From Richard L. Evans the host of “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast from Salt Lake City for decades (in the last century) shared:
“In thumbing through common place words we find “fringe”—and we find it thus in part defined as “ornamental border. . .” or “something resembling a fringe; . . . as the outer fringe of a crowd.”
No doubt there fringes in almost everything; but as to actual performance, fringe doesn’t seem to play a very important part. It is there. It may look well—but it is only on the edge. And that in part describes people who are “on the fringe,” as well as the fringe on fabrics.
Families have their fringe. Clubs and committees have their fringe. Communities and countries have their fringe. Every organization, every institution has its fringe of those who hang out on the edge. They aren’t altogether in or altogether out. They claim to be a part of the picture when there is something good going on but refuse to be a part of the picture when there are obligations to be borne.
They want the advantages of citizenship without assuming their full share of service. They want the privileges of membership without meeting their due measure of obligations. They want the love and loyalty of the family without carrying the full share of family load. They want the blessings and benefits of church without conformance of service or support. They want the freedom, peace and protection and prosperity of the country without giving full loyalty or allegiance.
Surely there is some stigma on just staying on the edge and never quite being part of the picture. And one wonders how much patience the Judge and Father of us all will have with those who choose to live their lives on the fringe, without becoming a functional part of the fabric.
The larger blessings and promises of life (as well, indeed, as lesser ones) are predicated on performance, upon participation, upon doing the thing, upon living the law, and when we do what we should do, we shall somehow, somewhere, receive the promised reward. But if willingly we fail to perform, if willingly we are found on the fringe, if we cannot quite be counted in or out, we shall fall far short of full effectiveness—and far short of compensations that come to those who can be counted on. ~Richard L. Evans, From the Crossroads (Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1955) 21-22
(Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience, and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
