We Are Not That Different: A revision of Book of Mormon Entry 1

The Psalm of Nephi, or 2 Nephi 4, is Nephi's most poignant and poetic work. Already being considered a sacred hymn by way of it being a psalm, it was adapted into a Mormon Tabernacle Choir piece called "I Love the Lord" based on the hymn "Be Still My Soul." And although I've studied this chapter frequently, listened to it's musical rendition, and visited it in my own times of sorrow, I've rarely thought of the chapter as more than just Nephi having a bad day. But then I read it again.

The psalm can be easily formatted to poetic stanzas since it is written to be a sacred hymn. Once it is in stanzas though, it is amazing to watch the poetic devices emerge. As I was reading the chapter in stanzas, I noticed that Nephi repeats the beginning few words of his lines, called an anaphora, all the time. For example "he hath" in versus 20 to 23, or "O Lord" in versus 30 to 34. Nephi uses anaphoras like I do? I was surprised. I began to wonder what type of man would use poetic device to self-reflect, to express sorrow, to show his faith and angst simultaneously? What type of man would write devotional poetry at all? 

I guess Nephi would. 

It suddenly dawned on me that Nephi, at about 20 to 30 years old, took the time to sit down and scratch a repeating opener (an anaphora) into metal sheets. Nephi took the time to molten the plates and show future generations that it is normal to feel inadequate, sorrowful, and even self-deprecating. Nephi took the time to write a poem so that we could see the beauty that comes from turning sorrow into self-reflection and angst into faith. 

As I read the versus again and again, more poetic devices kept appearing. Apostrophes and exclamatios were everywhere. Nephi used exclamatios, or emotional exclamations, to address himself "O wretched man that I am!" and "O my heart," showing just how intensely he was feeling. The apostrophes (addressing either an inanimate object or abstract or absent being) were addressed to God, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee," showing that Nephi felt actual distance from God. Could Nephi feel distant from God, the same way I have sometimes felt? Could Nephi feel upset with himself the way I sometimes am? Nephi's desperate cries while still sacred and emotional, were becoming more and more reminiscent of my own pleas to God.

Starting to feel more similar to Nephi than different, I wasn't surprised to see him use imperatives (or command verbs) to give himself personal pep talks, just the way I have: "Awake my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul." It was almost contagious, as though whispering the motivating words to myself louder and louder would allow me to join the rally of souls, although both he and I were alone, him in writing the words and me in reading them.

In one last glance at the chapter, feeling like I'd made a new friend, I noticed Nephi's self-reflecting rhetorical questions sprinkled through his poetry. Yes, I have bad days just like Nephi. Yes, I sometimes write poetry just like Nephi. Yes, I cry against myself and to God just like Nephi. And yes, I give myself commanding pep talks just like Nephi. But, what I do best is self-reflect. So no, I am not surprised that Nephi, too, self-reflects: "Why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, / and my flesh waste away, / and my strength slacken, / because of mine afflictions?" Nephi talks to himself like I do? Nephi self-reflects like I do? Yes, of course he does.

After all, Nephi and I really aren't that different. I mean, come on, the guy writes poetry. 

Checkmate

“You don’t have any kids?” he questioned me with a hint of sarcastic surprise in his voice. Followed closely by “and come to think of it, you don’t even have any grandkids!” I couldn’t suppress the laughter that was bubbling inside of me and it began to slip out as I tried to remain focused and serious.

Then the first match ended almost before it began. I should have seen it coming. The first pawn of mine that was taken resulted in check-mate. So as suddenly as we started it was over. I don’t take losing easily and wasn’t going to let that happen again, despite my lack of experience in playing chess, compared to the 72 year old retired English teacher with an afro that was sitting across from me. 

The pieces were quickly retest which wasn’t hard considering the brevity of the first match. The board was then rotated and play continued. Things were different this time. Play progressed, a queen was captured, castles consumed, knights knocked out, and bishops bagged until finally I had his king trapped with no means of escape. My cunning and daring strategy had somehow outwitted the years of experience that guided the pieces opposite of mine.

