A 2006 Gallup Poll showed that 80 percent of Americans rated the moral condition of our country as fair or poor and thought it was worsening. Recent events may have served to highlight the decline in America's moral condition, and there are already calls for more rules and regulations. While new laws may be appropriate, by themselves they will not be enough; even the greatest of walls can be undermined by a lack of character and integrity.
The Great Wall of China was supposed to be impenetrable, yet during the first hundred years of its existence, China was invaded three times. The wall was never torn down, nor was it scaled by invading armies; instead gatekeepers allowed the invaders to enter after accepting a bribe. The Chinese had banked on the physical integrity of the formidable stone walls but had overlooked the moral integrity of their soldiers.
A few years ago, I came across a TED talk given by a retired Navy admiral named James Stavridis. The former NATO supreme commander showed an image from the World War I battlefield of Verdun. Referring to the trenches of the Great War, the Maginot Line of World War II, and the battle of Stalingrad during the same war, he argued that “walls don't work.” Despite this fact, he noted that we have continued to build walls, including the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall of the Cold War. The admiral could have included the Great Wall of China as discussed above.
Another wall that did not work, was the “hedge” or “fence” which Jewish leaders built around the Law of Moses. By building this “wall” the elders hoped to develop a system of rules and interpretations that would keep people as far from sin as possible. The Law of Moses was intended to point the Children of Israel toward the Savior, but instead, with additions, it became extremely burdensome.
It is not the intent of this blog to argue politics. As with the Chinese and their soldiers, our first line of defense is not the "walls" of commandments, rules or laws, but is rather our personal integrity and character. Character underpins our humanity; ultimately it defines us as individuals and has a significant impact on motivation and performance. Indeed, character is the foundation of all decision-making.
Integrity is a vital component of an individual's character; the word comes from the Latin integritas, which referred to the quality of a Roman Legionnaire's armor. With integrity, all was possible in battle and all was whole. Absent integrity, there was vulnerability; indeed, there would be a "disintegrity" or disintegration.
We might also consider the barges which the brother of Jared was commanded to build, they were to be "tight like unto a dish" or "watertight." In discussing how effectively watertight a ship or submarine is they use the term "watertight integrity." If all of the hatches and openings are closed to the sea, and if all the hatches to the interior compartments are closed and dogged shut, then the watertight integrity is good. If even one hatch or opening is left open it can doom a submarine.
In May 1939, the submarine USS Squalus sank to the bottom of Long Island Sound when her main induction valve -- which drew in air for the engines when on the surface -- was stuck open. Quick action by the crew prevented the forward compartments from flooding, allowing 33 men to be rescued.
It seems, however, that no matter how strong we are, or how much character and integrity we have, there is always room for improvement. No matter how much we have learned or how much we have progressed, we are still human and continue to fall short of perfection because of our weaknesses and inadequacies. There is clearly a gap between reality and the ideals we strive to live by. We strive, we stretch, we reach, and still we fall short.
President Thomas S. Monson often said that “decisions determine destiny.” In May 1968, he said, “Perhaps the word 'character' best describes one who is true to himself. For character takes no account of what you are thought to be, but what you are.” President Monson went on to say, “Character is having an inner light and the courage to follow its dictates. One who is true to himself develops the attributes needed to survive errors, to keep marching on the road that seems to be without end, and to rise above disappointment and distress.”
In his TED talk, Admiral Stavridis argued that “We will not deliver security solely from the barrel of a gun.” Neither can we strengthen the moral condition of society solely by passing laws or writing new regulations, and neither can we strengthen our personal character and integrity by relying solely on commandments and rules.
While commandments and laws are important, and should be kept and obeyed, there are other opportunities for strengthening our character and integrity. In Moroni chapter 7, Mormon gave us counsel on how we can have “every good thing.” The recipe is simple: Faith, Hope and Charity. If we come unto Christ, humble ourselves and have faith in him, that we might be lifted by his grace, then we must have hope, and if we have faith and hope, then we must have charity. Charity is the pure love of Christ, it endures forever, and without it we are nothing.
Mormon counseled us that when we pray that we should pray to be filled with this love. It is never too early to start, and we should continue to pray that we may continue to be filled with charity, that we may be purified and that we may truly be like Jesus. We must be careful to always have faith and hope, and to always pray and study the scriptures, so that we may never lose this charity once we have been filled with it.
If we are filled with charity, then might our character and integrity be strong, then, like the barges built by the brother of Jared, might we be “tight like unto a dish.”
Even if we are praying regularly to be filled with charity, there will still be threats to our character and integrity and constant vigilance may be the price we pay. Some of the worst things that happen to us are the things we do to ourselves; the doubts we entertain, the grudges that we carry, the habits we pick up and the sins we commit. We may also become prideful; we may ignore reality and say that we have achieved the ideal, even as we continue to fall short. Or we may forget the ideal, saying that it is too hard to achieve, so why even try? We must be ever vigilant, we must be meek and lowly in heart, and we must pray always.
The good news is that the Atonement is there for us, even if our failings are not great sins. The Lord said to Moroni that He gives us weaknesses so that we may be humble; He also said that "my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
There will always be the the opportunity to humble ourselves and have faith in Christ and to be lifted by His grace.
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