Personal Radiation

Today's post comes from President David O. McKay, specifically from an address given at BYU April 27, 1948.

"There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man's unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of his personality--the effect of his words and his acts on others. This radiation is tremendous. Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world.

Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence.

Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated. He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. And by these qualities he will constantly affect the world.

This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope--or any one of a hundred other qualities.

Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation."

Over the last several years, I can distinctly remember seemingly insignifiicant experiences (interactions with other people) that have left surprisingly large impacts on my life. I'm going to focus these thoughts on the positive ones.

My first week living in North Carolina, I drove to "Uptown" for a job interview. After getting lost a few times, I finally asked a female security guard where I was and where I should go. She was so kind and friendly, called me "sweetheart," and made me feel right at home. When I think of North Carolina and "Southern Hospitality" I think back to that experience and how that women helped me feel impotant.

Since we've lived in our current house, we've had several neighbors rent out the house next door. I happened to make some treats on evening (something I do quite often, unfortunately) and I thought I'd take our new neighbors some so that we could meet them, and so that we could get the extra dessert off our hands. It was an extremely easy and convenient thing for us to do. A couple months later they were told that they had to move again. They were somewhat frustrated, and while they were packing and getting ready to leave, the wife told me that I had made such an impact on them when I brought over those treats. She told me that their former neighbors never said a word to them and that it was so nice to have neighbors who were friendly.

Small things make the biggest difference.