The Nature of Forgiveness

"The things I have done are unforgivable," he said through gritted teeth.

"Correct. Absolutely correct. But you don't seem to understand that that's precisely the point of forgiveness."

I'd stunned him yet again with that -- gratifying, that was, and this time I took the advantage.

Easy, Hunter. You have to put this calmly and logically, or he'll never understand. It's obviously a totally alien concept to him, no matter that he bandies the word about.

"You regret your crimes, you never want to repeat them -- you've repented, in other words. I'm not saying that you should stop making amends. I think you have an obligation to do so, in fact. The extent to which you'll go to achieve that is a matter for you and your conscience -- or your code of ethics, if you like, since I suspect you think you have no conscience.

"But the problem is that forgiveness has nothing to do with that. It's not a reward for repentance, or for paying off a debt. None of us deserve it, no matter the degree of our crimes, and it can't be earned. It can only be granted. It's an act of love on the part of the pardoner, and you have nothing at all to do with it. It's neither your decision nor your responsibility, and not one single thing you've done can alter or negate it once's it's given."

Brave New World
A Harry Potter fan fiction

Moving

So today I succesfully moved from White House North to my new place. I'm thankful for all the help that was offered and the help received. So I'm sitting in my new room thinking about today and everything surrounding it. In a way, this move has been a difficult one. I have lived six years in WHN and now I'm not. I was very comfortable there and had found my niche. I had the rooms how I wanted them, I had the friends I wanted, and basically everything how I liked it.

Now I'm in an apartment that isn't really in the ward. I have two roommates, one who I met for maybe 45 seconds and the other isn't here. The one I met is leaving tomorrow. The other may be leaving in two weeks. The apartment was empty all day except me. Wow, did I feel alone. So I am very glad for Amy and Kate for letting me hang with them.

So a little about my apartment. It's in a basement. It's roomy for three people. But it is rundown. It could use a major remodeling. I could have taken an upstairs room (upstairs is much nicer), but I wanted a single room, not a small shared room. I have a tiny little bathroom, a moderately sized living room, and a small kitchen. I do have my own entrance to my bedroom. I need a chance to talk to the new roomies so I can get a feel for the place. Where do I put my food? Can I just walk in to the guys' upstairs apartment? You know, stuff like that.

In the words of my mom, "You can do better than this apartment Scott." And I can. But not still be close to the ward and involved with the ward. I am here for that purpose. I am here so I can keep my eyes open for openings in the nice houses of my ward. And they are nice! I am here so I can keep my friends. I need to settle in here. Then I will feel at home. But keeping in mind that this place is temporary. It will work.

Sir, yes SIR!

You scored as Artillery/Armor. You are an artillery/armor soldier. Fighting really isn't your strongsuit, and instead you prefer to sit back and blow things up with your 80+ mile range or behind some rather thick armor. This isn't to say you don't have a strong sense of duty and honor. You just seem to be smarter about it. Artillery/Armor 69% Medic 69% Combat Infantry 63% Special Ops 56% Support Gunner 50% Engineer 44% Officer 38% Civilian 19% Which soldier type are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Interesting Things: Sixty

61. I think "Lost" is stupid.
62. I hate puns.
63. I've eaten ants and crickets.
64. I have no known allergies.
65. I was the archvillain Mann Man
66. I can wiggle my ears.
67. I can't touch my toes.
68. I hate hypodermic needles.
69. I can't donate blood.
70. I am pro-cloning.

Hugs are strictly prohibited!

So I just read an article from thebostonchannel.com in which a 5 year old kindergarten girl was punished for returning a hug to another girl. Savannah was on the playground when her fellow classmate Sophie came up and gave her a hug. Savannah returned the hug. She was made to write the following letter:

"I touch Sophie because she touch me and I didn't like it because she was hugging me. I didn't like when she hugged me."

And the thing is, Savannah had no problem with the hug. The teacher made her lie in the apology letter. The principal has said that there was some dispute as to whether one of the girls lifted the other off the ground during the hug. And I say, "Who cares?"! If your feet are lifted off the ground does that make it a criminal offense? Obviously if children are fighting they should have a punishment. But what does punishing aggression and affection teach our children? It teaches them that they have to be emotionless. And can you imagine an emotionless child? It wouldn't be a child! I am glad that her parents were apporpriately outraged and are removing their child from that school. But I can only imagine the many parents whose children have done the same thing but didn't protest at all. This brings to mind two things: I hate political correctness and I hate lazy parents.

And any teachers who read this: Use your common sense, your mind, and your heart when you make decisions. You will make a world of difference if you do. But you will ruin children if you don't.

