From the Provo River to The Red Sea

Another week come and gone with a new one coming! My body feels like I have been fighting monster waves that just keep coming and coming without respite but my mind feels like a thirsty sponge! I feel like I hardly have enough time to reflect on what has just transpired before its time again to start on the next task. Early this week I had a brilliant idea hatch in my mind that I spent hours thinking on and planning. It came as most revelations do these days, while working in the blistering sun moving shovel after shovel of dirt in effort to beautify an off ramp the most people will only have about one second to admire as they speed past in the race of life. I had this brilliant idea for a fun date to travel up the canyon and next to the Provo river build little boats and race them. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I could just see the glorious moment dropping the beautiful boat in and watching it champion-like dive and bob over the rapids tenaciously holding itself together then I could see myself lovingly picking it out of the water at the end of the voyage like a proud father hugging his son after a great performance in a football game. So began the planning and problem solving. First problem if there is no girl there is no date. This wasn't a problem as a day or two later the opportunity presented itself and after a bit of conversing Emma Cutillo from our ward graciously agreed to tolerate me for an afternoon. Next problem supplies. Well I plant trees for a living and one day I noticed that we were just throwing away bamboo shoots that we were using to support the trees as we transported them. So I summed up the courage to ask my foreman Cohan Fish,
"Hey, are we just going to throw theses away or can I take them?"
"Uh, well, yea I don't think we are going to use them for anything," then he chuckled and looked at me quizzically and asked, "What are you going to do with them?"
So I explained my brilliant plan and we got excited about it as well suggesting different ideas and such. So at the end of the day he let me use the saw to cut the ten foot poles into usable pieces and put them in my car. Then at his suggestion I keep two at full length to use to dislodge the boats incase they got stuck on the river. It was quite a sight to behold my beautiful little sports car, sun roof open, radio blazing, and two bamboo sticks protruding out the top in a very unconventional way. I felt that if I tied a gas can to the end of them people would think that I was using it to lead my car along. Again I got a few queer looks from my roommates when they saw all the random bamboo. Again they loved the idea and gave different suggestions. Third problem, I needed a double. This initially isn't ever a problem to get some 'commitments' but as usual these 'commitments' bounced when it was time to call it all in. I asked an lined up three different guys to come with us on this amazing date that I had been dreaming about for  a week, each of them informed me Friday afternoon that they could not come. So typical of my life. So I went to my go to man Tyler Potts. Well turned out he had plans to go out on another date that morning (Saturday) but since our date was in the afternoon he might be able to make it. So I crossed my fingers and hoped that he could. Well like the man he is Tyler was able to find a date to come with us and I got this wonderful news just after midnight before the date. So the plan was to go to Deseret Industries and buy a captain for the boats (a doll) and a sail/flag. So I picked up my date at four absolutely giddy with excitement it wasn't until we had gotten to my car that I realized that I had not told her what we were going to be doing! Way to go Bright-one, real smooth I feel like this is one of those moments that Mike Brockdorff at Comfort System (my old boss) would shake his head and call me 'Not-So'. Well we met Tyler and Blaire at DI and started our game. The boys had to be blind and the girls couldn't speak. The guy knew what they needed to get but had a limited vocabulary to use. This turned out to be really fun but kinda nerve racking. Next thing I knew we had rushed through the store and I was standing at the check out this a naked barbie With the wildest red hair I had ever seen with a Scottish patterned cloth to be used as a flag. And yes because of Emma's expertise guiding we made it back first. Next we headed up the river and began building our boats. After strategizing for a bit we decided to model our boat in the catamaran style. Well being an Eagle Scout and all (Thanks mom;) I knew a thing or two about lashings and shared this wisdom with Emma who was more then eager to learn. (Maybe she was just bored of watching me excitedly working away on 'our' project). Well after guiding her through a few I left our table to grab something and came back to find that she had perfected her lashing