How to Be Happy Now—and Forever | Jean B. Bingham

With the eternal perspective of the gospel as our guide in this life, we can learn how to be truly happy now—and forever.

This speech was given on December 10, 2019.

Read the speech here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jean-b-bingham/how-happy-now-forever/

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Although I am delighted to be with you, it is a humbling experience to look out at each of you from right here in front and then continue that gaze all the way up to the top rows of this vast building! From this perspective, though, the thing that catches my eye is the light in your faces, which indicates such great potential for future happiness and success.

Perspective is an interesting phenomenon. Depending on our position or on what instruments we use, what we are looking at seems to change, often dramatically. For instance, when we look at the moon with our naked eye, it appears to be a smooth, flat, silver disk that glows softly and seems to either expand or get smaller night after night. Viewed through a powerful telescope, however, the moon looks much different. We discover that the part that seems to be missing is actually hidden in shadow and can now be seen to complete the spherical shape. We can see that it is full of craters and dark spots and does not radiate with its own light but reflects light from the sun.

Microscopes provide an even different perspective. These instruments let us look at something very closely—so close that unless you know what you are looking at, the object might be hard to identify. This perspective is useful in discovering very small details that can make a very great ­difference to the whole organism or system.

How about an overhead perspective? A view from high above can make a landscape look much different than the same location viewed at eye level—or even foot level. And then there is the train-track perspective. Straight lines seem to converge as they stretch farther into the distance. Artists use this technique to make our brains “see” distance, depth, and position in their representations of objects actually drawn on a flat surface.

Speaking of seeing with our brain, I have always been intrigued by the famous Penrose stairs that seem to ascend and descend at the same time in a never-ending sequence. In high school I practiced drawing another optical illusion called the impossible trident on the edges of my note­paper until I could do it without looking at the reference. I was fascinated with the figure, which presents two perspectives at once—an impossible scenario for the brain to readily accept.

Perspective can also be a particular attitude toward something, or a point of view. Looking at a situation through the lens of our own experiences, we tend to suppose that our perspective is the “right” one and discard other viewpoints as flawed or incomplete. Even the choice of ice cream flavors can have us shaking our head in disbelief at the incorrectness of our friend’s judgment. What, you don’t think roasted almond fudge is the best flavor ever?!

The viewpoint that makes all things clear is an eternal perspective: the perfect, all-encompassing perspective of our Heavenly Father. With His ability to see and know and understand all things past, present, and future in a higher and broader and deeper way than we possibly can, His perspective is complete.1

From His vantage point, God sees us and everything around us “as they really are, and . . . as they really will be.”2 His viewpoint is long term rather than being limited to the here and now, allowing Him to see our divine potential rather than just our present or past condition. And He looks at all His creations through the lens of love. As if using a powerful microscope, He sees into the heart and mind of each of His children from a perspective of loving mercy and eager support rather than hope-crushing criticism. And with a range more complete than the most powerful telescope, He sees the big picture, viewing progress in individuals as well as galaxies from all eternity to all eternity.

Back on our current, everyday earth, daily challenges can sometimes seem overwhelming. As prophesied, today the whole earth is “in commotion.”3 Trouble is on every side, in every city and community. Wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, and false prophets and ubiquitous iniquity4 are our everyday news.

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