#2 The Family Narrative and How It's Gonna Keep Your Family Together

I never imagined what sort of supreme, untapped power that a family narrative held until after I read "The Stories that Bind Us" from the New York Times. Who could have thought that my Dad telling me about how raising chickens with my Grandpa or my Mom telling me about how she worked at a candy store only for two weeks (because she ate too much free candy and it made her sick, go figure) would help me to be successful and more resilient in the future? 

According to the article, families that shared these stories with their children in pretty much any situation (the dinner table, car rides, vacations, etc) helped these children to find a sense of identity to cling to and to give them a sense of, "intergenerational self," or the understanding of how a child can see themselves in the bigger picture of their family. When I hear stories about how my dad worked as a painter all through high school and college or how my Mom's family of seven lived in an apartment built for maybe two or three (I've been there plenty of times and still can't believe how they all used to fit in there) I can see that there's been a lot of work, effort, and living life that's led up to me being here. When my Dad told me about the time he disappointed his own father and how he felt bad, not for what he did but because he disappointed him, or listening to my Mom reminisce about her own father (who died before I was born) I better understand the role of Dads, and what it really means to be one. I've learned what kind of father I want to be like, and how important it is for me to assume the same role in my future family. Feeling like I'm a part of a team with its own unique history gives me a sense of special belonging that I believe everyone craves and desires to some degree. 

Carrying with us the history and traditions of our families will do much to shape our identities and how we see ourselves. Everyone wants to have talents, hobbies, activities and life experiences that makes them feel special. These are the building blocks and links in our chains that give us the ability to connect with others and build relationships, common ground, and perhaps future links in those chains and blocks to build with. Our families are our first source of these things, and we would do well to make these things accessible in our own families and preserve them for future generations who will have a greater need for them as this world gets increasingly difficult to thrive in.

#1: Thoughts on, "Things As They Really Are," a Talk by David A. Bednar

After recently reading a talk given by Elder Bednar, I was given the opportunity to think long and hard about technology and how not only does it influence my lifestyle, but how I allow it to do so. I thought it was fairly interesting, even more so now that I thought about it and started to write about it. Technology plays a huge role in my life and I allowed it to do so.

Near the end of his address, Elder Bednar asks the audience two questions: "Does the use of various technologies and media invite or impede the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life?" and, "Does the time you spend using various technologies and media enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, to love, and to serve in meaningful ways?" Those two simple questions struck chords within me I didn't know I had. Just from the questions he asked, I learned that not only can technology and media become a distraction and a hindrance to the Spirit, but it can just as powerfully invite that same Spirit into my life. Along with that, it can become a restriction in my ability to live, love and serve. I wondered if it could be true; do the minutes I throw here and there at Facebook or games from the App Store really make that big of a deal? Then I thought about how many times I've seen people on dates or with their families and catch some or all of them buried in their iPhones (or remembering the times being guilty of the same thing myself). Are these people really living? It's hard to see love in someone when all you can see is the reflection of a bright screen and flashy game in the eyes of the person sitting across from you at dinner.

I realized that as such a powerful tool as technology can be, it could be the very means to take my life as it is and turn it in some wild direction, but the decision as to whether that direction was good or evil was still up to me. I realized that, yes, these things have become a large distraction from me and one of the easiest methods Satan has to derail any and all productivity I make attempts at. Because of this talk, I decided to be more conscious and aware of the time I spend with technology and not allow it to become a mindless distraction, almost patterned response to any dull moment I find myself in. I want to become empowered by technology to live, love and serve, not to become enslaved to it.

So for now, I'm making the decision to say no to five more minutes of scrolling through Facebook or another round of puzzle games because hey, I've got too much living to do.