Believe in a Bright Future

By Keith N Fisher

It has been a knock down-drag out fight in our country lately. Contenders on both sides have strong opinions. Some of those opinions are in error, some are justified, all, are felt deeply and those feelings are approaching the boiling point.

It’s really surprising that so many married couples are still together, because compromise and working together for the common good, seems to have disappeared in the world.

I overheard a conversation just before church last week. Well, I had no choice but overhear, because the person was standing right next to me, and talking to another person behind me. The whole while, a member of the bishoprick stood at the pulpit waiting to begin the meeting.

People. Please remember there is a time and a place for your opinions. Also, those within listening distance might not agree with you.

Now, I realize this article might be incendiary to some, and it probably won’t even be read by most, but I plead with all of us. No issue or belief is important enough to alienate another human being.

Yes, the gloom and doom that has been predicted will happen. But only as a result of the My way or the highway attitude. The constitution is strong and has survived hundreds of years of compromise. The only way it will be brought down is by the claims of unfaithful zealots who are unwilling to allow for the happiness of all the people. The intent of the framers of that document clearly expressed compromise, because every single member of that congress made compromises on the original content.

Going back to my friend and her comments about socialism and communist regimes, Please keep in mind there were some who believe that’s exactly what happened in our country when the previous president forced the patriot act down our throats. Because of that move, The National Security Administration now listens in on every phone conversation and reads every email sent to, from, or in the United States.

If you haven’t grasped how important that is, let me explain. You’re privacy no longer exists. Some people are okay with that, stating the end justifies the means. You see it’s a matter of prospective. Depending on who the president is, and your opinion of him, the executive order can be good or bad depending on whether you like having your personal conversations monitored, a government health care program, or the building of the Panama Cannel.

It’s not socialism, communism, fascism, or monarchy. It’s an example of our president working to get something done in the face of disagreement on both sides.

The beauty of our country has always been in the way we can utterly disagree during an election, but then put it behind us and agree to work together after the election. Even if we hated the policies of an administration, we could look forward to the next election.

Which brings us to the plight of my good friend. As I understand it, he’s been working on a project with an investor. When the economy went bad, the investor pulled the funding. Who can blame them? Hard times make you want to convert all your assets to gold and wait for the storm to subside.

Now, I could go on and on about what caused our current financial state in our country, but suffice it to say, greed unchecked, feeds on itself. The greedy develop a sort of tunnel vision, shutting out any other needs but their own.

When I asked my friend if there was anything I could do to help him, his answer was. “Convince my investors that it’s safe to invest.”

What a monumental task that would be. Our government is trying to do that very thing. The previous administration gave tax rebates in an effort to boost the economy. Historically, government spending has always been the policy for economic recovery. Reagan did it, Nixon, Carter, Ford, even George Bush Senior.

The Roosevelt administration fought to increase confidence. The president faced the problem with an optimistic attitude and he persuaded investors to believe in recovery. Abraham Lincoln was faced with the task of rebuilding our country after deep divisions and economic upheaval tore it apart. But he convinced the people it could be done.

Whether you agree with, or hate our current president, should not affect whether you believe in our country or not. If you’ve given up on that belief, that sense of patriotism, then there are no battles to fight. If you believe the constitution will fail, it will. If you believe our economy cannot recover, it won’t.

But on the other hand, if you believe in our country and the fact we are all in this together, we will succeed. If you are willing to put your greed aside and follow the golden rule. Work with politicians instead of threatening them, then we will recover. There really is a bright spot on the horizon, but if we refuse to focus on that goal, worrying about the needs of the one instead of the needs of all, then the light will go out and we will receive exactly what we have been expecting.

I believe negative words and emotions feed on themselves. I also believe positive feelings are contagious. It grows lighter and brighter until the perfect day.

For those of you of a religious vein, Bruce R McConkie, a leader from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, referred to the days of tribulation preceding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In a nutshell, he said that if there are enough righteous people in the world, the Lord will stay his hand. In other words, if we will forget our petty interest and follow The Savior, we can have a bright future.

With all my heart, I believe we can.