Leaps of Faith

From time to time, the Lord calls upon us to relinquish our comforts in order to pursue greater success. Heavenly Father recognizes our divine potential, and He knows what steps we must take in order to reach it. The Lord’s insight and perspective far surpass our own paltry intelligence. Our narrow vision rarely takes us from where we are to where we want to be. Since our limited experience and understanding cannot propel us towards success, sometimes our only course of action is to perform a leap of faith.

Our heritage, our legacy, and our privileges are the byproducts of successive and frequent leaps of faith. A leap of faith prompted Adam and Eve to follow God’s plan. Another leap of faith helped the family of Lehi cross great waters to colonize the Americas. Joseph Smith’s leap of faith initiated the restoration of the gospel. Every significant success and every remarkable victory begins with courageous men and women who rely on faith to overcome tremendous challenges.

Most leaps of faith contribute greatly to our long-term happiness and success. Nevertheless, we often avoid taking a leap of faith when presented with the opportunity. Instead, we often opt for a shuffle of faith or a hobble of faith. Deep down, we know that greater effort will yield greater progress. Sadly, we just can’t seem to accept the uncertainty and risk that accompany faith based decisions.

Leaps of faith are indeed intimidating. The adversary would have us believe that they are extreme and impulsive. He fills our hearts with fear and doubt to prevent us from taking them. But we must realize that a leap of faith is not a free-fall of blind obedience. Nor is it a foolhardy sprint towards an unjustified gamble. Instead, a leap of faith is an opportunity to earn the blessings of heaven through the use of our agency, discernment, and logic.

A leap of faith is an opportunity that we should take advantage of. When we put our confidence in the Lord, He will fulfill His promises and enhance our lives .Therefore, I would like to recommend three important habits that will help you take advantage of such opportunities. Once you have mastered these habits, I can promise that you will make leaps of faith more frequently and more confidently.

Habit 1: Preparation

Fear is the antithesis of faith. Our anxieties curtail our hope and inhibit our ambition. Thus, fear is the first major obstacle to accomplishing a successful leap. Quite often, the anticipation that you feel prior to a leap will affect you far worse than the actual leap itself. Your biggest struggle will often occur before, not during, a leap of faith. However, we know that “if [we] are prepared, [we] shall not fear.” (D&C 38:30)

When the time came for a young Nephi to exercise faith, his preparation helped him prevail in the face of overwhelming odds. On two occasions, he and his brothers had already failed to recover the plates of brass from the treacherous Laban. Unwilling to quit, Nephi left his older brothers and returned to Jerusalem on his own, “not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1 Nephi 4:6)

Though he did not have a fixed plan, Nephi still entered the city with some degree of preparation. His childhood in the city likely made him familiar with the streets of Jerusalem. Years of obedience and quick observance gave him a keen mind, and a worthy heart. Even his recent failures proved preparatory as they acquainted him with Laban’s estate and property. Though he did not know everything, Nephi was sufficiently prepared to do something. So he went forth, being “led by the Spirit”.

When the time came for action, Nephi recognized the Lord’s plan. His years of obedience allowed him to follow God’s instructions with exactness. His familiarity with Laban’s property helped Nephi locate the treasury where the plates were stored. His keen mind allowed him to fool Laban’s servants into surrendering the brass plates. In the end, Nephi’s preparation allowed him to make his own leap of faith.

In your life, you cannot expect to be fully prepared for every contingency or trial. You may not have much, and you may not know much. Nonetheless, you can sufficiently prepare yourself to meet unavoidable challenges. You may not be fully prepared for unexpected trials. But at least you will have enough preparation to make an effective leap of faith.

 Habit 2: Commitment

Following a strong start to the 2014 college football season, the Oregon Ducks hit an unexpected roadblock. Despite being the overwhelming favorite to win, the Ducks fell behind early to the Utes from University of Utah. The Ducks defense found themselves facing a determined offense supported by a boisterous home crowd. If they were unable to slow down their opponent, Oregon would likely lose control of the scoreboard. Losing that game would surely ruin their chances for competing in the national championship.

As both teams lined up to begin the second quarter, the excitement in the crowd increased. At once, the center quickly snapped the ball to the quarterback and all  the receivers darted down the field. Despite the best efforts of the defense, one sole receiver rushed past every defender. The quarterback, noticing the wide open receiver, delivered a well-timed pass into the hands of his target. The Oregon Ducks could only watch as their untouched opponent raced 79 yards into the end-zone. The Utes had scored again.

