Tuesday, April 18, 2006

These are the times...

In our stake conference this past weekend, one of our counselors in the stake presidency gave talk based on a quote from Thomas Paine that I'm sure I've heard part of before, but not sure if I've heard all of. Most of you out there are probably more familiar with it than I am, but I just loved it so much that I wanted to share it and some thoughts with you.

From "The Crisis, No. 1" written in December of 1776 near the dawn of the Revolutionary War:

"THESE are the times that try men's souls.

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated."

(emphasis in the wikipedia article, not sure if in the original)

There is just so much in this quote that I love.

The talk focused on not being summer soldiers and sunshine patriots (interesting given that the Declaration of Independence was signed in the summer and this was written in the winter) in the war against sin. I appreciate the high value given to freedom in this quote and certainly it is applicable even today, despite having been written over 230 years ago. But by far my favorite part is the part about the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph, and how we truly value things that we have worked hard to accomplish, and how the truly great things in life, the blessings of heaven, are highly rated and not easily won. I think there's probably books that could be written on that topic alone. Probably have been. But it makes me glad to think that the things that I struggle over are things that will be of great worth to me once I achieve them.

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly...Heaven knows how to put a proper price on its goods." Why didn't I ever get to read that in my History classes? Maybe I would have taken more if I would have realized how much greatness there was on display.

3 comments:

George said...

One of my favorite quotes as well. Thanks for noticing.

Ninny Beth said...

you would feel differently about this quote if your dad had made you walk around for hours at valleyforge national park to look at big boring monuments when all you really wanted was a slurpee.

That said, this really is quite moving and I wish I had been at your stake conference, if only for the possibility of a stake conference folding chair rubdown.

j said...

I'm sure I would feel differently in those circumstances. Luckily I was nearly a Senior in high school before my parents even took me to Washington,D.C. and even then it was a trip filled with dinosaur bones as it was with patriotic history.

And what is this stake conference folding chair rubdown that you speak of? Did I miss something by sitting in the pews?