OBEDIENCE and FREE AGENCY

OBEDIENCE and FREE AGENCY

 

I love the John Lennon song “Imagine”. It was the best-selling single of his solo career after The Beatles broke up. I love the simplicity of the words, the meaning of the words and the music. I love the melody, the optimism for a better planet and the idea of the whole world living in peace and harmony. It was written and recorded in England in 1971. Here are my favorite lines, “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. You may say, I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one.” Shortly before John’s death, he said that most of the lyrics of “Imagine” came from his wife Yoko Ono. The song has received several honors and impressive records – it’s one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century and it ranked 30^th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the “365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance”.

Loosely, using John and Yoko’s lyrics for the purpose of this paper, let’s imagine a world without obedience. Here’s a few examples, but let your own imagine go wild and come up with a list of your own! (I can hear the music in my head already!) So, play along with me and imagine a world…

• where stoplights aren’t obedient to their programming, but independently decide their own greens, yellows and reds… maybe even chose a purple or blue at times
• where some people weren’t obedient to the warning labels on poisonous substances and independently chose to ingest them without discretion
• where commercial airline companies aren’t obedient to FAA laws and allowed any of the passengers to pilot their planes
• where your car isn’t obedient to the mechanical functions and independently decides to mix-up the brake and gas pedal functions at any time
• where your heart isn’t obedient to nature’s programming and chooses whether or not to pump from minute-to-minute depending on how it feels
• where the sun isn’t obedient to its track record of millions of years of constant sunshine, but instead, independently decides which days it wants to work and which days it wants to take a vacation
• where the rotation of the earth is disobedient, deciding to be sporadic and independently changes speeds dramatically, tilts at wild angles on a whim, changes the location of the poles without warning, forgets the pattern of it’s orbit and just flounders through space haphazardly
• where some folks reject the laws of vandalism and malicious mischief, and light fires wherever and whenever they want without accountability, without remorse, just because ‘it’s a rush’
• where building contractors don’t follow building codes, and use the cheapest and weakest materials and unskilled laborers on high-rise structures
• where doctors can practice any medicine, perform any surgery, and give any prescription with regard to testing, schooling or licensing
• where other drivers don’t at least generally obey speeding laws and decide to drive chaotically with recklessness whenever and wherever traveling up to 120 MPH or more
• where our judicial system doesn’t obey the constitution or the laws of the land, but each case is settled based on the opinion of a ‘judge’ who was appointed at random, by lottery of anyone wanting to serve as the magistrate-of-the-day
• where your home appliance (washer, dryer, stove, oven, furnace, air conditioner, freezer, refrigerator, TV, radio, garage door opener, lights, laptop, phone, etc.) chooses to work when and how it wants rather than how it was designed
• where anyone can choose to elect themselves as the country’s leader, not following a national election process, or the electoral college procedures or the constitution

It may seem like an oxymoron to exclusively have both free agency and obedience at the same time. Isn’t strict obedience a lack of free agency? Doesn’t free agency at it’s most foundational definition mean choice? A choice between “A” or “B”, between up or down, black or white, left or right? Doesn’t free agency mean that it’s totally up to each individual? If I choose “A” and you chose “B”, it’s not about who’s right or wrong, but it’s about each of us freely choosing what we think is best for us? Isn’t free agency about freely making a choice and also completely taking full accountability by accepting the consequences, good or bad, for the choice?

So, does it make sense that free agency can involve both obedience and disobedience? Or, perhaps it’s better said that our obedience determines whether or not we’ve used free agency correctly! So, maybe the question to consider shouldn’t be, “Is the exercise of free agency the ability to choose obedience or disobedience?” But rather, the question we should be considering is, “Is the choice of obedience or disobedience the correct use of free agency?” I believe it’s incorrect to think about it as “free agency vs. obedience”; instead, the correct thinking should be “obedience and free agency”. How we frame the question makes all the difference!

