Boyd Matheson: What the Salt Lake Temple says about the 2020 election – Deseret News

In 1893, three years before Utah became a state, the Salt Lake Temple was completed after 40 years of sacrifice-filled construction. As is customary, a dedicatory prayer was offered by Wilford Woodruff, then president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the end of the prayer President Woodruff pleaded for heavens help on a very secular issue which remains a pressing problem in Utah and across the nation 127 years later.

Woodruff prayed, O God, Thou seest the course Thy people have been led to take in political matters. They have, in many instances, joined the two great national parties. Campaigns have been entered upon, elections have been held, and much party feeling has been engendered. Many things have been said and done which have wounded the feelings of the humble and the meek, and which have been a cause of offense.

I find it fascinating that in a remote territory of the American West, President Woodruff felt the need, in a prayer of dedication, to address the right and wrong way to engage in political conversations.

We find ourselves still wandering in the political wilderness. Presidential campaigns, a soon-to-begin legislative session, local elections heating up and burning social issues are all part of a combustible combination that is raising the temperature of public rhetoric, reducing real listening and upending rational thinking.

As the 2020 election cycle begins in earnest, we would be wise to remember the old axiom, Speak in anger and you will deliver the greatest speech you will ever live to regret.

Many have come to believe that silence is weakness, that calmness is cowardly and that you must engage in a tit-for-tat exchange of point and counterpoint, claim and counterclaim to compete and survive in the 21st century. We would do well in all our personal interactions, whether in the public square or within our personal circles, to focus on desired outcomes instead of emotional outbursts and come to people with questions instead of accusations.

The airwaves and internet sites are filled with pundits, experts and even those we call friends on social media who constantly badger or bombastically blow up anyone who might disagree with their point of view. While this might be entertaining talk radio, primetime television or Twitter banter, it has produced a horrible precedent and pattern for dealing with the only thing that matters in the end our relationships with people.

We all know that if an unwanted fire breaks out in our home the last thing we want to do is throw gasoline on it. Yet far too many of us cannot resist the urge to throw our last bit of emotional fuel on the interpersonal fire and then spar, thrust-and-parry and go back-and-forth, often, long after the source of the problem has been completely consumed. The age of rage is incinerating reason and ruining relationships.

Usually it is the preservation of ego that keeps us engaged in verbal combat. We somehow have come to believe that having the last word will win the day. Learning to check your ego at the door, and determine what truly matters most is key, not only to successful relationships and interactions, but to our own happiness and peace of mind. It is also important to remember that the solution to any problem actually begins when someone says, Lets talk about it, or asks, What do you think? and is then willing to engage in real listening and deeper dialogue.

Whether speaking to someone in person or going back-and-forth in email, texts or tweets, you must ask yourself if the messages you are about to speak or send are going to move the conversation, and more importantly, the relationship forward, or whether they will simply fuel more anger and angst. Winning a verbal battle at the expense of losing a war for a relationship is never wise.

It has been said that Gen. Robert E. Lee was once asked his view of a man he had had many public disagreements with. Lee reportedly responded that the man was a good, just man, who he happened to disagree with greatly. The questioner then stated that the man in question did not hold such a respectful view of the general and often expressed that negative opinion to others publicly, to which Gen. Lee replied, You asked me my opinion of him, not my view of his view of me. My view is the only one over which I have control. The way you communicate with those you disagree with speaks volumes about who you are as a person. Petty, personal attacks never produce positive results and often keep us a safe distance from real solutions.

All this is not to suggest in any way that we should retreat from public debate or abandon our commitment to stand on principle. Passive political correctness is not the solution. America is always at its best when we are the country of big ideas especially when those ideas cause us to have open, passionate and challenging disagreements and debate. We can disagree without being disagreeable, we can have uncomfortable conversations about difficult issues and we can communicate in ways that elevate ideas and promote sound principles and the best intentions of everyone.

The edifice of the Salt Lake Temple is undergoing a four-year renovation to strengthen, revitalize and renew this venerable structure. Perhaps there is a lesson in it to renovate our approach to politics in 2020.

Many will continue to speak in anger with contempt for opponents fueling divisive, society-damaging rhetoric. When it comes to the war of words, text tirades or social media rants whenever in doubt dont! Check your emotions and your ego. Silence can be strength, a kind word can carry a conversation, stepping away can be the best step forward.

Returning to President Woodruffs 1893 prayer, he concluded his petition to God relating to the politics of the people with these wise words that apply to people of every faith and to those of no faith: We beseech Thee, in Thine infinite mercy and goodness, to forgive Thy people wherein they have sinned in this direction ... Enable Thy people hereafter to avoid bitterness and strife, and to refrain from words and acts in political discussions that shall create feeling and grieve Thy Holy Spirit.

We the people can, and must, do better. As in most important matters in America, community, culture and individual citizens will lead and then the politics and the politicians will eventually follow.

Editors note: Portions of this column were previously published in the Deseret News in 2016.

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Boyd Matheson: What the Salt Lake Temple says about the 2020 election - Deseret News