The Burdens of a King

Just as the Odyssey reflects the change in Greek political structure from a system of kings and tyrants to a democracy, Mosiah 29 describes a similar change in political structure, detailing the role of a king and the weaknesses of that system of government. The principles described by King Mosiah are evident throughout the texts we have read, particularly in the cases of Agamemnon and Oedipus.
King Mosiah eloquently summarizes why having a king is not good for his people when he declared, “How much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!” (Book of Mormon 205) Agamemnon is a prime example of this from the very first page of the Iliad. Homer states, “Apollo… offended by the warlord. Agamemnon had dishonored Chryses, Apollo’s priest, so the god struck the Greek camp with plague, and the soldiers were dying of it.” (Homer 1)  In addition, before the beginning of the Iliad, Agamemnon had offended the goddess Artemis, who then held the Greek fleet wind-bound until he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis. (Oxford Classical Dictionary) In both of these cases, Agamemnon brought the wrath of the gods upon his whole army by his actions, leading to the unnecessary deaths of many of his soldiers.
King Mosiah refers to a similar situation, saying, “Thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness.” (Book of Mormon 205) Just as Agamemnon offended the gods, unrighteous kings in the Book of Mormon taught the people to be wicked to justify their own wickedness, thus offending God and bringing His wrath upon the people. King Mosiah used the example of King Noah, whose wickedness brought the people into captivity and servitude to the Lamanites, which God used to remind the people of Him and help them change their ways. Both peoples felt the wrath of the gods due to wicked leaders, justifying King Mosiah’s words.
After King Mosiah describes the costs of having a wicked king, “many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king, yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them. And he told them that these things ought not to be;but that the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part.” (Book of Mormon 206). Oedipus illustrates this point well. Beginning in line 50 of Oedipus Rex, suppliants come to Oedipus during a plague, pleading, “Come, o best of mortals, and save our city… Since, if indeed you would rule this land, just as you do now, it is far better to rule over men than a wasteland…” (Sophocles 12). As he is their king, they expect him to find the cause of this plague and right it, thus ending the plague. This seems quite a large expectation to put solely on the shoulders of one man, especially the king, who has other concerns to address as well. However, he shoulders this responsibility and has already sent his brother-in-law to the oracle at Delphi to learn “what I should do or say to save this city.”  (Sophocles 13) Note that when Oedipus talks about remedying the situation, he refers to himself doing or saying something to save the city, not the people as a whole. This path leads to the discovery of horrifying truths and the death of Jocasta and the loss of Oedipus’ eyes and his exile.
The burdens of the king as described by King Mosiah are not just regarding their physical lives, but also the welfare of their souls. He states that “the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings.” This is in addition to “all the murmurings of the people to their king.” It must have been a tremendous burden on the king to know that if he did not instruct his people well in the ways of righteousness, he would be responsible for their iniquities, not just affecting the welfare of their souls, but his own as well. King Mosiah declares instead that “the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part.” Thus, the responsibility for the welfare of the people should not be given solely to one man, but instead should be shared by all the people, thus lightening the unfair load that thus far had been carried by the king alone.
        The government that replaced the system of kings, both in Greece and in Zarahemla, was a system of judges elected by the people to rule over them. As described by the Oxford Classical Dictionary, “At a higher level Athens had a number of citizen secretaries and under-secretaries, and with the passage of time there was a tendency for secretarial posts to become less like magistracies, in which any public-spirited citizen might take his turn, and more like specialist posts which would be held by men with appropriate interests and skills.” The people took a more active role in the government, which was the defining characteristic of Athenian democracy. The new system proposed by King Mosiah was a system of higher and lower judges, which he presented by saying, “Choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.” (Book of Mormon 205) Thus judges were appointed to oversee the government of the people, with the judges being appointed by the people and held accountable if they failed to judge righteously. Just as Athenian secretaries were appointed by the people as one deemed worthy and able to lead them, the judges in Zarahemla were chosen by the voice of the people as one who was both capable and righteous enough to oversee them. In response to the weaknesses of the system of kings, both the Greeks and those of Zarahemla established similar systems of government to replace the kingship and put the power back in the hands of the people.
        As a whole, societies like to have a leader to rely on and to turn to in times of trouble, but King Mosiah warns of the problems of having a single person in this position of power. Though King Mosiah probably never knew about the Greeks, his words describe their society under a system of kings perfectly, detailing the problems and the solution.

