Latter-Day Generations

"We are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What we need to understand is that each new generation is the latest 'Latter Day'" -- Cheryle Jessen

For my blog, I have decided to use something that I have been collection for over two decades - quotes and sayings that have touched me in some way. I carry with me a little black book - not the infamous kind - in which I write these insights down.

Not surprisingly, most of these insights occur when I am at church listening to the addresses given by members of the church. It also includes sayings and thoughts that I have arrived at and, of course, sayings and quotes from Latter-Day general authorities.

But the majority are snippets of wisdom that flow from every-day people - people of faith, hope and charity; people that I respect - people with challenges to face and obstacles to overcome, just like me.

I chose to start with the saying quoted above from my wife, Cheryle. We were talking about how impressed we are by many of the youth today, both Latter-Day Saints and not, and she said that each new generation is the latest latter day. What a wonderful concept!

In the book, Who Moved My Cheese written by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard, it illustrates the challenge we all face when things change. Those who accept the changes and find ways to adapt will, once again, find where the cheese is located. This latter day generation has wonderfully adapted to a world filled with change - change that is occurring faster than at any other period of human history.

They are tapping into their "ghost channel" of communication. What this means is that they are able to communicate and understand their world at a pre-verbal level. They have the ability to grasp certain concepts and take the next step with little or no instruction. The catch is that it is only those concepts that they care about that they assimilate to easily.

As humans, we have a quirky attitude that causes us to care about things that others scoff at, and yet are important to us. When we understand why something should be important, as it relates to our world-view, we then care about it. But until that happens, we are apathetic.

So my hope is that the things that I write about will find a connection with you, but if they don't, that's okay. It just means that you are more interested in something else.