Thomas Monson addressed an audience of students at BYU's Marriott Center, Sunday night.
"Relationships without morality, business without ethics, and wealth without works" were among the trends he decried.
When Ptolemy I, pharaoh of Egypt, said he wanted to learn geometry, Euclid outlined a path for him to learn. The pharoah looked at this plan, complained this it was unseemly and demanded a shortcut. Euclid replied, "There is no royal road to geometry."
1. Choose Friends with Caution
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Decisions of one's friends appear to be a more significant influence on our decisions than parental guidance, or even availability and proximity of options.
2. Plan Your Future with Purpose
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"A man without purpose in life is like a ship without a rudder." Find a purpose and throw all your energy into it!
On the importance of self-control, Monson quoted From Camelot: "We must not let our passions destroy our dreams."
3. Frame Your Life with Faith
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"Dear God, I keep waiting for spring, but it never did come. What's up? Don't forget."
"Dear God, If you made the rule for kids to take out the garbage, please change it."
"Dear God, It's great the way you always get the stars in the right place. Why can't you do that with the moon?"
"Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy."
"Dear God, I read your book, and I like it. I'd like to write one someday with the same kind of stories. Where do you get your ideas?"
Believe in God, and believe in the dignity and potential of his creation, man.