The Immortalization of Great Leaders

While the concept of magical, god-crafted armor isn’t new in the Greco-Roman society, Aeneas’ shield and the images on it represent the past and future of Rome to inspire pride in the citizens who would read Virgil’s writings. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, the four nations would have similar shields, but each would celebrate their individual culture and past.

Aeneas’ shield, magically wrought by the god Vulcan at the request of his mother, Thetis, was “prophetically wrought” (Virgil 131) to show the future of Italy and Aeneas’ descendents. In an epic Augustus commissioned to boost Roman unity and further establish his place in Roman history, this retelling of their history, beginning with its founding and ending at Caesar, establishes him as one of the divinely appointed rulers of Rome. To begin this narrative, the first scene Virgil depicts is the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, along with their adopted mother, Lupa. Each of the scenes that follow illustrates one of the wars that the Romans would fight in the time between the founding of Rome and the time that Virgil wrote in. “Close by he put Rome, and the Sabine women,” and the war fought between their peoples and the truce reached. Virgil continues telling the tales of the glories of Rome, as proven in battle, until he reaches Caesar Augustus and the sign given to show his right to rule- the same flames licking his temples as Aeneas’ son back in Troy, as well as the falling star at his father’s funeral. Julius Caesar, described as standing with “all the great gods,” (Virgil 132), is the final, and most thoroughly depicted, great leader of Rome. In this fierce battle against Antony and his Egyptian wife, Julius Caesar clearly has the favor of the gods, namely Neptune, Minerva, Venus, Mars, Bellona, Apollo, Vulcan, Apulia- nearly the entire pantheon. If Julius Caesar had the right to rule given to him by the gods, then Augustus’ rightful ascension to the throne is cemented.

While the four nations in Avatar: The Last Airbender are not united, there is one figure that combines all four into one- the Avatar. Born to a different nation with each reincarnation, in a fixed cycle, the Avatar is the only person alive who can bend all four elements- water, earth, fire, and air. As such, each Avatar is highly respected and brings unity to the four nations that cannot be maintained without the Avatar. As such, each nation would have their nation’s most recent incarnation of the Avatar on their shields, with depictions of their deeds celebrating their glory.


Before the Avatar the show centers on, Aang of the Air Nomads, the Avatar was Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. The first thing on the Fire Nation’s shields would be his dragon, Fang, a representation of firebending, as the first firebenders learned from the dragons. The second would be the headpiece worn by the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Given as a parting gift from his best friend before leaving to begin his training, Roku wore the headpiece his whole life as a symbol of where he began his journey. As part of his training, he used the winter solstice sun to increase his powers, but because he was still young, he accidentally caused a volcano to erupt. His death was caused by twin volcano eruptions, but this time he did not cause the eruptions, but instead used his abilities to protect the people from the destruction, saving many lives but losing his own. Thus the last main image on shields in the Fire Nation would be him saving others from the volcanos, a symbol of his journey to master all four elements. 


Before Avatar Roku was Avatar Kyoshi of the Earth Kingdom. The symbols she became known for were her twin fans, left to her by her mother. One of her main achievements, defeating the uprising known as the Yellow Necks or Autumn Blooms, would also be depicted on Earth Kingdom shields. The final image would be the formation of Kyoshi Island, separated from the rest of the Earth Kingdom mainland to protect them from Chin the Conqueror using a mixture of earth-, air- and fire-bending.



