Fail.

Unfortunately, this thing called "life" kind of got in the way of my summer reading.  To date, I have finished Day of Empire and Reinventing the Bazaar, and by the end of the week I hope to finish Out of Poverty.  All three are amazing books.  However, the only one I shall be offering any commentary on is Out of Poverty, once I've finished it.  After that, I'll probably have time for one more book this summer.  No clue what it will be.

Summer reading list

"Yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom."  (D&C 88:118)

As some of those who read this are already aware, I am hoping to get quite a bit of reading done this summer.  To help me, I have compiled this list of books that I would like to read or that others have suggested that I read.  It is in no particular order, and I will not be reading them in any particular order.  Also, I don't honestly expect to read all of these books before the end of the summer, but this will give me somewhere to work from.  I will likely have a slight bias towards non-fiction, but I intend to read fiction as well.

This isn't a complete list, and I'll be expanding it as the summer goes on (meaning that I will edit this blog post to reflect expansions).  So, reader, feel free to suggest additional material.

Oh, and I will be writing a review of each book I read.  Check back to see my progress.

Books I have never read

The World is Flat (Friedman)
Journey of the Jihadist (Gerges)
World on Fire (Chua)
Pakistan:  In the Shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan (Weaver)
Mountains Beyond Mountains (Kidder)
Out of Poverty (Polak)
Reinventing the Bazaar (McMillan)
Overthrow (Kinzer)
Day of Empire (Chua)
Development in Theory and Practice (Black)
Arab and Jew (Shipler)
Nudge (Thaler and Sunstein)
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Cather)
New Ideas from Dead Economists (Buchholz)
Freakonomics (Leavitt)
Atlas Shrugged (Rand)
Mere Christianity (Lewis)
The Great Divorce (Lewis)
A Grief Observed (Lewis)
The Space Trilogy (Lewis)
The Sickness Unto Death (Kirkegaard)
The Cost of Discipleship (Bouhoeffer)
Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
The Hunger Games (Collins)
Kite Runner (Hosseini)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
Pride and Prejudice (Austen)
The Name of the Wind (Rothfuss)
The Wise Man's Fear (Rothfuss)
Heart of Darkness (Conrad)
War and Peace (Tolstoy)
The Miracle of Forgiveness (Kimball)
Don Quijote (Cervantes) *in Spanish
Sherlock Holmes (Doyle)
'Till We Have Faces (Lewis)
Wuthering Heights (Bronte)
The Great Brain (Fitzgerald)
The Idiot (Dostoyevsky)
The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoyevsky)
The Greatest Salesman in the World (Mandino)

Books I have read before

A Brave New World (Huxley)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)
1984 (Orwell)
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Tolkien)

Dang.  After looking at this list, I honestly wish I could have time to read every single one of these books.  I'll do my best to get through a lot of them.  This is going to be fun!

Because blank spaces are meant to be filled

It's been over a month since I last posted something here, so I figured I'd just provide some largely irrelevant filler material created by someone else.  I find this to be particularly funny.

Afflictions

"And it came to pass that they began to prosper exceedingly...  Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.  Nevertheless--whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day.  Yea, and thus it was with this people.  For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob.  And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings." (Mosiah 23:19, 21-24)

It seems like one of life's constants that good times never last.  Whenever everything seems to be going perfectly, we can almost always expect some new trial or challenge to be waiting around the corner.  It's a hard principle to deal with sometimes.  So often, these trials seem to come out of the blue, apparently through no fault of our own.  It took me years to properly understand this, but I realize now that God has His reasons for doing things that way.

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying:  Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.  And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."  (Mosiah 24:13-14)

We cannot progress without trials.  In the book A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley outlines a society which has abolished trials and misfortunes.  The character Mustapha Mond explains the reasoning behind this society's decisions:  "People still went right on talking about truth and beauty as though they were the sovereign goods.  Right up to the time of the Nine Years' War.  That made them change their tune all right.  What's the point of truth or beauty or knowledge when the anthrax bombs are popping all around you.  That was when science first began to be controlled--after the Nine Years' War.  People were ready to have even their appetites controlled then.  Anything for a quiet life.  We've gone on controlling ever since.  It hasn't been very good for truth, of course.  But it's been very good for happiness."  (I pause here to note, as Mustapha does not, that there is a clear difference between happiness and joy.)  "One can't have something for nothing.  Happiness has got to be paid for....  Civilization has absolutely no need of nobility or heroism.  These things are symptoms of political inefficiency.  In a properly organized society like ours, nobody has any opportunities for being noble or heroic.  Conditions have got to be thoroughly unstable before the occasion can arise.  Where there are wars, where there are divided allegiances, where there are temptations to be resisted, objects of love to be fought for or defended--there, obviously, nobility and heroism have some sense.  But there aren't any wars nowadays.  The greatest care is taken to prevent you from loving any one too much.  There's no such thing as a divided allegiance; you're so conditioned that you can't help doing what you ought to do.  And what you ought to do is on the whole so pleasant, so many of the natural impulses are allowed free play, that there really aren't any temptations to resist.  And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma to give you a holiday from the facts.  And there's always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you to your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering.  In the past you could only accomplish those things by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training.  Now, you swallow two or three half-gram tablets, and there you are.  Anybody can be virtuous now.  You can carry at least half your morality about in a bottle.  Christianity without tears--that's what soma is."  Another character, the Savage, offers a telling analysis in response:  "Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it.  Whether 'tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them...  But you don't do either.  Neither suffer nor oppose.  You just abolish the arrows.  It's too easy....  What you need is something with tears for a change.  Nothing costs enough here."  Trials are an essential part of life, and it is a necessity that God recognizes and puts into practice.  And yet, far from leaving us to face our trials alone, He desires to play an active role in our lives as we face and overcome experiences necessary for growth.  He will help us as much as is possible and as much as we let Him.

