Most lifetimes, be they of a plant or a star, are linear. But our lives are not. Our lives are eternal – and as we go through the different phases of our lives, patterns emerge. I can see why the Lord would use the term “one eternal round” to describe our lives. I decided to see if I could find an “eternal round” within earth life – phases in our lives through which we all must pass. Just as there are three phases of Eternal Life (the Preexistence, Earth Life, and the Afterlife), I believe there are three phases within earth life that form their own round. Earth Life - Phase One – Developing Potential in Our Youth Earth Life - Phase Two – Making Decisions as Adults Earth Life - Phase Three – Learning Wisdom from Reflections as Retirees Each of these phases is examined to learn its purpose and our responsibilities during our time that we are in them.
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S2E4 – One Eternal Round – The Potential of Youth, the Decisions of Adults, and the Wisdom of the Elderly
This is the podcast Science and Scriptures, Season 2, Episode 4, or “One Eternal Round – The Potential of Youth, Accomplishments of Adults, and Wisdom of the Elderly”
Hello again. This is Scott Frazer of the podcast Science and Scriptures. Today I would like to talk about a Gospel concept that has always intrigued me. There is an old joke that golfers in the church tell to convince us that we will indeed get to play golf in the hereafter, for the scriptures tell us that “the course of the Lord is one eternal round”. Sorry, let’s set that joke aside for now and for… ever.
In all seriousness, I have always been fascinated with the concept that life is “one eternal round”. The scripture that introduces this concept is found in 1 Nephi 10:19. And I quote…
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.”
Most things in the Universe have a beginning and an end. In less than a year, a seedling sprouts, a plant grows, and then it dies. In billions of years, a new protostar ignites, becomes a sun, goes supernova, becomes a red giant, and then a white dwarf. Most lifetimes, be they of a plant or a star, are linear. But our lives are not. Our lives are eternal – and as we go through the different phases of those lives, a pattern emerges. I can see why the Lord would “one eternal round” to describe our lives. After millennia of watching His children go through the same steps of eternal life, “one eternal round” would be a really good description. There are enough similar aspects to the Preexistence, Earth life, and the Afterlife that, when we are allowed to remember, will give us feelings of Deja vu.In the Preexistence we came to be, we lived our lives, and then we came to Earth. On earth, a baby is born, lives about 80 years, and then dies, making room for the next baby. In the Afterlife we will come to be, live lives there, and progress to the next phase. Eternal life is made up of eternal rounds.
So, the process of eternal life – Preexistence, Earth Life, and the Afterlife – could be considered one “eternal round” that we all must experience. Within that round is Earth Life, which also might be considered its own eternal round. The Lord assures us that the mysteries of God shall be unfolded to us during that time – if we are diligently seeking to solve those mysteries. After death, I suspect there will be other “rounds”, very possibly similar to what we are experiencing on earth. In truth, I believe that we might experience many “rounds” during our eternal lives. Some will be longer than others.
I decided to see if I could find an “eternal round” within earth life – phases in our lives through which we all must pass. Just as there are three phases of Eternal Life (those being the Preexistence, Earth Life, and the Afterlife), I believe there are three phases within earth life that form their own round. Let me start with our youth, who are experiencing Phase 1 of our lives on earth.
Earth Life - Round One, Phase One – Developing Potential
Youth get a lot of attention from this world and certainly from the church. The religious leaders of our wards – the bishops – have numerous responsibilities. But their #1 priority is the youth of the ward, a fact frequently confirmed by the First Presidency. Youth of ages 12-18 are a small minority of the ward compared to those whose ages are, say, 20 – 90. An inordinate amount of a ward’s budget is set aside for the youth so they can attend youth conferences, youth camps, youth trips, youth dances, temple trips, and other activities throughout the year. The church builds seminary buildings just for youth. Some speakers in church conferences will often declare at the beginning of their talks “I want to address the youth of the church”. I have never heard a speaker seek to address any other age group like that. Youth are treated special.
Outside of the church, youth also get a lot of attention. Schools are normally beautiful buildings. Youth can choose between dozens of after-school activities such as sports and clubs. Besides educations, the world has decided to give youth (from six years old to eighteen) a great life full of options and fun activities.
Upon reflection, one might ask – “Why? Why are youth so valuable to our society?” It’s a fair question that is not often asked, though the answer is not discussed much.
For example, “Do youth have large bank accounts, whose money buys them such attention?” No.
“Do youth have specific skills or knowledge that are valued for the good they do for society?”Heavens no.
“Have youth accomplished great feats for which we reward them with so much attention and time?”No, certainly not.
I have asked our youth, “You are not educated enough to make a significant contribution to society, so why do we spend so much time and money on you? Why do we value you so much?” They often have no idea, so I suggest that parents remind them often.
