General Authorities

[Traveler]

The internet and internet forums like this allow individuals to post with anonymity.   I have pondered what would happen of an Apostle of Christ were to post on this forum.  

One of the reason I ponder such things is because GA are people - much like the rest of us.  A few years back (actually more than a few) I was driving to work.  Driving to work was rare for me because usually I commuted by bicycle.  It was rush hour so things were a little overloaded and dicey on the road.  I like to drive with some resemblance of intelligence - to avoid being injured.   But I was cut off quite rudely but a driver that quite frankly kind of put my life in danger but I decided to just let it pass.  Within a few minutes the exact same car cut me off a second time and there would have been an accident had I not slammed on the brakes and left rubber on the road.  This time I decided I should communicate with this nut job to let them know what a bad job of driving they were doing.  It took a bit to catch up and pull along side them.  But when they looked over, I realized that it was my Stake President - so I just smiled and waved.  I realized that normal people can upset me but when it was someone I respected - my attitude was changed.

 

The Traveler

[Fether]

10 minutes ago, Traveler said:

The internet and internet forums like this allow individuals to post with anonymity.   I have pondered what would happen of an Apostle of Christ were to post on this forum.  

One of the reason I ponder such things is because GA are people - much like the rest of us.  A few years back (actually more than a few) I was driving to work.  Driving to work was rare for me because usually I commuted by bicycle.  It was rush hour so things were a little overloaded and dicey on the road.  I like to drive with some resemblance of intelligence - to avoid being injured.   But I was cut off quite rudely but a driver that quite frankly kind of put my life in danger but I decided to just let it pass.  Within a few minutes the exact same car cut me off a second time and there would have been an accident had I not slammed on the brakes and left rubber on the road.  This time I decided I should communicate with this nut job to let them know what a bad job of driving they were doing.  It took a bit to catch up and pull along side them.  But when they looked over, I realized that it was my Stake President - so I just smiled and waved.  I realized that normal people can upset me but when it was someone I respected - my attitude was changed.

 

The Traveler

I remember about a week after I got my patriarchal blessing, I was at work stocking shelves at a local grocery store and I ran into the patriarch. I smiled at him and said hello thinking he would recognize me. He then got really crabby and demanded to know where a certain product was. He told me he had been looking for almost 20 minutes and no one in the store seemed to know where it was.

I learned two things that day. (1) We are all human, and (2) I want to be better than that.

Edited November 19, 2020 by Fether

[NeuroTypical]

I try really hard (and often fail, but I do try), to think about the next person over, as someone I might meet in the celestial room of the temple.  Something that makes it easier to deal with people I'd consider my adversary, or a bad person, is to think about a scenario where I'm lying on my death bed, see the light, and they show up to usher me to the other side, having made it to heaven themselves.    It can be powerful juju if you do it seriously.

That said, the Lord is no respecter of persons, and I try to be like Him.  Low or high in this or that organization, I try to not have that matter to me.  If my opinion about the personal behaviors and lives of an individual, is different when I find out they're a GA, or a janitor at my kids' school, then I figure I have something to change about myself.   

This is different than the respect or trust I extend to people when acting in their stewardships. 

 

[JohnsonJones]

19 hours ago, Traveler said:

The internet and internet forums like this allow individuals to post with anonymity.   I have pondered what would happen of an Apostle of Christ were to post on this forum.  

One of the reason I ponder such things is because GA are people - much like the rest of us.  A few years back (actually more than a few) I was driving to work.  Driving to work was rare for me because usually I commuted by bicycle.  It was rush hour so things were a little overloaded and dicey on the road.  I like to drive with some resemblance of intelligence - to avoid being injured.   But I was cut off quite rudely but a driver that quite frankly kind of put my life in danger but I decided to just let it pass.  Within a few minutes the exact same car cut me off a second time and there would have been an accident had I not slammed on the brakes and left rubber on the road.  This time I decided I should communicate with this nut job to let them know what a bad job of driving they were doing.  It took a bit to catch up and pull along side them.  But when they looked over, I realized that it was my Stake President - so I just smiled and waved.  I realized that normal people can upset me but when it was someone I respected - my attitude was changed.

 

The Traveler

I'm not sure an apostle (or other General Authority) would want to make it known that they were posting on any forums or who they were.  It would seem that there would be more problems present than not.  It COULD be that they post anonymously though...though to be truly anonymous they'd probably have to get some help from Tech or others from the church office building to help them be able to verify or appear as someone other than a General Authority.

If anyone would know if a GA posts here it probably would be @Just_A_Guy or one of the other admins or moderators.  Even then, with the right tech going on, they might not know anymore than the rest of us.  (or, who knows, maybe there is a GA that is a moderator or admin assigned here, but we don't know who they are or their identity!)

In either case, I think it's probably best if we act as I think @NeuroTypical says and treat everyone as if they are a special and unique individual and love them all as we would love a General Authority or Apostle if they were here. 

I would not be surprised if a General Authority of some sort at least occasionally checks up on various forums (if for nothing else but to see what is currently going on with members in the cyber world as well as other trends), but it may be that they are too busy to do so as well.  I think that everyone deserves respect though, and that if we treat people how we probably should (and I probably have been at fault of not being polite or nice enough at times, so bogey on me), we would treat them politely and nicely as well, if they ever visit or read the forums here.

Edited November 20, 2020 by JohnsonJones

[Just_A_Guy]

25 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

 

If anyone would know if a GA posts here it probably would be @Just_A_Guy or one of the other admins or moderators.  Even then, with the right tech going on, they might not know anymore than the rest of us.  (or, who knows, maybe there is a GA that is a moderator or admin assigned here, but we don't know who they are or their identity!)

You broke the code, man.

Two goons carrying violin cases will be on your doorstep shortly.

[CV75]

On 11/19/2020 at 3:34 PM, Traveler said:

The internet and internet forums like this allow individuals to post with anonymity.   I have pondered what would happen of an Apostle of Christ were to post on this forum.  

One of the reason I ponder such things is because GA are people - much like the rest of us.  A few years back (actually more than a few) I was driving to work.  Driving to work was rare for me because usually I commuted by bicycle.  It was rush hour so things were a little overloaded and dicey on the road.  I like to drive with some resemblance of intelligence - to avoid being injured.   But I was cut off quite rudely but a driver that quite frankly kind of put my life in danger but I decided to just let it pass.  Within a few minutes the exact same car cut me off a second time and there would have been an accident had I not slammed on the brakes and left rubber on the road.  This time I decided I should communicate with this nut job to let them know what a bad job of driving they were doing.  It took a bit to catch up and pull along side them.  But when they looked over, I realized that it was my Stake President - so I just smiled and waved.  I realized that normal people can upset me but when it was someone I respected - my attitude was changed.

 

The Traveler

I recommend following up with him anyway -- I'm sure he would like to not endanger others.

[Traveler]

On 11/21/2020 at 7:15 AM, CV75 said:

I recommend following up with him anyway -- I'm sure he would like to not endanger others.

I cannot - he died a while back from an automobile accident.

I now must apologize for my unabashed sarcasm  - he died from heart problems.

 

The Traveler

[mirkwood]

On 11/20/2020 at 9:07 AM, Just_A_Guy said:

You broke the code, man.

Two goons carrying violin cases will be on your doorstep shortly.

Tell them not to worry about it, I got it covered this time.

Edited November 23, 2020 by mirkwood