'To Bless All Mankind" April 4, 2016 ISSUE

Fulfilling a deeper need

Stephen Carlson

The editorial on the facing page was, to me, a reminder that much of what’s harmful to the world doesn’t just come out of the blue. It’s directly related to the need for a stronger moral foundation. The editorial points to some key instances in which there’s been an admission of wrongdoing. Yet the connection between an unrighteous state of thought and a harmful outcome may not always be obvious—or even considered. The result is that nations, businesses, and individuals don’t always identify or face squarely the underlying cause of negative conditions.

A small childhood experience might help illustrate. When I was in junior high school, my grades took a tumble, and I just wasn’t seeing why. Then one day the obvious dawned on me: My studying was superficial at best. Laziness was a factor, but so was a kind of dishonesty. I felt that I could cut corners and still get positive results. I began studying faithfully, and things turned around nicely.

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