Three Lessons from History

Lately I've had opportunities to drive through southern Utah, usually on the way to California.  That drive always gives me a chance to ponder some interesting applications of history.  A hundred and fifty years ago, some of my ancestors lived in the area just south of Cedar City now known as Kanarraville. My 3rd-great grandfather, William Rees Davies, his wife Rachel Morris Davies, and their son John Reese Davies were early converts to the LDS Church in southern Wales.  They came to Utah along with other family members, and ended up in this remote and primitive area.  The three of them are buried in the Kanarraville cemetery.

As I drive past Kanarraville, I often ponder their lives, trying to imagine what they experienced living here in the mid-1800s and how times have changed since.  During a recent drive I thought about these three lessons:

FIRST LESSON: MODERN CONVENIENCES

Kanarraville is 225 miles from my home in Orem along today's roads.  It takes us only about 3 hours to drive that far; it helps that the speed limit is 80 mph for a good portion of the way.  We travel in comfort and ease, cool in the summer, warm in the winter, enjoying music or audiobooks or conversation.

Every time I make this drive, I ponder what it must have been like for my ancestors, who made the journey over rough and sometimes meandering roads, riding on horses or in wagons, at the mercy of the weather; and over the course of several days instead of a few hours, much slower when their comparatively primitive transportation had problems (a broken axle or wheel on a wagon, lame horse, etc.).  It must have been brutally hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, and incredibly difficult when dirt roads turned to mud in the rain.  I'm sure my grandparents would be astonished to see the modern conveniences of our day, that I constantly take for granted.

I love this prophetic insight and the perspective it offers:

Sister Susa Young Gates once asked her father (Brigham Young) how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that must be done, if all are given a full opportunity for exaltation. He told her there would be many inventors of labor saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work. The inventions have come, and are still coming, but many simply divert the time gained to other channels, and not for the purpose intended by the Lord.  (Archibald F. Bennett, Improvement Era, Oct. 1952, p. 720)

How important to consider carefully the blessing of our modern technology, and how it has changed the nature of our lives.  What are we doing with that free time?

Aerial view looking SE; Kanarraville in the lower left, Kolob
Canyon right center, and Zion National Park upper right corner.

SECOND LESSON: LEISURE ACTIVITIES

As we drive by on the freeway and I look at the little city nestled against the mountains, a backdrop of beautiful colored cliffs and amazing terrain — I always wonder if my ancestors ever explored the majesty of those canyons behind them and nearby. There is a fun waterfall just up above Kanarraville.  Kolob Canyon, part of Zion National Park, is very close; I've enjoyed several hikes and backpacks there.  And ZNP itself is one of the most spectacular destinations there is.

But they likely didn't have much time for recreation, in their busy lives — another thing I take for granted.  They worked in nearby iron mines, cultivated fields, raised livestock.  Days were long and hard, and vacations were rare.  In many ways, it was a battle for survival, with minimal time for leisure.  In contrast, I put in my eight hours of office work five days a week, and enjoy much free time and flexibility.

A recent letter from the First Presidency regarding temple service comes to mind:

We are grateful for the increased availability of temples worldwide and invite adult members to have a current temple recommend and visit the temple more often. Where time and circumstances permit, members are encouraged to replace some leisure activities with temple service. (First Presidency, March 11, 2003)

Am I always using my leisure time appropriately?

THIRD LESSON: HISTORICAL RECORDS

I know very little about the lives of my ancestors — a few dates and events, but not much else.  As far as I'm aware, none of them kept any kind of journal or diary.  I'd so dearly love to know more about their lives — the struggles and needs of the time in which they lived.  But far more, I'd like to know about their thoughts, their beliefs, their priorities, their concerns and feelings.  So much of who they are as people, as my personal ancestors, is lost to me.

Perhaps someday, some descendant of mine will be interested to know about me — what I think, what I feel, what I believe.  That might make a difference to him or her in dealing with the life of the future, that will surely have changed much from what I experience now.  I think there is great power in keeping records, and especially in recording thoughts.  This blog is one attempt to do that — to share some of the things that truly matter most to me.  I will do better in the coming year in my attempts to share.

My brief views of Kanarraville always inspire me with gratitude and resolve.  Thank you, William Rees and Rachel Morris Davies, John Reese and Patience Groves Davies, and SO MANY others who lived good and faithful lives, who went before and prepared the way.