The crowd erupted, the commentators applauded, and the Utes celebrated. With that touchdown, the momentum was clearly in Utah’s favor. For a moment, it seemed entirely possible that the Running Utes were poised for an impressive upset.

But to one Oregon defender, something seemed unusual. Linebacker Joe Walker noticed that the refs did not signal a touchdown. In fact, they stood still and watched the ball sit motionless on the goal line. While everyone else found themselves in fervent celebration, Walker kept his composure. Instead of conceding defeat and yielding to despair, Walker took a leap of faith. He scooped up the ball and began sprinting in the opposite direction.

The jubilant crowd watched as Walker raced down the sideline. Some even laughed as he crossed the entire field and ran into the end-zone. But their delight soon turned to confusion when the referee signaled an Oregon touchdown. Desperate for an explanation, the Utes watched the instant replay. What they saw immediately extinguished their enthusiasm.

In a show of premature celebration, the Ute receiver inexplicably fumbled the ball prior to crossing the goal line. The drop was so subtle, that only Walker and the referees ever noticed the mistake. Walker’s commitment to winning the game helped him to think clearly and act decisively. He determined to maintain his focus, even when all the visual and audible cues told him to give up.

Thanks to Walker’s efforts, Oregon quickly regained the momentum and won the game. They would go on to earn a spot in the National Championship. Such things may never have been, were it not for one player’s commitment.

A successful leap of faith demands our full commitment. Commitment helps you overcome adversity. It helps you ignore naysayers. It helps you stay the course when the powers of failure conspire against you. Without commitment, you will resort to hesitation and reservation; and no leap of faith can be accomplished under those circumstances.

Upon meeting with the rich young man, the Savior seemingly found a committed disciple. The rich man eagerly disclosed to Jesus that he had strictly followed all the commandments, even from his youth. For all intents and purposes, the young man had prepared his whole life to take his next leap.

“Yet lackest thou one thing”, added Jesus. “Sell all that thou hast, and distribute it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” (Luke 18:22)

With that one request, the resolve of the rich man fell apart. His devotion and commitment were replaced with doubt and reluctance. He had done all he could to prepare for his big leap of faith. Nevertheless, when the Lord called upon him to leap, he balked at the opportunity. His commitment, which once seemed so genuine, suddenly appeared fictitious.

In the end, the rich man’s half-hearted attempts did not supply him with enough power to achieve his true potential. Likewise, our half-hearted attempts will never produce the fruits of accomplishment and triumph. A person who stumbles, hesitates, and dithers will never complete a leap of faith. In contrast, a person who engages, hustles, and commits will always perform successful leaps of faith.

Habit 3: Reliance On Grace

In our recent travels this spring, we found ourselves at the end of a very long line of cars at the Sumas border crossing. The line moved slowly under the scrupulous watch of a strict Canadian border agent. But we were undeterred. Minutes earlier, we readied our passports and rehearsed our alibis. Just before we approached the border agent, I reminded Kara of the two rules to crossing the border: First, don’t speak unless spoken to. Second, don’t offer the agent more information than what he requests. With that final warning, we were prepared for anything.

“Where you folks headed to?” said the border guard as he greeted us.

“Vanderhoof British Columbia”, I responded.

At this point, the guard left his booth and closely inspected our Utah license plates. Once satisfied, he turned back and resumed his line of questioning.

“Do you have any tobacco or alcohol with you?” he continued.

“No, Sir.”

“Guns or firearms?”

“No, Sir”, I replied.

He asked a few more basic questions as he looked over our passports. I answered each one briefly and accurately. I grew more confident as his questions grew simpler. It appeared that we would once again enter Canada without incident.

While closing our passports, he issued one final question.

“Do you have any poultry or chicken on board?”

I opened my mouth to answer in the negative, but I was cut off by a nervous and fretful voice from behind me.

“Well,” started Kara, “our boy has a bottle of milk in the back with him…”

Tense silence followed her answer. With one brief sentence, Kara managed to violate both border crossing rules. Both the agent and I paused to stare at her. Neither of us knew what to say.

“What did milk have to do with poultry?” I wondered silently.

