a tree in this spot 20 years ago, but I didn't. But if I plant one now, in 20 years I will be glad I did. If I still do not, then in 20 years I will still be regretting it.

The same thing applies to many things - saving money, paying off debt, learning a skill, accomplishing a task, forgiving someone, apologizing for a wrong, getting more education, etc.

Do not allow your previous failures to discourage or defeat you. Move forward and take action today so you will have fewer regrets in the future.

The Way to Happiness

"There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way."
Thich Nhat Han, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk

Most people believe they must:

1. First have something (e.g., money, time, or love)

2. Before they can do what they want to do (e.g., travel the world, write a book, start a business, or have a successful relationship)

3. Which will ultimately allow them to be something (e.g., happy, peaceful, content, motivated, or in love).

Paradoxically, this have - do - be paradigm must actually be reversed to experience happiness, success, or anything else you desire.

1. First you be whatever it is you want to be (e.g., happy, compassionate, peaceful, wise, or loving)

2. Then you start doing things from this space of being.

3. Almost immediately, what you are doing will bring about the things you want to have.

We attract into our lives what we are. This concept is confirmed by loads of psychological research. In his popular TED talk, Harvard psychologist Shawn Achor explains that most have happiness backwards. They believe they must first achieve or acquire something to be happy. The science shows that happiness facilities success.

For example, Scott Adams, the creator of the famous comic series Dilbert, attributes his success to the use of positive affirmations. 15 times each day, he wrote the sentence on a piece of paper, “I Scott Adams, will become a syndicated cartoonist.”

The process of writing this 15 times a day buried this idea deep into his subconscious - putting Adams’ conscious mind on a treasure hunt for what he sought. The more he wrote, the more he could see opportunities before invisible to him. And shortly thereafter, he was a highly famous syndicated cartoonist. It couldn’t not happen.

I personally apply a similar principle but write my goal in present tense. For example, rather than saying, “I will become a syndicated cartoonist,” I write, “I am a syndicated cartoonist.” Writing it in the present tense highlights the fact that you are being who you want to be, which will then inform what you do and ultimately who you become.

We do not need to wait until some future time to be happy. We can choose to be happy in our current circumstances.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Philip 4:11

Source: 35 Things You Should Know Before Becoming Successful, by Benjamin P. Hardy 

The Strength of a Rope

"The strength of a twisted rope need not be in any single strand. The strength of a twisted rope may come from the overlap of many strands. In fact, none of those strands may even continue through the whole length of the rope. It's the overlapping strands together that give the rope its strength."
Ludwig Wittgenstein

 This strength can apply to many things - a family, members of a team, or (as Ludwig Wittgenstein originally intended) to a line of reasoning.

For a group of people, no individual can or should support the weight of the group. And the individuals can be weak. But collectively they can be very strong.

We can think similarly about the evidence in favor of believing in God. If you take each individual experience or feeling separately they may seem fragile and of no consequence. But when you take all the evidences together they support our faith and hope.

Source: The Great Courses: Questions of Value

What is Fair?

I recently came across a discussion on the site BoardGameGeek where a game developer was complaining about some ratings of his game which he believed to be "unfair." It raised an interesting discussion about what it means to be "fair" or "unfair."

In many instances it seems like it should be pretty straight-forward to determine what is fair. One user posted the example of dividing a cookie in a way that many people are familiar with. He said:

Letting one person split the last cookie and the other person pick which half they want is fair. 

Letting the splitter do the picking is not fair.

This seems self-evident. If Person A is allowed to both split the cookie and choose which half of the cookie to eat, what is there to prevent Person A from making one part really big and choosing that part? If, on the other hand, Person B is going to choose which part to eat, Person A is motivated to divide the cookie as evenly as possible, lest he or she be stuck with a smaller portion.

One insightful individual, however, posted this response:

In the second example, one person will complain about the result because they don't like it. 

But if you mean fair as in its the "right" thing to do... Well, why should the cookie automatically be split 50/50? Shouldn't the person who made it or bought it get a bigger share? Or if it's a small child and an adult, shouldn't the adult get a bigger share (based on body mass, how much they burn calories and how much sugar is good for them)? Even if the two are simply children being given a cookie by their mom, shouldn't the child who has been better behaved, or who has done his chores, or whatever other measure you want to use to determine who has earned it, get the bigger share? Or if the children have different preferences, where one likes chocolate chips a lot but the other doesn't really like them much at all, shouldn't the child who wants the cookie more, or appreciates the cookie more, get a bigger share? And why are they the only ones getting a share? Shouldn't they let the girl next door have some too? Or maybe they should offer some to the homeless man across town who hasn't eaten today.

There is no fair. There is no objective "right" course of action. No matter what you decide to do, there will be those who like what you've chosen and call it fair, and those who do not and call it unfair. No matter what you do, we can find an argument that claims it wasn't fair. If you believe that you know what fair means, you're under an illusion.

This was very eye-opening to me because I also thought that the scenario of splitting the cookie was one that was easily declared "fair."

I think that we sometimes like to put God in a similar situation when we are complaining about something that does not seem "fair" to us. We eliminate all sorts of variables or considerations and explain how in our situation, God is "obviously" not being fair. If we widen our perspective, it may be more fair than we realize. But even then, I do not know that everything needs to be fair in God's eyes.

He may just shake His head when He sees one child in a first world country complaining about how another was given a promotion or some other benefit that the first child wanted. Compared to the situation of billions of His other children, what both of them have is "unfair" and should be taken away.

But I do believe that God is Just. I believe that He loves His children. And I believe that what happens to us, for good or ill, will be for our benefit if we will let it.

In that sense, what is "fair" has more to do with what we do with a situation than the situation itself. Was it "fair" for Joseph to be sold into Egypt by his brothers? Does it matter?

Source: BoardGameGeek