Sunday, July 25, 2021

Letting Agency Remain

In Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk, The Personal Journey of a Child of God, he quoted a woman named Emily, who had been the result of a teen pregnancy. Emily wrote that she was thankful for her birth mother's choice not to use her agency in a way that would have taken away Emily's agency. As a proponent of agency, I agree with this sentiment. We should not use our agency to restrict or invalidate the agency of others. Naturally, this includes not killing them, but it also includes passing strict and unreasonable laws and rules. It includes not trying to control people or manipulate them. Essentially, we should respect the freedom and agency of others and leave them with as many open options as possible.

We are both lucky and blessed to have agency. We should not now turn around and use our agency in any way that would restrict the agency of others.

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