Prophet vs. President

It struck me today in class the differences between when the Prophet gives a talk, and when the President gives a speech. First off, it is well known that the President has a team of speechwriters. As far as I know, the Prophet writes his own talks. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but to me, it is. The Prophet writes what the Lord wants us to hear. He doesn't run his speeches by a group of people to make sure that things are worded well, and that his speech consists of the most pleasing way to say things. The Prophet receives divine guidance in what to say. The President, on the other hand, has people that write a lot of the content of the speech. Even if they have a heavy influence in what they are speaking, how do we know what has come from the President himself, and what parts of the speech are what his advisors think he should say? How do we know that, through their manipulations of words by some of the best writers, we aren't being deceived? I'm not a victim of paranoia, thinking that everyone is out to do wrong that is involved with politics, but even so, how is it possible to know?

Another large difference that i could see was the purpose in writing. The President's speech was carefully worded, a pep talk to the United States citizens. In a way, he understands that his speech is being judged by the people. With President Obama, his speech was to convince the people of the good that he will bring to the country, that he will be a capable leader, and that our country is going to go through changes to make it better. He is looking to bring the people to his side, and gain their support. The Prophet, however, makes an opposite attempt. As the leader of our church, he is not looking to gain the favor of the people. Instead, he is there to correct and instruct us. It is his calling to teach us how to live more righteously, and live more fully in the gospel. He doesn't worry about what he says, even if it is hard to hear. He will call out our faults as a congregation, because he knows we will follow him and the Lord, and that is his job.

As being under the authority of both the Prophet and the President, it is sometimes hard for me to cope with these difference. I have to remind myself that just because the President follows his own wisdom does not make him a bad person, and that the Prophet, although he follows the Word of God and teaches it to us, is not necessarily perfect. For now, I'm going to support each of them the best way that I know how.