Youth Fireside - Sinking Titanic


Carborendum
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I don't know how many of you caught the youth fireside last night.  Brother Brad Wilcox (BYU Religion Professor and Counselor in the Young Men's General Presidency) was the featured speaker.

I gave the analogy that the world is the Titanic and the Church is the lifeboat.  The details he gave from the research he did on the Titanic was enlightening.

I had to have a special meeting with my family to discuss it.  I told them that I had never in my many years on this earth heard anything so clear, blunt, & explicit from Church Headquarters that basically said, "This is it, folks."

I was reminded of the gravest warning I've heard in my lifetime: Ezra Taft Benson's speech "Awaken to our awful situation."  Sadly, I can't seem to find it on Youtube in its unedited, unimbelished form.

For those of you who remember that... How does it feel to be under martial law in the US?

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8 hours ago, Carborendum said:

For those of you who remember that... How does it feel to be under martial law in the US?

??

Martial Law?

Are you in Washington D.C. Right now or something?  We don't have any martial law going on in our area.  I'm not sure what you are referring to.

Edited by JohnsonJones
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11 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

I don't suppose there's a link available?

This was the link:

http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcast

But it was a broadcast Zoom meeting.  So, it's essentially dormant now.

I just took a closer look at the email that announced this.  It may have been intended for this local audience only.  Since it was a general auxilliary officer, I thought it was at least nationwide.  But that may not have been so.  When I click on the link now, it says "Ogden West YW/YM instruction."  And as I recall, the young woman who gave the closing prayer was announced as being from an Odgen ward.

I'll try to repeat all I can remember from the fireside. (I warn that I was not listening as intently as I otherwise would have.  I was busy with my calling at the time and only half listening.)

 ** Announcement: Brother Wilcox will speak at a virtual "For the Strength of Youth" fireside on Sunday, January 17 at 7pm.All Youth and Parents are invited to attend. **

BEGIN SPEECH

I believe many of you are thinking that this is probably the worst time to be alive.  This is the worst time to be going off to college and start your life as an adult.  This is the worst time to be on a mission.

I'd argue that this is the best time to be alive.  This is the best time to start your life as an adult. This is the best time to go on a mission.  It is especially the best time to go on a mission.  Why?

Because the world is the Titanic and the Church is the lifeboat.

The Titanic was supposed to be the best, the strongest, the most luxurious ship ever built.  New technology was applied to ensure that this ship was unsinkable.  Everyone thought that this was the pinnacle of mankind's achievement (heh-heh).  In fact, many boasted, "God, Himself, could not sink this boat."  (At this point I - Carb - was drawing a parallel to the Tower of Babel). 

Does this sound familiar?  We have the strongest economy ever.  The stock market is higher than it's ever been.  Our military is the most powerful on Earth.  NOTHING can sink this nation.  God, Himself, could not stop this economy.  Until the tiniest creature on earth (a virus) stopped the entire world.

We all know that the ship hit an iceberg because of lack of care on the part of the Captain.  He was too confident in dangerous waters.  But what happened afterwards was an even greater tragedy than it needed to be because the passengers themselves were too confident in dangerous waters.

After the collision, and after assessments were made, the captain gave the announcement for the passengers to get into the lifeboats because the ship was sinking.  The crew ushered passengers as best they could and tried their best to encourage them.  And if you only saw the movie, you'd think that the crew was being lazy or didn't do their job.  But the research I've done on this story (he held up a stack of papers about 100 pages long) the crew did their job.  First hand accounts say that the crew were almost in panic mode.  But the passengers were laughing at the idea of getting on the lifeboats when the ship was unsinkable.  They thought it was like a fire drill.  "Oh, don't worry, it's just a drill" they'd tell one another.  But the crew was adamant and did all they could to convince them it was not a drill.

Some people got on.  Others refused and even MOCKED those who were getting on the lifeboats (Great and Spacious Building, anyone?).  That is why lifeboats were going down half-full.  Not because of the crew's incompetence, but because the passengers simply didn't take the threat seriously.

Then the ship began to tilt.  Then there was the chaos that you saw in the movie.

This is the best time to be a missionary because there are many passengers out there who are looking for the lifeboat.  Nothing can save this world, but God, Himself.  We are the crew trying to usher them into the lifeboats.  And only something so dire as a pandemic is as clear as the boat tilting.

So, go about gathering Israel and ushering them into the lifeboats.  That's our job.  We're the crew.

-- I remember there was more to the conclusion portion.  But I honestly can't remember what he said.

Edited by Carborendum
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Thank you for the summary.  Ugh.  

For a slightly more hopeful outlook, I go to Elder Christofferson:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/22christofferson

Quote

There is much we can do as neighbors and fellow citizens to contribute to the sustainability and success of the societies we live in, and surely our most fundamental and enduring service will be to teach and live by the truths inherent in God’s great plan of redemption. As expressed in the words of the hymn:

Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how,
By kindly words and virtuous life.

