Gandhi Would Be Proud

            I never realized how quiet an apartment could be. No music, no YouTube, and no movies: just complete and utter silence. There is plenty of time to think when you aren’t constantly focused on your facebook status or what’s up next on Pandora. The first weekend of March I did a media fast, and it was awesome. No phone, no radio, no computer, no nothing. The first and second days of the media fast were hard. I never realized how much I rely on my phone to keep in touch with others. Between texting and facebook, one has a seemingly unlimited opportunity to communicate with others; take those away and you are socially alienated (heaven forbid you actually walk over to a friend’s house and ask them in person what their plans are).  I often found myself reaching for my phone when I wasn’t doing anything. It shocked me really; I was so dependent on my phone for entertainment.

            This is an increasingly disturbing trend; I mean the phantom buzzes and the constant reaching to feel if I had my phone in my pocket, what else could be more disturbing right? But in all seriousness, I realized that I probably spend an unhealthy amount of time with my media devices if I am constantly reaching for them. I also decided that I need a watch: asking your roommates or consulting the sun to know what time it is gets dull after awhile.

            Another realization I had during the media fast was how heavily my classes require me to use my computer. I depend so much on my computer I imagine it would be near impossible to go for extended periods of time without using it. All the class information is on learning suite; I use Microsoft Word to write papers and blog posts; all updates and changes made in classes also on learning suite or in my email. Our society depends highly on the internet and computers to organize and carry out daily tasks. On one side it is very enabling; on the other side it is very crippling.

             Something else I observed during the fast was how much I missed being able to open up my laptop and type my thoughts and explore my ideas through print like I usually do. I write a lot. I usually have at least one paper (or draft of a paper) due per week and I post two or three times on my blog. It’s sad, but not having my computer was almost like not being able to access a part of myself. I could have just as easily taken pen and paper to do the same thing, but it seems that my fingers have found the keyboard more satisfying than quill and ink.  Of course there are benefits and drawbacks to this. There is to everything we do. Being dependent on technology makes life easier until our capabilities to access the internet are taken and we are rendered useless because we don’t know how to do anything without it. Not being able to Google how to [insert what you want here] can really throw a wrench in what you can do in life. That’s how I felt during the first two days when I was alone.

            I learned over the three days was if you surround yourself with other people, really there isn’t an immediate need for technology. In fact, relationships are enhanced when we turn of our phones, take a step back from instagram and twitter, and focus on who we are with at the moment. In some ways social media isn’t very social. What’s the point of having 1,500 friends on facebook if your ability to speak to them in person suffers? All things are good when used in moderation. Being able to control ones proper usage of technology, consumption of goods, or intake of information is a key part of our eternal progression. Obsession is never good; balanced and educated lifestyles are. Plus there are so many talented and awesome people out there to meet and learn from that we really don’t have too much time to waste looking at mims and pointless YouTube videos.

            By the third day I found the break refreshing. Without the distractions of my phone, computer and iPod, I was able to truly enjoy the company of my friends out in the beautiful sun. It was Sunday. I think that it was the first time since before my mission that I used my English scriptures at church. How sad is that? It is really convenient to have my scriptures on my phone, but there is something about holding your real scriptures in your hands. It was refreshing. After church it was great. It was a nice day outside and everyone was outside our apartments on the grass and I spent a lot of time just talking with people. I really like talking to people; the extravert in me recharges when I do. It amazes me how much we can learn from each other: to do this we need to take the time away from cyberspace and remember to live in reality. I felt so relaxed the entire day and in all honesty, I think we could all use a media fast every once in a while to help us recalibrate and refocus on what matters most. It can help to spend some time off grid.

