I actually looked forward to Sterling W. Sill's weekly program. He included a good deal from non-Mormon sources and applied them to everyday life. He never preached, but rather informed. He included morals, but they were ones that are generally acceptable to any religious person.
The church could use someone more like him, and less like Packer and Holland. As I recall, he was big in life insurance before becoming a GA. He talked a lot about the principles governing success.
>President Rex D. Pinegar, the newest member of the First Council of the Seventy, was raised in a family richly endowed with love and concern for the individual member. These choice traits have not been diminished by the transition from childhood to adulthood, as President Pinegar demonstrates love and respect in his attitude toward his own wife and children.
Could we expect anything less than the love and respect of a made man?
Steve Covey. Harvard-educated, he gave lectures to businesses all over the world, and started a successful business out of his "7-Habits" books. Paul Dunn and the rest were/are nobodies, and didn't make their own money, but lived off of tithing money.
Covey was a great father--very loving, and not too authoritarian. He lived what he taught. Actually, I run my business according to his basic principles--certainly not the typical Mormon way of handling employees. He was sincere in his effort to turn things around. First, he had to turn himself around, though. He didn't get it right, in his first attempts, but he grew with the times.
People who act like that really do believe they are better than others, assuming they have more money/power than the next peon (who could be a hedge fund manager for all he knows...)
Excluding disabled-all disabilities are not visible. Don't assume someone cutting in line or boarding first is healthy because they can walk to the plane...
I experienced the exact opposite. Myself, and a group of fellow non-MO teachers here in San Jose, went to hear Steve Covey speak on his then new "Seven Habits" book.
When it was time to begin, he was standing at the front, but the sound system simply DID NOT WORK! The techies ran around everywhere trying this plug and that without success. Finally, after almost thirty minutes (I looked at my watch) the problem was fixed and Covey began as though nothing had happened. For the entire time, he was relaxed and calm. The audience remained the same way since Cover never showed any concern nor lost his cool. It was the one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.
My fellow teachers were talking about it for several weeks thereafter.