you must whip it

at the park recently i overheard two well meaning mamas talking, and what they said kept me puzzling for some of the night. this is pretty much verbatim:

woman 1: [regarding a california ballot proposition] "i prayed about it and got my answer. why should i read what the laws say? voting "no" means this, voting "yes" means that...what difference does it make? i don't need to know any of that stuff. i got my answer.
woman 2: "totally."

i do not repeat this to ridicule anyone (to be fair, i don't even know these women), but just to point out what is certainly an unintended consequence of blindly following the prophet. don't misunderstand me. do follow prophets. do not make their counsel an abject substitute for your own research and learning (not that any of you do. i'm just saying). prayer is less powerful without it. is that enough bossy imperatives for one paragraph? the glory of god is intelligence--and intelligence doesn't force itself on us. it takes a little of that gritty, bothersome work i am always trying to avoid.

i have no argument with those who sincerely study, ask, receive, and ultimately disagree with me (on the contrary, i'd like to shake hands and kiss on both cheeks, frenchy-style, because we agree on the most important thing: sincerity). and i fully accept that i may be wrong--a lot. but that's not my point. this is: "Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me." -D&C 9:7

as our good friends the taylors recently reminded me, one can't be effectively persuasive (or educated) in an argument, without learning about and (this is key...) trying honestly to understand the major conflicting points of view. it doesn't work in scholarly research and it doesn't work in political research. you simply have to try for some objectivity. and then, once you have made your decision, and had it ratified through prayer (if you're of the praying persuasion), you must own it.

in my honest-to-goodness last political post before the election (because really, i don't enjoy being a social pariah in my chosen community as much as it may seem*), i have some information to share. i know my readership is small, but i figure the least i can do is share the research of others within this small circle, in case anyone is still interested. i don't do it idly: this election has honestly compelled me to vote in ways i never have before.

whether you bleed blue, red, or regular human blood, remember this: if you find yourself getting angry during the process, you must whip it. overcome the bad feelings. we need opposing views in this country. this is excellent advice i had to give to my own self (oh, thanks, self!). then vote the way you gotta.

to recap: learn it. own it. whip it. good.

and now, some nuggets**:

:: interesting thoughts here--esp. scan the right-hand column

:: smart & faithful brother--try him. you'll like him

:: my own self--i found the reader comments helpful

:: hear them out--listening will not make you a bad mormon

*brings back memories of being the one and only scab (aka conscientious objector) during the dread grad student union strike of '00-'01 in the UW english dept. oy. ask me about that sometime if you want me to hit you in the eye with a tack hammer.

**keep in mind my opinions may or not be shared by these folks, so give them the benefit of the doubt. me you can badmouth all over town. it's all in the name of peace, love & understandin'.

(see how i got a little folksy there at the end by dropping the "g"? i am hoping it will add to my appeal.)