Dieter F. Uchtdorf tells a story about a man “whose lifelong dream was to board a cruise ship and sail the Mediterranean Sea. He dreamed of walking the streets of Rome, Athens, and Istanbul. He saved every penny until he had enough for his passage. Since money was tight, he brought an extra suitcase filled with cans of beans, boxes of crackers, and bags of powdered lemonade, and that is what he lived on every day.
“He would have loved to take part in the many activities offered on the ship—working out in the gym, playing miniature golf, and swimming in the pool. He envisioned those who went to movies, shows, and cultural presentations. And, oh, how he yearned for only a taste of the amazing food he saw on ship—every meal appeared to be a feast! But the man wanted to spend so very little money that he didn’t participate in any of these. He was able to see the cities he had longed to visit, but for the most part of the journey, he stayed in his cabin and ate only his humble food.
“On the last day of the cruise, a crew member asked him which of the farewell parties he would be attending. It was then that the man learned that not only the farewell party but almost everything on board the cruise ship—the food, the entertainment, all activities—had been included in the price of his ticket. Too late the man realized that he had been living far beneath his privileges.” (Ensign Magazine May 2011)
I suppose this could be called the Parable of the Cruise Ship. It could be likened to many things but I propose to liken it to an American citizen who fails to realize his privileges as a citizen of the United States. What a blessing it is to live at this time in this great nation! There are some, however, who are willing to sell their privileges of citizenship for a mess of proverbial pottage.
The Constitution of the United States was designed to limit the power of the federal government by spelling out very specifically what that government of the people, by the people and for the people can and cannot do. Anything not thus spelled out is left to the prerogative of the various states or of the people.
Noah Webster wrote in 1834, “When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty, and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good, so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded.
“If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws. Intriguing men can never be safely trusted.” (Noah Webster, “Advice to the Young”, 1834)
It is imperative that each of us realizes that our unalienable rights as citizens are granted to us from our Creator rather than from any earthly government. If we want to enjoy the full exercise of our rights and privileges we must know and defend the Constitution of the United States. If we fail to do so, we will end up like the man on the cruise ship—eating beans, crackers and artificial lemonade when we could have been enjoying the feasts, the harvests of freedom and independence that citizenship offers to each of her own. Let’s not live below our privileges by neglecting to understand and to preserve the Constitution, the basic law of the land.
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