From my observation, youth have only one possession that older adults do not have. Youth have Potential. Youth are, by definition, young. The time and attention we give a youth may be helping to mold our next president, a medical doctor who develops a key vaccine, or the next CEO of a multinational corporation. But… granted, this is unlikely. Realistically, most all parents are trying to build their children into good citizens, faithful church members, and potentially good future parents. New generations must be ready to keep society afloat as older generations pass away and leave it behind.
During their teenage years, youth can either build their potential or damage it. Building potential should starts early. Youth must make good grades in high school just to first get accepted into the good university - and then to survive the demands of that college and obtain their degree. If a young woman goes to college, her potential for success goes up. After all, a college graduate can get better, higher-paying jobs than non-graduates.
Teenagers can also drastically reduce their potential. For example, getting into drugs at an early age can all but wipe out a young person’s potential. Being an unwed mother reduces a girl’s potential to finish high school or college. There is nothing sadder than when youth are involved in a fatal car accident while out joyriding. All that potential - gone to waste. All the time and energy of the parents and youth leaders - to no result.Since it is their only characteristic that makes them so valuable to society, youth should probably take better care of their potential. We hope that our youth will grow up to become well-educated, compassionate adults, capable of contributing to society as parents, employees, and volunteers. But, as most parents know, it is often difficult to convince youth to maintain their own prospects and potential.
My wife Cheri is a teacher, so she would go to parent-teachers conferences to check on our children’s progress during their schooling. She came home either very happy… or very angry. Every other year, the teachers of our… problem child… would report that Sean’s assignments were not being completed and homework was not being turned in. Sean would then go into severe lock-down, being grounded until all his past-due homework was submitted. Sean complained of course. I explained… repeatedly I am sure… that his JOB was school. Everyone has a job. Sean’s job was to go to school and get good grades. He was to care for and raise his potential. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. Sean did go on to complete college and has a great family and job that he loves. He attained his potential.
I would like to encourage all youth to really enjoy their youth. It’s an enjoyable time, despite the pressures. Parents feed you and clothe you. Your teachers teach you in the most entertaining yet educational way possible. Youth leaders at church make Sundays services as spiritual and enjoyable as they can.Then they make midweek activities as much fun as possible. It’s a great time of life. School can be challenging, but you have a lot of support to help you get through it. And, youth, you should remember the saying that “All Good Things Must End”. Childhood ends, gradually at first, but then faster and faster. You find yourself graduating from high school. Then you graduate from college. All of a sudden, Round One Phase One is over and you must start to make something of the potential you developed.
Earth Life - Round One, Phase Two – Adult Decisions
In Phase Two of Earth’s one eternal round, we take on our roles as adults. The potential a youth has at age 18, freshly graduated from High School, needs to be traded in for a career within the next, say 10 - 15 years. A young man or a young woman can go to college, perhaps go on a mission, get a good job, and, in general, achieve the initial successes expected in their third decade of life from ages 20 to 30.Parents generally hope their youth will be able to find an eternal companion during that time and possibly even start a family.
In the adulthood phase of life, you make the majority of all of the decisions of your lifetime. Until age 18, legally you are not even allowed to make the major decisions over your life. After retirement, the number of significant decisions you must make decreases.
For example, how did you choose your career? I found my career choice to be an extremely hard decision to make. I don’t think I consciously made that decision to become a scientist. I knew I wanted to go to college, which I did. Sometime during my freshman year, I was required to choose a major. I was planning on being a veterinarian, but it never seemed to fit. But, in my classwork, I found I had a knack for chemistry. Due to a few really good teachers, I found chemistry to be interesting and a very logical, well-organized science. Most of my classmates hated the class and struggled their way through it, so I thought that there might be job openings in the field. So, I went into chemistry. It was less of a choice and more of just following the path of least resistance, like a small stream running down a mountain. For most of my life I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Who do you want to marry? I was a recent convert of 19 years old when I decided to join the church and go on a church mission. In my prayers, I told the Lord I would go on a mission if He promised to send me an angel to point out who my spouse should be after the mission. Yep, I wanted a messenger angel to make the decision for me.I returned home after my mission and, after taking a couple years to finish up my undergraduate degree, I had to leave for an out-of-state graduate school. A decision regarding my relationship with a girl named Cheri Sakdol had to be made. We married - and it still is a good marriage. Don’t congratulate me – I stumbled through most of the process. It turned out that I didn’t need an angel to help me with the decision. For those of you who have not had as a good of luck in marriage, I’m sorry, but there was much to be learned from that decision as well. Actually, we learn the most about life from our bad decisions, because they result from events we did not predict and personalities that we did not understand. Having the courage to accept the consequences of bad decisions and make things right wherever possible is yet another strengthening decision.
Learning the lessons of Cause and Effect and how your decisions affect others is not an easy phase of life. Many adults cannot take the stress of making the decisions of normal adult life. Some take their own lives. Others become homeless. Fortunately, the vast majority of adults take their place in society. They choose a career. They buy a home and make thousands of other financial decisions. They usually have a family – and children create thousands of additional decisions for their parents to make.