If enough of us and enough of our neighbors strive to make our decisions and guide our lives by the truth of God, the moral virtues needed in every society will abound.

 

But of course, looming over it all, is the 25 year old Proclamation on the Family:

Quote

we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

 

Edited by NeuroTypical
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4 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Because the world is the Titanic and the Church is the lifeboat.

The Titanic was supposed to be the best, the strongest, the most luxurious ship ever built.  New technology was applied to ensure that this ship was unsinkable.  Everyone thought that this was the pinnacle of mankind's achievement (heh-heh).  In fact, many boasted, "God, Himself, could not sink this boat."  (At this point I - Carb - was drawing a parallel to the Tower of Babel). 

Does this sound familiar?  We have the strongest economy ever.  The stock market is higher than it's ever been.  Our military is the most powerful on Earth.  NOTHING can sink this nation.  God, Himself, could not stop this economy.  Until the tiniest creature on earth (a virus) stopped the entire world

Do you recall if anything was said in the fireside about those who remained on the Titanic
so that they could save others by enabling them to reach and fill those lifeboats?

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3 hours ago, Jonah said:

Do you recall if anything was said in the fireside about those who remained on the Titanic
so that they could save others by enabling them to reach and fill those lifeboats?

I didn't hear him say that (but again I only half lilstened).  But, I was thinking along those lines. I'm all for expanding the metaphor to include that aspect.

One has to remember that there was a particular topic for a specific target audience. And also remember that he is not a "General Authority."  He's just a guy who's  done a lot of studying, and we might benefit from listening.

Timing is key to answering your question. He seemed to be of the opinion that we had not only hit it, but that the ship is beginning to tilt.  While I don't know whether his speech was to be taken as a literal assessment of the situation or not. Not doubting -- I just really don't know.  This is sometimes how it is with metaphors.

But the overall metaphor was that we're "somewhere in there." And we can look at it from multiple points of time within that metaphor (expanded to the entire story of the tragedy).

1) We've hit the iceberg and the captain has given orders to get in the lifeboats.
2) The ship is tilting and the entire ship knows we're in deep trouble.
3) The ship has sunk with some people in lifeboats, and others treading water.
4) Rescue ships are there to take people up from the lifeboats.

My personal opinion:

1) When I read so many times in the D&C that the Lord is nigh and we're in the eleventh hour, I believe that in terms of the existence of the Earth, we've hit the iceberg already.  Of course, that is longer than any of our lifetimes.  So, "nigh" is a relative thing.
2) I would, for my political background and understanding, believe that we're right at the point where we're seeing the ship tilt.
3) The ship sinking would be when we don't see the US as a single united nation anymore -- even by the skin of its teeth.  OR the US government denies organized religions the right to exist.
4) Rescue ships here would be the founding of the New Jerusalem.

Edited by Carborendum
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7 hours ago, Carborendum said:

This was the link:

http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcast

But it was a broadcast Zoom meeting.  So, it's essentially dormant now.

I just took a closer look at the email that announced this.  It may have been intended for this local audience only.  Since it was a general auxilliary officer, I thought it was at least nationwide.  But that may not have been so.  When I click on the link now, it says "Ogden West YW/YM instruction."  And as I recall, the young woman who gave the closing prayer was announced as being from an Odgen ward.

I'll try to repeat all I can remember from the fireside. (I warn that I was not listening as intently as I otherwise would have.  I was busy with my calling at the time and only half listening.)

 ** Announcement: Brother Wilcox will speak at a virtual "For the Strength of Youth" fireside on Sunday, January 17 at 7pm.All Youth and Parents are invited to attend. **

Our stake is near Ogden, but we didn't hear anything about it. I would have loved to listen, and know many of my youth would have benefited as well. Bro. Wilcox is very down to earth, and also a no BS type of guy...very plain, simple, and upfront, and I like that about him.

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10 hours ago, Carborendum said:

This was the link:

http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcast

But it was a broadcast Zoom meeting.  So, it's essentially dormant now.

I just took a closer look at the email that announced this.  It may have been intended for this local audience only.  Since it was a general auxilliary officer, I thought it was at least nationwide.  But that may not have been so.  When I click on the link now, it says "Ogden West YW/YM instruction."  And as I recall, the young woman who gave the closing prayer was announced as being from an Odgen ward.

I'll try to repeat all I can remember from the fireside. (I warn that I was not listening as intently as I otherwise would have.  I was busy with my calling at the time and only half listening.)

