Do Not Count Yourself Among the Nations

Do not count yourself among the nations in their dealings and despair. For they are concerned with the latest troubles, making them novelties as if they never existed. Do not be so quick to declare all effort as lost. Those who criticize and complain, only to be found sitting down may not be enemies, but are obstacles to true effort.

Talking about the problem does not solve it. Complaining about the problem does not bring it to an end.

Many people today say that the culture has given up the ghost, and provide no solution, just to satisfy some sick cynical attitude, giving them a slothful sense of achievement. They are the “hope-stealers”, and I despise them.

To carry on the traditions of the past, you must be impervious, not being affected with the crest and the trough of any passing wave of emotional frenzy. The word impervious gives the image of water not being allowed to pass through an object. So to be impervious is to be concrete.

Steadfastness is a lacking quality in our hearts and minds today. The traditions of the past were not passed down through untrustworthy men. They were dependable, relying on eternal truths. For them steadfastness was a merit worth keeping, as their ideals and convictions were comprised of it as well.

We call whole numbers, integers, whether they be positive or negative. The word ‘integer’ comes from the Latin for ‘whole’. You cannot be impervious without being whole, otherwise you will crumble under the slightest opposition.

To fulfill your duty, your heart must be made of flesh that is as resilient as granite. It is out of a stable, resolute love that the convictions we hold dear are passed on. These beliefs need firm vessels full of hope. So if you want to pass on something meaningful, do not count yourself among the nations.