Unsure of how the agent would respond, I sat still and silent. From that point, Kara was on her own. The agent somberly lowered his head, looked past me, and glanced rigidly at Kara. Then, with all the professionalism and seriousness he possessed, he asked a follow-up question.

“Is it chicken milk?” he inquired.

Kara immediately recognized her error. Feeling embarrassed, she refused to answer the question. Meanwhile, I sat there laughing as the border agent returned our passports and ushered us past security. He had nothing further to say. Thanks to the good grace and humor of the border agent, we were able to continue without further delay.

A significant lesson came out of this experience. We can spend great efforts to prepare ourselves and commit ourselves to succeed, but our capabilities and experience may not be enough to get us where we want to be. We will make mistakes. When left to our own devices, those mistakes could easily hamper our success. Therefore, our success often depends heavily on the grace of others. When it comes to making leaps of faith, we must rely upon the grace of God to see us through to safety.

If there is one thing that I would have you understand about leaps of faith, it would be this: It is OUR responsibility to take the leap, but it is the LORD’S responsibility to prepare a safe landing.

The scriptures testify of this principle:

“…For I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7)

The Lord promises us success as we exercise our faith. Not success according to the world, but the success that can only be delivered through divine providence and the atonement of Jesus Christ.

To conclude, I would like to pose to you a question: What leaps of faith are you avoiding?

Do you withdraw your family from the community, fearing the powers of influence and temptation?

Do you waver in your conviction to serve in the church, knowing that it will require hard work?

Do you dismiss the idea of continuing your education, settling for the status quo?

Do you shy away from momentous changes, hoping that the world will change before you have to?

Do you dawdle in the present, distressing over the uncertainty of the future?

Historically, the Lord required leaps of faith from all his children. He demanded leaps of faith from the Israelites. He demanded many leaps from the Nephites. He demanded a leap of faith from the early pioneers. He also demands them from you.

Do not be content to stay in your comfort zone. Do not condemn yourself to mediocrity and stagnancy.  Instead, develop the habits of preparation, commitment, and the reliance on grace. Future generations will benefit from the leaps of faith that you are making, just as you have benefited from the leaps of faith undertaken by prior generations.

The Anatomy of a Rumor

I love the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”. It is one of the few books that I have read over and over again. Each time the story stirs my fascination. To date, no book has shown me such a stark, yet simple, contrast between the most honorable and the most deplorable of human attributes. Every story, big or small, within the novel touches on some of life’s most important lessons. As of late, I have been drawn to one of the lesser storylines from the book. This story goes mostly unnoticed, and it is mentioned sparingly in the book. Nevertheless, it is a powerful story and it deserves a look. It is the story of Mr. Dolphus Raymond.

Much like the rest of the characters in the novel, Dolphus Raymond lived in Maycomb Alabama. Maycomb, as described by the author, was a tired old town in the 1920’s. For the most part, neighbors knew one another; or at least they pretended to. Like other small towns, word of mouth travelled fast. Topics of discussion mostly revolved around the day-to-day happenings of the county. Maycomb citizens seemed only mildly interested in any news from outside the county. Instead, local discussion was driven by gossip regarding the Radley family myth, Mrs. Dubose’s health, and most recently, the Tom Robinson trial. The life of anyone and everyone was open to scrutiny and assumption. To Dolphus Raymond, the hearsay and postulation was as predictable as the daily sunrise.

Wherever Dolphus Raymond goes, silent whispers always follow. His outward appearance and strange lifestyle make him an easy topic for casual group banter. On the surface, he appears mildly ragged and unkempt. In his hand, he always carries a bottle carefully concealed in a brown paper bag. An occasional stagger gives any onlooker a hint as to the contents of the wrapped bottle. Every visual evidence proves that he is hygienically and socially unfit for normal life.

Of course, Maycomb knows why Dolphus was left to suffer in this current state. Once you considered his life at home, it became obvious why he relies on booze. Unlike the rest of the white Maycomb citizenry, Dolphus resides in the black neighborhood alongside his black mistress and mulatto children. At a time when racism and bigotry still reigned supreme, such a lifestyle was unacceptable. A man would have had to have fallen far in order to live such a lowly existence.

