Heroic Lessons on Longevity, Truth, and Opposition

Credit: David Green

Recently, I had some time on a long flight to watch a National Geographic series with Chris Hemsworth, the actor known for his role as Thor in the Marvel comic movies. Over six episodes, the on-screen hero completed several extreme challenges in real life that were designed to test his limits and help him learn the key principles for a long and healthy life.

In the first episode, Hemsworth, who is afraid of heights, trained to walk on a crane perched high above a thirty-story building. As he trained, he learned about intentional breathing, positive self-talk, mindfulness and other practices that could help him control his anxiety and overcome his body’s natural stress response. After a rough start on the crane, he was able to use the principles he had practiced to calm his heart rate and even stop to take in the view.

In the following episodes, Hemsworth swam 250 meters in an ice-cold Norwegian sea, fasted for four days, climbed an 100-foot rope dangling from a cable car that was suspended over a large canyon, and navigated two days across an unfamiliar wilderness from memory. Along the way, he learned that exposing our bodies to extreme temperatures, like in a sauna, or something as simple as turning the water to cold for the last thirty seconds of a shower, can encourage our body to upgrade its defenses and power up repair systems in ways that can reduce the risk of disease and add years to our lives.

Fasting on a regular basis can clean out old and damaged cells from our bodies, sharpen our focus, and heighten our senses and perception. When we exercise, every flex of our muscles releases chemicals that prevent buildup of unwanted fat, suppress certain cancers, strengthen our minds against Alzheimer’s and dementia, and stimulate the immune system to work better and longer.

Ditching our cell phones and other screens to navigate to a new place without GPS, spend time in nature or adopt a healthier bedtime routine can build memory, problem-solving, and concentration. It reduces stress, improves sleep, and helps remove toxins from our brains.

Understanding the principles that govern physical longevity can help famous actors, and each of us, make better decisions and live longer and healthier lives. In a similar way, we can enjoy greater peace in our lives, the fruits of greater wisdom, and deeper and more meaningful relationships with God and one another as we learn the principles that govern spiritual, intellectual, and social/emotional health and prosperity. All of these principles are known to our Heavenly Father and can be revealed to us as we seek to learn by study and by faith.

One of the principles that inspired a feeling of gratitude as I watched the show on the plane is that there are absolute, eternal laws that govern the universe and the way the world works. This is to say that true principles are true regardless of how many people believe them or even if no one does.

Elder Andersen has taught, “Caught it today’s confusion, it is no wonder that so many consign themselves to the words spoken 2,500 years ago by Protagoras to the young Socrates: ‘What is true for you,’ he said, ‘is true for you, and what is true for me, is true for me.’”

“Blessed with the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we humbly declare that there are some things that are completely and absolutely true. These eternal truths are the same for every son and daughter of God” (The Eye of Faith, April 2019).

Because eternal laws govern the universe independent of what you or I understand or believe, I don’t have to know exactly how exercise benefits my body, or perceive its effects working within me, to receive the benefits or blessings of going for a walk. And if I make a habit of going for a walk each day, those seemingly small blessings compound into a significant benefit to my health.

Likewise, we don’t have to understand exactly how prayer works or everything the prophets have taught or every bend along the covenant path to benefit from a sincere prayer, faithfully following the living prophet, and taking the next step in the plan for our salvation. If we make a habit of simple acts of faith, including daily scripture study and prayer, even when we may not perceive their effects in the moment, seemingly small blessings will compound into a firm foundation built upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another principle that impressed me as I watched the National Geographic series is the role of opposition in our lives. Lehi taught that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things… Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:11, 16).

We correctly understand that Lehi meant we would be enticed by righteousness or wickedness, happiness or misery, life or death, law or anarchy, good or bad. Chris Hemsworth faced a similar question in his study of a long and healthy life: would he be enticed to stay where he was comfortable or try to achieve something difficult and uncomfortable that would bless his life?

Popular opinion tells us that we should all aspire to a life of ease and comfort with lots of money and little work. If we can do this on a picturesque tropical island where it is always 72 degrees or sleep in every day or never be inconvenienced along the way, all the better.

Our own bodies would teach us something different. The life of ease, it turns out, clogs our arteries, dulls our decision-making, and makes us more susceptible to disease and death. It is the uncomfortable things—the stress, extreme temperatures, hunger, effort, and unfamiliar terrain—that renew our minds and bodies and develop our capacity to live longer, healthier lives.

