I speak the Truth, but I guess that's a foreign language to y'all."
- Lil Wayne in "Six Foot Seven Foot"
The truth can hurt at times. But if we are honest with ourselves and have a sincere desire to be the best we can be, we will learn to love the truth regardless of how sharp and pointed it may be. Yet, regardless of our attitude towards the value of truth, whenever the truth is spoken, someone runs the risk of being injured.
With that in mind, you can always expect some fallout after the close of each General Conference--a worldwide gathering of Mormons to hear sermons from Church leadership. Someone will always take issue with something that has been said during the Conference.
This time around, I've seen some backlash among men regarding some a talk given by President Thomas S. Monson, entitled "Priesthood Power," in which he encouraged men to play a more active role in getting married.
After receiving this counsel, some of our more prolific writers (from CougarBoard) hit the internets to chime in on the topic, suggesting that the same counsel should be given to women. There was also a Reciprocity Resolution launched which proposed something along the same lines i.e. that the responsibility for marriage falls upon both men and women rather than solely upon the shoulders of men.
This type of response to gentle correction and encouragement is so old school that it probably pre-dates old school, dating all the way back to the original man.
"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12).
In other words, I know I messed up. But, as you can see, I'm not the only one messed up around here. In fact, I think you could be more involved in the solution than I can be at the moment. To err is human. But to blame someone else is even more so.
I know asking a girl out can cause some anxiety. Rejection can be a terrible experience. On the other hand, acceptance may be 10x more nerve racking if you don't normally enjoy the company of other humans. I think the key is obviously to change the type of music you listen to. You've gotta get yourself psyched into it, man. Seriously. We just talked about how music affects you here.
Instead of listening to "Creep" by Radiohead and telling yourself you're a loser...
...you gotta get your swagger back by listening to Lil Wayne or something.
"Your boyfriend is lame
I make it rain on ya
He never make it rain
Like Southern California"
- Lil Wayne in "Make It Rain (Remix)"
That's the kinda swagger our guys need! Now if we can only figure out what to do with the rest of Lil Wayne's lifestyle pursuit that may not be consistent with the aspirations of Mormonism.
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