Such was the life of Dolphus. Once in a while, the small town of Maycomb would watch him wander aimlessly and rest lazily downtown. Then they would watch as he left town on the road to his squalor home and second class family. He became an example; an opportunity for parents to show their children the face of repugnance and drudgery. Townsfolk kept their distance, and Dolphus kept his. Up until the trial of Tom Robinson, not much else is known or explained about Dolphus. Were it not for a chance encounter with the novel’s main character, Dolphus’ story would have gone untold.

Following a session of the controversial Tom Robinson trial, the young boy Dill leaves the courthouse sobbing. Visibly bothered by the injustice and unfairness of the trial, both he and Scout Finch sit under the shade of a large nearby oak tree. Unbeknownst to the children, Dolphus shares the same tree with them. He surprises the children when he speaks to them. Dolphus offers a swig of his drink to the still-crying Dill, promising that it will settle him down. Against the ominous warnings from Scout, Dill takes a drink from the brown paper bag. However, he does not taste alcohol. To his surprise, and delight, he finds the bottle is actually full of Coca-Cola.

Their discovery of the Coca-Cola sparks the curiosity of the children. Unlike the rumors they have heard, they discover that he does not smell like a vagrant. Instead, they notice a pleasant earthy smell of “leather, horses, and cottonseed.” Little by little, the real story of Mr. Dolphus Raymond unravels itself. Not only is he not a drunkard, but Dolphus doesn’t drink at all. Further questioning reveals that he lives a very happy life, enjoys the company of a caring woman, and he loves his children very much. Eventually, all the rumors surrounding the mysterious man erode away. Suddenly, the reader begins to recognize that all the falsehoods were simply the result of presumptuous rumors and wild speculation. It turns out the truth was much less spectacular than the word around town.

The experience of Dolphus Raymond teaches us a lot about the lifecycle of rumors and their impact on individuals and communities. By logical standards, Dolphus was a successful man. He had some wealth, a happy family, and he lived healthily. But none of that mattered. To the residents of Maycomb, a person could never attain happiness or success with Dolphus’ lifestyle. Therefore, the life of Dolphus Raymond needed an explanation. As a result, the community fabricated a narrative and distributed it throughout the entire town.

If at any point in your life you experience success, you may find yourself facing the same conditions as Dolphus Raymond. While we have certainly progressed as a society since the 1920’s, an astonishing number of people have held firm to the practice of rumor mongering. The same type of people fabricate them, the same type of people believe them, and the same type of people fall victim to them. A rumor cycle will always have a victim, a fabricator, and a patsy.

Understanding who these people are and how they contribute or relate to the rumor cycle will help you comprehend the who, the why, and the how of a rumor cycle. From that angle of understanding, you can better withstand the seedy speculations and the farfetched falsehoods bent on ruining your reputation and good name.  

The Victim

Would you like to know one of the single best metrics for gauging personal success? Do you often lay awake at night pondering your life choices? Would you like me to stop asking these cheesy infomercial questions? If you said yes to any of these questions, then rumors are for you. In many cases, the degree to which rumors circulate about you is equivalent to the degree of life success you have achieved. So if you find yourself the victim of a wildly false accusation, you might want to consider it a sign that you are doing something right.

If it is true that success breeds contempt, then it would make sense why rumors take aim at successful people. In the eyes of weaker and lesser men, success needs to be explained away. The underlying assumption hints that rumor targets are underserving of their success; that they achieved it by means of deceit, corruption, or luck. In some form or another, they have violated a natural or artificial law. The rumor is simply a way to accomplish justice and hopefully strip the offender of their unwarranted success.

But successful people remain successful, even in the aftermath of rumors. Rarely do they let falsehoods derail their plans, ambitions, and objectives. They seem to swat rumors away like harmless gnats. How do such people manage to turn slanderous tales into insignificant annoyances? It is simple really. Successful people refuse to play the role of victim.

In reality, rumor victims are not really victims at all. Though they may be the intended target, the victim most often receives the least damage in a rumor cycle. For a brief time they may have to suffer the indignity and inconvenience of injurious gossip. To a certain degree, they may lose business, prosperity, even friends. In some cases, the effects may last for years. However, by the time the cycle has run its course and they have arrived at total vindication, the intended victim will emerge from the ordeal relatively unscathed. Their friendships that have lasted will deepen, their resolve to achieve success will be increased, and their sense of self-worth will solidify. If managed correctly, a victim’s experience with rumors can make them stronger over time.

