THE SCULPTORS

Brent Anderson

There are Sculptors who work with an almost infinitely malleable and valuable substance, which with work and polish becomes harder and more valuable than Diamond. Can you identify these artisans and the fantastic material with which they ply their trade? No? They are all around us and their works encompass that which is evil to that which is sublime. The answer is that each of us is such a sculptor, and our artistic mediums are our own souls.

The soul is shaped by thoughts, which are nurtured and polished. We have but to think and we make deft strokes upon the soul. You might think that all of us artisans would endeavor to build beautiful temples with this infinite material but, alas, it is not so. While many strive to do so, there are just as many who are successful only in making prisons. The days of our work fly by like snow on wind, yet our smallest thoughts are recorded on our souls, not indelibly at first, but with constant practice we make permanent that which is virtuous, or that which is selfish and self-serving.

In youth, we believe that the World is ours to command because we little understand the processes of human maturation or civilization. We think that we can think and do what we want, and that it will not cause permanent harm, since we are young and powerful. Youth loves to pretend that it alone, of all humanity, thinks such clear and profound thoughts. Such vanity leads to thinking that parents are barely sentient compared to such inspired brilliance. None is so old that they cannot relate to the folly of the young in wanting to try everything, and especially those things, which were forbidden by parents and culture. Rebelliousness resides in each of us, but most learn from long and sometimes painful experience to control the impulses that lead to antisocial thoughts and actions. Compare this to a sculptor who on finding flaws within the stone, works around them, polishing the imperfections till they are converted to beautiful additions in the finished work. Youth little appreciates the amount of damage caused by hedonistic thoughts and pursuits, or the amount of painful work required to repair the wounds produced by uncontrolled imagination. Before every wrongful physical act, there must of necessity, be a thought or decision justifying the wrong. Few who are selfish and self-serving have no justification for their decisions and actions.

The challenge of creating great soul art is not just for the young, but also for people of all ages. The work of art that each of us undertakes, commencing with birth, is one that continues throughout life, and does not cease until the moment of physical death. Most of us have witnessed with throbbing hearts overflowing, and sometimes total amazement, the transformation of a man or woman who has lived a life devoted to selfishness turn to a new way of selfless thought. Such transformations will always bring loving parents to tears of joy. What was once a miserable and tortured soul with no obvious beauty can, as if by magic, become a being of beauty, because the individual found and implemented new ways of thinking. We are very malleable, and can be reshaped again and again. All that is required is a change of thought patterns to those that emphasizes love for fellow man and woman.

More than one author has extolled the virtue of thinking ones self to financial success. Many have used this method to increase their wealth and power within society. There are numbers of individuals who will testify to the power of thought to change physical circumstance, and there is nothing wrong with using this powerful tool in this way. The pursuit of power and money is, however, a very dangerous path to follow, for it is very easy to slip into the love of both. Such a turning has corrupted many once beautiful souls, and ruined lifetimes of work. To love power and money will unfortunately build an almost inescapable prison. When this life ends, how will they ever find a place in eternity where they can pursue their love?

Thought is a marvelous tool for sculpting a soul into a thing of beauty, but it is also a marvelous tool for building ugly prisons that can last an eternity. We truly become what we think in every way, and it is reflected in our physical countenances and lives. It is inescapable that we become that which we practice. Today is a good time to decide what to become tomorrow. Today we each can focus the most powerful force in the universe on creating a masterpiece or not. After all these words trying to convey the importance of this concept, it is interesting to note that it is all summed up very succinctly in the words of our beloved Brother, Savior and God when he said, “As a man (woman) thinks so is he (she).”

What do you think?

Copyright 2001