Gordon B. Hinckley is the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is revered by members of that church, myself included, as a prophet. But even if you aren’t a Mormon, there is a goodness in him that you can’t deny, a kindness that transcends differences in spiritual belief. Leaders of the other denominations in Salt Lake City who have worked with President Hinckley on various projects hold him in high regard, even though they do not believe as he does.
In the year 2000, President Hinckley released a book that would quickly become a New York Times Bestseller – “Standing For Something.” The subtitle — 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes. Meant to be a book for everyone and not just for those of the LDS faith, these ten values are applicable to persons of every belief system and culture, and, if practiced more regularly, would indeed heal us.
These virtues are: love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness and mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism, and faith. In each chapter, President Hinckley shares his thoughts on why these virtues are important, why it’s crucial that we reintroduce them into society, and what will happen if we don’t. He asks: We need a new emphasis on honest, character, and integrity. As we build into the fiber of our individual lives the virtues that are the essence of true civilization, so will the pattern of our lives change. The question that confronts us is: Where shall we begin?”
Later in the book, he goes on to state: “Both experience and divine wisdom dictate that moral virtue and cleanliness pave the way that leads to strength of character, peace of mind and heart, and happiness in life.” Rather than being a tract to promote Mormonism, this book takes essential values that are common to all of us and presents them in a way that we can each understand, helping us to redefine what those values mean in our own lives and encouraging us to live to a higher standard.
Words of wisdom for us all, I encourage you to read this book.
(This book was published in 2000 by Three Rivers Press.)