Anyone else observing this scene would probably have difficulty believing their eyes. Here is an old man playing chess, which isn’t a surprise, but the fact that his opponent was barely a third of his age. Not a common occurrence especially for someone my age to be there by choice and not out of obligation or any other ulterior motives. I am old enough to be his grandson, and if I were common to my generation I would expect to mercilessly distract by my phone and other outside forces. This was different though. I had the weekend from work, and I hadn’t seen one of my best friends in quick a while, and decided to make the quick trip to pay him a visit.

From an outsider’s perspective we had very little in common at all, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Despite the many years that separated us we got along great. Had we been born in the same decade we would have been inseparable, but we weren’t going to let that stop us. We both had the same sarcastic and ridiculous sense of humor, loved music and played the guitar, and liked to make fun of each other and others. Despite our physical age differences, our minds are both about the age of 11, which makes things almost too fun at times.

Once upon a time we were both working janitorial on weeknights cleaning the offices at a truck depot. It was probably the nastiest job that I have ever had. Especially the bathrooms, which were at times tainted by trucker blowouts. He loved to tell me not to put things in my mouth, as if I were the one that was 2 years old. One night he had me put new urinal cakes in the men’s bathroom. He had me three and looked at me very sternly and said, “These aren’t Altoids, SO don’t put them in your mouth, cause they will take your breath away!” This was followed by both of us bursting into laughter.

The only thing that made cleaning bearable, and the only reason I was even there was because we had so much fun together. One night my “supervisor/boss” strategically hid himself in one of the back offices that I always got around to vacuuming last. As I opened the door I found a dirty rag flying at my face, and heard an unearthly yell. Needless to say I was quite startled and once I had my wits about be I found the old man literally rolling around on the dirty carpet with short bursts of giggling escaping at sporadic intervals. 

This is only one example of the many adventures that shaped and forged this unlikely friendship. Despite all of the fun and practical jokes, there were times when we would discuss more serious in an often light hearted way, but knowing that deep down we both recognized the true importance of these more heavy matters. It is also said that those that work and serve together develop some of the strongest bonds of friendship. There we many experiences together serving some widowed women and sick seniors that lived in our area in various ways. Not only was he a good friend, but a great example as well. There is more to life than just fun and games all the time.

As with most friendships time and circumstance would take us far from each other. Even with the advancements in modern communication, we would only occasionally talk to each other. However whenever circumstances and time would permit, we would make plans to go get a cheap senior discounted meal at a fast food restaurant, or for the first time, a friendly and competitive match of chess. Either way, whenever we would get together it was awesome because we both would be practically the same person that we were the previous time. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and when you’re as hard headed as me, change is slow, painful and far between. I am always looking forward to the time that we get together. I also start to feel a bit older too when, we get to reminisce about the many good times that we have had in the past.

My mom would always tell me when I was growing up that friends would come and go but family is the only thing that will last. While she was right about basically everything including this there is one exception. Every other friend that I’ve had growing up until now that has been relatively close to my age has moved on for some reason or another. Marriage, graduating, military, and careers all seem to pull those friends of mine from my life. However I can truly say that I’ve had one friend that despite distance and changes in my life has always been there, and can without a doubt make me laugh. I don’t even want to think about the time that will come when he literally won’t be around anymore. At any rate before I know it I’ll be the one on the experienced side of the chess board, reliving my younger years with some punk kind.

Chess Master

The first match ended almost before it began. I should have seen it coming. The first pawn of mine that was taken resulted in check-mate. So as suddenly as we started it was over. I don’t take losing easily and wasn't going to let that happen again, despite my lack of experience in playing chess, compared to the 72 year old retired English teacher with an Afro that was sitting across from me. 

The pieces were quickly retest which wasn't hard considering the brevity of the first match. The board was then rotated and play continued. Things were different this time. Play progressed, a queen was captured, castles consumed, knights knocked out, and pawns bishops bagged until finally I had his king trapped with no means of escape. My cunning and daring strategy had somehow outwitted the years of experience that guided the pieces opposite of mine.

Anyone else observing this scene would probably have difficulty believing their eyes. Here is an old man playing chess, which isn’t a surprise, but the fact that his opponent was barely a third of his age. Not a common occurrence especially which his opponent is there by choice and not out of obligation or any other ulterior motives. The old man’s junior, if he were common to his generation would expect to mercilessly distract by his phone and other outside forces, but somehow managed to keep these at bay. They formed what many would call a lopsided friendship. 