            The most ironic thing about this entire experience was how others reacted when I told them I was doing a media fast. Some of the common responses were: what’s wrong with your professor? Does he want you to fail all of your classes? I found this humorous: they were getting more upset than I was and I was the one doing the fast. This goes to show that our generation has grown accustom to last minute planning and procrastination; if you plan well three days really shouldn’t affect your grades at all. I’d tell them not to worry because I’ve done most or all of the necessary homework for the weekend. What irony. I quickly realized we are all too dependent on technology and we need to learn a little more about responsibility. I too at times fall into the trap of waiting until the day of to do my homework; it’s a bad habit and can be very a dangerous one to develop for our future. Deadlines are a part of life. Everything has a deadline and if we don’t do our best to reach those we will be held responsible for the product delivered when the clock hits zero.

            At the end of the day I realized a lot of things: 1. The world can be silent if we let it, providing us with time to think about important life issues: silence is therapeutic 2. All aspects of life have become predominantly web based 3. If we are not careful technology can cripple our abilities to perform and live if we become too dependent on it 4. Relationships with other people are and can be the most fulfilling aspect of living if we put in the time to properly cultivate them 5. Taking a small hiatus from technology can act as a cleansing agent, resetting ourselves to our original presets and restoring us to factory settings 6. Because of the dependence we have for technology, we have grown irresponsible and apt to procrastinate, which leads us to produce a poorer quality of work. In reality, there wasn’t anything negative that happened to me during the media fast. Sure it was hard, but it was necessary for me to learn how important it is to live my life in the present: surrounding myself with people and things which truly matter in life. We should all take some time to reset and learn how to relive life. I would challenge all to read this to do a media fast for three days and see what happens. I bet you learn a lot about yourself during those three days.

Love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you. 

The Light at the End of the Tunnel : " Freedom of Expression "

Hey everyone! So I’ve got a couple of blog posts in the makings but I’ve been really busy this last week with work and school. I am currently gathering information on pornography and how it creates addictions. I read today in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space about this issue. It was entitled: Hearing on the Brain Science Behind Pornography and Addiction and the Effects of Addiction on Families and Communities. 

Here are some excerpts from Jeffery Satinover, M.S., M.D.’s report; I found them particularly interesting and wanted to share them with you:

“…Like cigarettes, that particular form of expression we call pornography, unlike all other forms of expression, is a delivery system that has a distinct and powerful effect upon the human brain and nervous system.” Think about that. Pornographers claim the right to produce their explicit materials under the idea of “freedom of expression”. Yet, as stated here, no other forms of expression arouse such a strong physical response in the brain chemically as pornography does. Food for thought: is pornography truly an expression?

“[M]odern science allows us to understand that the underlying nature of an addiction to pornography is chemically nearly identical to a heroin addiction: only the delivery system is different, and the sequence of steps. That is why heroin addicts in particular give us sex and routinely compare their ‘rushes’ to ‘orgasms’.”  Once again, is pornography an expression of thought or a stimulant that can cause huge changes in brain chemistry? If we choose to continue to define pornography as a “freedom of expression” as pornographers would have us do, we will continue to permit it to destroy families and individuals.

“Upon achieving climax, the brain releases opioids—chemicals that are the naturally occurring analogs to synthetic opiates such as morphine or heroin.”

“It is as though we have devised a form of heroin [pornography] 100 times more powerful than before, usable in the privacy of one’s own home and injected directly to the brain through the eyes.”

My purpose is to reveal the truth about pornography: it is not just a social freedom of expression. It is a harmful thing which causes damage to the user, the makers, and bystanders.

This month the Utah coalition against pornography has a regional conference this month in Salt Lake City.

Here is the info:

"The Utah Coalition against Pornography would like to make you aware of its regional conference  to be held on Saturday, March 22, 2014, from 8:00 am to 2:15 pm at the Little America Hotel, 500 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.

https://www.facebook.com/utahcoalition?directed_target_id=0

The purpose of the conference is to provide those attending with information and resources to help safeguard children and families from the serious challenges of pornography."

I am going to attend. If you are interested attending as well, let me know and we can work something out.

Love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.

