The word unravel frightens yet awes me. The first thing I think of visually when I hear the word unravel is that of a ball of string quickly shrinking from string falling off of it. Or I think of the tread on a tank breaking and falling off. Words like crumbling, disintegrating, and breaking apart come to mind when I hear that word.
To couple the word unravel to the word society takes that fright to a whole new level. An unraveled society in my mind is no society. I think of a world similar to what the author describes in a book I recently read entitled The Road.
On Sunday, I read the First Presidency article written by President Eyring entitled "Let Us Raise Our Voice of Warning" I came across three words that shocked me: society is unraveling. Ever since I read that article, I've been haunted by those words. I've not been able to get them out of my mind.
One of my most fondest hopes is that Jill and I will be able to raise our children in a decent world and that we would be able to live to see them serve missions, marry in the temple and raise families of thier own. If society is unraveling today, I wonder what it will be like 15 years from now when they are raising their own children.
Out of curiosity, I searched the Ensign for the words "society is unraveling" and was again shocked to see the number of hits it returned. I was hoping to see it only return President Eyring's talk. Perhaps there is an internal memo at LDS HQ requesting that the words unravel and soceity be used more or, more likely, the brethren are getting the same warnings from above.
"The moral fabric of society seems to be unraveling at an alarming speed." (Thomas S. Monson, “Looking Back and Moving Forward,” Ensign, May 2008, 87–90)
"the progressive unraveling of the moral fabric." (Alexander B. Morrison, “A Caring Community: Goodness in Action,” Ensign, Feb 1999, 13)
"We’ve all got to take a step up in a world that is unraveling as fast as this one is." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf and M. Russell Ballard, “Tending the Flock: Teaching Leadership Skills to Youth,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 16–21)
"all of us have to know that family life is unraveling across the world." (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Aug 1996, 60–61)
"They asked for assistance in helping their children find their way in a world that seems to be unraveling." (Joe J. Christensen, “Rearing Children in a Polluted Environment,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 11)
"Alternatives to the legal and loving marriage between a man and a woman are helping to unravel the fabric of human society" (James E. Faust, “‘Will I Be Happy?’,” Ensign, May 1987, 80)
Will society every get ravelled back up? I hope so. But who will do it? Who will take the lead in showing the world that it can be a better place to live? The answer lies in each of us ... especially the good and just of the world and especially the members of the Church.
As President Eyring reminds us, "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." (D&C 88:81)
