Analysis of Awesome

Something I've said quite often in the past is that something is awesome. It can be in a variety of contexts, used to describe a person, an object, or an event. For me, it has some special meaning that takes it beyond the simple "throwaway" compliment it can become in some vocabularies. There was one point in my life that I really remember defining in my mind what it has come to mean to me.

The chore we were discussing was the dishes

One afternoon, my younger sister and I were talking. We have two more younger siblings, and since she was older and more responsible than they she was asked to do yet another chore (or so it felt to her). As we are all want to do at times, she complained a little at this extra duty and I happened to overhear her. I remembered times in my childhood that I was in the very same situation, given more chores because I was able, willing, and responsible enough to do them. I then said something like this: "[Sister,] you are awesome. Now I know that that word comes off as a kind of meaningless word, but I really mean it. You are doing the work that another is not. You are doing the hard thing. You are not shirking, and so you have been asked to do more. This extra work is not something demeaning, it is not an insult. It one of the truest compliments you can receive. You are being told that you are awesome every time you are asked to do more. So stand up tall, square your shoulders, and think not of the drudgery that is before you. Think of the awesome that is in you."

Awesome doesn't just mean "cool" or "neat." Awesome is the description of inspiring awe, being a better you, and surpassing the normal standards of the world around us. It should be our ultimate goal. In the end, this is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is about. Not restricting us, not punishing us for our misdeeds, and not whitewashing all of us to be the same shade. The gospel is about making us awesome with the help of Christ. We are given commandments to let us know what to avoid and what will help us. We can learn about why there are consequences for our actions, using the momentary pain of a mistake and acting to be better because of it. I testify of the power of change, of the love our Savior has for each of us, and how that means that we can be awesome. Be motivated, think of the potential that is in you, and don't back down!

Free Agency and Being Free as a Kite

Something that's a big deal is the perceived surrender of will that comes with being Mormon. This is because we have commandments, sometimes referred to as "all your little rules." It is true, we have a high standard that we strive to follow. We really do try to follow all the commandments mentioned in the previous link. Because some of these "rules" are contrary to what some people enjoy, feel strongly about, or simply habits, it seems as if we are restricting our freedom by following them.

If you are perceptive, you've noticed that I haven't agreed with the criticisms about curtailed freedom. I know full well that I have free agency (the ability to make choices); it is part of the plan that God has for us. I know that the lack of rules feels like freedom, but true freedom is having the rules, learning the consequences of the choices, and then making the choice. What seems like a little known secret is that it's not the Church that makes us follow the rules; it is, at the very core, ourselves that choose to follow the rules. So why would so many people give up things that are "fun" or "exciting?" I like to think about how kites work.

A kite is a heavier than air object, and the combination of wind flowing around it and a tether providing a counter force causes enough lift to cause a kite to fly. Every kite has a string attached, and so can only fly so high. Eventually every kite reaches its max height, restricted and blocked from further soaring because its string is held down. A concerned onlooker may see this, and feeling sorry for the kite desire that the string be broken, the kite freed to travel to whatever heights it can reach on its own. We'll say the onlooker's desire is met, and so the kite is freed. Does it fly to greater heights, no longer restricted? No, the removal of the tether instead causes the kite to flutter around a bit and quite quickly tumble to the earth.

Rules are similar tethers in our life; abiding by the rules restricts us from certain activities, and the idea of just being free from the things that bind us earthward is so appealing. However, the rules also guide us, allow us to react to winds of change with confidence and strength, and in the end a kite with a string will always fly higher and longer than a kite without. I know that you have your agency and you can choose for yourself what to do, but I know that I've felt so much more empowered, so much more successful, and so much more happy when I know that I am following the commandments. Don't be afraid to change simply because it feels like you are tying a string to your kite; it could be the string that lets you soar.