The Fabricator

 Rumors do not spontaneously erupt from empty space. A rumor must be created and carefully designed. A purposeless rumor is nothing more than an imagined assumption. Without a scheming entity to transform thoughts and theories into false facts, rumors would lose their potency and achieve little. Such an entity is known as a fabricator.

Fabricators are the ones who envision, devise, and distribute scandal and controversy. A fabricator earns their title because they have a sharpened ability to take paltry clues and fabricate them into complex narratives that attempt to both condemn and destroy. The most experienced of fabricators don’t even need distorted evidences in order to build their network of lies. All that they need is an imagination, an audience, and an incentive.

Fabricators often possess a passionate ambition that flirts with outright fanaticism. That ambition could be political power, community influence, justification for personal fallibility, self-appointed moral authority, or any number of things. Their ambition consumes them, pushing them to disregard truth, morality, and goodwill. Such virtuous ideals have little value in their eyes. They are necessary casualties in the crusade for self-aggrandizement.

The actions of a fabricator are loathsome. For the sake of their aspirations, they adorn themselves with a mantle of feigned power and concern. To an unsuspecting patsy, they appear authoritative, concerned, and empathetic. Their public cries preach justice, unity, and progress. But their backdoor mutterings build false narratives and blatant lies. They are wholly disinterested in anyone or anything that does not support their self-preservation and influence.

The lifestyle of a fabricator deserves a high degree of revulsion. Their behavior tears apart relationships, destroys livelihoods, and sows seeds of contention. Their sharp words are the words of a disgruntled reprobate. However, once you take a step back to look at their personal situation, one thing becomes vividly clear: fabricators are as pitiful as they are loathsome.

A number of social psychology studies have been published that deal with the rumor cycle. Many of them seek to explain why rumors start and how they grow. Several studies seem to follow the explanation for rumorfabrication set forth by social psychologist Ralph L. Rosnow. He describes the fabricators situation as follows:

Rumormongering is viewed as an attempt to deal with anxieties and uncertainties by generating and passing stories and suppositions that can explain things, address anxieties, and provide a rationale for behavior. (Rosnow, Yost, & Esposito, 1986)

Or in other words, rumors come from people who struggle with deep-seeded self-esteem and security issues. Their feigned importance and influence only serves as a cover for their crippling cowardice. Fabricators use rumor to explain away their own deficiencies. They hope that their slander will somehow remedy or minimize their own weaknesses by highlighting a phony fault of someone else.

Fabricators who spread lies regarding your marriage will likely struggle with their own marital problems.

Fabricators who anonymously accuse you of mistreating employees will probably have a history of cheating and defrauding their own associates.

Fabricators who slander your company for shady business practices will usually dabble in poor business ethics themselves.

We find fabricator behavior utterly inexcusable, but not entirely unexplainable. They have reasons for sowing the seeds of contention and ill will. Once you understand those reasons, their barbs become less injurious and their situation becomes more pitiable.

If you are a fabricator, stop yourself now. The damage your words cause to your own reputation will be nearly irreparable. I urge you to look at your own life. Sort out your own problems. Celebrate the success of others. Sympathize with their failures. If you notice another person struggling, seek a way to help them rather seeking a way to cripple them further. Doing so will stimulate improvement in your own life, and generate a source for good in the lives of others.

The Patsy

Finally, we turn our attention to the final participant in the rumor cycle. Many perceive their role in the rumor cycle as limited and passive. We often believe their only crime is to innocently listen and pass on gossip from one source to another. For the most part, the patsy appears harmless. In the rush of the rumor cycle, they convert from innocent bystander to naïve participant. However, a closer look at the patsy reveals that their role in the cycle is sometimes far more serious and sinister than we assume.

What makes the patsy such an egregious participant? For starters, their hunger for sensation and drama creates a high demand for myths and conspiracies. The patsy craves rumors. For one reason or another, they feel privy to the privacy of others. A patsy loves to know everyone else’s business. They sit on the edge of their seats waiting for the next meltdown, the next train wreck, or the next epic collapse. To them, no other news is more desirable than someone else’s bad news.

Do you recognize now why the patsy is so problematic? Patsies provide the fuel that bolsters the flames of contention and lies. Without them, the fabricators power amounts to nothing more than a miniscule spark. But if that spark happens to contact a volatile and reactionary patsy, the combination could potentially create firestorms of gossip.

