Book Review

I've done some very thought provoking reading lately, and I wanted to share. The first book is C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce. It offers an allegorical glimpse of the afterlife, and one individual's journey from "hell" to "heaven". What I loved about this book is that the individual had the opportunity to watch others also on the journey, and see how their decisions affected them. Each of these individuals had a specific "vice" or downfall that needed to be overcome in order to achieve the highest realm. Many simply could not overcome their weaknesses and chose to return to their stagnant positions in "hell". What struck me about this is; first, that these people were offered every opportunity to choose to stay in "heaven" and it was only their own unwillingness to change that kept them from glory. I believe that we have a loving Father in Heaven that truly wants us to live to our divine potential, and that through our Savior, Jesus Christ, he has given us every opportunity to overcome obstacles in our way. He wants us to return to him.....it will be our choice if we don't.

Second, some of these vices were a bit surprising. There was one that represented most "sins" as we think of them. Addictions, habits, things we do that keep us away from God. It was represented by a man with a lizard on his shoulder, that controlled him. He was the one out of all the figures represented that was able to overcome and "move on" so to speak. When he allowed his lizard to be destroyed, it turned into a beautiful white stallion. This reminded me of the scripture in Ether 12:27, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." It was interesting to note that all of the other vices represented were things that we might not normally think of as sin. One was a mother who loved her son, but she loved him to the exclusion of all else, making life miserable for her husband and daughter after his passing. Another was a man with a problem of self-pity. All of these characters except the man with the lizard, chose to return to "hell" although they didn't see it as such. It was a place where they could hold on to that which they couldn't let go of, although it kept them stagnant. It was too uncomfortable for them to let go of what they had held on to for so long. It was pointed out that sometimes these sins are harder to recognize and let go of, because they may start with good intentions. It is good to love your son, but not to the exclusion of everyone else. It is good to recognize fault in ourselves, but only to the point that it helps us improve. Guilt and pity do not come from God.

Reading this made me want to take a closer look at myself. What is my pet vice? Is there something, maybe even with good intentions, that I cling to that keeps me from progressing? This book was very thought provoking, and I highly recommend it to all.

The second book that I want to mention may be a bit out there for some of you, but it brings up some good points. It is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The author describes a society, hundreds of years from now that is being controlled by those in charge. The interesting thing is that they are not controlled by force like most futuristic reads. This society doesn't necessarily withhold information from it's citizens, rather it provides so much entertainment that they don't want it anymore. This society makes everything easy for people. They are genetically engineered so they no longer age, have health problems, or the "burden" of a family. However, every time the government steps in to make things "easier", the people lose a bit of liberty, until eventually, they don't even know the true meaning of the word. They are free to enjoy themselves, but that's about it, and that is about all that they desire as well.

This made me think about all of the distractions we have these days. All of the entertainment that we become slaves to. All of the things that are so easy and fun to do, that keep us from doing anything of real value. And the way our society currently looks for the easy road to get out of any trouble. Free healthcare, bailouts, and unlimited welfare to name a few. The more we do for ourselves, the more freedom we truly have. I've also been thinking that so many of these distractions really prevent us from listening to the guidance of the Spirit. I've noticed that the Spirit works best on me bit by bit. When I'm trying to improve myself, I am given direction on how to do so, and then a way to improve upon that, and so on. When I allow myself to become indolent and complacent with life, it is harder to be guided to improve.

A little food for thought for a Sunday morning.