My thoughts about Helen Keller

I will always marvel at the accomplishments of Helen Keller. She was one who was blind and deaf, and yet, through hard work, and because of the light and knowledge given to her by another, she accomplished miraculous things. She wrote some marvelous pieces of literature. One of her pieces was called "Optimism". It is a beautiful piece of literature. A favorite quote from her is, “No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”
A few years ago, my wife, Pam, and I attended a play at the Pioneer Memorial Theater, in Salt Lake City, Utah, about the early life of Helen Keller. It was called “The Miracle Worker”. The play was well done and it helped me appreciate a message that I had pondered about for some time. I had often questioned and wondered why it was so important to be obedient. I always felt that it was important to be self-sufficient and independent, and to work hard and to do our best. However, I always felt that blind obedience seemed to be in conflict with agency, and with being independent and self-sufficient. What was in common with blind obedience and free agency? After seeing this play, it was very clear to me, that knowledge comes from obedience. Some knowledge is a gift, but some can only be achieved by obedience to those or to principles that can impart knowledge to us. Nature often offers us such opportunities to learn. I learned that by being obedient, we gain light and knowledge and miracles happen.
You might remember the story of Helen Keller. Helen was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the age of 19 months old she became very ill. Because of this illness, Helen went from being a normal child, physically, to one that was deaf and blind. Her parents were devastated. They loved her and they tried their best to help her, to love her and to work with her. She described her state of being as knowing only "darkness and stillness, without past or future." By the age of 7 she had become savage-like and wild. Her parents, not knowing what to do, loved her by letting her do whatever she wanted. They tolerated her insolence and savage nature because they didn't know how to deal with it or how to solve it. They got to the point where they considered institutionalizing her, feeling hopeless about their ability to deal with her. They questioned her ability to be anything more than a menace to society and others. She was too wild and uncontrollable.
They did not want to institutionalize her, because that would almost certainly be a sentence to disease, abuse and death. The institutions of that day were poor and filthy.
They had read where Charles Dickens had reported about a deaf and blind girl by the name of Laura Bridgmann. This girl had learned to communicate with others. This report gave the family hope and they contacted a school for the blind.
Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone and a teacher of the deaf, guided them to a young lady by the name of Anne Sullivan. Anne had become blind from filthy living conditions and disease, but she had learned to communicate with others. She had also been blessed through an operation to receive part of her sight back. Anne also knew first hand how horrible the asylums and the institutions for the handicapped could be, as she lived in one and as her younger brother died in one. She ended up in a state poorhouse with her little brother because her alcoholic father had abandoned the family and because her mother had died from tuberculosis. Through determination, courage and the kindness of others, Anne overcame the obstacles in her life and she dedicated her life to helping others overcome their obstacles. Over time, Anne realized that she could not alter the things around her, only herself. As she matured she rebelled less, and she believed that a child learned best through love, patience, and discipline, allowing the child individual freedom. Anne was hired by the family to teach Helen. She began on March 3, 1887. Anne demanded order, respect and obedience. Helen's family gave Anne their trust, faith, and support. Otherwise, they felt that they would have no other choice, but to send Helen to an asylum. Anne taught through repetition, patience, love, order, faith, consequences and a plan of education. Anne taught a love of nature, utilizing cornfields, rivers, barns, etc. in her teaching. Anne taught through the use of touching Helen's hands. Anne would try and get Helen to recognize the letters of the alphabet that Anne would spell into Helen's hands. It was not easy. It took a lot of love, patience, faith and order. The family questioned Anne's abilities and methods. But Anne had experienced this in her own life and she knew how to help Helen. After a lot of work and attention, Helen came to associate water with the letters w-a-t-e-r that Anne spelled into her hand. It opened the world of communication to her. Helen, like her mentor Anne, learned the importance of obedience. In her state of darkness, she could not learn without being obedient to one who knew. She learned how to see in darkness. She understood what it meant to be enlightened by knowledge. The play showed and taught that "obedience is the key that unlocks the understanding of knowledge and truth in the mind." It might be said also that obedience is the key to light. Anne never quit or gave up on Helen. Anne continued to teach Helen with love and patience and order, and by learning obedience Helen went on to gain college degrees and to become a great author, teacher and mentor for the blind and the deaf. Anne and Helen are great examples for all of us. When we are obedient, we can gain knowledge, and good things happen. Light and knowledge can be gained by obedience to laws and principles. The scripture in D&C 130:18-19 is really true that says ..."And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated". The play made mention of another fact, however, that we should always keep in mind. It went something like this: “Obedience without knowledge is another form of blindness.” The history of the world is full of examples of such blindness. It is so important to keep learning and progressing and being obedient to those who have gained knowledge through their own obedience, namely our parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers and leaders. It is also important to never give up. As World War II raged, I believe that Winston Churchill immortalized the words, “Never, never, never give up.”

A favorite quote from President Ronald Reagan about the opposite of optimism went something like this, “Opportunity knocked but the pessimist didn’t answer the door because of all the noise.”

What Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan accomplished is miraculous. By choosing obedience, work, light and knowledge, Helen and Anne overcame their weaknesses, the entropy (disorder) in their lives, and miracles happened.