Following the Crowd, Gordon B. Hinckley

Young Gordon Hinckley learns that following the crowd can lead to trouble. (1:52)

Gordon B. Hinckley's growing-up years weren't without normal childhood mischief. One day he and several of his schoolmates decided to skip a day of class.
The boys knew they couldn't stay at home because their mothers would ask questions. They couldn't go to a movie because they had no money. And they didn't want to go to the park for fear the school's truant officer would catch them. After much deliberation, it was decided they would just wander around and waste the day.
The next morning, the principal, Mr. Stearns, was at the front door of the school to greet us. His demeanor matched his name. He said some pretty straightforward things and then told us that we could not come back to school until we brought a note from our parents.
I remember walking sheepishly in the house. My mother asked what was wrong. I told her. I said that I needed a note. She wrote a note. It was very brief. It was the most stinging rebuke she ever gave me. It read as follows:
"Dear Mr. Stearns, please excuse Gordon's absence yesterday. His action was simply an impulse to follow the crowd."
I do not know whether he read them, but I have never forgotten my mother's note. Though I had been an active party to the action we had taken, I resolved then and there that I would never do anything on the basis of simply following the crowd.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-05-1502-preparation-of-gordon-b-hinckley-following-the-crowd?category=prophets-and-apostles/prophets-and-apostles-sub-category&lang=eng

Видео Following the Crowd, Gordon B. Hinckley канала Russell Simon