 ** Announcement: Brother Wilcox will speak at a virtual "For the Strength of Youth" fireside on Sunday, January 17 at 7pm.All Youth and Parents are invited to attend. **

BEGIN SPEECH

I believe many of you are thinking that this is probably the worst time to be alive.  This is the worst time to be going off to college and start your life as an adult.  This is the worst time to be on a mission.

I'd argue that this is the best time to be alive.  This is the best time to start your life as an adult. This is the best time to go on a mission.  It is especially the best time to go on a mission.  Why?

Because the world is the Titanic and the Church is the lifeboat.

The Titanic was supposed to be the best, the strongest, the most luxurious ship ever built.  New technology was applied to ensure that this ship was unsinkable.  Everyone thought that this was the pinnacle of mankind's achievement (heh-heh).  In fact, many boasted, "God, Himself, could not sink this boat."  (At this point I - Carb - was drawing a parallel to the Tower of Babel). 

Does this sound familiar?  We have the strongest economy ever.  The stock market is higher than it's ever been.  Our military is the most powerful on Earth.  NOTHING can sink this nation.  God, Himself, could not stop this economy.  Until the tiniest creature on earth (a virus) stopped the entire world.

We all know that the ship hit an iceberg because of lack of care on the part of the Captain.  He was too confident in dangerous waters.  But what happened afterwards was an even greater tragedy than it needed to be because the passengers themselves were too confident in dangerous waters.

After the collision, and after assessments were made, the captain gave the announcement for the passengers to get into the lifeboats because the ship was sinking.  The crew ushered passengers as best they could and tried their best to encourage them.  And if you only saw the movie, you'd think that the crew was being lazy or didn't do their job.  But the research I've done on this story (he held up a stack of papers about 100 pages long) the crew did their job.  First hand accounts say that the crew were almost in panic mode.  But the passengers were laughing at the idea of getting on the lifeboats when the ship was unsinkable.  They thought it was like a fire drill.  "Oh, don't worry, it's just a drill" they'd tell one another.  But the crew was adamant and did all they could to convince them it was not a drill.

Some people got on.  Others refused and even MOCKED those who were getting on the lifeboats (Great and Spacious Building, anyone?).  That is why lifeboats were going down half-full.  Not because of the crew's incompetence, but because the passengers simply didn't take the threat seriously.

Then the ship began to tilt.  Then there was the chaos that you saw in the movie.

This is the best time to be a missionary because there are many passengers out there who are looking for the lifeboat.  Nothing can save this world, but God, Himself.  We are the crew trying to usher them into the lifeboats.  And only something so dire as a pandemic is as clear as the boat tilting.

So, go about gathering Israel and ushering them into the lifeboats.  That's our job.  We're the crew.

-- I remember there was more to the conclusion portion.  But I honestly can't remember what he said.

So, a minor correction from your resident Titanic nerd:

The crew (with very few exceptions, mostly coming from Captain Smith himself to men he deemed to be of the non-panicking sort), did *not* tell most of the passengers that the ship was actually sinking, because they wanted to avoid a panic.

At least as far as the female first- and second-class passengers were concerned:  Those who trusted that there was good and sufficient reason underlying the captain’s orders and made it a priority to obey, made it off fine.*
 

 *Third-class women were another story because there were no lifeboats in the designated third-class open decks; and men of all classes risked being excluded from the boats depending on which of the senior officers happened to be supervising the loading of any particular boat—Lightoller and Lowe took harsh “no men” rules, even if there were no women around, and had to be persuaded even to admit teenaged boys; the other officers were more willing to admit men once all the women nearby had been loaded into the boats.

Edited by Just_A_Guy
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15 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:

So, a minor correction from your resident Titanic nerd:

The crew (with very few exceptions, mostly coming from Captain Smith himself to men he deemed to be of the non-panicking sort), did *not* tell most of the passengers that the ship was actually sinking, because they wanted to avoid a panic.

At least as far as the female first- and second-class passengers were concerned:  Those who trusted that there was good and sufficient reason underlying the captain’s orders and made it a priority to obey, made it off fine.*
 

 *Third-class women were another story because there were no lifeboats in the designated third-class open decks; and men of all classes risked being excluded from the boats depending on which of the senior officers happened to be supervising the loading of any particular boat—Lightoller and Lowe took harsh “no men” rules, even if there were no women around, and had to be persuaded even to admit teenaged boys; the other officers were more willing to admit men once all the women nearby had been loaded into the boats.

thanks.  To give enough credit to Bro Wilcox's research, I probably added that in my own mind because of my not really paying attention..

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9 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

Thank you for the summary.  Ugh.  

My filtered words may have been more panicky than how he portrayed it.  He was of a very cheery disposition throughout the whole discourse.

9 hours ago, NeuroTypical said:

But of course, looming over it all, is the 25 year old Proclamation on the Family:

Yes.  It only serves to underscore my MIL words.

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