God Grew Tired of Us

At first it was strange to me. A strange land, a strange people, everything was strange; I didn’t know anything about Africa really, I’ve seen some things but nothing that prepared me for this documentary. I thought, “They look so different, they look so strange; yet they are my brothers and sisters.” Then as the film continued on I began to see them clearly. The Lost Boys of Sudan were displaced in 1987 when civil war broke out in Sudan and the villages of southern Sudan were attacked and genocide ensued. These boys fled hundreds of miles on foot to Ethiopia in hopes of refuge: their bodies were skeletal, but they survived because of their spirits. They are fighters; I learned that today. They soon had to make another long trek to Kenya, where they stayed for ten years before something happened which would change many of their lives forever.

A group of these “Lost Boys” were selected to go as refugees to the United States and begin a new life. It would be a better life: or so they hoped. At first it brought a smile to my face to see them encounter simple things like electricity, indoor plumbing, and running water but then I saw them struggle to adjust to life her, to our culture, and my heart went out to them. One of the Lost Boys in particular, John, struggled with being separated from his kin, from his people in Africa. But they are resilient. That’s something we can learn from them. They also enjoy the simple things in life: radio, singing, dancing. It is so different from many of us here in the USA.

They also taught me about how many great opportunities we have here that others don’t have in the world. We should be grateful for what we have; we should be grateful for the gift of being self-reliant. They are.  John was an inspiration for me. He showed selflessness when he sacrificed his dream, a college education, to help out those still in Africa by working two to three jobs to send them money. What a great example of Christ-like love.

No matter the color of our skin, no matter where we are from, or what our personal situation is in life we are all children of God. They taught me this. At first they were foreign to me, their culture and life style was alien to me but now I see them for what they are, beautiful. The dignity that they have, the strength they posses, it all speaks to me. It speaks to my soul. We are all children of God. We can all feel His eternal love. Whether we be millionaires living in Manhattan, or displaced refugees from Sudan we all have the right to live our lives in a way that brings us happiness. We all have the right to be self-sufficient. That is a gift that we as Americans need to treasure and appreciate. You should all take time to watch this video, it will help you broaden your horizon and open your mind to new ideas; that’s what it did for me.

With love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.

Here is the link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/294405

Light at the End of the Tunnel : Playing Catch Up...

Life has been really busy as of late. I love it, but it cuts into my time to write a lot. This week I wanted to just briefly talk about pornography but on a more religious note. While I was perusing the world wide web (mostly Facebook let’s be honest…) I stumbled across an article entitled: Transgression as Addiction: Religiosity and Moral Disapproval as Predictors of Perceived Addiction to Pornography. Now, I will have to say up front, I haven’t read the entire article yet, but I am not necessarily opposed to what they are trying to say. From the small bits that I have read, specifically the abstract, their reasons for doing their research are fundamentally wrong. Although that is the case I feel like the idea behind their research is not wrong: primarily the fact that addiction is perceived by religious and high-moral individuals. Why is this the case? I’d venture to say that it is because the Light of Christ is stronger in these individuals as opposed to those who choose not to affiliate with any type of religion.

Now the world will say many things, but in the end the important thing is what the prophets of God teach.  I will say that as of late science has begun to prove what prophets have been saying since the 1970s: pornography is addicting. There is a Mormon Message by Jeffery R. Holland that I’d like to share with everyone.

Now the world will say many things, but in the end the important thing is what the prophets of God teach.  I will say that as of late science has begun to prove what prophets have been saying since the 1970s: pornography is addicting. There is a Mormon Message by Jeffery R. Holland that I’d like to share with everyone.

H. David Burton stated in his talk, Honoring the Priesthood (May 2000), “Pornography is as addictive as many substances we would not even consider taking into our bodies. The consequences of pornography are catastrophic.” My good friend told us her story earlier and there are countless stories just like hers out there. I’d like to see scientists tell her that pornography isn’t addictive nor does it change people’s minds, personalities, and actions.

“In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infesting one here and hone there, relentlessly trying to invade every home… The effect of this plague can be, unfortunately often is, spiritually fatal” –Boyd K. Packer, Cleansing the Inner Vessel (October 2010). It would be wise for us to heed these types of warnings. “...O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish” –2 Nephi 9:28. 

