A little more that 200 years ago, a small group of American patriots crafted a document meant to organize the individual states into a unified nation. These were not perfect men. They had faults, but they were wise men, committed and loyal to the their cause and inspired in their work. They created a Constitution unlike anything that had been seen before.

The United States of America was born. It too was not perfect. There have been many struggles along the way which showed the people where changes needed to be made in the constitution itself and in the laws by which the people are governed . And so the country is better than it was, but it is still not perfect nor is it finished.

But what about the people that make up this country? Will we help this country last for another 200 years?

D. Todd Christofferson has warned, “Sustainability is not guaranteed, and a thriving society can fail in time if it abandons the cardinal virtues that uphold its peace and prosperity.” It is interesting that he lists the condition of the people, not the status of the government as the determining factor in the enduring nature of a society.

What are the virtues that people need to posses to maintain a society? They include integrity, responsibility and accountability, compassion, marriage and fidelity in marriage, respect for others and the property of others, service, the necessity and dignity of work and others. These can not be created by the laws of our country. They can only be gained individually as any other personal characteristic can be created – through choices we make, actions we take (practice) and the experiences that result.

D. Todd Christofferson also said that, “The institutions of family and religion have been crucial for endowing both individuals and communities with the virtues that sustain an enduring society.” And both of those institutions, as a means to help people gain the virtues to sustain our society, are declining. Not because they don’t have the capacity to help people learn virtues, but because more and more people do not accept them for that purpose.

This suggests that something must be done differently if our nation is to be unified and continue on into the distant future. So what can be done? Here are a couple of ideas.

Sharon Eubank said, “I believe the change we seek in ourselves and in the groups we belong to will come less by activism and more by actively trying every day to understand one another. ”   Activism is a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue.  In other words an activist is trying to get others to see things his way.

Currently this country has many activists on both sides of many issues. They are focused on their side of their chosen issue. And because of the way the human brain works, they can not clearly see what the other side is saying, if they can see it at all.

But if people would stop focusing on religious differences or racial difference or gender differences or any differences, they would be able to see other people as people and could learn from and gain understanding about others. This would give people the power to remove prejudice and build unity, because by union of feeling they would obtain power with God.  This alone would produce greater change and growth in our society than anything that the government can do.

It is not realistic, however, to expect that all of the people in this country will suddenly change and seek understanding instead of activism.

D. Todd Christofferson provided an answer when he said, “If enough of us and enough of our neighbors strive to guide our lives by the truth of God, the moral virtues needed in every society will abound.”

It will not require that everyone change. But it will require that enough good people increase their focus on the truth of God and teach their children to do the same. It is almost like the critical mass of radioactive fuel needed to unleash the incredible energy of a nuclear reactor.

This will mean that the focus of their lives will shift from preventing failure, needing immediate gratification, blaming others for what is going wrong, and so on to accepting responsibility for their actions, learning from experience, choosing to understand others and being accountable to their God.

You can choose today to move closer to the truths of God. Then you can watch what happens in your sphere of influence.