By KRISTEN SONNE
To cope with the confusions and challenges of this world, individuals need 'a compass that will chart our way to peace of mind, self-worth and joy,' said Elder Richard B. Wirthlin, member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, in his conference address Saturday morning.
'We live in an often mean and brutal world. Our societies too frequently reflect violence, hatred and immortality,' he said.
During his missionary experience in Switzerland, he learned 'the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to change dramatically peoples' lives for the better, bringing to those who follow the precepts of the restored gospel peace of mind, self-worth and joy.'
While there is more information available to those who live in this time period, he said, this has not led to an equivalent increase in true wisdom.
'It is ironic that, in an information-rich era, the biggest threat to our world's societies, rich or poor, and to each of us personally, is the absence of moral clarity and purpose,' Elder Wirthlin said.
Four absolute truths build on this moral compass that will take individuals through their own personal trials and temptations.
'The first absolute truth is that there is a loving Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, is our personal Savior, a more certain truth than any worldly fact,' he said. 'Nothing could provide a truer 'north' for every person's moral compass.'
Satan, 'the father of lies' or the spoiler, according to the Hebrew translation, 'would lead us away, is the second truth.
Elder Wirthlin said Satan is the spoiler because 'he would confound our moral compass and spoil our journey back to a loving Father in Heaven.'
Undermining an individual's self-worth is one of Satan's most damaging lies.
'Who we are is the sum of all the choices we make. We should always remember that our choices do not begin with the act, but in the mind with the idea,' said Elder Wirthlin about the third absolute truth -- choosing courses endowed with agency.
Because of our agency, 'we are therefore individually responsible for our ideas, acts, habits, character and even our destiny,' he said.
Temptations of the devil can always be overcome by renewed faith in God and repentance -- this is the fourth absolute truth.
'When we stray from that narrow and straight way, marked by our moral compass, our footing can be restored on the road that surely leads to salvation and eternal life,' Elder Wirthlin said.
By walking in the Savior's footsteps, 'we can experience wisdom, peace of mind, self-worth and joy, not only in the life to follow, but in the life each of us lives today,' he said.
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