Yesterday at church, we had a combined third hour focusing on emergency preparedness. This subject seems to be getting a bit of a push from the leaders of my new Stake as we had a linger longer with a similar focus. As I live much closer to the coast now, I'm guessing that the leaders want us to be prepared for storms and other disasters.
The meeting began with the Emergency Preparedness Specialist (or whatever his title is) standing before us and telling us that if we don't have food storage in place, we're committing a sin. First of all, while we have been commanded to have food storage, not doing so would not be a sin but a transgression, as failing to have proper supplies is not a moral failing. Secondly, I don't react well to being told to change my ways because I'm being bad -- I generally stop listening to the speaker, regardless of how worthwhile their message may be. In my experience, you get better results if you tell people to improve while focusing on the benefits of changing, not on the negative aspects of maintaining the status quo. To put it in gospel terms, you tell people about how great righteous living is, not how bad Hell will be.
The speaker continued to talk about all of the disasters he's seen averted by people being properly prepared, but I just sat there, stewing in my annoyance. He compared the ill-prepared to the Donner Party, which I just find insulting. He made assumptions about people not taking home informational pamphlets because we don't trust the government, which I find baffling. I was so insulted that I nearly walked out after ten minutes.
I stayed, but only barely. Eventually I figured out that while his presentation style is all wrong, his message is still a good one: be prepared. I have several working flashlights and I try to keep myself well-supplied with nonperishable food, so I'm mostly prepared. One area in which I'm not properly prepared is water, so I decided to pick up several gallons of water on my way home from work today.
It's frustrating when a good message is hidden within a bad presentation, but I'm grateful I was able to see through to the truth.
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