Searching for Truth

This morning, I received an email from a very trusted source, quoting a man from 1944.


The quote was inaccurate - verified by two internet sources reputed for their truth.


When I contacted the individual who sent this quote to me, she apologized, stated she hadn't checked, and asked me to "reply to all" and site my sources.  I did, and we have moved on.


As many of you know, I have become involved in the Republican Party here in Lincoln, NE.  While still in my political infancy, it has become increasingly important to me to set a few habits.  It is my hope that these can be shared across all political, cultural and social lines.

1. Check your facts.  If you think someone said it, then make sure before sharing.  You don't want people lying about you, don't lie about them.
2. Find a common ground.  There is always something to bring people together.  Start there, and move forward.
3. Agree to disagree.  At some point, your views are going to diverge.  Let them.  Agree that this is something you can't agree on, and look for another commonality.
4. "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  Thumper's dad had it right (from Disney's Bambi).  Sometimes the best thing to do is keep your mouth shut until you have something positive to say.

I'm not limiting this to lines between politics.  I personally had an incident with a member of the same group as myself.  It was horrible.  I am truly grateful for these guidelines, because they helped me respond to her in such a way that dignity remained intact.

As a woman, it is imperative that grace and dignity, integrity and righteousness stay my lofty goals.

Said President George Albert Smith: “I desire to impress on you daughters of God … that if this world is to endure, you must keep the faith. If this world is to be happy, you will have to set the pace for that happiness. … If we are to maintain our physical strength and mental power and spiritual joy, it will have to be on the Lord’s terms.” (Relief Society Magazine, Dec. 1945, p. 719.)

From Russell M. Nelson:  A worthy woman personifies the truly noble and worthwhile attributes of life. A faithful woman can become a devoted daughter of God—more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish, more anxious to exercise compassion than to exercise dominion, more committed to integrity than to notoriety. And she knows of her own infinite worth. (Ensign, Nov. 1989)

I am far from perfect, as anyone who truly knows me knows, but I do try to become better each day.  That truth, virtue and kindness will be markers of my life.