The Importance of Being Earnest- Ay, There's The Rub

Are men born great, or do they become great? This was a question I asked myself over and over again as I researched many people through out history while obtaining my bachelor's degree. I finally did an extensive research paper on Napoleon and decided that men are born great. Yes, they have to grow through trials in their lives, but in the end, it's in their blood. Call it destiny. Call it fate. Homer sure grasped this concept when he was compiling his works. Yes, that's right. Ancient Greece had it figured out.


Many times I feel that everyone here thinks that they are great. They are the exception to the rule. They are the entitled ones of the Earth. I'm not trying to say that we aren't great people. I'm not. I'm just saying there are only a select few who will go down in history books as someone who needs to be memorized for a test.


Every generation thinks they are the chosen generation. The people who will be the final chapter of life. The ones who will save the world from all the craziness that we have been living in. They think they are the smartest people and they are always right about everything and that they know better than anyone else in time. It's funny how we are so selfish. It's funny how we really aren't that smart; we have a few smart, amazing people, and we like to pretend that we came up with all their smart ideas.


With all this "greatness" going around the world, it is really hard for anyone to not be "great." I, for one, appear to be one of the few that have missed out on the greatness that went around to everyone else. Who knows how this happened. I guess I'm just destined to be one normal person, living in the world of great people. I guess I'm one of the few crazy people who still believe in religion, integrity, serving, sharing, caring for the poor, loving... Yes. I am one of the "ungreats" of the world apparently. And in Utah, this "ungreatness" of mine seems to stand out a lot.


I have come to discover that there are two types of people in Utah- Mormons, and Non-Mormons. I know, I know. I was there when we had the talk about not calling people not of our faith "non-Mormons"... but if you have ever lived in Utah and are not from Utah, you most likely know what I mean... and if you don't... you must be living under a rock. In Utah, non-Mormons seem to think they know everything about the Mormons. And they seem to think that they know better than the Mormons. The thing that gets me is that here in Utah, the non-Mormons seem to think they are entitled to everything, and if the Church says something or does something they don't like... well, how dare the Church try to infringe upon their rights. I mean, obviously the Church is archaic, and does not understand the ways of the world today. After all, aren't the people of the world the great generation? Don't they have the solutions to everything? Don't they only do right, and never wrong? The greats decide what is right and proper, not religion. Who is naive enough for religion? I am, apparently.


I majored in history, and as a historian I tend to look at the history of places. A lot of people do not like history. They fail to read history books or listen to history channels, and so maybe it is not the fault of the people here that they do not know the history of Utah. Maybe it is part of the social norm to not look into history. Here's a basic history lesson: Utah is the headquarters to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... aka, the Mormons. We were chased out of state after state back in the mid 1800's, and we finally made the trek west and ended up in Utah- which was not a US state at the time. This being said, there are a lot of Mormons in Utah. A LOT. I'm talking a Church on every corner. A temple in every city. An apostle in your local grocery store. I know. The big leagues. So, I really never get why people move here to Mormonville and bash on the Church and the rules and the people that are "so close minded" here. I just do not get it. If you don't like the Church, you shouldn't be living here, or you should get used to the fact that Mormons are different than the rest of the world, and stop complaining about it. But again, I'm not one of the greats- why would my logic make any sense? It obviously doesn't. It is just me, being normal. Oh, curse my normal-ness! I wish I was one of the greats. One of the greats who understands that the world is changing! The world no longer needs the old rules. They are past that. They are past morals and virtues and they are definitely past religion.


This is not the first time in history that people have thought they were all great. In fact, this seems to be a common theme through out most of history. Many people look at the Bible as a religious book, but it is also a history book, as is the Book of Mormon. This case of greatness that seems to curse our world today is known in the Book of Mormon as the Pride Cycle. This cycle happens over and over and over in the Book of Mormon, and if one studies history, they will discover that it also occurs over and over in history. Yes, history does repeat itself.


I'm ok with people stating their own opinions. I am happy when people express their opinions in a polite way. I have always been one who loves to state my opinion. I am known for being a loud mouth who is not afraid to state where I stand. However, ever since I moved to Utah I have felt very closed about my opinions. It's hard to say I am anti-abortion when everyone around me acts like abortions are the next big thing. It's even harder to express that I don't endorse gay marriage. In fact, I am very much against it. But, in this day and age, gay rights seems to be the big thing to endorse. Just ask Obama. And it seems that if one is against any of these things, one is a terrible person. Especially in Utah. Because in Utah, if one is against anything that the world endorses, it is because of an oppressive Church brainwashing its people.


But here's the thing. The Church isn't oppressive. I make my own decisions. Just like anyone makes their own decision to support a certain issue or drink alcohol or rob a bank. It is all based on agency. And I use my agency just as much as anyone else. Why is it that when the world says it is ok, everyone follows that blindly, but if the Church says something is not ok, the world is allowed to look at us and say we are the ones following blindly. We're not. We're both choosing a side. The scriptures tell us not to be lukewarm. I'm not being lukewarm. I'm picking a side. And if the world tells me that side is wrong, that just encourages me to pick that side even more. I've seen the consequences between following the world blindly and following God. It usually leads to ones downfall. It happens over and over in history.


But why would anyone believe they are doing wrong? They are the greats! This generation is too far advanced to get sucked down the same road that all the previous generations in the past thousands of years have gone down. Yes, the world is full of billions of greats. Thank goodness they are all there, re-writing morals and telling us that what has been wrong for thousands of years is actually right, and that what we need to do is actually embrace the wrong... except they call wrong right and right wrong. Not only is the world falling for this trick, but many Mormons are falling for it as well. They are calling the Church wrong for what it teaches, or falling away and thinking they know better. If any Mormon stands up and says it's ok for the world to be the way it is, well, they become the new spokesperson and are looked at as idols. The world worships them next. The world thanks them for being so open minded, and not listening to the big bad Church that is brainwashing them.


Thank goodness we live in a world full of great people who know better than the normal people. Thank goodness these greats are better than all the other people in the world. Thank goodness these greats are making the world a better place. Because without them, we would be a mess. We would be following morals that are obsolete. It's funny how thousands of years are being thrown out so that they can start over and place their much better morals on the world to make it a better place. Thank goodness for the greats and their great ideas!...........