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Surprisingly, I didn't do this when I recently had a svithe that referenced Thoreau; it was actually about quite another thing entirely. It's no secret that I don't have much respect for Thoreau, but his call for simplicity is still as compelling as it ever was.
The speakers in sacrament meeting this week were given the topic of simplicity, framed by a quotation from this popular old Shaker dance number:
- 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.
May we all turn and face the Lord our God.
Simplicity... Look, I know many people who would be living a much better life if they would cut out some of the extras. Some very good advice.
ReplyDeleteHow many times did Christ's teaching come up, or references to our Savior? Just curious.
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ReplyDeleteI didn't count, alas. I should get in the same habit as Athena, but I can't herd toddlers simultaneously.
I will say that references to using the Atonement in order to pare away the excess were common.
The chief theme of Sacrament a couple weeks ago was Charity. I'm not going to suggest I counted, but I was disappointed at the infrequent reference to the greatest example of charity.
ReplyDeleteI think we're better off avoiding the practice of actually tallying the references. I'm sure if I did, I would probably miss the opportunity to be edified. Something akin to seeing a forest for all the trees.