[Title]The Power of Uncertainty

[Kicker]Neither optimist nor pessimist have the power to improve the Church and the world. Improving
requires accepting both worlds and striving to help.

Commented [JM1]: Create two or three more titles to

choose from and put them here, separated with commas.
Commented [JM2]: What kind of improving? Clarify.

[Article]Many students begin to experience real doubt and uncertainty about life for the first time while
at school. Bruce C. Hafen explores how accepting uncertainty is critical to developing stronger faith and
becoming more capable.
In Elder Hafens August 1979 Ensign article, On Dealing with Uncertainty,
[https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/08/on-dealing-with-uncertainty?lang=eng] he explains three distinct
levels of faith. Each level is essential in building to the next. He uses two standards to understand how
faith at each level operates: reality and the ideal.
At level one, reality is ignored. Everything in the Church represents the ideal. Their The Churchs
mission was the best, their the student ward wards is are the best, and every new day is probably going
to be the best day they ever had, Elder Hafen writes.
While this optimism is enjoyable, Elder Hafen does not believe that this type of faith is deep and
struggles in adversity. The true Church is intended not only to comfort the afflicted, but to afflict the
comfortable, he shares.
At level two, the ideal is ignored, and only the harsh realities of mortality are important. This perspective
brings strength in recognizing ambiguity and imperfection that exists. However, skepticism and
uncertainty often become guiding philosophies. Level two can harden the heart.
Finally, at level three, the ideal and reality are both recognized. Neither the extreme optimist nor the
extreme pessimist would ever be of much help in improving the human condition, Elder Hafen writes.
Level three faith allows uncertainties to be part of life, knowing that each one is essential to becoming
more.
[Read More]Read On Dealing with Uncertainty [https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/08/on-dealingwith-uncertainty?lang=eng] to discover Elder Hafens own struggles with ambiguity and uncertainty and
how they have helped him develop faith.
-- Protected Author, Mormon Insights
Find more insights
Read Love Is Not Blind: Some Thoughts for College Students on Faith and Ambiguity,
[https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-c-hafen_love-is-not-blind-thoughts-college-students-faithambiguity/] to read Elder Hafens remarks on the topic at a BYU devotional.
[Pull-out quotes]
Neither the extreme optimist nor the extreme pessimist would ever be of much help in improving the
human condition, because people cant solve problems unless they are willing to acknowledge that a
problem exists and yet also retain enough genuine loyalty to do something about it.

Commented [JM3]: Does this refer to the Church in the

previous sentence? It is ambiguous. Clarify.
Commented [JM4]: Same ambiguity. Clarify.
Commented [JM5]: I recognize that this is a quote so
maybe you shouldnt change it. Your call.
Commented [JM6]: With this description, it would make
sense to add that the faith is unrealistic or unpractical.
Commented [JM7]: Subject-verb agreement error.
ambiguity and imperfection that exists. Make this
change?
Commented [JM8]: Necessary? Omit?

Commented [JM9]: To tie the article together, I would

add something in this last phrase about accepting
uncertainties. Everybody knows that uncertainties exist, but
most dont accept them when they arrive. Isn'

Commented [JM10]: This should be an em dash instead

of two hyphens right next to each other
Formatted: Default Paragraph Font

The mists of darkness in Lehis dream area strong symbolic representation of life as we face it on this
planet.
[Info for the Web team]
Word Count

Commented [JM11]: What about the [Info for the Web

team] section? It needs to be included since it is on the
grading rubric.
Commented [JM12]: You need to include the word count
here as part of the assignment.