Witt's End

I believe in being earnest. More and more with time. I know I still have a sarcasm gene that I need to address, I can't deny that; but I feel a growing compulsion toward sincerity. This need to stand behind what I do, and what I say. To be true to the emotions and feelings I hold. Through it all I think there's a level of humility and integrity that can only come from being earnest. The world needs kindness, hope, and connection. And I truly have come to believe that we need earnestness to accomplish that. We need some sincerity and some seriousness. In everything we do. But especially in how we express ourselves. I try to say what I mean. In speech and by pen. Express it honestly. Always. The sincerity of what I try to write leads to scrupulousness. I’m very serious in my writing. To a fault. And because of that I take things to heart. Maybe too much.I don't know how well that's served me.  I've written in the past about the accusations of being softhearted, of bei...

I spoke in church today. About feeling the spirit and the hand of God in our lives. I included below links the source talk I was asked to reference and to a performance the hymn I quoted. It’s a pretty Sunday. Here’s my talk.  Good morning, my name is Witter Case and I was asked to speak about experiencing the spirit and hand of God in our lives. I'll be using Elder Bednar's most recent conference talk.  This was a subject I found I could use some reflection upon. I think that is part of why this portion of Elder Bednar’s recent talk really spoke to me.  “I asked our guests if they had any observations they wanted to share. One of the journalists said with great emotion, “I have never experienced anything like that in my entire life. I did not know quiet like that existed in the world; I simply did not believe such stillness was possible.” I was struck by both the sincerity and the starkness of this person’s statement. And the journalist’s reaction highlighted one impo...

  It’s Easter. I’m seeing so many He is Risen posts. Too many to count. So I thought I’d add my own. Because what does that mean in practice for me? This isn’t a post to slam Easter Egg hunts, or Bunny Rolls, or jelly beans and all of the modern festivities that accompany the holiday. In fact it might be the opposite. No this is me digging deep to see inside of me what does not only Easter but the entire Holy Week mean to me. And what am I going to do about it.  I’m not here to debate the historicity of scripture, or of Christ himself. I have faith that a Savior experienced the things said, and I have faith that it was purposely done for us. I’ve been struck by his actions directly before and directly after he performed the Atonement this week. Really struck. His last acts before the Atonement were to wash the feet of his Apostles and give them the sacrament. To serve them. His last mortal miracle was performed directly after when he healed the ear of the man Peter struck. A m...

 I’m not one to tell someone when to pray, who to pray to, what to pray for, or why to pray. It’s such a personal spiritual experience. One I’ve been reflecting on more and more. I believe that prayer is deeply meditative experience first and foremost. I used to think it was more communicative than I do now. It’s more deeply reflective for me than it used to be for me.  Prayer is meant to bring our will in alignment with God. That’s what I was taught from a fairly young age. But I spent so much of my time thinking I could sue for aid, implore God to give me the desires I was working so hard for.  But that’s not the way it works for me anymore. I struggle to share gratitude in prayer. I do. I probably always will. But now I struggle to ask for things too. And for both of those things I think it’s okay. I’m speaking a lot less than I used to and listening a lot more. That’s the meditative side of it. Conversations have gotten more raw. More real. I had a church leader I lov...

 I've been thinking a lot about my faith recently and how it interacts with my life. What's central, what isn't, what's evolved, what hasn't. That sort of thing. And it really made me reflect on what my faith is bound on. Two things rose to the top. One was Jesus Christ as a figure divine. The other was the inherent good I see in other people.   So we're going to start with the second first. I think that mankind is inherently good. I just do. I see it every day. I think the majority of suffering inflicted upon is brought on by hardships. Hardships that lead to desperate acts. All while the majority of people attempt to just live their lives. Lives that need redemption and alleviation to suffering.  Lives that I admire and come to goodness to alleviate that suffering and find redemption in various ways. Ways that continue to amaze me.  I could talk about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy, or Carl Jung Archetypes to show how this fai...

It’s becoming increasingly clear that our president has done things that are morally and ethically wrong and the realities of that are becoming rapidly inescapable. We’re all going to have to face it. To those who think his actions are admirable, should be celebrated and continued as a new normal, shame on you. To those holding onto specific policy increasingly out of fear of the opposing party, let’s talk, what do you need from your government? To those ethically and morally opposed to these actions, keep the honest critical mentality. To those only opposed to his actions because he wears a different political party, shame on you for being part of the problem. A figure I truly admire spoken up today. In a rather scathing analysis of the president. Making it clear that current actions that have occurred in the middle east and specifically Syria will have lasting ramifications. That our power comes not just from our technical might but from something else entirely. “We are the mos...