8 minutes

I've been thinking about the Sun a lot lately and its life-giving light. So powerful and full of brightness, its effects cannot be ignored nor underestimated. In fact, it has become a daily routine of mine to look up at it at least once - though for a brief moment - to remind myself that there is a higher glory than the one we presently walk upon, a majestic orb too set on fire for exposed eyes to behold for more than a second. Centered about 93 million miles from our planet, the Sun still emits an all-encompassing shine that commands the movement of all those who look upon it with deferential respect. For this reason, it can also be said that sunlight quickens us. And throughout Earth's history, there have been many cultures, such as Pharaonic Egypt, who worshipped the Sun as an exciting entity. Light, they believed, was thought to be "the gaze of God." Circa 1370 B.C., the then Pharaoh of Egypt, Akhnaton, or Son of the Sun, proclaimed that there was only one God, Aton, symbolized by the Sun and signifying the universal force of light throughout the world over all things. Of such reverence the once great Egyptian hymn is written (with many similarities to Psalms 104):

"When you are risen on the eastern horizon
You have filled every land with your beauty...
Though you are far away, your rays are on Earth."

Surely there is something to be said about our nearest star!

When was the last time you witnessed a sunrise? A sunset? Have you every really considered the brilliancy and awe of such an event? Or rather, contemplated on the awesome influence its light brings into our world and into our lives? Indeed, there is something truly awe-inspiring about our closest star and its life-giving properties. If you doubt it, go look outside your window. Everything you see is visible and defined because of the Sun. As the only star in our Solar System and single source of heat and light, we would do well to acknowledge the Sun's pivotal role in our lives from time to time. To be more exact, it would behoove us to reflect on the power of light itself and its "activating" and "reactivating" properties within us.

Hugh Nibley, a world renowned LDS scholar and historian, made this statement about light in his book Temple and Cosmos:

"Without light, matter is inert and helpless. It must be improved by the action of light. You've got to put into it some animating principle. Whenever that acting principle is withdrawn, the matter at once falls back into its original lifeless, inert condition."

He then talks about it not being enough to arrange matter in order and system, referring to God's first creative processes as one of organization and order into the universe. "If you organize it," he says, "you've just got a geometrical structure or something similar, but it's still inert." Again, light is the activating agent by which all things become. What is meant by this is light has revelatory properties. Just as we can only see when a room is lit, we are limited, or rendered helpless, when light is withdrawn. Imagine what your life would be like if you were to live in total darkness for one full day. How about one hour? What thoughts and feelings would arise within such a vacuum? Think of how you would react once the time expired and light was once again introduced. After a minute of readjustment the finer details of your surroundings would become clearer and more defined. This natural process is no different than the manner in which we learn and grow. Just as our eyes respond immediately to the presence of great light, so are our minds influenced by pure intelligence when it is before us.

If light brings matter to life then it would follow that in darkness there would be death, or more fittingly, spiritlessness. As mentioned previously, the Sun quickens our world and our own individual selves, enlivening our spirits and all forms of matter to grow and to improve. Interestingly enough, through a process called photomorphogenesis, or "light-mediated development," a plant's conducted sunlight from its uppermost surface to its lower roots serves as a map for such things as how high it will grow, when it will flower, set fruit, and when to age. But if light is able to bring about such great things, why are there still so many disbelievers in God who seek shelter from its influence? Even more, why does virtue so often languish in the shadow while vice triumphs in the sunshine? The answer is readily visible: Fear.

Recall the quiet moments of the night, when the floorboards are heard creaking, the stairwell stirs and snaps, even the windows seem to shake. To many frightful minds a haunting seems afoot reflected by panicked gasps and spousal nudging. But such reactions only reflect an uncertainty of things as they are not supposed to be. In other words, we expect our world to remain constant and static, always the same as if the weather had an accuracy rate of 100%. And truthfully, the sounds that invariably go bump in the night are almost always just that. But despite this higher probability, frightful images still surround our covered faces, leaving us feeling exposed and vulnerable to all levels of influence. To be sure, these fearful moments make our condition even more intolerable yet assuredly improved by our knowledge of a nearby light switch. Surprisingly, many remain frozen in the dark, wallowing in their unpleasantness, afraid of what might actually be revealed to them by light's scrutinizing ray. What is more, just as the Earth radiates absorbed sunlight back into space in equal measure, so does it also sustain its own body core temperature. Carl Sagan, the once famous astronomer and writer, spoke of the Earth glowing "in its own eerie, cool infrared light...not as sunlight reflected...but as the planet's own body heat." The resultant glow is a direct reflection of the amount of sunlight absorbed. To put it more simply, the more light we can permit to come in ourselves, such as through faithful discipleship, the more of it we can radiate back into the world and in the lives of others. Hence, the hotter we are, the greater is our "glow in the dark." Such steadying brightness quickly dissipates the mists of fear and despair. Feeling more sure of our place and ultimate destination, we are now fit to successfully overcome the temptations and snares of the evil one for God's Word will serve as "a light unto my path."

