Perception.

Statistics bores the life out of me. More than that, it's confusing. Fortunately, I've been lucky enough to have Professor Reese as my professor, which has made it slightly bearable, what with his antics and ways of getting us to understand the concepts.

Today was the last day of class. As he was finishing up, Brother Reese said something like this, "Statistics is great, it's wonderful and I love it, but in the end, it doesn't really matter." After a bit of laughter from us, he continued,

If there's nothing else that you take from this class, and nothing else that you learn about Shane Reese, the thing that I want you all to know that I know that Jesus Christ lives, that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, and that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I want you to know that about me.

It was a moving moment for me, and one which allowed me to understand the beauty that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ, that allows a grown man to humble himself in front of 700 students and bear his testimony in a statistics class. I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend Brigham Young University, to learn the things that I learn each day, and to stand for the things which mean all the world to me.

In my Judaism and the Gospel class after, Brother Woods, our teacher, also ended with testimony, talking about how He had known that Jesus was the Christ from a very young age, but how he had come to love him more as the years have gone by, from 5 to his current age of 54. He said that "the desire of my heart as I get older is to learn how to and more fully give my will to God."

President Hinckley has give numerous speeches on campus. In one them them, he said,

The motto of this university is “The Glory of God Is Intelligence.” You have come to partake of that intelligence, that light and truth which becomes the vast lexicon of your learning. What a precious and magnificent opportunity is afforded you. Robert Browning said that “a man’s reach should exceed his grasp” (“Andrea del Sarto” [1855], line 97). Extend your grasp while reaching ever higher to drink from the inexhaustible fountain of learning that is offered you.

He goes on, in another speech entitled The BYU Experience:

I hope that you will take from this university the habit of seeking knowledge and that this habit will never leave you for as long as you live. A truly educated man never ceases to learn. He never ceases to grow. I hope you young women, as you take upon yourselves the burden of rearing families, will never set aside your desire to acquire knowledge. I hope that you will read to your children. They will be blessed and you will be blessed if you do so. I hope that you will even read to your husbands. They need to be read to. I hope that you will read to yourselves. We come here to learn, to gain intellectual knowledge that will help and sustain us throughout this life. But, I believe that the most important lessons that we can and that I will learn here are the eternal truths found in the gospel.

He went on,

I hope that the BYU experience will cause you to take on those qualities that will make of you a true disciple of Jesus. All of you are taking religion classes while you are here. I hope that you are gaining much more than a knowledge of the organization of the scriptures and such matters as that. I hope that you are developing a great desire to walk in the footsteps of the Master, to reach out to those in distress, to serve the Church with great faithfulness, and to serve your fellowmen in a spirit of love and consecration. I hope the lessons of going the second mile, of the prodigal son, of the Good Samaritan--and all the other lessons of the Son of God who gave his life in a great offering of atonement--will motivate you and never leave you.

I love this university and all it stands for. I can only hope that I will be able to live up to its standards and I do my best in living the standards set forth by the university, but more importantly, the commandments that a loving Father in Heaven has given me so that I may be happy, finding joy both in this life, and also into the eternities.

-eechie.