In other words, the principle of opposition invites us to be enticed by opposition itself. We should not seek for trouble, but we can welcome opportunities to learn, to serve, to improve, and to be uncomfortable. In the same chapter Lehi taught about opposition, he teaches that “men [and women] are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Joy is not reserved for some heaven or paradise after we die and it does not come from a life without challenges. Rather, joy is a fruit of the spirit for those who are worthy, a consequence of our sacrifice and obedient effort, and natural to the challenging and often uncomfortable process of coming closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Sister Becky Craven asked in 2019, “There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual?” Are we enticed by the life of a disciple or another, more casual lifestyle?

Finally, I found both reassurance and warning in the observation that few of the benefits highlighted in the National Geographic series had anything to do with what we have done in the past. Chris Hemsworth got no extra credit for being strong already. The benefits of fasting or the sauna could only be realized in real time as he endured a hunger pang or began to sweat.

Thankfully, we don’t have to take on extreme challenges to learn that there are certain eternal truths that govern our physical, mental, spiritual, and social health and longevity; that we can be enticed by the benefits obtained through the opposition in our lives; and that we benefit more from what we do now than the state of being we have previously obtained. Perhaps then we, like Thor, can choose to run towards our problems and not away from them—because that’s what heroes do.

What Would I Do (WWID)?

When facing a difficult decision, millions of Christians around the world have rightly learned to ask the steering question, 'What would Jesus do?' The answer to that question sheds light on any scenario as we strive to act with the compassion, courage and wisdom of our Great Exemplar. In our efforts to follow our Savior and act righteously, we may also benefit from asking the often overlooked companion question: What would I do?

This question is not meant to be blasphemous nor elevate your own opinions to conceit and the kind of pride that rationalizes sin and blinds us to our own faults. The life of Christ remains the standard to which all of us must aspire. Rather, this question echoes the advice Karl Maeser once gave to a young J. Golden Kimball to 'Always be yourself; but always be your better self.' Let me explain.

Steven Covey's 7 Habits is one of dozens of books that have briefly summarized the basic research of maturity with the simple, three-step model of dependence, independence, and interdependence. This is easy enough to understand-- when we're kids we depend on our parents to meet our needs, then one day we set out on our own, and ideally we end up learning we can do more working together with a spouse, coworkers and others than any of us could ever accomplish working separately.

It's important to note that maturity must be a progression. We cannot function properly in a marriage relationship if we have never learned to be independent, for example. Trading dependence on parents for dependence on a spouse only is hardly a recipe for a successful relationship, regardless of whether that dependence is physical, emotional, financial or otherwise. We may accomplish a stage of maturity in a very brief period, even seconds, but we must experience each stage to progress to the next.

The end goal for our maturity is interdependence, which requires two or more independent parties to work toward a common goal by acting with complete trust in a partner or colleague. Under the Law of Consecration, the saints chose to give all of their income for the needs of the community as a whole. Handing over your whole paycheck with no guarantees requires immense belief in the integrity and character of the other participants; yet, if everyone participates, the principles of economics predict that the community will produce more than the sum of what the individuals produced before consecration and all are insured against disability, unemployment, and other such personal tragedies. Similarly, when we give our whole hearts to our spouse we expose ourselves to hurt and disappointment, but through coordinated effort and complete trust we make possible greater happiness (and ultra-romantic economic efficiencies) than either of us could have alone.

Examples of other successful interdependent relationships abound. When Dell and Intel agree to work together on a computer, each faces the risk of significant losses if the other party is unable to deliver on their contractual agreement; yet, when they go to work with full faith in each other they co-manufacture computers with rapidly advancing technology in significantly less time than if each were attempting to produce all of the computer on their own. It's the same when neighboring communities work together to deliver 911 services or when Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg contribute their talents along with a larger cast and crew to make a movie. When two independent individuals voluntarily decide to work together toward a common goal, relying in whole or in part on another person for their support, interdependence happens-- and the results exceed the sum of the parts.

Each of us are complex creatures with varying maturity in different areas of our lives. We don't have to be living with our parents to be emotionally, socially, or fiscally immature; nor does our immaturity in any one area of our lives guarantee that we are not enjoying the benefits of independence or interdependence in another area. To make things even more complex, our maturity may slide up or down the maturity continuum from day to day. Returning missionaries with testimonies of their own often face the choice of building their faith by associating with those who will strengthen and be strengthened by them or depending on the faith (or doubts) of others.

