Welcome to the recent speeches podcast presented by BYU speeches

featuring inspiring new devotional and forums given each week on BYU campus.

Be sure to check out our other podcasts by searching BYU speeches wherever you get your

podcasts or by visiting speeches dot BYU.edu slash podcasts. I join Peggy and welcoming you to this new semester. You're a wonderful site.

In my opening devotional two years ago I spoke on the need for us to physically

gather together in Provo. Citing the Prophet Joseph Smith's observation that

compact society is absolutely necessary to the educational enterprise, I boldly proclaim that there is

something about physical proximity, about gathering in a compact society that is essential to the kind of education that is most important to us.

Six months later, that message of gathering and proximity was suddenly replaced by a plea to scatter and socially

distance. Talk about a statement that did not age well. Like so many other

things the desirability of physical proximity and compact

society seem to be radically altered by the coronavirus. Given the apparent

limited shelf life of my message about the importance of physical gathering and the

continued unwelcome presence of the pandemic. Some may think this devotional would

present me a good opportunity to confess error and admit that COVID has permanently changed everything, including the

desirability of gathering in a compact society. Instead, even though we are wearing

masks and even though I am still strongly urging each of you to get vaccinated if you haven't done already, I am unwilling to concede to the coronavirus.

Indeed, today I'm going to double down on the concept

of gathering and proximity, believing that these are eternal principles that will remain

applicable well beyond COVID and likely well beyond this mortal existence. While we need to

temporarily adjust some features of our educational endeavor until the pandemic

abates, it is in my view more important than ever that we be with one

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