"We Seek after these Things"

On the bus this morning, I was reading the conference edition of the Liahona (em português), I was struck again by Dickensian irony of President Monson's positive attitude on living in the worst of times as well as the best. So I had to go check it in English:

"There is much that is difficult and challenging in the world today, my brothers and sisters, but there is also much that is good and uplifting. As we declare in our thirteenth article of faith, “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” May we ever continue to do so."

I am so glad that the Prophet Joseph Smith, inspired by the Apostle Paul, stated this in positive terms. On the bus, I began to imagine what it would have been in the negative:

"If there is anything immoral, ugly, or of evil report, or unworthy, we
seek to be disgusted by these things."

Many apologies for wresting the scriptures, hopefully not to my destruction. And some may believe just that - that I am some kind of moral degenerate worthy of condemnation. But the negative twist reminds me of many on the fundamentalist right of the culture wars. I prefer just to leave all the bad and negative things alone.

I may be obsessing over my attempts at neutrality in the culture wars and anybody may see where I'm going with this - not exactly neutral, but I am not advocating any particular position. I am trying the best I can to understand the important, eternal principles underlying moral issues. And I don't think those principles are negative - that's what I think the War in Heaven over the Agency of each man and woman was about, IMHO.

After all, we are that we might have joy, not disgust.