Avatar Kuruk preceded Avatar Kyoshi in the cycle, coming from the Northern Water Tribe. His short life was filled with picking fights, hunting, playing Pai Sho, and losing his fiancee to a spirit entity. Each of these would be depicted on Water Tribe shields, because while his life was short, he was still the Avatar. 





Avatar Yangchen, a peaceful Air Nomad, brought peace to the world as the Avatar before Avatar Kuruk. She convinced the General Old Iron spirit to make a truce with humans to prevent him executing his wrath on the people. Not many details are known about her other than her dedication to peace and her legacy of wise political decisions that brought peace to the world for an entire generation after her death.


Just as Aeneas’ shield represented the leaders of the Roman empire, to honor their memory and their contribution to the history of Rome, the four nations in Avatar: The Last Airbender would represent their greatest leaders, the Avatars on their shields.

Epithets

Disciple of Mathematics 
While I came into BYU as a Physics-Astronomy major, I quickly discovered that I enjoyed my math classes more than my physics classes. When I heard about the Applied Math (ACME) major, I couldn't change my major fast enough, and I've stuck with that decision. I want to do mathematical modeling for 3D printers, specifically for 3D printing human organs to help people needing organ transplants to receive the organs they need with reduced risk of the transplant being rejected.

Timid Musician
In the last few months, I picked up a new hobby- arranging music. I've played piano since I was in second grade, and while I enjoyed it, I have never been fond of performing in front of others. Thus the idea of sharing what I've written with others is a little frightening. However, as I'm gaining experience writing music, I'm slowly gaining more confidence and hopefully won't be so timid in the future.

Captivated Bookworm 
When I read, I don't just casually enjoy a story. I am quickly absorbed in the story to the point that I briefly lose touch with reality. There are few feelings better than coming out of a good book and feeling like your consciousness is split between your reality and the book's reality, like your brain is loathe to leave the fictional world behind. While I don't always have time to read, whenever I do have a break, you'll likely find me curled up with a book.

Lover of Chocolate
Chocolate is a staple for me. I almost always have some type of chocolate, generally Lindt, in my backpack. There's a reason Professor Lupin gives Harry Potter chocolate after the dementors show up. Chocolate helps fix any problem, hence why I always have some on hand!

John would for sure outlive His mother

Who knows why Jesus actually turned care of His mother over to John, but maybe it was because He knew that John would outlive His mother.

So this week we talked about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. I learned more about the physical aspects of crucifixion than I ever wanted to. It makes more sense now, but it is also very gruesome. I'll spare you the details. But there were some really interesting things that I learned from our discussions.

First, from what we read in John 16:32, we get the sense that Jesus didn't realize that the Father would forsake Him too. I had never noticed that before. But it makes sense that it would work out this way so that He can succor us when we feel that way.

Second, in John 19:29, it talks about how they used hyssop to give Jesus vinegar. I'd never put it together before, but hyssop is the 'bitter herbs' from Passover. So in that moment of intense agony, He was partaking from the bitter herbs.

Third, in Mark 15:38, as well as in Matthew and Luke, we hear that the veil of the temple was rent in two. I'd made the connection before that the veil of the temple separated the people from the holy of holies, which represented the presence of God, so the veil represented the separation between us and the presence of God, and when Jesus died, His sacrifice allowed us to be able to return to the presence of God. However, the connection I hadn't made before was that the rending of the veil could represent Heavenly Father rending His clothes as a sign of His grief over the death of His Son. And that gives us insight into how much Heavenly Father loves us that He was willing to put His Beloved Son through that so that we can return to live with Him.

Know that you're loved!

The worst year of my life...

Yes, there is a year that I have labeled the worst year of my life. But for the first time in my life, I'm thankful for it.

So as I was working on getting my papers resubmitted, one day, I was really frustrated because things just weren't working out, and I pulled out my scriptures and was very much guided to Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, which says:

Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.

