Dear Gramps,My family has been attending several sessions at a Self Awareness Group located in Salt Lake City, Utah. What is the Church’s standpoint on going? They are trying to get me and my husband to go. What do you know about such places. Thanks,

Amy, from Mesa, Arizona

Dear Amy,

It is my opinion that self awareness groups, implied by the very title, tend to help the individual focus on himself or herself. This is a trend that society in general seems to have taken. The rights of individuals seem to be supreme. But a part of the equation seems to have been forgotten: with every right there is an attendant responsibility. Unless one can consider individual rights within the context of the total good for society, then the rights of one often become the oppression of another.

While the objectives of self awareness groups at first blush may seem laudable, one must weigh them against the principles of the gospel. One of the great messages exemplified by the life of the Savior was to forget oneself in the service of others. If our focus is inward, even with the objective of self improvement, that inward focus tends to take one’s mind away from the noble objectives of service to others, and in the extreme, points in the direction of pride and arrogance.

The counsel of the Brethren has been clear on where our focus should be-

“Brothers and sisters, as you go forward with your ambitious programs, forget yourselves now and again. Lay aside your selfishness; lose yourself in the service of others and in some great cause.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, BYU Speeches, October 17, 1962, p.6)

“If you would find yourself, learn to deny yourself for the blessing of others. Forget yourself and find someone who needs your service, and you will discover the secret to the happy, fulfilled life.” (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.449)

“In the past several years, studies have been made and are being made among some segments of the Church population primarily to determine what things seem to have the greatest impact or influence in people’s lives to help them become spiritually mature and at peace. I have not had an opportunity to go through some of those studies carefully, but I have reviewed virtually all of them to some degree, and some of them I have reviewed very closely. It is interesting to me that in all of these studies three things seem to emerge regularly as having tremendous importance in the acquiring and maintaining of spiritual health and well-being. These may not be surprising to you, and yet may be because they are so standard and foundational to the gospel we don’t give them as much attention as we need to. One is prayer. People who will pray regularly and out of the genuine recognition of the source of peace, comfort, and security that Deity represents have a tremendously powerful and stabilizing influence in life. The second thing is the study of the scriptures-regular study. There is something about scripture study that is tremendously significant, more so, it seems, than we have ever realized before, even though attention has been given to this in the past. Its effect upon stability and spiritual and emotional health is very potent. The third thing is a disposition to do something good for someone else, an inclination to forget self in a concern for someone else. Now, I’m not just talking about church service. Assigned church service is important, but I refer more to an attitude or a disposition to be alert to the needs of others and then the determination to make an effort in some way to respond to those needs. There is apparently something so very Christ-like about that attribute that it represents a tremendously strong underpinning of emotional and spiritual strength.” (AMCAP, Volume 16, Elder Dean L. Larsen, p.179)

With Elder Larsen, I am of the opinion that the ideal road to self improvement is found in the application of the principles of the gospel. There are many programs and many philosophies that have noble aims and objectives, and try for the betterment of mankind. But if these programs and philosophies are examined carefully, that which may be judged to be of intrinsic worth comes to be the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, expressed in philosophical terms rather than in religious terms. The application of those philosophical principles, outside of the gospel context, may produce increase of ability and feelings of self worth, but they all fall far short of the self improvement that comes to those who learn to love the Lord, Jesus Christ, to pattern their lives after his example, to qualify for the purifying influence of the Holy Ghost, and who learn to forget themselves in the service of their fellow man.

Gramps