Thursday, September 13, 2012

What Makes Right be Right?

The world was created with certain things being right, and certain things being wrong.
Sometimes it is really, really hard to tell what is right and what is wrong, because the lines seem to be gray and unclear.
Here are some ways to help us figure out what is right and what is wrong:
If something is right, it helps in the long term, although it may occasionally seem to harm immediately. If something is wrong, it only gives temporary help, or none at all.
Things that are right do not infringe unjustly on others' rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Infringing unjustly means killing and taking away freedom of innocent people who are not harming anybody else.

Sometimes, things like war seem wrong, but they are truly necessary. Wars should not be inspired by anger or hate, but rather love for those whose rights are being infringed upon. Sometimes you have to make really tough decisions between right and wrong, and nobody else can tell you what is right or wrong. You have to rely on your inner compass and have faith that help will come through your steadfastness in trying to do the right thing.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

How Characters in The Lord of the Rings Show the Young Women Values

I was reading The Lord of the Rings, and i started thinking that many of the people show the values which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints encourages it's young women to follow.
Faith: Samwise Gamgee
Without Sam's faith in what they were doing, there would have been no reason for him to continue on, going through many hardships and almost death just to destroy a simple ring. There would be no reason to leave his little hobbit hole and go all the way to the heart of evil in Mordor unless he knew that the Ring must be destroyed in order for peace to stay in the land. He knew that it was his duty to risk his everything to vanquish evil and be loyal to his master.
Divine Nature: Aragorn
Aragorn knew who he was, and that he was destined to be king of Gondor. Nobility exudes out of him in every action.
Individual Worth: Peregrin Took
Sometimes Pippin seems kind of unessential, and like the story could go on without him, but he does some really brave and important things, that are utterly unexpected of a hobbit, if you observe their daily lives. One of these things is saving Faramir from being burned alive.
Knowledge: Gandalf
Gandalf astonishes me with the vastness of his knowledge. When he sees something that he doesn't understand and that he needs to know about, he studies on it. Without his knowledge, Frodo and his companions would have been dead the moment they left the Shire.
Choice and Accountability: Frodo Baggins
Frodo didn't have to go to Mordor and destroy the ring. Things were gong great in Hobbiton. He had a nice hole, he had a lot of wealth, friends, family, and the beauty of the Shire. But he did leave, because he knew that evil would become almost unstoppable if Sauron was allowed to get the Ring.
Good Works: Farmer Maggot
We don't know too much about him, but when Frodo and his companions show up in the dead of night, trespassing over his property on a night when a mysterious black rider had just stopped at his house. I would have not even answered the door, and let my dogs deal with them. Farmer Maggot, however, went to see who they were, fed them, and gave them a ride to Buckleberry Ferry.
Integrity: Samwise Gamgee
Sam did what he said he would. He continued on his journey and didn't let anything stop him, even when Frodo was taken by Orcs and it seemed like he would surely die. He just carried on,prepared to take the Ring himself if he couldn't find Frodo.
Virtue: All the good characters
A lot of the people in The Lord of the Rings a good way to act. They show that good is always stronger than evil, and that if we continue in the right then those who support evil will surely be smitten at last.