From an outsider’s perspective we had very little in common at all, but they couldn't be more wrong. Despite the many years that separated us, we had a lot in common. We both had the same sarcastic and ridiculous sense of humor, loved music and played the guitar, and liked to make fun of each other and others. Despite our physical age differences, our minds are both about the age of 13, which makes things almost too fun at times.

Once upon a time we were both working janitorial on weeknights cleaning the offices at a truck depot. It was probably the nastiest job that I have ever had. Especially the bathrooms, which were at times tainted by trucker blowouts. The only thing that made this bearable, and the only reason I was even there was because we had so much fun together. One night my “supervisor/boss” strategically hid himself in one of the back offices that I always got around to vacuuming last. As I opened the door I found a dirty rag flying at my face, and heard an unearthly yell. Needless to say I was quite startled and once I had my wits about be I found and old man literally rolling around on the dirty carpet with short bursts of giggling escaping at sporadic intervals.  

This is only one example of the many adventures that shaped and forged this unlikely friendship. Despite all of the fun and practical jokes, there were times when we would discuss more serious in an often light-hearted way, but knowing that deep down we both recognized the true importance of these more heavy matters.

As with most friendships time and circumstance would take us far from each other. Even with the many advantages with modern communication, we would rarely talk to each other. However whenever circumstances and time would permit we would make plans to go get a cheap senior discounted mean at a fast food restaurant, or for the first time, a friendly and competitive match of chess. Either way, whenever we would get together it was awesome because we both would be practically the same person that we were the last time that we met. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks and when you’re as hard headed as me, change is slow and far between. I am always looking forward to the time that we get together. I also start to feel a bit older too when, we get to reminisce  about the many good times that we have had in the past.

My mom would always tell me growing up that friends would come and go but family is the only thing that will last. While she was right about basically every friend that I've had growing up until know that has been relatively close to my age has moved on for some reason. Marriage, graduating, military, and careers all seem to pull those friends of mine from my life. However I can truly say that I've had one friend that despite distance and changes in my life has always been there, and can without a doubt make me laugh. I don’t even want to think about the time that will come when he literally won’t be around anymore. At any rate before I know it I’ll be the one on the experienced side of the chess board, reliving my younger years with some punk kind.

journaling the words of father

character - Alma 31, Alma (junior) He is a missionary leader and father, in the following chapters of his experiences to teach his sons from his own character building experiences.

plot - Alma 31- 37, Alma goes to preach to the wicked Zoramites who pray on top of the
Rameumptom. He exemplifies the order of prayer, when he prayed humbly and submissively for his brother--but yet for everyone to hear. He teaches everyone that will listen--which is mostly the poor. He teaches with companion, Amulek, and then has the opportunity to conduct Father's Interviews with his three sons, and counsel them, and share his conversion and testimony with them.

dialogue - Alma 31, Alma prays on top of a tower, specifically pleading for the Zoramites who won't listen and are in wickedness. That must have not been his only prayer offered--but it is a very important one recorded. We also have his dialogue of his counsel to his sons that is also doctrine.

audience - Alma 32, Alma addresses his three sons who are in their youth and about to go forth on their own missions. Although Alma was a prophet and missionary at this time, he spoke to his sons as their father and not the prophet of the church.

In Romney Hansen's blog post, he explains in which Elder Holland's address, "Of Souls, Symbols and Sacraments," how he spoke lovingly but boldly and blatantly. In most addresses we hear, their tone of voice match their context. However, we have not heard the voice of Alma, he too was just like Elder Holland. A father, a church leader, a friend, and one who worried and cared for the spiritual well being of his "children," figuratively speaking. We often forget that this was just a normal event or conversation that we may have with our own parent. If Alma wasn't traveling or far from home, I imagine that his wife would have been there with him, as they both counseled with their sons. Alma's talk with his sons wasn't given so they could write in the Book of Mormon, although we are blessed for it, but rather, this would have been a journal worthy moment for us to remember and reflect.