I am not always right. In the past I've said this, but I'm not sure I've always believed it. Sometimes I think I was just playing along to make everyone else feel good. Deep down, I've always been pretty secure that my judgment was without reproach.
That is until recently when it occurred to me that I am truly not perfect, nor have I ever been. Talk about a shocker! I do stupid things. Things that any sane person would have to shake their head at in disbelief. What's more is that, even when my opinion has merit, somebody else might have an equally viable approach that seemingly contradicts me.
I've always judged my perfection status on how well things are going in my life. My life is pretty good. I've got a wonderful wife, great kids and we've got what we need to live. So one could only assume that my decisions have been spot on. Turns out I can't take any more credit for how my life has turned out than I can for the autumn leaves changing colors. The real kicker is that my life has turned out well almost in spite of some of my past choices rather than because of them.
As you can imagine, this new found self-awareness has been more than a little disconcerting. I find myself second guessing everything I do, and then I second guess my second guesses. I suppose that would be called tertiary guessing, or would it be quaternary, or maybe I should just call it poly-guessing? Oh, who knows what is right?
You see, now that I know for sure that I'm not always right, I'm not sure if I should keep on going as before, making stupid mistakes, that I believe to be correct, and hoping that things will continue to turn out well. Or, am I now obligated to making no more mistakes and, if I'm ever wrong again, facing the fact that irreparable harm has been done to my future?
It seems like the more I think something is right, the more I'm sure that I must be completely out of my mind. This is the dilemma that doesn't end but instead it perpetually regenerates itself. I am truly at a loss with this one. I can't continue forward because I will certainly make the same stupid mistakes that I have made in the past. I might even make some entirely new mistakes and add a whole new dimension to my imperfection.
There really is no moral to this story. I can't draw any conclusions or wrap up my thoughts into a neat little package of polished enlightenment. Sorry to disappoint.
I suppose I could give the old stand-by responses of "keep trying" and "never give up." Those sound good in theory, but in practice, well, they kind of make me want to find the happiest person I can see and break an egg over their head. Serves them right.
What I really need is a set of specifications to follow. Clearly worded and not in the least bit vague. The problem is that I could never write them for myself, for obvious reasons that I have already explained. But I can write them for everyone else because, even though I'm not always right about my own life, I can tell you that if the world worked the way I think it should then everyone would be much better off.
So here are just a few rules to live by, and as always, no charge.
1 - If possible, choose the graveled over the paved road. You may not get to your destination as fast but, in the event of an unexpected blizzard, you'll have better traction. Anyone who lives in Idaho can tell you that, on any day of the year, blizzard conditions could be only moments away.
2 - To my knowledge, nobody has ever actually died from yellow snow, but that is no reason to test your luck just because you're not quite sure it's the real thing.
3 - Toilet seat ... down! It's just not worth the convenience, no matter how long you've been holding it.
4 - Pick the diesel truck every time. I'm sorry, but that is truly the way an engine is supposed to sound.
5 - A 12oz RibEye with no sauce and nothing for dessert, definitely qualifies as a lowfat meal. Live it up!
8 comments:
That's it. I'm not cleaning that bathroom ANY MORE!!
I don't think you've made stupid choices... I think we're doing pretty darn good :)
I think you misunderstood the toilet seat thing. It's not supposed to stay down all the time.
#5 is the best motto there ever could be.
I think I have a headache now.
Personally, I'd go with the 16 oz ribeye.
It all reminds me of a talk I heard by President Eyring once about how the older he gets, the less he knows for sure. He went on to testify of those few truths that he absolutely knows.
In a way, you just bore your "testimony" of those five things...things that you know deep down are true. And after pondering those things in my own heart, I would have to agree. I can't think of any reason not to "know" those things for myself...except for the 16 vs. 12 oz thing.
Aaron
Yep, I probed the depths of my soul and that's all I got. I have to confess that throughout the morning sessions of General Conference, I'm mostly thinking about what the Prophet will be having for lunch.
I'm glad to know that I misunderstood #3. Really. You had me worried. Very worried.
As for the whole 12 vs. 16 oz. RibEye... that all depends on how it's cooked. Was it slapped into a pan and fried up? Or was it cooked out over the coals? Because I think that even I could probably finish off a 16oz. if it was cooked on the grill... charcoal grill, of course...
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