What exile leaves himself behind – Sunday, August 14, 1960
It is apparent that the pressures of life are, at times, upon all of us. Anxieties, difficulties, decisions—even opportunities weigh heavily under some circumstances. And, collectively, we meet pressures and problems in many ways. We sometimes ignore them—or seek to evade them. We sometimes face them full in the face, with the faith to know that, as we do what we can, there are help and strength that come from sources both inside and outside ourselves.
Certainly one of the least likely ways of solving any situation satisfactorily is by refusal to face facts. In one of his writings Montaigne implied the ineffectiveness of trying to evade issues—of trying, in a sense, to run away from ourselves—or our obligations or our opportunities. He quoted from Horace the classic language of this question: “Reason and sense remove anxiety, Not houses that look out upon the sea. Why should we move to find countries and climates of another kind? What exile leaves himself behind?”1 When, indeed, did anyone ever leave himself behind? There are times when all of us need a change of pace, rest and recreation, and time to step aside and think things through. But no one ever leaves himself behind. And changes: repentance, the altering of attitudes, the meeting of problems, the meeting of opportunities—and all personal improvement—these have to happen inside ourselves—in addition to whatever help we may receive from other sources.
We must move on from wherever we are, knowing that there are problems and decisions, consequences and compensations, in all endeavors—that there are scars of battle, in a sense, in all we undertake to do—and that life isn’t altogether easy for anyone. We have to learn to live through; to bold on; to believe; to try; to trust. And peace comes—personal peace—with the courage to repent, to improve upon the past, to meet the problems and opportunities of the present, and to have faith in the future. “Reason. and sense remove anxiety, Not houses that look out upon the sea. Why should we move to find countries and climates of another kind? What exile leaves himself behind?”‘
1Quoted by Montaigne, Of Solitude, accredited to Horace.
“The Spoken Word,” heard over Radio Station KSL and the CBS Radio Network, from the Tabernacle, Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Sunday, August 14, 1960, 11.30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Eastern Time. Copyright 1960
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August 14, 1960
Broadcast Number 1,617