This is just the start in the war against pornography. The adversary destroys many families with this tool; it is one of his most potent and powerful tools. Watch your step. 

With love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.

Newton's Third Law : Equal and Opposite Forces

I’ve always said that which is worth the most, costs the most. Think about it. In this world today we want everything quick and easy. Rarely do we ever want to get our hands down and dirty to get something we want. I guess that’s what happens when we live in a society that is so fast paced. This causes us to become lethargic and apathetic. We begin to expect everything to be given to us rather than having to work a little for it.

I like the way the founding fathers put it in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We have the right to the pursuit of happiness. Pursuit is a word which inherently indicates the need for active movement. If we pursue something we are seeking it out with all out abilities. When law enforcement is in a high speed pursuit of a suspect, they pull out all the stops and do all they can to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Each person has the right to define what makes them happy; the common thread that connects all of us is the pursuit. When we choose to work hard and we succeed, we enjoy even more the fruit of our labors. We human beings are naturally slothful. We don’t like to have to work hard for what we want. Coupled with the free market society in which we live, this has lead to an increasingly larger number of individuals who expect what they want, when they want it, for the least amount of work. That’s consumerism at its finest.

The problem with modern consumerism is people begin to expect their every wish to be granted—as if it was their right—regardless whether or not they’ve done what’s necessary to earn it. Like I stated in my post, The Law of Gravity, the laws of nature are just as applicable to our social world as they are to the physical world. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; that is Newton’s third law of motion. There is an opposite in all things. All things.

No matter what we do, no matter where we go or what we say there will always be that equal and opposite force that stands between us and our goal. This is the path of resistance. Resistance has been put in our path so that we can become stronger. Just as lifting weights or training for a marathon builds our physical strength, struggling to achieve our goals make us stronger individuals.

I recently read a book for a writing class I’m taking. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield specifically discusses the issue of winning creative inner battles and breaking through writers block, but the principles which he discusses in the book are universal. Here are some excerpts:

Resistance is Infallible

Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North—meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing. We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others. Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.

That is a powerful idea.  We can use our fallible nature to guide us to do what we should do in this life.

Resistance is fueled by Fear

Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from within us. We feed it with power by our fear of it. Master that fear and we conquer Resistance.

When we are fearful of something and we feel the urge to just turn and run, that is an indicator we should do it. These two ideas that Pressfield discusses are important for us to understand because they can be tools for us to become better people. When something is hard and we feel the push against us, we should buckle down and press forward because harder something is the more rewarding it will be after we are done. Now, not only do we feel that opposition pushing against us from the outside forces, but also from the inside—that’s the fear within. Fear makes those opposite forces stronger; fear can cripple our ability to progress and move forward in life. So if we are fearful of doing something and it seems too hard to accomplish, we should do it.

Opposition is a blessing. It really is. Without the struggle to attain our goals, we don’t truly grow as individuals nor do we appreciate what we are given. So think about this the next time you are tempted to give up or quit: you’re robbing yourself. You’ve just cheated yourself out of a growing experience. Yes it’s hard and yes I know that you’d rather just do easy things, but don’t prevent yourself from developing as a person.

Remember, opposition (or resistance) is a good thing: it points us towards the direction we should go.

With love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel : The New Anti-Porn Movement

   The truth about pornography is that it is a drug. No longer can we treat it as a just a risqué form of social media; it should be exposed for what it is. Many people have joined together to fight against this blight on society and have decided that we will no longer sit passively and watch as it destroys families and individuals. The following video was produced by a new organization, Fight the New Drug, and does a good job at revealing pornography for what it is. Watch it now:

