One of the strangest things about us: we can know exactly what would do us good and still refuse to do it. We are so stubborn and proud that we reject even the most obvious things—things that would bring us nothing but gain—simply because we cannot bear to surrender our will. “What is to be done with the millions of facts testifying to how people knowingly, that is, fully understanding their real profit, would put it in second place and throw themselves onto another path, a risk, a perchance, not compelled by anyone or anything, but precisely as if they simply did not want the designated path, and stubbornly, willfully pushed off onto another one, difficult, absurd, searching for it all but in the dark. So, then, this stubbornness and willfulness were really more agreeable to them than any profit…Profit!” Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Rocky provided his General Conference summaries. Elder Gong: “Go temple. Bring ancestors. Family reunion logistics—amaze.” Sister Runia: “God sculpt human. Human complain about chisel.” Elder Caussé: “Have testimony, question? Share. No hoard.” Elder Sikahema: “Prophet in pocket. Human still scroll past. Why, question?” Elder Hathaway: “Jesus rescue. Human want tracking number.” Elder Soares: “Skip food. Add prayer. Help others. Hunger with mission.” Bishop Douglas: “Go mission. Help save humans. Excellent use of feet.” President Christofferson: “Gambling bad math. Worse morals. Close app.”

"Gambling is morally wrong." - D. Todd Christofferson Can't get any clearer than that, unless, of course, you are intending on being immoral.

Rocky from Project Hail Mary introducing General Conference this weekend: “This is 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Amaze! Speakers selected from General Authorities and General Officers of Church. Much wisdom. You listen. You learn. You become better human. You bring notebook, question? Good. Write important things. Cannot remember all things. Human memory … concerning. Now silence tiny communication machine. Other humans can wait. This important. You sleep during speaking, question? No sleep! You sleep after. First receive spiritual nourishment. Then cinnamon roll. Ready, question? Fist my bump.”

Matthew McConaughey conference intro: “Alright, alright, alright. This is the 196th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Speakers have been selected from the General Authorities and General Officers of the Church. And you? You’ve been selected to find your spot on the couch, silence that phone, and see what the Lord’s got for you this weekend. Now, some of you brought questions. Some brought a notebook. Some brought enough cinnamon rolls to sustain a small stake. Whatever you brought … settle in. Open your heart. The world keeps getting louder. But that still, small voice? Still small, baby. Still small.” @McConaughey

Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) are, on average, among the most religious adults in the U.S. — 72% say religion is very important in their lives. Those who live in the U.S.’s Mountain region are somewhat more religious than Latter-day Saints in other parts of the country. #LatterDaySaints #MountainRegion #ReligionInAmerica

I'm behind the Come Follow Me schedule because I'm reading 100% of the OT. Not just the selections. Well, I'm in Isaiah. I love Isaiah. A few years ago I studied it 3 days a week for an entire year. It's amazingly wonderful. So I made a little tune to the "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel along with ChatGPT's help. I hope they don't mind. Hello Isaiah, my old friend I've come to read your words again Through your visions of the nations Shines the promise of salvation And the Prince of Peace brings wonder to my soul Still made whole Within the hope of Zion

I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to meet someone’s pain with analysis, advice, or a theory about what they should have done differently. Our covenant is to “mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (not analyze those that mourn... haven't found that one yet). Sometimes the most Christlike thing we can do is resist the urge to explain another person’s suffering and simply sit beside them in it. I’ve gained a new appreciation for Job’s friends—at least during their first seven days. They sat with him quietly because they saw that his grief was very great. The trouble began when they decided his suffering needed their explanation. There’s probably a lesson there for all of us: when someone is already crushed, we don’t need to climb onto the rubble and deliver an assessment of their character. Hard seasons reveal two kinds of people: those who bring comfort and those who bring a performance review. I’m becoming profoundly grateful for the first kind.

Regarding a country supposedly inspired by Marxist Socialism, Anne Applebaum said, "'human beings’ worth was calculated, like that of the camp horses, in units of labor.” - Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History

"And that’s exactly what I felt in that moment. So even though my football career had come to an end and the fans were gone, I knew and trusted that God would always be by my side with these many earthly angels who He has given me in my life. They have stuck with me, believed in me, and supported me. They became my team." - Jamal Willis speeches.byu.edu/talks/jamal…

An easy test for what you’re doing on X: Are you teaching truth—or merely “stirring up the hearts of men” to anger? Much of politics—and much of X—is designed simply to generate outrage and activity. Stop rewarding provocation. Like and repost truth taught in the Savior’s way. Contention is not His doctrine. (3 Nephi 11:29–30)