Inaudible Melodies

Life can get crazy. There are so many things going on in our day to day lives. At any time of the day we can easily get carried away with school, friends, relationships, appointments, sports, work, hobbies, eating, going to Barnes and Noble, going to Dairy Queen, getting Slurpees at 711, making cardboard armor and jousting, "testing" fire extinguishers, washing dishes, making sweet mix CDs, and so much more.

Slurpees. One of the many things we can fill our time with.

 It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a busy life. We must be wary and do all things "in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27). If we are not careful we will end up with having Too Much To Handle. We need to take care of the things that matter most first. When we prioritize our actions with what is in line with the will of Heavenly Father and the teachings of Jesus Christ we will be blessed greatly!

In life there are things that are good, things that are better, and things that are best (see talk "Good, Better, Best" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks). When we choose the things that are "best" we please God and He blesses us. We should never sacrifice scripture study, church, prayer, integrity, virtue, honesty, family and all things "best" for the evils in the world nor should we for even the things that are "good". The "best" things in life fill spiritual holes with everlasting joy. Once we have taken care of the most important things in life we are left with time to ourselves for our own personal enjoyment.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks

I know, from personal experience, that there must be a balance in life! When I get overwhelmed with church, school, or work I need some time to relax!  I need some time for running around with friends on a weekend night, listening to sweet jams while getting delicious Slurpees. Even though this will not fill my spiritual hole in need of everlasting joy it is most definitely harmless fun. But if we get careless we will endanger ourselves to laziness, pleasure-seeking, and transgression. Remember, all things must be done "in wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:17).

One of my favorite songs is by Jack Johnson and it is all about slowing down and realizing the beauty in the things that surround us. It is called "Inaudible Melodies" from his "Brushfire Fairytales" album and here are some of the lyrics! Enjoy!

But in the long run we have found
Silent Films are full of sound
Inaudibly free

Slow down everyone
You're moving to fast
Frames can't catch you when
You're moving like that

Inaudible melodies

Serve narrational strategies

Unobtrusive tones

Help to notice nothing but the zone

Of visual relevancy

Frame-lines tell me what to see

Chopping like an axe

Or maybe Einstein should just relax

Jack Johnson

 Pure joy can only be found through the source of pure joy: Jesus Christ. BUT we don't need to be robots in order to achieve this. Slow down! You're moving too fast! Recognize that even the "silent films" are "full of sound" and beauty. We all need to "just relax" and not get caught up in over scheduled lives. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." So, have a balance of both the joy that comes from church, scriptures and prayer and the joy that comes through sports, music, or school. I assure you that all goodness is from Christ (Ether 4:12). Soak it up while keeping a balance of things that are good, better, and best. 

One scripture that gives me hope is found in the Book of Mormon. It says, "Ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual" (Mosiah 2:17).

Hold onto those inaudible melodies. Follow the teachings of Christ. Have fun. You will be blessed in all aspects of your lives and you will be happy.

It's All Relative

I often wonder why people do the things they do. Why did he say that? Why did she act that way? Why does he live like that? Why does she always find herself in the same bad situation? Why is he continually allowing himself to be treated like that? Etc. Before I came on my mission, whenever I would get into this ponderous mood I would often get on my computer or pull out my iPod/CDs and listen to music. I like most types of music but what I really love is something that will help me calm down and think.

I really enjoy to listen, sit back, and contemplate to music. One of my favorite musicians to help me do this is Jack Johnson. In his lyrics to the song, "It's All Understood" he teaches us that in today's society morals have become a thing of the past. The world used to revolve around what was right and what was wrong. Good and bad. Now, everything is in the grey area. It's all relative.

Jack Johnson

Here is a portion of "It's All Understood":

And fact is only what you believe
And fact and fiction work as a team
It's almost always fiction in the end
That content begins to bend
When context is never the same

I was reading a book
Or maybe it was a magazine
Suggestions on where to place faith
Suggestions on what to believe
But I read somewhere
That you've got to beware
You can't believe anything you read
But the good Book is good
And that's well understood
So don't even question
If you know what I mean

(Chorus)
But it's all relative
Even if you don't understand
Well it's all understood
Especially when you don't understand
And it's all just because
Even if we don't understand
Then lets all just believe

Jack is talking about a very serious and real issue in this song. He is addressing the reality of the struggle between personality and complacency. We are created as equal individuals and the trial of this life is to align our will with God's. Heavenly Father has given us one precious thing that is truly ours: Choice. But just because we own our choices does not mean that we should do anything and everything that we want.

This is what Satan wants us to think and it has become one of the his biggest tools against us. He has much of the the world convinced that the right and wrong of morality is up to the individual. This is false. God's laws and morals have been established "since the foundations of this world" (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20). When someone or something goes against those laws they are at fault. We as a society will never outgrow these morals. To believe such is to think that we can outgrow God. His laws will never change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (2 Nephi 29:9).

In a talk called, "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" given by President Boyd K. Packer a story is told of a grade school class where one of the students brought a kitten for 'show and tell'. One of the students raised his hand and asked if it was a boy kitty or a girl kitty. After some confusion and chaos (and I'm sure nervousness for the teacher) one boy raised his hand and said, "I know how you can tell....you can vote on it!" Funny story, I know, but it holds a lot of truth to the way that our society has become! President Packer then said,

"If we are not alert, there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws that would legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God's laws and nature. A law against nature would be impossible to enforce. For instance, what good would a vote against the law of gravity do?

"There are both moral and physical laws...History demonstrates over and over again that moral standards cannot be changed by battle and connot be changed by ballot. To legalize that which is basically wrong or evil will not prevent the pain and penalties that will follow as surely as night follows day."

We cannot change the laws or designs of God. Anything but His will is counterfeit. Don't get me wrong, we all have our own personalities, likes and dislikes. I am not saying that we must conform to the will of a friend or a corporation. But we must try our best to bring our lives into alignment with the teachings of Christ.

There are certain things that are relative to the individual but I assure you that the way that we follow God and His servants is not one of them. Times, styles, and fashions may change but God will not. Just like Jack Johnson said, "The good Book is good and that's well understood. So don't even question, if you know what I mean." Even in the chaos of our lives we can be certain of one thing. God is with you. He is constant and He loves you more than you know. Follow Him, no matter what the world is saying or doing, and you will be blessed evermore.