It's a great day to be alive

Yesterday, I won a BYU football PEZ dispenser for safety week.

Today, I saw a guy dressed as a killer whale strutting through campus.

Tomorrow, I am going to Salt Lake to hear prophets speak.

It's a fine life.

The meaning of truth

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of truth lately. I am a strong believer in the value of literature and art because it teaches us about culture and human nature. In many ways, art is as true, or more true, than science. Science will tell you that a person has five fingers on each hand, a heart with atria and ventricles, and cranial nerves with synapses and axon terminals. Art will tell you what those hands can do, what that heart can feel, and what that brain can understand. Art creates a more complete picture of a human being.

But art is more subjective that historical and scientific fact, right? Maybe, but historical and scientific fact aren't always as reliable as we might think. After all, virtually everything we know about history is second hand from a biased perspective. Much of scientific information is theoretical or inferred. We trust historical information when there are enough witnesses to back it up, and we accept science as fact when it has been proven enough times, but perspectives in these areas are still constantly changing.

So, is there such a thing as absolute truth?

Absolutely.

Moroni 10: 5 states, "and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things."

Since I have been at BYU, I have come to associate this scripture with religious and secular classes alike. The spirit testifies of all truth. Absolute truth exists, and through the Holy Ghost, we are able to recognize it.

The College Life

Dear anyone who might be following my blog in hopes of keeping up on my college life,

I am sincerely sorry about my lack of postage, which will probably be a fairly persistent problem. This is the issue - I've been having so much fun at college that I don't really have a lot of time to write about the fun I've been having. At times in between posts, you will just have to imagine me learning, studying, making friends, playing cards, singing, reading, and loving college.

Thanks a bunch,

Lauren Fine

Now for my first college update. Here are a few things I love about BYU.

1. My Dorm -particularly the decorations on the wall. We have 6 Lord of the Rings posters on the wall above the window, a giant Star Wars poster on the south wall, and water color paintings of Salzburg and a picture of the temple on my side of the room. Best. Dorm room. Ever.

2. Tall trees and green grass. Though I hate to admit it, Provo is definitely prettier than Mesa. I probably won't be saying that 3 months from now, but at the moment, I love the scenery.

3. The Harold B. Lee Library. It is by far my favorite place on campus. Not only is it the second largest college library in the country, but it has hundreds of antiques and art exhibits: Chinese porcelain dolls, ancient musical instruments, murals, student art work, you name it. The first floor even has a film section with a theater. Impressive, right? Well, I haven't even mentioned the best part yet. On the first floor, there is an area where they put temporary exhibits called the L. Tom Perry Special Collections area. Right now they have a literature exhibit with original drafts and first editions of famous books. That's right, Charles Dickens' and Louis May Alcott's actual handwriting, right there in front of me. I'm not even sure how long I wandered through the exhibits, gaping wide-eyed at the manuscripts of some of my favorite authors. Amazing.

4. Music. Almost everyone is involved in some form of music here, whether on their own or part of an ensemble. That means lots of boys that can sing. :) Plus, they have faculty and student performances practically every week. I went to a piano concert last night for my Music 101 concert report. The professor who was performing played Beethoven, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff. I was blown away. The opportunities for musical involvement are endless.

5. Friendly people. I was having trouble finding my Book of Mormon class and some girl stopped what she was doing and helped me get there. People I've never seen before in my life smile and say hello to me as I walk by. I'm sure there are friendly people at every university, but there is a spirit here that you just can't find anywhere else. I love it.

BYU is a magical place. I'm so grateful to be able to go here.