Because of my trials, I, too, "know of a surety that... the Lord God [does] visit [his] people in their afflictions."  It is because of an experience associated with one of the greatest trials that I have ever faced that I know of a surety that God does exist, and that He loves me and cares for me.

Don't be discouraged or downheartened by the challenges in life.  "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:  and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)  Opposition is necessary, and it will always come, but as we trust in the Lord and face it with His help, there is always hope.

Development Don'ts, Part 1: Slacktivism

This is the first in a two-part series about international development.  While it was inspired by the Kony 2012 movement, it is not a direct response to it; rather, it is a lesson in how not to change the world, meant for general application.


People are lazy.  Given the choice between two equally good options, one of which is harder than the other, they will pick the easier one.  People also like to do good things.  Given the choice between two otherwise identical options, one of which benefits others and one of which doesn't, they'll pick the more beneficial of the two.  There are exceptions, obviously, but I think these statements accurately describe most people.

International development, in a general sense, is almost unambiguously a Good Thing.  It's pretty easy to support a cause in favor of people not dying of preventable diseases or in brutal wars.  So, when people are made aware of the need for development, they're generally pretty supportive of it.  So far, so good.

Unfortunately, in some cases, that's about as far as the good gets.  There are several ways in which development can go wrong, but I am focusing here on one specific problem.  I call it "slacktivism."

Here's the problem.  Creating real change in the world isn't easy.  This is where humanity's desire to do good comes in conflict with its laziness.  Given the choice between traveling to Kenya to drill wells and posting a video on Facebook, nearly everybody will choose to post the video.  That's not necessarily bad.  Not everyone can or should dedicate their life, or even a summer, to development.  However, we need to be completely realistic about what our actions accomplish.  This, I believe, is the real danger of slacktivism.

First, posting things on Facebook and other social media sites.  There is an appropriate place for this.  For instance, anyone who followed my Facebook posts during the last weeks of February saw essentially daily posts advertising BYU's annual Hunger Banquet.  I have posted articles on development and links to development-related web sites.  I enjoy it when other people do the same so that I can read them.  However, we need to remember that these posts are limited to two basic purposes.  First, they create awareness of, interest in, and knowledge about problems and projects.  Second, they encourage participation in events and organizations.  Social media is incredibly effective at accomplishing these aims.  It's not so effective at getting beyond them.  Don't kid yourself.  Nobody in Uganda cares about how much you're trying to help them on Facebook.  In all likelihood, as the first paragraph of this article points out, they don't even know that so many people are talking about them.

So social media is all about getting attention.  That's useful, right?  To a point.  Here's the problem.  Everybody knows that there are serious problems all over the world.  Anyone who pays much attention to the news has surely been flooded with stories already, and even people who don't have been exposed to enough activist campaigns that the Bad Things happening in some far-off place are real.  Raising knowledge of specific issues is valuable; on the other hand, knowing about something in and of itself doesn't create solutions.  Everybody knows about cancer.

Another common form of slacktivism is online petitions.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for participation in the democratic process, and I'm absolutely in favor of petitions like this one.  But, once again, we have to be realistic in our expectations.  Elected officials get thousands of petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of constituents.  They are constantly bombarded by lobbyists and interest groups (trivia:  if you e-mail your congressperson with the intent of influencing his or her vote, you're a lobbyist; if you sign a petition, that petition will be delivered by an interest group).  Your voice will (probably and hopefully) not be ignored, but it will be a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the aggregate total of voices being heard.  Lobbying and petitioning is an essential form of activism, but don't think your signature just changed the world.  It didn't.