Yet in resisting evil we would also do well to consider the good and its higher, though seemingly less defended purposes. Accordingly, M. Scott Peck made this statement about the problem of evil and the mystery of goodness:

"It is a strange thing. Dozens of times I have been asked by patients or acquaintances: "Dr. Peck, why is there evil in the world?" Yet no one has ever asked me in all these years: "Why is there good in the world?" It is as if we automatically assume this is a naturally good world that has somehow been contaminated by evil. In terms of what we know of science, however, it is actually easier to explain evil. That things decay is quite explainable in accord with the natural law of physics. That children generally lie and steal and cheat is routinely observable. The fact that sometimes they grow up to become truly honest adults is what seems the more remarkable. Laziness is more the rule than diligence. If we seriously think about it, it probably makes more sense to assume this is a naturally evil world that has somehow been  mysteriously "contaminated" by goodness, rather than the other way around. The mystery of goodness is even greater than the mystery of evil."

Indeed, there is much good in the world and even greater cause to celebrate its ultimate victory. Typically, when we think about "the world" we consider that which exists outside ourselves such as our neighbors, town, city, or country. However, to the honest man world peace and goodness are sustained and lived within the walls of his own home. This is the place where such vitalizing principles ought to shine the brightest. And if it dims, the good man will not avoid the pain that comes from self-examination, but will rejoice in it until his vision clears and sharpens. Conversely, the wicked man is as "the ghosts of the tribe" in Robinson Jeffers poem, Apology for Bad Dreams, where they "crouch in the nights beside the ghost of a fire, they try to Remember the sunlight, Light has died out of their skies." This lesson reveals an important truth about the presence of light and its absence. When we engage in riotous living and reject the truth in its highest form, choosing to be carried on the stink-wind of popular sentiment, we have no promise. We revert to our most basic state that thrives on pleasure rather than principle. Without this latter guiding light, we are as a blind man attempting to navigate a car on Paris's grand circle road, Place Charles de Gaulle. Surrounded by temptation, with every road promising the same limited happiness, the corruptible man, so beset by indecision, remains in the same self-defeating cycle. In this progress is halted and seemingly displaced, similar to that of an unfree ghost.

The poet and playwright, Henrik Ibsen, spoke of human nature and its associated problems in much the same way:

"I am half inclined to think we are all ghosts. It is not only what we have inherited from our fathers and mothers that exists again in us, but all sorts of old dead ideas and all kinds of old dead beliefs and things of that kind. They are not actually alive in us; but there they are dormant, all the same, and we can never be rid of them. Whenever I take up a newspaper and read it, I fancy I see ghosts creeping between the lines. There must be ghosts all over the world. They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me. And we are so miserably afraid of the light, all of us."

When confronted with the truth, many "choose not to say" or "see" the light. Christ saw this all too frequently among the disbelievers, namely the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were "unable to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions." (Matthew 22:45) Like sunlight, which breaks forth like a searchlight suddenly turned on against sin and corruption, "there seems to have been in the presence of Jesus a spell of mystery and of majesty which even His most ruthless and hardened enemies acknowledged, and before which they involuntarily bowed." (Farrar, The Life of Christ) Furthermore, "it was to this that he [Jesus] showed His escape when the maddened Jews in the Temple took up stones to stone Him; it was this that made the bold and bigoted officers of the Sanhedrin unable to arrest Him as He taught in public during the Feast of Tabernacles at Jerusalem; it was this that made the armed band of His enemies, at his mere look, fall before Him to the ground in the garden of Gethsemane. Suddenly, quietly, He asserted His freedom, waved aside His captors, and overawing them by his simplistic glance, passed through their midst unharmed. Similar events have occurred in history, and continue still to occur. There is something in defenseless and yet dauntless dignity that calms even the fury of a mob. They stood-stopped-inquired-were ashamed-fled-separated."