And that was exactly what I needed. Now things are working out better than I ever could have expected. I have officially been cleared to serve a mission, and my papers should go in tomorrow or Wednesday, so I will have the opportunity to bear record of the Savior, though I don't know where yet. And I have received a stronger testimony of the Lord's timing, and that He is mindful of me. He has turned some of the worst experiences of my life into one of the greatest blessings.

Some of you probably know that senior year of high school was by far the worst year of my life. I changed medications, and it was awful. First the dose was too low, and then once we got to a decent dose, the side-effect anxiety was terrible. Because of this, I went through some serious depression and anxiety. For a little bit, I tried Prozac, but that actually made the problem worse. So instead I'm on Zoloft. But if I had gone out on a mission without having had to deal with depression or anxiety, it probably would have manifested itself while I was out, and then I likely would have had to come home to sort out medication. And even if I hadn't, they probably would have tried the Prozac first, and after that, I most definitely would have had to come home. So for the first time in my life, I am thankful that I went through that, so that now I can go on a mission without having to worry about that as much.

"Judas was the ultimate back-stabber."

So I don't have my notebook with me right now, but I have some time now that I think I'll use to write this post.

This week we talked about the Last Supper and the Atonement.

So this is a picture I found online that shows the kind of table that Christ and the Apostles probably sat at during the Last Supper. Because I don't have my notebook, you have been deprived of my glorious stick-figure drawing, but this will suffice.


As you notice, them lying like this makes it much easier for Jesus to wash their feet. But it also shows a lot more. First of all, while we don't know exactly where Jesus was lying, we know John is on one side of him. Assuming Jesus is right-handed, He's probably lying with his left arm under him, so He can eat with his right hand, and so John is probably in front of Him, or on the right. But we also hear about how Jesus gives Judas a sop of bread. Well, when you're lying like that, you really can only reach the people on either side of you. So Judas may have been on Jesus's left, kind of behind Him. So Judas really was the ultimate back-stabber.

Talking about the Atonement was enlightening. Thinking about Abraham's similitude of the Atonement, Abraham was the one with the knife in his hand, about to inflict that pain on Isaac. I had never thought about the fact that in the Atonement, Heavenly Father, who is perfectly just, was the one who had to inflict that punishment on Christ, His Only Beloved. It wasn't like justice just ambushed Jesus. That burden was placed on Him by His Father. And of course, at this moment, Christ is dealing with so much more. He'd never felt guilt before. He'd never felt shame or self-loathing. He hadn't experienced temptation like we do. And at the same time as He's suffering for our sins, He's dealing with our afflictions and temptations and our trials and sicknesses, and He's dealing with all these things that He'd never felt before. And He's doing this for worlds without number. And this was His choice. He asked if there was another, easier way, but when there wasn't, He went through with it, even though it was extremely difficult. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve this. As if one could ever deserve the Atonement.

"God doesn't learn anything when we pray, but we do."

I am so thankful for the Thanksgiving break coming up. That will be a lifesaver. If you have any suggestions for movies I should watch while grading, I'm all ears.

So this week, we talked about a bunch of little things. One of these was Jesus cleansing the temple. The part that Brother Griffin drew our attention to was in Matthew 21:14, where it says that after He cleansed the temple, the blind and lame came to Him and He healed them. Brother Griffin drew the parallel that Christ cleanses our temples, and then brings in our weaknesses and heals them. I think back on the times that I've felt that healing power, and I know that I had to get to a place where He could work in my life first, and only then could He heal me.

We also talked about Mary and Martha, and Brother Griffin asked what would have happened if the roles were somewhat switched, and Mary had said, "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath not taken the time to listen to what thou hast to say? Bid her cease her labors and join me here." (altered Luke 10:40) The response would probably have been the same. It wasn't Mary's choosing to sit and listen to Jesus that was the better part. It was Martha's judgement that was the problem. Martha's service was probably appreciated after the long journey that Christ probably had that day. We each are different and our way of showing respect for the Master is individual, but we need to remember that there is no right way to show our love for our Savior.

Know that you're loved!