I could go on and on about similar issues, but I think I've made my point clear.  I realize that I've been pretty direct and a bit harsh in my statements, and I want to make sure that nobody thinks I'm a pessimist who believes nobody can change the world.  We can.  This is what I plan on dedicating my life to.  I am, absolutely and completely, an optimist.  However, in order for my optimism to be of any use, it has to be bounded by realism.  The things we do, especially on the internet, are good and necessary.  We just need to keep them in perspective.  Knowing what social media can and can't do allows us to use it properly.

Finally, a statement on what we CAN do.  Two of the most valuable commodities we have at our disposal are time and money.  After successfully identifying a worthy and sustainable development project, if you really care about it, make a donation.  If you can, volunteer.  It doesn't have to be huge.  Lifesaving vaccinations can be provided to a child for less than a dollar.  Development is, and probably always will be, understaffed and underfunded, and volunteering and donating will always help.

I close with an analogy.  Imagine that some serious personal tragedy has just occurred in your life.  It could be the death of an immediate family member, or a debilitating disease, or an accident that destroys your home and your livelihood.  Some of your friends and acquaintances have no idea what's happening.  Some of them post statuses on Facebook letting everyone know.  Others call you and let you know they're praying for you. Some come and bring you meals.  Some help you cover bills you'd otherwise be unable to pay.  And some stop by and help you carry out day-to-day tasks that now prove impossible for you to do alone.  Obviously, you appreciate everything that everyone does for you, but who really helped the most?  Who made the difference between a painful experience and one that could have destroyed your life?

Keep that in mind whenever you want to change the world.  After all, in the end, changing the world is about changing individual lives.

Become as little children

Earlier today, Dallan R. Moody gave a devotional at BYU.  In it, he spoke of his family's experience raising a son with severe disabilities.  I wish I could do the story justice, but I can't; I wish I could link to it, but it doesn't appear to be up yet, so I shall provide a link to a summary and shall then edit it at some future date.  He spoke of the immense love that he and his wife felt for their son, and the love they felt from him as well.  They experienced many trials; when they took him home from the hospital after he was born, the doctor told them not to take him back because they'd done all they could for him.  He lived seven years.

Mosiah 3:18 states, "For behold [God] judgeth, and his judgment is just, and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent."  (Italics added.)

I have heard many opinions on what it means to become like a little child; however, today I believe I understand it better than ever.

A newborn child can't do much.  In fact, it is totally helpless, and essentially the only way it has to attract attention to its needs is through crying.  Left alone, it would die.  Blessed, however, with the love of a mother and a father, a child is safe and capable of growing.  After years of nourishment and protection, the child grows and matures and is one day capable of living on its own.

We are children of God.  We are totally and irrevocably dependent on Him for salvation.  Compared to an omnipotent, omniscient being, we really are newborn children.  Sometimes all we can do in the face of our trials is cry to Him and hope He will somehow help us.

And yet, as we grow, we may, like the six-year-old running away from home, think that we have no need for parents and can make it on our own.  God respects our agency, and He will never force us to follow Him, but like that six-year-old kid, do we really want to be on our own?

That, to me, is what being childlike really means.  It isn't just a list of attributes to develop.  It isn't turning into the mirror image of a little kid, with all his graces and flaws.  Being childlike means being utterly dependent on God, trusting only in His grace when all we have done is not enough.

Finally, I'd like to add a statement that Brother Moody made.  He spoke once to a Church leader about the struggles of raising a severely disabled child and the constant attention he required, and expected afterwards to hear words of appreciation for his love and dedication and encouragement for him to continue striving.  Instead, he was told four words that, he said, changed his life.  The leader said, simply, "You are being exalted."

In one important sense we are not like newborns.  We are capable of thinking, and we are capable of acting.  When God blesses us with the opportunity to sacrifice of ourselves to serve and uplift another, we generally think that we are blessing them and possibly earning blessings for ourselves.  This is such a limited, short-sighted view.  We become like God by doing God's work--dedicating ourselves to others as thoroughly as He dedicates Himself to us.  As we selflessly serve, we ourselves are being exalted.

God is love.  As we love, we come to know God.  As we fill ourselves with love, we become like God.

The blog is dying

Once, this was meant to be a blog of all things awesome.  Then, it became a place for me to post reviews of music.  And now, it's become a place where I don't post much of anything.  Such is blog devolution, I guess.

Unfortunately, I can't think of anything else to fill out this blog post with.  Hopefully I'll be able to come up with some content someday...

(Yay for meta-blogging, by the way.  You know a blog's either incredibly famous or incredibly irrelevant when it has a post whose entire subject is the blog itself.)

Long time, no sing

Rather than posting what I had originally intended to, I'm just going to state that this song is one of my new absolute favorite songs ever.

Also, I'm dead tired and cannot wait for the weekend to start in another 18 hours or so.  The rest of the semester had better not be like the past two weeks, or I'm going to wind up well-educated but dead and thus rather useless.

Happy music

This is a happy song played by happy-looking people.  That makes me happy.