The most aggressive patsies closely mirror their fabricator peers in terms of motivation and ambition. They may not initiate the rumor. However, they relish the opportunity to pass it along. They often add their own batch of misinformation. They attempt to inject their own personal spin on the rumor, hoping that their additions will further damage and incriminate the victim. Like the envious fabricator, they too enjoy the belittlement and smearing of others whom they find undeserving of success. These more aggressive patsies are the soldiers of slander. They are the disciples of defamation.

Not every patsy achieves this level of envy or malice. The majority feel content with passing along the gossip. The commotion intrigues them. However, they are not altogether innocent. They also fall for the same baseless hearsay, caring little or nothing for the people involved. Their gullible nature buys into the false narratives and swirling accusations spread by everyone else. As such, they tend to make very poor decisions, using the rumors as reference or basis. Their hasty decisions terminate friendships and business relationships. Instead of yielding to basic common sense, they place a higher value on sensationalism and dramatization.

If you are a patsy, now is the time to change course. Take news from the primary source and don’t take second hand stories as gospel. When speculating about the character of others, you immediately put your own character into question. You have much more to lose than the fabricator. In addition to your reputation, you risk losing friends, opportunity, and security. Changing course will provide you with a clearer mind, an observant eye, and a genuine heart.

Dealing with Rumors

Once you have considered the components, forces, and parties involved in the rumor cycle, such situations may easily overwhelm you. Injurious lies from shameless reprobates can quickly morph into autonomous viruses bent on ruin. Watching the cycle play out may leave you hurt and confused. Though it may seem so, you are not helpless in combatting falsehoods. You can, and should, react to them appropriately and decisively.

While on tour in the South Pacific, Elder Marvin J. Ashton took every possible opportunity to meet with the Latter-Day Saint missionaries serving in that part of the world. In one meeting, a group of concerned missionaries approached him, seeking counsel on a problem that they were experiencing on their local island.

Handing Elder Ashton a selection of pamphlets, they explained to the apostle that a preacher had been publishing and distributing the pamphlets in their area. The missionaries were astonished at the audacity of the rumors and worried that the malicious lies that might spread. They wondered how best they could combat the published material. Many felt that a retaliatory campaign would best confront the tide of false information.

Elder Ashton glanced at the pamphlets, visibly amused by their contents. To the surprise of the missionaries, he chuckled as he read the accusations against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now even more confused, the missionaries posited their question again: what should they do about the problem?

Elder Ashton’s response revealed to the missionaries, and to all of us, how we can best combat the rumor cycle.

“To the author of these words,” he answered, “we do nothing.  We have no time for contention. We only have time to be about our Father’s business. Contend with no man. Conduct yourselves as gentlemen with calmness and conviction and I promise you success.”

When sharp and forceful retaliation seems like the most natural and simple response, we are counseled to do just the opposite: Do nothing. You have not time for contention.

When faced with an unsavory rumor cycle, you should continue on. Do not allow such things to disrupt your routines, goals, or good works. Allowing it to disrupt your life accomplishes the objective of the rumor monger and prevents you from accomplishing your own objectives. If you are doing good works, you really don’t have any time for contention.

Some may feel that the “Do Nothing” strategy amounts to sitting on the sideline or rolling over to die. In reality, the strategy calls us to action and not inaction. It is a call to focus our efforts on more worthy endeavors. Rather than openly confronting the slander, you should let your actions do the talking for you. Do not spend your time putting out meaningless fires. Do not publicly campaign or complain against the fabricators or patsies. Adding more contention to the mix only validates the opinions of the rumor mongers.

This strategy requires plenty of courage. Ironically, this strategy demands that you place a lot of trust in people. You must trust that that rational and reasonable people will not have their good judgement subverted by sensationalism. Some people may betray that trust, even your friends. However, friends worth their weight in gold will not pay any heed to falsehoods. Such friends will vehemently defend your character. When you don’t say much about the subject, these friends will. In your absence, they will fight your fights.

If you handle yourself well during the chaos of a rumor cycle, you will indeed find success. Once you have arrived at vindication, the fabricators and patsies will be exposed, your name will be cleared, and things will have settled once more. At that point, the promise offered by Elder Ashton will be fulfilled:

Conduct yourselves as [ladies and] gentlemen with calmness and conviction and I promise you success.