Admitting that “living to 101 is a privilege I never expected,” President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered “enduring truths” learned over his lifetime in a Time magazine op-ed published Friday, Sept. 5.
“These enduring truths are what anchor us in turbulent times,” wrote President Nelson in the article titled “We All Deserve Dignity and Respect,” which appears in Time’s online section called “Ideas.”
Citing his professional experience as a heart surgeon for four decades and his ecclesiastical role as an Apostle for four decades more, President Nelson wrote that he has spent his life “studying both the physical and spiritual heart.” He explained how his research into and dependence on natural laws led to his understanding of irrefutable truths he could trust and rely on — and that “the human spirit flourishes when nourished by divine truth as well.”
President Nelson, who will celebrate his 101st birthday on Tuesday, Sept. 9, said he wanted to share two truths on the occasion of his birthday — “lessons that I believe contribute to lasting happiness and peace.”
1. ‘Inherent worth and dignity’
“Each of us has inherent worth and dignity. I believe we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father,” President Nelson wrote. “But no matter your religion or spirituality, recognizing the underlying truth beneath this belief that we all deserve dignity is liberating — it brings emotional, mental and spiritual equilibrium — and the more you embrace it, the more your anxiety and fear about the future will decrease.”
Acknowledging that life can be terrifying and that he has watched many — especially young people — struggle with anxieties about belonging or having value, President Nelson reassured: “But a heart that knows it is loved and remains focused on its purpose beats with steadiness, confidence and hope no matter what is happening — or not happening — in life.”
2. ‘Love your neighbor … with compassion and respect’
“Love your neighbor and treat them with compassion and respect,” he wrote. “A century of experience has taught me this with certainty: Anger never persuades, hostility never heals, and contention never leads to lasting solutions. Too much of today’s public discourse, especially online, fosters enmity instead of empathy.”
President Nelson recited his call for peacemakers — “building bridges of understanding rather than walls of prejudice” — and recalled times when he has seen bitter divisions softened when one chooses to listen with respect rather than suspicion.
“Even small acts — like reaching out across lines of faith, culture or politics — can open doors to healing,” he wrote. “There is power in affording others the human dignity that all of God’s children deserve.”
He underscored that such efforts begin at home, saying that “families — though never perfect — remain one of life’s strongest sources of stability and meaning.
“My own experience has taught me that fidelity, forgiveness and faithfulness within families yield deep, enduring peace. Strong families help us extend kindness outward, reinforcing communities and societies as well.”
In his century of life and decades of studying both the human heart and the human soul, President Nelson said he has found this to be true: “We are happiest when we remember our divine worth and extend that recognition to others — beginning with our own families.”
The President and Prophet concluded by underscoring the Savior’s role in these laws and truths as well as offering an invitation and promising blessings.
“My faith teaches me that over two millennia ago, Jesus Christ preached these same laws of happiness: to love God and to love our neighbor,” he wrote. “After 101 years, I can say that these are not abstract theological ideas — they are practical wisdom. They are what have sustained me through loss and triumph, uncertainty, peace, war and healing.
“If we embrace these eternal truths — honoring our own worth, treating others with dignity and nurturing our families — our lives, and our world, will be steadier and more joyful.”
President Nelson ends his piece: “That is my birthday wish for all of us.”
Time’s Ideas section says it “hosts the world’s leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society and culture.”
Besides using social media to share his thoughts and invitations on significant issues, President Nelson has written or co-written several previous op-eds.
In a Feb. 10, 2019, op-ed in The Arizona Republic, President Nelson wrote about the importance of faith in God, inviting readers to turn to faith in an increasingly secular world.
In a June 8, 2020, joint op-ed on Medium titled “Locking Arms for Racial Harmony in America,” President Nelson joined senior NAACP leaders — President Derrick Johnson, Chairman Leon Russell and the Rev. Amos C. Brown — in calling for racial reform, saying “solutions will come as we open our hearts.”
