The Optimist Foundation is having a memorial tomorrow for, among others, those fire crews who lost their lives on the USS Forestall during their disastrous fire in the late 60’s. While thinking about all of those who give their lives for others I reread through some past posts and thought that I would bring this back to the fore.

 BIRTH & DEATH

 Joseph Epstein once said, "We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents, or the country of our birth. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live."

 As I was reading this little sentence I noted a problem with it that we as LDS understand. We do not choose to be born. Well, yes we do, or rather we did. We chose Fathers side in the pre existence and accepted the chance of succeeding or failing. We do not choose our parents, or the country of our birth. Knowing that we lived before and knew each other I wonder just how much choice we had there in choosing. I have often felt that I was allowed to be born in this era and to LDS parents solely because our Father and Mother knew I would not make it back any other way as I to this day am often a contrarian. (“Contrarian” a nice word for some people that you may know)Yet I have often felt that I knew my brother and sister before. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. That I accept as a given so that we can continue to grow until the last.

“But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live."

That is something that many people have forgotten and let others choose how they are to live their lives to their detriment where they simply stop growing.

Jesse F.

*

"I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all."

         ---  Leo Rosten

Jun 4, 2012 -- 7:36PM, moksha8088 wrote:

My beef with the idea is that it is mostly touted by LDS people living in a very affluent manner.  Seems like such a self serving idea: They chose wisely because they were extra valiant in the pre-existence and deserved the best of circumstances. Tell it to the Guatemalan members in grinding poverty.

And the Guatemalen members tend to be more spirit filled, so at least in that they appear to be more blessed

Last night at the monthly Optimist Youth Home Board meeting (WWW.OYHFS.ORG) two members in one club presented around $200,000 to the Home to take care of some much needed work in two of the buildings. This got me thinking that I am glad both those families were with us today and not a hundred years ago. So after some more thinking and research of just LDS Aid I think that I need to recant a little about some of my remarks I made about some of those who were valiant in the pre existence. As I began to do that research of the LDS humanitarian aid around the world for just one year I am beginning to feel (not think) that many good spirits were saved to come during this period of the world where they would be needed to assist in caring for many of their brothers and sisters in need. I thought simply what would the world be like if there were not good people around with the means to help provide for those in need. Each year as Our Optimist Club mans Salvation Army’s red kettles I note that there are many people who deposit checks into the kettles, not just simply their change. Whenever I stop and pay attention I see many people quietly helping others.

 Jesse F.