With that in mind, let’s refer back to our list of, “Imagine a world...” scenarios. Although we’ve used some inanimate examples, it was to make a point that hopefully won’t be lost when applying the concept to life and people. Let’s just take the first three here (you can complete the exercise with the remainder of the list on your own). Accordingly, using the choice of obedience as the correct (and only) option when exercising free agency… Imagine a world…

·         where stoplights are always obedient to their programming, and independently decide to correctly illuminate greens, yellows and reds…

·         where people were always obedient to the warning labels on poisonous substances and independently chose to never ingest them

·         where commercial airline companies obey all FAA laws and never allow passengers or unqualified personnel to pilot their planes

When I go through this exercise I see some important patterns emerging and some great lessons for life. I see a world that would be a better place with more organization (less chaos), a world with more peace and happiness (less pain and misery). I can see that in a world that has a consistency for obedience to laws (civil, natural or eternal laws) where there are no drawbacks, no harmful consequences. I can see a world with meaning and purpose in the laws of the land and God’s laws. By choosing obedience, we’re not choosing to forego free agency, but we are choosing to forgo chaos, disorder, pain, lawlessness, anarchy, brutality, inequality, unfairness, etc.

Can we imagine a world such as this? Would we like to live in a world like this? Are we doing our part to make the world better like this? Are we correctly using our God-given gift of free agency? Are we using our free agency to choose correctly? After all, it’s probably written in stone somewhere in heaven, “The correct use of free agency is wholly (and holy) embodied in the act of obediently choosing correctly.”

Obedience and free agency are two sides of the same coin. There are no coins where one side reads “disobedience” and the other reads “free agency”. Disobedience never leads to freedom or agency. Disobedience stalls or halts, or worse reverses progression. With the laws of the land we uniformly agree that disobedience leads to restrictions, penalties or jail. Disobedience to natures laws will also have serious consequences or worse! Logically, couldn’t we apply the same reasoning to God’s laws? Obedience always leads to increased freedom and expanded agency. It just makes sense that obedience to laws (wherever the laws come from, but especially God’s laws), and free agency are absolute partners making for a more peaceful and happy life.

Fortunately, it’s a well-documented fact that every person will make bad choices. Every person will chose to disobey laws (laws of the land, laws of nature, and laws of God). It’s an integral part of human nature. It’s an important and necessary part as well, for without error there would be no growth, no learning, no progress. A world without choices is a world that cannot evolve or improve into something better! Hopefully, as we get older and wiser (learning from our mistakes), we will make fewer mistakes, smaller mistakes, make them less frequently and ultimately learn to avoid them (aka repentance). Also, it’s our good fortune that we have a God who completely understands human nature. He understands the dilemma – that 1) mortals would disobey laws, and that 2) our choices and their consequences are intricately tied to learning and growth. And because He is a God of mercy, He has provided a way to overcome all disobedience through the laws of repentance and forgiveness).

To fulfill the eternal consequences (justice) of disobeying His laws (eternal separation from God’s presence – commonly referred to as hell), God mercifully provided a Savior, His Son Jesus Christ to pay the price of mankind’s sin. The Savior’s perfect life, death and atonement satisfy the demands of justice and when applied to our lives through sincere repentance, level out the eternal scales of obedience vs. disobedience. When we repent of disobedience and resolve to not repeat the error (learn from our mistakes), the Savior ‘covers’ the sin. This is made possible from His perfect life, His taking upon the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His sacrifice of His mortal life on the cross at Golgotha.

I love the scripture that tells us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). I love that the sun rises every day in the morning and sets every night in the evening, always! I love that my car goes forward when I push the gas pedal and slows down when I push the brake pedal, always! I love it when contractors follow building codes I can feel safe in a high-rise building, always! I love that consistency and peace and safety are products of obedience and agency – always! And I love it when we use our free agency correctly and choose obedience to the laws of the land, to nature’s laws or to God’s laws, the consequences are more peace and happiness – always!

In reality, it was a simple song, simple words, simple melody, but an eternally powerful and influential message! Imagine! Just imagine all the people living life in peace. Just imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can. Just imagine no need for greed or hunger, just imagine a brotherhood of man, just imagine all the people sharing all the world. Just imagine someday joining together, just imagine the world living as one! Just imagine the world applying a new-found knowledge that obedience to laws by correctly exercising free agency brings good things to everyone – always! We can be the change we imagine the world becoming by choosing obedience with our free agency! Just imagine!

