Posts

Plagues and their Consequences: Then and Now

Image
            Over the course of human history, plagues and pandemics have ripped through the population on several occasions. These diseases bring with them death, destruction, and dismay and can leave a once stable society reeling. In the ancient world, Boccaccio, Sophocles, and Thucydides all described the disheartening affects of three separate pandemics that pushed all three of the societies that experienced them to the brink of collapse. Today, we suffer from another horrible outbreak. The Coronavirus pandemic is challenging our society today just as other pandemics challenged societies of the past. While large scale pandemics have always challenged societies, they have not always provoked the same actions in response to the problems they create. Disasters such as plagues reveal the character of a society as some societies look towards higher powers both spiritual and political in times of plague and pestilence while others l...

Government and Power in The Book of Mormon and Ancient Greece

Image
Steve Stenquist Professor Insalaco CL CV 201 18 February, 2020 Monarchy in the Book of Mormon and Ancient Greece Long ago, in the ancient Americas, King Mosiah warned his people of the dangers of a monarchy. He warned that kings can often be selfish and cruel, and can lead their citizens to commit acts of sin and violence. He emphasized the importance of a government controlled by the voice of the people and the law. The ancient Greeks also saw their society torn apart by wars and hardships caused by monarchical government. On countless occasions they were involved in war and violence and eventually tried to move towards a more democratic system. Despite the downfalls of a monarchy discussed in both the ancient Americas and ancient Greece, people throughout history have often been drawn to strong leaders and have repeatedly trusted them more than democracy. As shown in the Book of Mormon and in ancient Greece, a monarchical government with a prideful king will oft...

My Epithets

Image
1. Road Runner I absolutely love to run! I once heard someone say that they feel like a fish getting let back into water whenever they start a long run and that's how I feel too! It's freeing, stress-relieving and exhilarating to run and push myself everyday. I have already run one marathon and am training for another one in April. My goal is to qualify for next year's Boston Marathon. If you see a crazy person out running the streets of Provo during the cold winter, that just might be me! 2. Cleveland Sportsfan I'm from Cleveland and I am proud of it! Whether it's the Browns, the Cavs or the Indians I love routing for Cleveland sports teams. Even though we almost always lose, I feel pride for my home city and unity with my fellow Clevelanders whenever I watch the Browns fumble or the Indians strike out. While it's never easy to be a fan of teams that are always this bad, us Clevlanders always take comfort in proclaiming "just wait'll next yea...