Eva will lead off.....

Eva’s Talk
Good afternoon, Brothers and Sisters, my name is Eva Roach. Our topic that we were given for today, ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’, is a well-known phrase. As a Primary kid we are taught to treat others as we would like to be treated-which is sometimes called the golden rule. This is one way to show love for our neighbors. I like to think of it this way, I wouldn’t like to be judged by others because of my clothes or hairdo, so I don’t judge other people that way either. I know some girls in my school who didn’t talk to me until I got a new haircut that they thought was much cuter than my old one. I don’t know if they’d heard about the golden rule before, but one person who definitely lives the golden rule is my best friend Erin. She and I talk about everything together, and she often asks me what to do because she would never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. She is an excellent person and has lots of friends because of this.
Another thing that goes along with the ‘Love thy Neighbor as Thyself’ rule is the phrase: Do not think yourself better than others. According to the Declaration of Independence (which I just learned about in school), it says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” That means that our Heavenly Father made us so we are all the same. We might look differently and even believe differently but we all have very similar feelings and needs, like needing food and safety and the need to be accepted and loved. Heavenly Father put us on the Earth so that we could learn and live the Gospel and be righteous so we can live in Heaven again. Treating others with respect and courtesy is a good way to live righteously.
In the Ten Commandments in Matthew Chapter 19 verses 18 and 19, it says, “… Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” I didn’t know before researching this topic that Love thy Neighbor was actually one of the 10 Commandments, but it is definitely important enough to be one. Loving your Neighbor can be helping someone in need or just complimenting someone, which is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make someone feel good. And, I’ve noticed, saying something mean to someone makes it so that the next time that they see you, their subconscious (if not their regular conscience) sends a message to have mad feelings toward you, whether the mean thing you did was 2O minutes ago or a year ago. Likewise, if you compliment someone, they feel the urge to say something nice in return or even just, “Hi, Eva!”
I feel like I am failing a bit in this area because of my siblings. Well, not BECAUSE of them, but because of me failing to greet them cheerily or listening when they want to tell me something, but after I realized my mistakes, I started working much harder to fix them.
Another common question I feel should be answered is ‘Who is my neighbor?’ and I think that the people who live next door to you are your neighbors. Just kidding, your neighbors are everyone you have ever or will ever meet. Every living human and or animal you have ever seen. They are all people, so they should all be treated as one of the smartest mammals on Earth. Another example of how NOT to do it is in our own history. I am referring to the Trail of Tears. For anyone not familiar with the subject, it was the trail that the US government forced the Native Americans to walk when they were driven out of their homes. (I am studying American History at school.) The USA had armed gunmen drive the Indians away from their home land. That’s exactly how not to do it.
These are my thoughts on Loving my Neighbor. I was excited all week to be able to talk. I appreciate the opportunity and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.