“Imagine” by John Lennon - https://www.bing.com/search?q=imagine+john+lennon&form=IENTNB&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&refig=e13e2b84d6504657fd9652592400e19b&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=imagine+john+lennon&sc=9-19&qs=n&sk=&cvid=e13e2b84d6504657fd9652592400e19b

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Dedicated to Fredric Dillon Hughes, my fourth son, set apart today for full-time

missionary service in the Colorado Springs, Colorado Mission.

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Wm. Calvin Hughes | September 27, 2019 | Lake Elsinore, California

 

 

 

 

The Complete Meaning of Repentance

The Complete Meaning of Repentance

In church we learn the 4 R’s of repentance:

 

1.       Recognition. We must recognize what we have done wrong.

       2.       Remorse. We must feel godly sorrow for our mistakes.
       3.       Restitution. We must try to restore what has been lost as a result of our transgressions.
       4.       Resolve. We must resolve never to commit the sin again.

Amazingly, the Book of Mormon teaches us at least 66 R’s of repentance:

 

Relating (confessing), Resolution, Reformation, Realization. Regret. Rack (as in Alma racked with torment). Raise. Reconcile. Realign. Rebound. Reclaim. Recommit. Reconcile. Rectify. Redouble. Redevelop. Reduce. Reflect. Reform. Refresh. Refuel. Regenerate. Reject. Release. Remediate. Remember. Remit. Rendezvous. Renew. Renovate. Reorganize. Repair. Repel. Replace. Replant. Replenish. Repress. Reprimand. Reprocess. Reproof. Repugnant. Request. Require. Rescue. Resolve. Respect. Restrain. Resurgence. Retool. Retract. Retread. Retrench. Retrieve. Re-evaluate. Reverse. Review. Revise. Revival. Revolution. Rewrite. Right. Root. Rule out.

 

Elder Russell M. Nelson taught repentance this way: The doctrine of repentance is much broader than a dictionary’s definition. When Jesus said “repent,’ His disciples recorded that command in the Greek language with the verb metanoeo. This powerful word has great significance. In this word, the prefix meta means “change.”

The suffix relates to four important Greek terms:

1.       nous, meaning “the mind”

2.       gnosis, meaning “knowledge”

3.       pneuma, meaning “spirit”

4.       pnoe, meaning “breath”

Thus when Jesus said, “repent”, He asked us to change–to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit–even our breath. (May 2007 Ensign, p. 103)

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Richard Himmer, Author, PhD in Organizational Psychology – 10.27.2010

DAD'S FUNERAL TALK – WILLIAM EVANS HUGHES

DAD'S FUNERAL TALK

– WILLIAM EVANS HUGHES - 3/15/1940 - 10/16/2006

By Wm, Calvin Hughes, Son, October 19, 2006

 

My name is Cal Hughes and I am the firstborn child of Bill and Jeriann Hughes.

 

Thank you for all those that been so giving and gracious to our family over the last few weeks and months, especially our mom.

 

Dad was a good man, a great father, an incredible husband and a loyal friend.

 

One of his sons-in-law, in one of the last moments of Dad's life, gave Dad a hug and whispered in Dad's ear that he was the greatest man he ever knew. I, along with my brothers and sisters and mother, and many, many others whole-heartedly concur.

 

On our drive up from Southern CA, my sister Shelley and I had several hours to talk and reflect on our childhood. A question that came to mind was this: In one word, how would you describe what was the most valuable thing I'd learned from my father and likewise, my mother. I contemplated on this question for some time and concluded that for my mother, that word is Love'. In everything that she does... and did while raising seven children had to do with Love. It was at the center of all her motivation and being. What a great example it has been and continues to be for our family. By the way, the second most valuable lesson described in one word from my mom is 'Cleanliness'. In fact, if our rooms weren't clean, often, we wondered about the love thing.