Cinquante

51. I don't believe in conspiracies.
52. If I could be any animal, I would be a lizard.
53. I had a penny in my shoe for over two years.
54. I'm an expert toliet paperer.
55. I've had a close run in with a moose.
56. I've never called 911.
57. My favorite apostle is Russell M. Nelson.
58. My hard drives are named Sam, Merry, and Pippen.
59. My favorite comedy is Clue.
60. I've created Super Monopoly, Clue Live, and a murder mystery.

Voting with your voice

I have to say I've taken an interest in the current beard issue. It seems like an issue that hits home for many of us. I personally believe we should alter the Honor Code to allow well kept beards and goatees. I think it should be a matter of personal choice for each man. Now this is a little bit odd as I am one of those men who is blessed or cursed (depending on your side of the issue) with not being able to grow any substantial facial hair. But I think allowing facial hair will not detract from the campus' cleancut appearance or bring anyone closer or further from Church standards. That is exactly why it should be allowed.

To all of you who defend the Honor Code and believe it should not be altered, "Thou fool, that shall say: [An Honor Code], we have got [an Honor Code], and we need no more [Honor Code]. Okay, I was totally kidding. But at a school which is not a democracy, we do not have a chance to vote for our policies and policy makers. Being able to voice our opinions in the Daily Universe, protesting on campus, and discussing with our friends, roommates, and classmates is the closest we get to letting ourselves be heard. So don't yell that we should just accept the status quo or believe that because we signed a document that we must turn off our brains and no longer hold opinions. Just because I signed a paper making me a registered Republican doesn't mean that I can't or shouldn't vote Democrat if I feel they do a better job. And if I ever vote Democrat it will no more be an embarrassment to the Church than putting tape on my mouth to symbolize my beliefs or by writing to the Universe to express my opinions. We vote with our voices. I think rather the Church and Prophet should be proud that one of its universities is breeding critical and independent thought.

XL

41. I hate winter.
42. I am the only person in my family who is not married and has at least two boys.
43. Mint is my favorite flavor.
44. My favorite beverage is an 80/20 mix of pink lemonade and Sprite.
45. I'm an ectomorph.
46. I can't catch a ball or frisbee.
47. I have an excellent memory for faces.
48. My favorite numbers are currently: 27, 78, and 2.
49. I always keep my most current fortune cookie fortune in my wallet.
50. I love techno, 80s and pop music.

Don't mess with the Bigredhammer!

Mess with MSN Messenger!
It was a dark and stormy night... The Bigredhammer sat alone in his bedroom. Well, not quite alone, his roommate was asleep in the bunk. Only the light of the monitor illuminated the room and Bigredhammer's face. The street light outside his window flickered on an off in it's endless pulse. Our hero double-clicked on the little blue icon next to the tray clock. Up popped a small window in the corner. It may be small but it was powerful. Through it's near magical powers it allowed Bigredhammer to communicate with many friends, 7 of them at their computer that very instant.

Bigredhammer went about his mission, using the Messenger to write clandestine messages to his friends. Sadly his mission was hampered by the ads and worthless buttons that littered the program's interface. He remembered another friend he needed to message, but that person wasn't listed in the current MSN Messenger's list. He had to log out and enter another account to message his friend. He started to write a long message to said friend and hit an invisible wall. Blast! The typing window could only accept so many characters! Unfathomable! But there was hope in sight!

After some searching online, the Bigredhammer came to a site boasting a program that could change everything, the Bigredhammer would be able to complete his mission of world importance without being hampered by the annoyances of his near-magical MSN Messenger. And that program was the Mess patch. It removed those unnecessary buttons and annoying ads. He could then open more than one account with MSN Messenger at a time. He could type up to 500 characters in one window. It was glorious to behold. The Bigredhammer would have let out a "woot" of joy, if it hadn't been for his sleeping roommate. So he let out a mini-woot.

woot!

You may have clandestine mission too that require you to remain unhampered by so many annoyances. The Bigredhammer is not so selfish that he wouldn't share his magical add-on for MSN Messenger with others. You can get it here! Thank goodness for Messers!

The Thirties

31. My earliest memory is at two and a half years old.
32. I can curl my tongue.
33. I've dyed my hair auburn, gold, and blond.
34. I've owned a guinea pig, two cats, and two dogs.
35. I enjoy desert hiking more than any other kind.
36. My three favorite shows are The Simpsons, Voyager, and Family Guy.
37. I consider myself a conservative optimist.
38. I love to fly.
39. My favorite colors are maroon, navy blue, and silver.
40. I've studied German, French, Romanian, Russian, and American Sign Language.

Interesting? Hmmm?

O suta

And we continue on...
11. I am a registered Republican.
12. I taught myself how to raise one eyebrow.
13. I hang up on hundreds of people a day.
14. I don't like chocolate ice cream.
15. I have lived on every continent in the northern hemisphere.
16. I have never seen Titanic.
17. I have been to all five Utah National Parks.
18. I know absolutely everything about Super Mario Brothers 3.
19. I have never broken a bone.
20. I've never had surgery.