The meaning of nothing

In taking a break from working on the final project, I wanted to refresh myself on the thoughts I had while reading King Lear.  If you remember from two posts ago, I uploaded a clip from "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."  I would like to take that thought a step further.  The video clip depicts a conversation between a father and his son, and the way this father feels his place in his son's life should be.  In essence, the conversation between Cordelia and her father is the same.  

Elder Maxwell; who spoke in parallel
terms with Cordelia.  

Last Lear post I focused on the theme of "nothing."  Lear said to Cordelia, "Nothing will come of nothing, speak again," (Act 1, Sc 1, 92).  The nothing that Cordelia was referring to I believe is akin, or even exactly alike, to how we feel about the gospel.  Elder Maxwell once said of the things that matter most to us, "we realize that we [feel] more than we can tell, for the language used is not that which the tongue can transmit," (Patience).  I think that Cordelia felt this way; she said in a voice only for herself:  "Poor Cordelia!  I am sure my love is more ponderous than my tongue," (Act I, Sc 1, 79).  (If you would like to listen to this talk, which has been a special favorite of mine for many years, you can click the download mp3 portion from this page.  You might need to reload the page that is supposed to play it comes up.)  It is very interesting that King Lear didn't understand why Cordelia couldn't find words for her love; that can only mean that he didn't love her as much as she loved him.  


Later in this exchange between Lear and Cordelia, after Lear has risen in his anger, he casts Cordelia out of his life with many harsh words.  Among these heartless words are these:  "Let it so be, thy truth then be thy dower."  

"Truth shall be thy dower," (King Lear's words to Cordelia)

It it amazing how often words spoken in anger are ironically true.  Truth would be Cordelia's dowery.  She held to truth, and truth was sufficient.  The following is another quote from Elder Maxwell.  The entire quote has application to "King Lear," but the part that I have italicized is directly pertinent to the ironic truth that King Lear spoke to Cordelia:  "Another thing we must make no mistake about is this.  we constitute each others clinical material.  We're in the same laboratory with each other.  Agency and all.  This means quite frankly that we endure each others immaturities.  Which when compounded, produces considerable perplexity and frustration as to what is happen about us, and to us.  Therefore there are times when we cannot be sure, and we must give the response Nephi gave when he was perplexed.  'I know that God loved this children, nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things,' (1 Nephi 11:17).  There will be times in each of your lives, have been, will be, when that must be the bottom line.  You don't know what's happening to you or around you but you know that God loves you and to know that for the moment is enough," (If Thou Endure it Well).


To know that for the moment is enough.