"When we are born, we are given a world built on the decisions of previous generations. A world created by their choices: some good, some bad. Decisions are constantly made without the knowledge of how they will affect us, our society and our world." I love that line. This is something we would all do well to think about before we decide to make any big decisions in our lives. How will this change my life? How will this change my family? How will this change my community?
   As pointed out in this video, in 1948 Dr. Alfred Kinsey published his book: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male where he postulated that all sexual urges should be pursued. Now, I will give this man the benefit of the doubt in saying that human sexuality was not as prevalent on the market as it is now; yet as a biologist and a scientist he should have known among the many different traits that set us apart from animals one of them is self-control. In the 66 years since the publication of Kinsey's first book many new discoveries about human sexuality and the adverse effects of reckless sexual activity. People who engage in "high risk activities" such as prostitution, use of heroin, homosexual activities, or sexual promiscuity are at large more vulnerable to contract life ending diseases such as AIDS/HIV.
   The "sexual revolution" of the 60s and 70s was brought about largely because of the publication of Kinsey's books. Part of this "revolution" (or as I would call it rebellion against morality) was the publication of pornography. Just as cocaine, heroin, and tobacco we at first thought to be harmless or even helpful, pornography became normal and was thought to be a social or moral debate rather than a medical or scientific debate. But just as medical research revealed the truth about tobacco and cocaine, pornography has been exposed by medical research to cause similar effects on the brain as cocaine and heroin. No longer can we look at pornography in the same light, we need to look at it as the drug it is rather than a "gentleman's pursuit".
   "Porn is like a drug: it can rewire the brain, form addictions, alter views about sex, objectify the human body, fuel the demands for sex slavery, and reshape society as a whole." The reality is with the sexual liberation movement of the sixties and seventies, our society has become more promiscuous, more animalistic as opposed to being refined and moral. There have been no good things that have come from pornography or this modern society based on "free love". It has only destroyed the family and led us further away from developing real, meaningful relationships with other people. Men and women are now seen as objects for our sexual pleasure, rather than people from whom we can learn and grow. "Pornography is often violent and abusive, a degrading lie that distorts the very meaning of healthy relationships and love." Pornography sets unrealistic sexual expectations for its users and ultimately destroys the self-respect and beauty in a healthy relationship. It is as detrimental to our health as any other drug.
   Organizations like Fight the New Drug are dedicated to reverse the adverse effects on society of actions taken by individuals more than 60 years ago. We do not have to define ourselves by the decisions of previous generations. We have the power to support those who are addicted and fight to eradicate the use of this new drug among society.

With love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel : A Paradox

The biggest paradox about pornography is you. Yes, you. If you take the time to dive in to the mind of any addict you will find a war raging. There are ups and downs bigger than the X2 at Magic Mountain. There is no where to hide from the enemy when it’s right inside your own head. You hate yourself for what you do, yet you love doing it. You crave it. How does someone wage a war against themselves? How do you overcome your enemy when you are the enemy?

The duality of addiction is the biggest paradox with regards to pornography. It is almost as if there are two of you within one body. One that screams in pain and another that shouts for joy. You would think it impossible for both to exist in the same instance in the same being, but they do. It is probably the biggest struggle associated with pornography addiction.  “Dual-personalities” exists until the individual gives up the fight entirely or becomes so fed up with it that they overcome the addiction.

Living like this can only exist for so long before we are compelled to make the decision.  Unfortunately too many lose the battle. I dare say that rapists, pedophiles, and sex traffickers probably didn't think their “casual” watching of pornography would have led them to make the terrible decisions they made. Nobody plans on becoming an addict. Nobody.

There is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Thanks to our ability to choose, we can always decide we are going to change before it is too late.  We can give up the fight and give into the addiction or we can push back and let the light enter back into our lives. Vulgar thoughts lead to vulgar words. Vulgar words lead to vulgar actions. As we act on the vulgar and foul things we see, we chase away all that is good and virtuous in our lives. That virtue can be rekindled with much effort and can reignite the flame within us that leads us to the good in life. We are never too far lost to return to the light and shed ourselves of addictions.

Life is too beautiful to live in a dark hole; we need the light to live. Keep fighting, there is always hope. We are here to help.

Love,

Will Glade

The one walking beside you.