"The evil hate the light," Dr. Peck similarly declared, "the light of goodness that shows them up, the light of scrutiny that exposes them, the light of truth that penetrates their deception." The slavish life, the one chained up by external forces such as drugs, alcohol, pornography, and infidelity cannot subsist without our justifying the dark arts with such careless comments as "all is well" and "there is no harm in this." But in the process of self-examination and ultimate nature change, we allow the light to fill our minds and bodies in large measure, absorbing it not as a tiny soft beam we see coming furtively from under a closed door, but rather breaking forth "out of obscurity" as an all-encompassing, all-consuming glow. Hebrews 12:29 states, "For our God is a consuming fire." Thus, by biblical definition, it is heaven, not hell, that is the source for light, heat, purity, and refinement, all of which comprise the central properties of fire. Additionally, the Prophet Joseph Smith saw in vision the heavens opened and declared the following in Doctrine and Covenants 137:

1- The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell.
2- I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire;
3- Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.

Conversely, hell would be chill, isolating, barren, and utterly dark. This notion was eluded to very well in a favorite movie of mine called Sunshine, where a group of astronauts (humanity's last hope) are sent to commandeer a nuclear ship left to reignite the dying sun. I really love this film. There is a scene at the beginning where a member of the crew is viewing the sun from the observation deck. Appearing at only 2% brightness but still magnificent, he asks the computer to behold the sun at 4%, a sight he is told would cause "irreversible damage" to his retinas. As an alternative, he is told he can view the sun at 3.1% for a period of not longer than 30 seconds, which he does. The following scene is nothing short of incredible. Attached below is the actual image from the movie:

As depicted above, at just 3.1% brightness we cannot even begin to fathom the total light produced by our Sun. I marvel at what it would be like to witness such glory in full compared with the supreme majesty of God and His Christ. Soon after his lighted experience, the doctor explains to the rest of the crew his feelings about what occurred. He states:

"The point about darkness is...you float in it. You and the darkness are distinct from each other because darkness is an absence of something, it's a vacuum. But total light...envelops you, it becomes you."

This is why sin is so isolating in contrast to choosing the right which is more inclusive. In choosing the darkness we attempt to cover ourselves from the piercing exposure of our conscience, which serves as an inner mooring during times of mental conflict. In much the same way, the glaringly evident truths which remind us of a loving Creator and Savior are rejected wholesale by the "Mr. Hyde" part of our personalities. In awe of our own shadows, we seem to focus more on the product of light in our cast outlines than the truer features revealed by self-examination and contemplation. When the latter occurs, we are more fit to marvel at the grand majesty of the Sun and the power of God to envelop us with His light, thereby becoming one with Him.

In his short essay on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, John A. Sanford notes that the evil part of Jekyll's personality, that of Mr. Hyde, eventually destroyed itself [himself] by suicide. "For it tells us that evil eventually overreaches itself and brings about its own destruction. Evidently evil cannot live on its own, but can exist only when there is something good upon which it can feed." Indeed, a thing cannot be fully understood without also considering its counterpart, such as the light from the darkness. It is requisite then that we know our enemies, but it is even more dangerous to share our beds with them. A careful examination should never include conversion. As described earlier, the point about darkness is that you seem to float in it, as it is an absence of something. To clarify this point, Hugh Nibley stated that,

"The ultimate form of damnation is "to be like the demons of the air." Satan is the prince of the air (Ephesians 2:2-3), because he has no place for his foot - no sure footing, no base of operations anywhere. As the Pistis Sophia says, "To be deprived of the ordinaces is like being suspended in air, having no place for his foot."

Similarly, in the Book of Mormon, we read of Lehi's Vision where he beheld many profound things,

26 - ...on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
27 - And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
33 - And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
34 - These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away. (1 Nephi 8)

Soon after, Lehi's faithful son, Nephi, is able to receive further light and knowledge about the same vision and the meaning of that great "floating" structure:

36 - And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (1 Nephi 11)

Herein lies the futility of evil and the efforts of those who attempt to last while in sin. For evil cannot sustain itself for long just as a plane cannot stay airborne indefinitely. It has no foundation. But with the sure light of truth and virtue, the sinner can once again find solid ground, enveloped by light and the tight embrace of a loving Father in Heaven. The following scriptures reveal additional insight into this promised state:

-While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. (John 12:36)
-Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalms 119:105)
-And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. (2 Samuel 23:4)
-Therefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief. (Doctrine and Covenants 106:5)
-Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14)
-That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24)

In one particular verse in the Book of Mormon, the word light occurs six times with reference to King Lamoni's conversion after the preaching of Ammon:

6- Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that King Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness - yeah, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God. (Alma 19:6)

In Elder Lynn A. Mickelsen's talk entitled, Light and Growth, he speaks about our spiritual lives and the growth we may determine based on how we follow the Savior. "If we become stiff-necked and cease to look to His light, or if we allow sin to damage our receptors for light, we will die spiritually. But if we obey the commandments, we come closer to God and gain greater light. This increase in light stimulates the "photomorphogenesis" of our spiritual lives and governs our spiritual progress."