When you retire and start living on a fixed income, the number of decisions you must make is reduced. With the extra time that retirement gives, one can now reflect on pasts decisions and learn from them. This moves us into the last phase of Earth Life – Reflection and Learning Wisdom.
Earth Life - Round One, Phase Three – Learning Wisdom from our Lives
Phase 3 of our one eternal round on this earth takes us to the more elderly stage of life. Medical advancements of the past two centuries have expanded this phase of life by decades. We have much more time than our ancestors to reflect upon our lives and learning.
In the one eternal round we have on this earth, what are the older generations supposed to do? I include myself in the Baby Boomer generation. Years ago, we traded in the potential of youth for our careers of choice. Since then, my generation has spent our time not only at work, but, for most of us at least, at home raising a family. We have made our decisions through our lives - thousands and thousands of decisions. The older generations are unique in the fact that we have seen the results of all of those decisions. The passage of time helps the elderly to look back at painful decisions and life events less emotionally. Rational assessment of good decisions, bad decisions, how other people think and feel, the ups and downs of the spiritual side of life, and the effects of the outside world can now be made. You also have time to accept and understand how your own drives, desires, ego, and personality have complicated your life and that of others.
The older generation has gotten to see firsthand innumerable examples of cause and effect. For example, most of us have learned by sad experience what not to say to our spouse. We have learned how to deal with our infants, toddlers, youth, and then adult children.We have learned how to behave in the workplace to keep our jobs. We have learned how to navigate the personalities of in-laws, friends, noisy neighbors, members of our church ward, etc.
Let me ask the same question I asked earlier about our youth. What is the most valuable possession of the elderly? Their potential of their youth has certainly been spent. Their careers are over or nearly so. Yes, the elderly often own significant material possessions, but in the grand scheme of things, they are of little real value. No, when a person retires from the workplace and spends more time at home, there is now time to review a life of choices and their consequences – and this should be a whole new source of wisdom.
Some cultures, especially in the Orient… though not so much in Western civilizations - venerate their elderly for their wisdom. Younger generations in the West appear to believe that the wisdom of the elderly is just not applicable to present day. But they are mistaken. While, yes, the technology in our cell phones changes very quickly. But human behavior does not. U-Tube will tell me how to fix my cell phone, but not how to fix a friend. The younger generation must still deal with neighbors, co-workers, and all the other people around them. They must deal with the ever-changing landscape of raising children. When my sons talk about something happening in their workplaces, I warn them to be aware of the risks of similar situations that I witnessed in my own career. In essence, the elderly can see the future, because there are so many problems today that we can identify as “Been There, Done That” issues from our own past.
However, in all honesty, the wisdom I have gained is of the most value to me and not to my family or friends. This is the time of life when I can take stock of my life’s decisions. My life is full of bad decisions. My job choices seemed to be good ideas at the time. But in hindsight, I see how I should have picked up on the numerous warning signs of a bad job change in progress. Phase 3 of life is the time to recognize those bad decisions, decide what I should have done instead, and gain wisdom from that assessment. Phase 3 is the time to recognize my good decisions as well, giving me the wisdom to follow those same instincts in the future. Phase 3 is like taking the final exam in a college class, where you must answer, “What did I learn from this class?” Except Phase 3 takes a lot more time, requiring you ask “What did I learn from my life?”
In summary, our eternal progression will be made up of a series of eternal rounds. Earth is one of those rounds. There may have been earlier rounds – I do not know. But I’m sure there will be future eternal rounds. I think the angel that greets us in the spirit world at our deaths will ask us to take a seat in the reception room and then say, “Welcome. We are going to take the experiences and wisdom of your earth life as the foundation for what you will learn in this next life. You all have great potential, you will find accomplishment and joy through your decisions, and you will gain wisdom in retrospect – just like you did on earth.” How cool will that be?
Let me read again, the “one eternal round” scripture of 1 Nephi 10:19.
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.”
Eternal life is one eternal round, but sometimes we need to be reminded of what we are supposed to be doing in each rotation. Thinking of life as a circle or a “round” rather forces you to consider your whole life together, instead of small linear pieces of your life strung together. I would encourage you to think and pray about your life as a whole. You might identify times in your life that were difficult, but taught you much about handling challenges and taking better paths. As Robert Frost famously said, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” You can only realize which decisions “have made all the difference” when you look back and reflect on your life. I hope you can figure out where you are, where you have been, what you want, and what you should be doing in whichever phase of our eternal round on earth that you are in. May God bless you in your efforts.
So, that is all I have for you today. Thanks for listening. If you can think of a youth, or a working adult, or an elderly person who might benefit from today’s discussion, please share this episode with them. This is Scott Frazer from the podcast “Science and Scriptures”. Have a great week and take care.