Seven years ago on a cold January day in Washington, D.C., a man set his open violin case on
the floor near the entrance of a subway station and began playing. More than 2,000 people
passed by while he played and almost nobody stopped to listen.
After three minutes one man paused for a few seconds, then went on his way. It was four minutes
before the first cash was tossed into the case -- a $1 bill. The women who tossed it in didn't stop
to listen.
At 10 minutes a 3-year-old boy wanted to stop and enjoy the music, but was dragged away by a
mom in a hurry. The same happened with several other children. Without exception, their parents
forced them to move away quickly. After one hour, he had received a total of $32.
The brutally ignored musician was actually of the greatest musicians in the world, playing one of
the most beautiful and difficult pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. This
was the famous Joshua Bell.
Two days earlier, this man performed in a sold-out theatre in Boston, where the crowd paid on
average about $100 each to hear the same music he had been playing for free.
It comes complete with a video of the performance, a discussion of the planning and purpose of
the experiment, and feedback from the passers-by who passed by an opportunity to experience
remarkable beauty. Fascinating stuff. And a very kind offering from a remarkable musician.
So how much that is majestic and beautiful are we missing in our daily walk?
In Doctrine and Covenants 59, the Lord describes some of the good things that he has given us
to bring us joy and gladness. There is a list of the many things we can eat, and the "good things
which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for
orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards" (v. 17).
There are many things "for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden
the heart...to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul" (v. 18-19).
It is in this context that the Lord warns in verse 21 that He is angry with "those who confess not
his hand in all things." I take that to mean that we should actively and joyously recognize Him as
the source of the wonders and delights around us from the Creation as well as the private
blessings and miracles we may receive through His love and kindness in many ways, and the
blessings that come from His hand in events such as the Restoration and His many works in our
day.
We need to cultivate a grateful, appreciative heart that can recognize the hand of God around us,
in spite of our pressing needs, afflictions, and temporal distractions. We need to be able to step
away from our profane world of endless rushing and contemplate higher things to see His hand
and hear His words, or even perhaps His music.
The list of wonders and delights the Lord has given us could be greatly expanded from the few
verses I mentioned in Doctrine and Covenants 59. We are so fortunate in this era to have access
to so much more than our ancestors.
We can swell our souls with the majesties of space, revealed through that cosmic Urim and
Thummim known as the Hubble telescope, and with the help of science can ponder the marvels
of stars, so delicately balanced on the razor edge between explosion from the vast hydrogen
bombs detonating every instant within, perfectly countering the claws of gravity that would pull
its mass upon itself to collapse and perish into blackness.
Today our eyes can be given assistance to scan not only horizons and sunsets, but pierce once
invisible boundaries to stare into the wonders of cells, genes, proteins, chlorophyll, and even
atoms themselves, where we can gasp in see at the intricate majesty of carbon and look back to
its mother stars, so perfectly tuned to give birth to the stuff of life.
What we can behold in this era is majestic beyond comprehension. But do we gaze? Do we stop
and marvel? Do we let the miracles of the Lord's Creation please the eye, to gladden the heart,
and to enliven the soul?
If we don't take time to contemplate grand music when freely given from one of the greatest
musicians of the planet, if we don't marvel at the wonders of life and matter itself, then I suspect
we are also likely to overlook the intricate beauty and blessings the Lord has given us in the
scriptures.
Just as new tools from science and scholarship today give us more profound ways to see the hand
of the Lord in the Creation, they also give us new ways to appreciate and understand the
scriptures. This is especially the case with the Book of Mormon, where we have so many new
and rich opportunities to find hidden treasures.
For me, some examples of these recent hidden treasures being brought to light in our day with
new tools might include:
The rich discoveries in the Arabian Peninsula offering layer upon layer of new insight
and bold new evidences for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
The numerous correspondences between ancient civilizations on the American continent
in Mesoamerica with the civilizations and peoples described in the Book of Mormon,
exemplified by the extensive scholarship of John Sorenson in Mormon's Codex.
The work of non-LDS scholar Margaret Barker, exemplified by her groundbreaking
work, Temple Mysticism, which I am currently reading. Barker's discoveries regarding early
Jewish religion fits well with the world of Lehi and Nephi, with surprising and fascinating
parallels. There is so much for us to learn by understanding the ancient temple-centric prophetic
traditions that have been lost to the world (and fortunately, restored).
Numerous discoveries about the Book of Mormon text and the Hebraic elements in its
language, even after translation, including far more than chiasmus and other poetical forms, but
also including things such as the ancient covenant formulary with six elements identified by
scholars in the 1930s and present in King Benjamin's speech (and the LDS temple concept).
Detailed historical analysis of the lives of the many witnesses to the Book of Mormon
from Richard L. Anderson and others, which add to the power and unity of these diverse
individuals and their diverse experiences and responses, all leading to the reality of what they
experienced and never denied.
Ongoing finds about topics such as ancient writing on metal plates and other aspects of
the Book of Mormon that once were viewed as ludicrous, but now have become more plausible.
Careful textual scholarship from Royal Skousen and others helping us to better
understand the text, resolve some puzzles and appreciate the gritty details of producing the Book
of Mormon.
It's such a great time to be a fan of the Book of Mormon. It's filled with treasures and miracles
that can enrich our understanding, gladden our hears, and enliven the soul -- if only we'll take
the time to stop, study, listen, learn, and rejoice. It's a modern miracle, and possibly even cooler
than Joshua Bell.
Don't miss the Book of Mormon. But also don't miss Joshua Bell. Here he is performing at a
Nobel Prize event:
Jeff Lindsay has been defending the Church on the Internet since 1994, when he launched his
LDSFAQ website under JeffLindsay.com. He has also long been blogging about LDS matters on
the blog Mormanity (mormanity.blogspot.com). Jeff is a longtime resident of Appleton,
Wisconsin, who recently moved to Shanghai, China, with his wife, Kendra.
He works for an Asian corporation as head of intellectual property. Jeff and Kendra are the parents of 4 boys, 3 married and the the youngest on a mission.
He is a former innovation and IP consultant, a former professor, and former Corporate Patent
Strategist and Senior Research Fellow for a multinational corporation.
Jeff Lindsay, Cheryl Perkins and Mukund Karanjikar are authors of the book Conquering
Innovation Fatigue (John Wiley & Sons, 2009).
Jeff has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and is a registered US
patent agent. He has more than 100 granted US patents and is author of numerous publications.
Jeff's hobbies include photography, amateur magic, writing, and Mandarin Chinese.