I Believe, #5

I believe that "all are alike unto God" (2 Nephi 6:23). I believe that when Jesus tells his disciples to go into all nations (Matthew 28:19) He is telling us to serve and teach with love, equality, respect, concern and value for those of every nation.

Just as God loves the whole world and its inhabitants so much that He gave His Son, who in turn, gave his life for us so that we might become enlightened, made new, and change our hearts and minds to love and doing good, so we are called to love and give of ourselves to and be concerned for the inhabitants of the whole world.

Therefore, I am opposed to the political climate, in my country, of politicians seeking primarily to focus solely upon narrow, nationalistic prerogatives that further nationalistic tendencies, or political power simply for the sake of power, or the use of political office for personal objectives, paying attention to the rest of the world only as it serves those prerogatives.

Many say, "That's just the way politics is. Every country is that way."

But that does not have to be the way it is. And there have been times when our country has had excellent leaders who have not been that way. So, I am not required to accept the status quo. Serving our own communities is essential, but the global connections between us are undeniable.

Poverty, environmental damage, violent conflict, and deadly diseases in any place ultimately affects all of us and those we love.

John Donne wrote it well as he wrote about the tradition of ringing church bells when someone was dying:

"Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not...

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."