As stated earlier, light has animating and reactivating processes. It awakens us each morning and satisfies our lawns. It warms us when we are cold and fills us with joy after a wild storm. It also purifies us from the bitterness of sin insofar as we do not throw it back. Thus, it is imperative that we become lighted, living disciples of Christ. Are we growing toward the light or withering from it? May we let light be the controlling force in our lives. If the old saying is true that, "Light is darkness - lit up," then we ought to consider the way we presently view the problems of the world and our individual responsibilities toward their solution. Then, as our awareness grows, so will our perspective on life shift from that of eye-level to sky-level, where we can more appropriately follow wisdom's paths to its brightest and highest point.

Now, if the sun is out, go take a quick look at it to be reminded of its power. With the naked eye, the event won't last long. It only takes about 8 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth. Perhaps it's taken you approximately the same amount of time to read this entire post. Maybe you've learned something. It's possible that the rays of truth have already started conducting themselves through you. The question then remains: Has your spiritual self been reactivated? And if so, how long will you permit the light to work within you? 

8 minutes? 

Long live the fighters

The Last Pillar

I've always admired the grand architecture of columns and pillars. To me, they signify power and great strength. Rising solid and tall they stand as witnesses to the great empires of ancient times and the leaders who established and maintained them. Consider the Parthenon of classic Greece with its majestic structure still reflective of their once great authority. In its totality, the Parthenon consists of 69 pillars which comprise its inner and outer arranged marble walls. Completed in 432 BC, it has remarkably survived the ravages of time and war, with many of its pillars still standing atop the Acropolis in Athens proving that sound principles built upon platforms of truth and wisdom will endure the test of time. Though, for many other cultures, a single column would be erected in honor of a great leader, saint, and/or heroic conflict to remind the populace of their earned heritage and national pride. For example, (and likely unbeknownst to many) since 1893, a 150 foot monument has stood at the heart of Trenton, New Jersey, known as the Trenton Battle Monument, which bears solid testimony to the heroic efforts of General George Washington and his broken band of Continental soldiers during the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Trenton one bitterly cold Christmas night in 1776. The conflict was a pivotal victory for the fearful Americans who had been suffering under the psychological dominance of Britain with her vast military and political influence. With depressed morale and the daily desertions of army personnel, Washington himself submitted to doubt - but only for a moment. With faith in God and the desire for national sovereignty from tyrannical rule, General Washington successfully turned feelings of despair to divine purpose culminating with the following words after his victory over the dominant Hessian Army:

"This is a glorious day for our country."

With the weight of a nation upon his shoulders, George Washington demonstrated great strength despite the stress and heavy responsibilities, choosing to stand upright and firm with confidence as a pillar among men.

A simple Internet search can produce a plethora of information about these structures and their marked semblances of a time gone by. In the Bible, we read of men seeming as pillars, the kingdom of God being likened unto a pillar, and the Lord's manifestations to the children of Israel in similar fashion, such as with fire or by a cloud. I do not find this coincidental as the very purpose of a column or pillar is to support and uphold. In the above mentioned examples, the Lord was teaching his people that he would always support and direct them insofar as they chose to live righteously and remember Him. But such blessings and divine protection can only come by maintaining a strong foundation built on principles and morals whereon the commandments of God, or pillars of truth, could be firmly planted. Hence, the base plate of the pillar, which serves to reduce the pressure and stress exerted by a weighted covering, is akin to the self-evident truths of liberty and personal responsibility sustained by Christ-like living. But alas, the same protective covering of moral clarity and responsibility over our own national security and sovereignty is crumbling. Like today's Parthenon, our roof is also severely damaged, falling to the floor in large measure to be broken further by the contact of sin and moral depravity. Now exposed to the unforgiving elements of nature and terror, the first pillars of civilized life are more vulnerable to external influence like terror, social control, and reductive materialism which are anathema to the inspired truths of the Constitution. But rather than reflect on the iron, granite, or marble columns representative of a nation's history, it would behoove us to examine our own inward parts and convictions, i.e. the morals and values that help qualify us to be real Americans and chosen warriors of God. These universal truths are not to be found exclusively within the walls of a chapel hall or as visions and revelations singly manifested upon the altar. Rather, the Lord manifests His mighty arm to all those who profess His name through obedience to the Commandments as He sees fit - sometimes in miraculous ways.