 

With my Dad, that word is 'Loyalty'. I don't know of a more loyal man. To his wife, his children, his neighbors, friends..., to employers..., to the church, to God. He was loyal to his word and his commitments. If he said he would do something, it was as good as done. He was known for working to get something done through sickness or weariness or ill weather. Loyalty, owning up to his word, was more important than inconvenience.

 

Dad was a worker in the truest sense. He hated to waste time. There was always some project that he couldn't wait to get to. Always something to get done. And whatever it was, he wanted to be completely involved. He didn't ask for much help but enjoyed the company if someone was working along his side. Often, that person was my mom. The things that they worked on together would create a long list of incredible accomplishments.

 

He taught us to take care of ourselves. From shining our own shoes, to washing our own cars, changing our own oil, doing our own tune ups, finishing our own basements, putting in our own yards. Not only did we all gain an incredible work ethic, but we also learned how to do things for ourselves, how to be more independent, and how to build long-lasting, deep-meaning relationships.

 

He designed and built the house that they live in. Outside of having the foundation poured, he was personally involved in almost every other part of the construction and landscaping.

 

I remember being up on the roof helping get the shingles nailed on. The backside of the house has about a 30-foot drop that looked like a hundred-foot drop from the roof. We were all anxious about getting those first few rows of shingles on and the rain gutter. But Dad had no fear about it. He'd hang on with one leg and one arm and swing the hammer with the other. Mom made him wear a rope tied around his waist on one end and the chimney on the other. I remember saying to him that there was no way that rope would ever hold if he went over the edge. He told me that the rope was much more meant for Mom's comfort than for his safety.

 

Yes, he worked hard. But he had a magical secret — Dad knew how to celebrate at the end of a large project. Whether it was studding in a room, putting in the electrical, plumbing, sheetrock mudding, painting, building a fence, or pouring cement, at the end of the project, he'd raise both his hands high in the air and have show peace signs with both hands, look up at the sky, and holler out a loud, "Uummmmmggaaaaaawwaaaaaa!!!" Translated, it means: 'This is a job well done... and I can be proud of it!' (or he would snap his fingers on both of his hand and hit the palm of one on top of the other cupped, like this...)

 

Whether it was some construction project or a math problem or working with their landscaping, the thing, outside of being with his family, which he got the most satisfaction and fulfillment out of, was pouring cement. He loved the permanency of concrete. Outside of being employed by a sand and gravel company, he probably holds the world record for the most cement poured by a single human being! He worked for Kennecott when they had that year/long pour for the large smoke stack'. For a long time, I thought that he was personally mixing all that cement! He designed and poured basketball courts, patios, driveways, walkways, steps, footings, foundations, retaining walls, and more. He seemed to have a certain amount of pride that came out of pouring a new piece of cement. It was a way for him to leave a permanent legacy on this planet.

 

But even greater than the legacy he's left with all the cement he's poured, is the legacy he's left because of the life he lived. It wasn't a long life, but it was significant in many, many ways. And there is a correlation between the cement he poured, and other aspects of his life.

 

·         Mixing and pouring cement the right way takes work, care and patience. Dad was the hardest worker I ever known. Dad was one of the most caring and patient people I've ever known.

·         Cement takes time to cure, and time to evolve into its final state, until then it's somewhat fragile. Dad understood that about life. People are fragile, and you have to work with them, give them time to cure, encourage them to become what they were meant to become - working alongside with them, until they evolve into their final state.

·         Mom was the finisher of the cement - making it 'pretty'. Dad knew that he could get more done, and sometimes the result would be even better, if he let others participate in his projects. He was secure enough with himself that he didn't need to be the final answer on everything - having everything done in 'his way'. And the finished piece was all the better for it.

·         It is important to get the cement level and true. Dad knew that the best way to make our lives level and true was to love the Lord and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was faithful to the Lord in every way. He said on many occasions that outside of scripture, the book that he thought was the best book ever was Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage.

·         Dad taught us many lessons, and many of them were during those hours and hours of forming, mixing, pouring, and finishing cement.

 

Dad is the living embodiment of the quote, "It is in doing, not in dreaming, that dreams come true!"

