What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. ~Cleveland Amory

I haven't had very many years of experience. I'm not a wise old man that knows and gets the ways of the world and the ways of life. I get a few things and most of them are because someone told me they were a certain way and I didn't believe them, and then my plan didn't work, and so I tried other's plans and found they made sense to me.

Recently I've been really just discovering for myself the nature of people. I am a psychology nut. My friend and I have been discussing the nature of people. Many say that the only thing that keeps people virtuous is religion.

I think the religion helps but, I also believe that people are good. I mean we all have an ability to do good or evil. "Wherefore a man being evil cannot do that which is good." (Moroni 7:10) Now before everyone contradicts this, let me tell you what I think this scripture means.

We all have our agency. It is a major theme to life. In all that we have and all that we do, it is always our choice. I think life is this way so that we can really choose who we want to be. We have to be able to make all our own decisions. Some choices are not moral choices, like choosing what to eat for breakfast. Other choices are.

These are choices that point us in directions. We can either point towards the Light or the Dark. Light/Dark. God/Devil. Good/Bad. Get it?

This is my interpretation of that scripture. If a man is pointing towards dark, then he is choosing evil. (this goes for women too, of course.) He is choosing to worship evil, and to by extension i suppose *Be* evil. If he does something that is good, like really wants to do good, he spins around and points towards the light. Because evil cannot do good. It's impossible. People can do good and evil but, not at the same time. Because, if you are going good in one thing and bad in another, the key is where your heart is. Wherever your heart is, that is where you are.

So, I don't think people need religion to walk in the light but, I think it helps. People can walk in the light without it, religion just makes it easier.

I've met someone recently and lots of people told me that he was "evil". I thought that was really dramatic but, I didn't think it was fair to not see for myself. Well, when you are willing to try and see someone the way Christ would, like really really trying, then, in my experience, you'll get it.

I knew that he was leaning towards the dark. Walking in the dark. I could feel that. Still, there was something more. So much more special was the fact that yea he was walking in the dark but, he wasn't the dark. He could go into the light.

Our first impression of one another wasn't very good. We both assumed what the other one would be like, and think of us. But, well, I tried something. I tried to just be kind. I tried to murder with kindness. and I murdered my enemy and found a bit of a friend.

We aren't tight but, just trying to be nice really impacted him. It made him light up and feel better about himself because he knew what everyone was saying about his "evil spirit". So I guess two things I have learned recently.

1) Everyone, no matter how great or how bad they are has the ability to choose where to position their lives every day. We choose light or dark. Every day, almost every minute. It's our choice and we have nobody to blame but, ourselves for where our lives are directed.

2) The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him your friend. You'll be surprised how powerful the sword of Kindness is.

To close with a quote from the only English book that I ever loved

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-until you climb inside his skin and walk around in it" -Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbirdd, Written by Harper Lee