“Laman was angry”
-Here is
another example of anger being manifest by one who is not righteous. Anger is a companion to wickedness.
-In our
time we speak of people, some young man or some young woman or even groups of
people who are angry. These seem to be
consumed with an ire and a deep festering “problem” with society. Often we seek to understand why they are
angry, as if there is some justification or legitimacy behind their emotional
state. Anger is a chief tool of Satan. Anger is one of his most descriptive
qualities. His anger and subsequent
rebellion caused his expulsion from heaven and forfeiture of future endowments
(body, chance at a redeeming experience in mortality, eternal kingdom,
etc.). No wonder his goal is to lure
people into the cankering realm of anger.
No wonder he is expert about stirring men up to anger. Anger is like a drug, which after entering
our blood stream, shuts off all forms of higher thought. One who is angry is not humble. He seeks to blame his situation (usually the
suffering that accompanies unrighteous living) on others. He seeks for retribution and punishment. His anger is based in comparing his position
against others which is based on faulty judgment.
“angry with
me… and my father…”
-Laman
still does not have the idea that this is the Lord’s errand and not Nephi’s or
Lehi’s little escapade. This is very
much like a member who has a difficult time accepting the instructions of the
prophet or other priesthood leader. If
we recognize that commandments come from God we would know that we must obey
but if we can suppose they are only from another man we can find some
questionable aspect to the command and justify our deliverance or stubbornness
thereto (in a cynical world that is over-concerned with the rights of the self,
in the world that Toqueville warned of and in which everyone is myopically
pursuing their own interests in the name of enlightened self-fulfillment, it is
easy to find “something questionable” about any man or woman who would make
demands of us or suggest that we change some aspect of our behavior. Why they are just trying to control us, to
subdue our will, to gain a position of advantage over us. We are our own bosses, we have rights and
freedoms, who are they to say what we can and cannot do? Oh, but this all sounds so very familiar to
Laman and Lemuel’s arguments… Things do
not change.)
“also was
Lemuel, for he hearkened unto the words of Laman…”
-thus far
Lemuel’s only real sin/shortcoming/major mistake was listening to, or being
influenced by, the words of his brother.
I perceive that this was not a terrible thing by itself, but very soon
we are to see where a person can end up –what larger transgressions they can be
guilty of- when at first they only gave heed to wayward words and ideas. We ought to be very careful who and what we
listen to.
-what a
difference it would have made if Lemuel was less of a follower and took active
steps to find out for himself regading the hand of the Lord in his life. Lemuel could have shifted the balance of
power significantly in the direction of his father and his brother Nephi. Three (Lemuel, Nephi and Sam) against one
(Laman) would have created very different power dynamics than two against
two. As it was, however, Lemuel
abdicated much of his agency as a follower of Laman. His eternal path was determined by falling in
with and following his brother. This
type of passive living is dangerous.
“hard words”
-how much of our current/everyday conversations could be categorized in this
generic phrase: “hard words”. How many
of us are frequently involved in conversations that include hard words about
others? How quickly will hard words
turn, like they did so quickly for Laman and Lemuel, to sinful actions?
-Let us
here observe that the progression of any thought or emotion to its action is
not very long. Also let us admit that
there is a natural evolutionary course that must be followed. An emotion/thought that is felt within the
soul will arise as a word which will, sooner or later, become an action that
will in turn mold and form a person’s character. Anger, hostile communication will eventually
evolve into physical violence. The way
to cut the cycle before it runs its full course, or to correct it when it has
already begun its destructive result is to supplant the evil origin/root with a
good one. Anger must be replaced by
compassion, understanding and/or charity.
To assume that anger can still exist and focus on squelching the
verbalization is not to treat the real wound and will never serve to cure the
problem. The fruit of a tree will always
be the resemblance of its seed and roots.
Anger can never beget anything but its own.
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