The point here is that as we mature in the gospel, as with anything else, we will find the greatest benefit when we become interdependent with others. When we are baptized, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Christ just as a new bride takes the name of her husband. In so doing, we pledge to rely on Him for salvation from our sins and He asks that we do all we can to live righteously and spread the gospel. It doesn't matter that He is better at all those things than we are any more than it matters that a lawyer and a farmer may both be living the law of consecration at the same time; if we have a testimony and are doing good on our own, the result of the interdependent relationship we have entered by covenant will be just as advantageous to us spiritually as the cooperation of Dell and Intel is profitable.

Hopefully our second question is now all but obvious. Interdependent relationships require two or more independent individuals working toward a common goal. If we are to reap the benefits of an interdependent relationship with Christ, we must also be using our agency to take independent action toward our common goals of immortality and eternal life. Neither prayer without action nor action without prayer are sufficient; it is through prayer that we unify our goals with His and through action that we can realize those goals.

In the Lord's words:

It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned (D&C 58:26-29).

So, if you are an agent unto yourself and free to choose your actions, and knowing that the greatest benefit will always come through interdependent relationships, particularly such a relationship with the same Christ that can forgive sin and empower us to do all things, it follows that once we consider the example of Christ we must also inquire of our own agency and ability, 'What would I do?'

In contemplating what you or I could do that would be of greatest benefit, we do well to remember another mastery scripture from the teachings of King Benjamin:

And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast... for I have only been in the service of God. And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God...[A]nd if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another? (Mosiah 2:14-18)

As we face difficult decisions, there is much we can learn from asking, 'What would Jesus do?' Completing the question we've worked on with advice from King Benjamin, we may also benefit from asking the companion question, 'What would I do if Christ were here?' In the service we render as accountants, bus drivers, school volunteers, policymakers, salespersons, entertainers, home teachers, or whatever else, do we treat others as though we are delivering the service to Christ? If we manage others, do we develop policies that direct our subordinates to treat all people as you would want them to treat the Savior? Do we treat our own kids with the same dignity and respect?

We will achieve the impossible if we labor independently and collectively toward our common goals, trusting in each other and in our Savior to complement our efforts. We will be resurrected from the dead and inherit all that God has. So ask yourself, 'What would I do?' and get to work.

Growing Up Unto the Lord

On a certain occasion in Capernaum, Christ called a little child over to a group of his disciples and set him in the midst of them. 'Except ye be converted, and become as little children,' he explained, 'ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.'

Many in the world would argue that the requirements set forth by the Lord in this verse of scripture are mutually exclusive. Children are too ignorant and immature to be converted, they argue, and a mature Christian would not behave as a child. Thankfully, Christ explained a little further: 'Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me' (Matthew 18:2-5).

Hundreds of years earlier, the Lord had asked King Solomon what he needed most. Solomon responded, 'I am but a little child... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people.' The Lord granted Solomon 'wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore' (1 Kings 3:7, 9; 4:29). Elder Derek A. Cuthbert has explained that 'wisdom, understanding, [and] largeness of heart are signs of maturity. When Solomon acquired these qualities, he was no longer 'but a little child''.

We can reconcile these two accounts and their contrasting views of childhood by realizing attributes, not age, are desirable. Unlike physical maturity, spiritual maturity is not a given-- but it is necessary. We must be innocent, humble, simple, faithful and loving as children; but we must also develop wisdom, leadership, accountability, dependability, and self-mastery. Christ himself had to undergo a process of increasing in wisdom and favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). Similarly, the Book of Mormon prophet Helaman wrote that his sons, the same Nephi and Lehi that would become prophets and missionaries, 'began to grow up unto the Lord' in their youth (Helaman 3:21). They began-- a choice-- and continued the process until they were able to testify so powerfully that none could deny their words.

Becoming spiritually mature is a process worthy of our attention. Sociologists have long noted an increase in people putting off family responsibilities, so-called 'failure to launch' or 'extended adolescence', declining civility, and other indicators of general immaturity. In a world where 'going with the flow' would stifle our development, Elder Marvin J. Ashton counseled that moral conduct is, 'generally developed through self-discipline, resilience, and continuing effort.' Consider two more scriptural accounts:

A certain man had two sons. One day, the younger son approached the man and asked to receive his share of the inheritance. The man granted his son's request and the son moved away from home. Immature and unwise as he was, the son wasted all of his money on parties and indulgences he ought not to have allowed himself. When the money ran out, the son fell on tough times. He tried to get a job feeding pigs, but it was barely enough to live on. After much pondering, the son 'came to himself' with this epiphany: he would repent of his sins and return to live with his father. Though he came back empty handed, through the hardships of life he had chosen to become wiser and more mature. He was, as Joseph Smith once said of himself, a rough stone shaped and polished in the stream of life. The prodigal was received into his father's house with much rejoicing.