 

I remember, when I was around 12 or 14 seeing those attractive beer ads on TV and wondering about how beer tasted. So, I asked Dad. Without a second thought he took the opportunity to teach me something that I'll never forget. He told me that beer tasted like coyote urine (piss). I never had the slightest desire to ever try alcohol. And I'll never forget that lesson. I've since passed it on to my children... and I'll bet that no one here will ever forget it either.

 

Our Dad was smart - probably the smartest person I've ever known. He knew something about almost everything. And usually, if he knew something about it, he was proficient in it. He had an uncanny memory and an incredible mind. He could read something, even extremely complicated things, and in a short period of time understand them deeply. Even to the point that he could teach others about them. He knew about physics, electronics, science, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, sociology, geology, chemistry, the solar system, technology, horticulture, construction, architecture, language, music, government, history, the creation, evolution, and much, much more. I never heard Dad say that he didn't know about something. Even so, I never saw, or heard of him flaunting or boasting about his intelligence. But more important than all his academic acumen, he knew about family, he knew about sacrifice, and he knew about loyalty. By day, he was an actual rocket scientist — one that would have made even Mr. Einstein proud. And yet, more significant than that, his view of himself was that he was a husband and father — one that the heavens could be proud of.

 

One of the many lessons he taught me came as we were on a men's trip to Lake Powell in Southern Utah. We were lying on our sleeping bags, out under the stars, when Dad wanted to teach me about the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. I wasn't really catching why he was teaching me this Science lesson. He went on to make the correlation between the fall of man and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, and then to further explain how the Atonement of Jesus Christ corrected it all. Over the years as I've thought back on that lesson, how grateful I am for my father and for his desire to help his children learn the things of most importance.

 

Recently I heard a talk about the Atonement. The message was so simple. That all that is wrong in this life, all that is hurtful, unfair, unjust, painful, and wrong will be taken care of by the Atonement. The only thing that won't be covered by the Atonement is un-repented sin. Everything else... every other wrong will be made right through the Atonement. My Dad understood this principle and tried to live his life accordingly.

 

One final thought. We have a great family. We are not perfect, we've had our ups and downs and challenges just like any family — but we've certainly been blessed with more good than bad. We have shared a lot of tears over the last few months, but getting together this week, we have laughed a lot also. I think our Dad would be very pleased with that. He had a great sense of humor. Even in some of the most difficult trials, he could always find something to laugh about, and get the rest of us laughing — get our minds of the trials of the moment and remind us that trials are always temporary, but in the end, things would work out and happy days were just around the next corner. He was a great patriarch.

 

My sisters have been so great in helping take care of our Dad over these last months. Whatever the need, thinking about themselves always came as a second thought. The same is true of my brothers. What great examples they have been of ready at the drop of a hat to give priesthood blessings on several occasions. I, and I know my Dad, are so proud of them. And what an incredible stalwart, with unbelievable faithfulness has our mom been. An incredible matriarch, she has been so faithful in helping Dad through his trials with his health. My Mom and Dad were made for each other.

 

A little verse that with some minor changes, reminded me a lot of Dad —

 
Today I plant a seed,
Tomorrow it will be,
A flower or a weed,
Depends on the seed.
 
Today I pour some cement.
Tomorrow it will be,
A patio or a walkway,
But oh, I wish it were a freeway!
 

Thank you all for coming to honor a wonderful man. Many of you have traveled long distances — know that it is most appreciated. Thank you all for all that you've done and all the good that has become such an important part of our family.

 

Please continue your goodness by staying in touch with our mother. Your friendship and love are more and important than ever now.

 

By the way, I need to clear something up. I was his favorite child. I know that because I poured more concrete with him than the rest of my siblings..., and he told me first. And that is a fact!

 

There is a quote by Anne Frank that I love, and it perfectly encapsulates my Dad's life - it goes like this: "Isn't it wonderful that no one need wait a single moment to make the world a better place to live." He was driven to make the world better by his interaction with people, one person at a time.

 

Dad, we love you. You did a wonderful work with your life, we will all miss you. But oh, how we look forward to a grand and glorious reunion with you in the not so distant future. And we know that it will be so.

 

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Wm. Calvin Hughes | Lake Elsinore, CA | October 18, 2006