skills and made my knots look like a child and made them. Hiding my embarrassment I complemented her on them and busily tied our Captain Barbie to the mast and prep'd the HMS Emma for her maiden voyage. The Gray Sailed Raft Piloted by the infamous Snow Bear with his red hat was ready for launch. So after a few pictures and taunts we grabbed our guiding poles and headed to the river. Off they went. HMS Emma gracefully glided across the turbulent current and rapids until Captain Barbie had successfully guided her past the first bend in the river. Unfortunately the Gray Sailed Raft had capsized after the first rapids and was top under struggling along. Due to the growth on the sides of the river we could not run along and cheer on our boats as I desperately wanted to. So we hopped into the cars and drove tot he next available view point and waited for the vessels to round the bend. Well the impatient seconds turned to minutes and still no boats. Tyler volunteered for him and Blair to go back and look for them leaving poor Emma to listen to my philosophical ramblings for what I'm sure seemed like an eternity for her. When Tyler and Blair returned the carried bad news, and each others hands (atta boy!). The HMS Emma had become lodged in a thick tangle of brush on the far side of the river utterly unreachable with our risking hypothermia, and the Gray Sailed Raft was no where to be seen, presumed to be sunk, her brave captain lost at river. Not quite the way I had envisioned it all turning out but hey I had fun!
I think that I enjoy studying philosophy so much because it discusses and analyzes deep subjects that often and spiritual connections. So in philosophizing about politics and the well-fare and realization of a 'good state' or a stated that performs its proper function. I found it interesting that one of the key elements  is teaching the people philosophy. He held that if every one was philosophical society as a whole would be better because they would have a greater knowledge of good ethics and behavior.  Well I began trying to imagine what that would be like and how that would accomplish peace. That is when the city of Zion came to mind. Zion was a  city founded by the prophet leader Enoch. Zion was know a a city of one heart and one mind, without contention and sin. Eventually the city of Zion was taken up to dwell on high. I began to make connections between Plato's teaching and Enoch's people. Enoch was the great teacher that was able to help the people so clearly understand the doctrine that they lived in complete harmony. Can you imagine that? All the people understanding the doctrine the same and well enough that they actually lived it?! What an amazing thought, I would have loved to see such a society.  I read something recently that made one of my hero's even more of a hero to me. Mormon, the main 'editor' of the Book of Mormon responsible for compiling the books together grew up in times quite opposite to the society of Enoch. War was a wide spread across the land as was apostasy. People went after strange god's and strange practices, society began to decay and the true teachings of Christ were basically left but Mormon in the midst of all this was perceived to be a 'sober child and quick to observe' by the latest prophet an keeper of the records and at the age ten entrusted with their hidden location. Mormon went on the be a great prophet who despite continual death threats continued to peach repentance to a past feeling blood thirsty people. We are kind of in a similar world with different distractions and temptations and yet we are to seek out and establish Zion the society of Enoch. We are told to be in the world but not of the world. When I was in England my good friend Baruch constrained me to go to a Jewish Synagogue with him. After three hours of listening to Hebrew chanting the Rabbi stood and gave an interesting insight. There is a Hebrew word used in the Torah which is translated into English as ' in the midst of'. It is used to describe how the Israelites crossed the Red Sea 'in the midst of' the waters. As well as when Moses ascended into the mountain and walked 'in the midst of' the cloud which the Lord was in. In both cases the subject was in but not a part of the surrounding substance. The Israelites walked through the sea but did not get wet. Likewise the Rabbi described that the cloud did not envelope Moses but surrounded him and parted for him as he passed through it. Then came his invitation. We are all to be 'in the midst' of the world. In it but not enveloped by it. I loved this teaching and it really has stuck with me. I know that this is the call for us to respond to. Although the pressure is on in these last days we can do it! If Mormon can stay righteous going through what he did we can to! If we ever rely on the Source of our strength which is Christ. He will sustain us and up hold us by his ever omnipotent hand.

Brighton