I think of Saul of Tarsus walking down the road to Damascus to persecute the Christians, filled with animosity for the cause of Christ and those "bound unto Jerusalem." I am sure the desert road was not paved nor consisted of a well-landscaped shoulder bright with flowers and ripe vegetation. It was likely of dirt - travel-worn and misshapen - decorated by loose stones kicked up by pulled carts and the long prints of weary feet. Yet still dedicated to the anti-Christ movement, Saul kept both eyes fixed on Jerusalem, the hub of Christendom. It was then that Christ Himself appeared before him, blinding him for three days resulting in a total conversion that qualified him for the appointed calling of apostle to the Lord Jesus Christ, henceforth to be known as Paul. Throughout the rest of his life, Paul stood for something. He taught of Christ and His Resurrection amidst being beaten, stoned, thrown in prison, and ridiculed by the very people he had once identified himself with. Truly, Paul was a pillar among men, standing fast to his beliefs and convictions despite being persecuted for them by upholding the teachings of Jesus and their saving influence, a protective covering that sustained him to the end of his days with the closing words:

 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."
                                                                             - 2 Timothy 4:7

Sadly, there are those within our own national borders, civilian and politician alike, who seem to be following in the same footsteps as Saul on the road to Damascus, possessing the same disdain and determination to overthrow the liberties of the land and the cause of Christians. Ezra Taft Benson, a true pillar of righteousness, declared in his talk The Price of Liberty: Eternal Vigilance that:

"The greatest threat to the freedom of any nation is erosion - not erosion of the soil, but erosion of the national morality and character. What we have to fear is not force from without, but weakness from within. Every nation yearns for liberty, but too frequently its own self-indulgence precludes the possibility of freedom. I speak of the trend of pleasure without conscience, wealth without work, business without morality, politics without principle, and worship without sacrifice. I believe personally there is a strong relationship between a strong, prosperous nation and the faith and righteousness of its people." (p.3)

He also reveals the destructive cycle of the body politic as it progresses "From bondage to spiritual faith - From spiritual faith to courage - From courage to freedom - From freedom to abundance - From abundance to selfishness - From selfishness to complacency - From complacency to apathy - From apathy to fear - From fear to dependency - From dependency to bondage."

At the end of his discourse, he outlines the four pillars upon which any nation's security rests:
1. Faith in God and in the universal brotherhood of mankind.
2. Strong homes and family ties.
3. A political climate and governmental system that protects man's inalienable rights.
4. Elected government officials who are wise and good, and a vigilant, informed citizenry.

As long as these columns remain supported by our first principles and intrinsic rights, we as a nation can withstand any oppressor or calamity that befalls us. But when one becomes compromised, such as by the dissolution of the family and responsible parenting, the weight of the roof is tilted and imbalanced, leading toward imminent collapse. Therefore, it is imperative that we stand as pillars of truth at all times, in all things, and in all places. We cannot compromise what we know to be true - ever. The whole "let's make a deal" philosophy so heavily used in the political arena today comes at a great cost - the people lose. Many of our "elected" officials are no different than the scribes and Pharisees of old who "love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues." (Matthew 23:6) If only politicians stood firmly on principles rather than friendly compromise, choosing to rise to the occasion as Christ did in the temple against the moneychangers with a ready whip, driving off the droning members of "the hive" who serve as mouthpieces to a collectivist mind so far removed from reality as the band who played on while the Titanic sank. Such outliers from reason cannot be suffered nor like-minded politicians be re-elected.


"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear." 
- Cicero

The earth is filled with history's columns, some having been reconstructed, others since fallen, while many more continue to stand the test of time. We must value them as monuments to civilization and high places of courage. While the future remains uncertain, and the present course of our nation is turned backward to war and wise leadership, it would be well for us to no longer avoid the pain that comes from self-examination, but to embrace our faults as opportunities to grow toward heaven. Like Paul Muad'dib in Frank Herbert's masterpiece Dune, we can all be "the strength of the base of the pillar" in our own homes and communities - paving the road for our own children to follow in the same way General Washington and his men marched onward to Trenton despite blood and cold.


I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices of all those who have died to preserve our way of life and the many freedoms we still presently enjoy as a free nation. May we never take them for granted or become complacent in their defense. 118 years have passed since the Trenton Battle Monument was erected. Let us hope, for the sake of our country, that the same amount of time can be added upon this first one. If not, then may we all stand firm in the truth until that fateful day arrives, courageous and strong, joined in loyal defense of our inalienable rights against all forms of tyranny - to be a testament of liberty and freedom rising high through the ashes as the last pillar of humanity.

Long live the fighters