I read this quote the other day and it has opened up significantly my perspective on the purpose of this life and how i can influence others for good

There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man’s unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of personality the effect of his words and his actions on others. This radiation is tremendous.Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world. Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying it is an unconscious influence.Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated. He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. And by these qualities he will constantly affect the world. This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any one of a hundred other qualities.Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate, to exist is to be the recipient of radiation.

David O. McKay 

uplifting media can do wonders

I am taking 3 religion classes this semester and quite honestly i consider it a huge blessing. I find myself using most of my time outside of class working on homework for these religion classes. It is great! I am reading some sort of church article, book, magazine or other form of media for at least 5 hours a day (standard deviation 1.5 hrs haha). this semester i have noticed that i am not aimlessly wasting my time watching or using media that has no good, pure intention. i feel more productive, i feel happier and i feel that my mind is a lot clearer at the end of the day.

Destiny of Man

"If men do not comprehend the character of God they do not comprehend themselves" - Joseph Smith Jr

"to know what God is is to know what man is and what he can become. The loss of this knowledge goes far to explain the present plight of humanity. Man, like water, cannot rise higher than his beginnings. If an ever increasing number of men and women are choosing to wallow in the mire of carnality we must not forget that they are taught that the human race was spawned in the mire. We have little desire to reach for the stars if we do not believe we came from the stars."

- Rodney Turner 

Mulan-

My wife and I the other day sat down to watch some TV after a long day. After brushing through the channels for a little while we found the Disney move "Mulan" and decided to watch it. I could tell my wife was loving the movie especially at the end when Mulan simply dominates the remaining Huns and saves China. With movies like Mulan I can just see my wife cheering inside "power to the women" repeatedly. 

Me being a man, watching the underlying message all throughout the movie, I was rather amused by how certain scenes would go to great lengths to emphasize and reiterate the message that women are powerful, women can do anything men can do, women deserve to be respected and treated fairly, the list goes on. 

 

Again, this is my perception of the movie because I am a guy. But the portrayal of men, especially those who were in the imperial army was silly. They were clowns and bafoons and by no means portrayed what a typical male soldier would be in an imperial army. As portrayed in this meme above the men are ridiculous. I just wonder what a little boy watching Mulan is gathering about the stereotypes of men and women. 

I am honestly not sexist, this was just an observation I noticed while watching the movie :)