Four years ago, I wrote a post about how worldly mirages can lead us away from the gospel path, the people we want to be and the lives we want to live. I quoted President Benson then, who said, "Without [Christ] we would be lost in a mirage of beliefs and worships, born in fear and darkness where the sensual and materialistic hold sway. We are far short of the goal he set for us, but we must never lose sight of it; nor must we forget that our great climb toward the light, toward perfection, would not be possible except for his teachings, his life, his death, and his resurrection" (April 1964).
Many years before I wrote my post, Elder Packer shared a parable that illustrates the same principle illuminated by President Benson. The parable was shared again by Elder Stephen Owen in a recent conference. He said Elder Packer told of a severe winter in Utah when deep snow had driven the deer very low into some of the valleys. Seeing that the deer were out of their natural habitat, some well-meaning agencies tried to respond by bringing in hay for the deer to eat. Unfortunately, many of the deer were later found dead. Those who handled the animals afterward said that their stomachs were full of hay, but they had starved to death. The deer had been fed, but they had not been nourished.
Considering this parable left me thinking again about how much in the world is not real. We make fake food (what Michael Pollan calls, "edible, food-like substances"), play fantasy sports and read fake news. There are drugs for fake highs and alcohol for induced relaxation. Many of us use social media to make pseudo-connections and act as fake experts.
Many people in the world have fake relationships, including "romantic" relationships that are the fantasized result of pornography, masturbation, online chats or one-night stands. We play electronic games that give us fake success as we pretend to be sports team managers, army snipers or home remodelers. We say this is virtual or simulated reality, but there isn't much reality in it at all.
Fake wrath is a thing now with angry mobs who are mad only because they've been told they are supposed to be. Fake victimhood is a thing too, especially when someone else has a turn doing something well. The news now reports fake disasters, fake emergencies and fake threats. There are fake religions, fake causes, fake truth and fake science. It's literally unbelievable.
In most cases, fake things are relatively simple to detect because they are hollow. They are positioned to appeal to the natural man or woman in each of us-- to prey on primal reactions and manipulate our thoughts and behavior-- offering little substance beyond sensual pleasure. Our physical instincts are powerful, which is why these temptations can be difficult to overcome even when we detect them.
Reality is the remedy for a fake world. Prophets have repeatedly plead with the saints to put down our devices, avoid pornography like an insidious disease, be slow to offense and abstain from drugs and alcohol. While the devil deals in deceptions, the Lord whispers simple truths to sober minds.
The Prophet Jacob taught anciently: "The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls" (Jacob 4:13).
Elder David A. Bednar added, "Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception-- and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, and to remember things as they really are" (Things as They Really Are, May 2009).
There is nothing more real than our Creator, Redeemer and Advocate, Jesus Christ. He lives. He made all that is real. His Atonement is real and powerful. His gospel leads us down the path of truth to real happiness, real peace and real strength that we can enjoy in this life and after we die. He fulfills all of his promises; and with his help, each of us can discover what is real in our lives.
Our world is filled with mirages and misleading, though appealing, philosophies. Some would try to convince us that we can live our lives as if at a dessert buffet, gluttonously filling our hearts, minds and bodies with guilty pleasures and sweets that have no nutritional value. Choosing to follow the world will leave us in a hungover state of spiritual lethargy and darkness. We may gain information or entertainment for awhile, but we will be left with feelings of emptiness, loneliness, dissatisfaction, and of being unacceptable to God, to ourselves and to others. Our souls will slowly die of spiritual starvation.
As disciples of Christ, we must choose instead to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we fill our lives with real things that are uplifting, true, faith-inspiring and good, the light of the gospel will illuminate what is real. "If your eye be single to my glory," the Lord taught, "your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things" (D&C 88:67).
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things (Articles of Faith 1:13).