Compare the parable of the prodigal son to the account of Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Like the prodigal, Nephi was a younger son of his father, Lehi. Nephi was 'wise beyond his years' because he was humble and worked hard to know and do the will of God. When his father received revelation for the family, Nephi prayed for confirmation; and when the Lord asked Lehi to send his sons on a long, life-threatening journey to retrieve the brass plates, Nephi resolved to, 'go and do the things which the Lord has commanded'. Nephi's life wasn't easy and, like Joseph Smith and the prodigal, his maturity came at great cost-- his family moved into the wilderness leaving his friends behind, the family valuables were stolen, he walked hundreds of miles, he manually constructed a massive ship and the tools to build it, he had to search for food and sometimes went hungry, he was hated and beaten by his brothers-- but because of his maturity from a young age, the Lord showed him 'great things' and called him to be a leader of a prosperous people.

The fact that maturity is a choice may not be more apparent in all of scripture as it is in the account of Nephi. Nephi's brothers shared many of the same experiences, yet remained bitter and angry, or in other words, spiritually immature. They confused physical and spiritual maturity, believing they were entitled to the blessings Nephi received just because they were older. They had no tolerance for Nephi's faith nor the discipline to have strong convictions of their own. Their unwillingness to 'come to themselves', to turn to the Lord, or to learn from their hardships only exacerbated their unpreparedness and immaturity. They metaphorically removed their stones from the stream so they could remain rigid on the shore.

Paul taught that the first choice we make on the path toward maturity is to 'put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11). In a 1987 address to the Church, Elder Ashton explained that we put away childish things when we abandon abusive arguments, temper tantrums, demeaning or painful criticism, self-judgement, positive or negative labels of ourselves or others, fruitless complaints, disrespect, threats, malice, resentment, retaliatory practices, hard-heartedness, and contention. 'Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice,' Paul wrote to the Ephesians, 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you' (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Contentious debates are increasingly prevalent in religion, politics, and sports. President Uchtdorf has recently reminded us that, as mature disciples of Christ, 'we must realize that all of God’s children wear the same jersey. Our team is the brotherhood of man. This mortal life is our playing field. Our goal is to learn to love God and to extend that same love toward our fellowman. We are here to live according to His law and establish the kingdom of God. We are here to build, uplift, treat fairly, and encourage all of Heavenly Father’s children.' By these fruits, we can gauge our spiritual maturity.

Elder Ashton gave a few more examples of spiritual maturity:

Some will chide and belittle leaders and students of higher education for participating in code of conduct guidelines, but those appropriately involved in the wholesome process of mature behavioral discipline welcome the environment. Responsible student conduct on any campus is applauded. A pledge of 'on my honor I will do my best', either in writing or when self-enforced, can make the difference in character development. Making and keeping commitments may seem restrictive and outdated in a world where 'play it loose' is the pattern, but the benefits are clear to the mature.

He continued:

Those who are immature resent counseling or having to report in. They may feel that such interviews are juvenile. Those who strive for continual growth realize that counselors can help one analyze himself and find solutions to personal problems. In our church, counselors are a great source of strength for the prophet as well as for all of us... Moral maturity and scholastic maturity must be blended to produce a truly adult person. A commitment to improve on a daily basis should be a high priority in the lives of those who would move in the right direction.

In his most recent General Conference address, Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that we should be respectful of the beliefs or nonbeliefs of others, obey the law of chastity by abstaining from sexual relations outside of traditional marriage, strive to understand God's plan and gain perspective from it, follow the higher standards of the Lord's commandments, and have the courage to stand on principle. These are all part of being spiritually mature, as is a willingness to face the challenges of life and determined service to others.

Choosing to become more spiritually mature brings blessings of wisdom and understanding that will improve all of our other decisions. Many times, it will mean choosing to do the right thing even when it is very hard for us. We may be called upon to face the unknown, to repent from sins that damn our progress, to stop making excuses for not doing what we ought, to lose something or someone we hold dear or to press forward amid seemingly insurmountable odds. As we choose to be shaped and polished by the stream of life each day, and as we seek maturity through obedience, scripture study and prayer, we will find that it is only when we learn to grow up that we can really become like a little child and secure our entrance to the kingdom of heaven.