Young men speak of the future because they have no past, President Boyd K. Packer said, and old men speak of the past because they have no future.

"I am an old man, but I will speak to the Aaronic Priesthood about your future," said President Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, in his priesthood session address. He quoted J. Reuben Clark, first counselor in the First Presidency at the time President Packer began his teaching career. The message was that young people are eager for gospel truth and that they want it straight and undiluted. Since then, President Packer said, he has taught youth in the same way he teaches adults.

President Boyd K. Packer

He told them the priesthood is something that cannot be seen, heard or touched, "but it is a real authority and a real power."

He spoke of having polio in his boyhood that, though he was cured, left his muscles weak.

"I found hope in my patriarchal blessing," he recalled. In the blessing he was told he had been given a body of such physical proportion and fitness to enable his spirit to function through it unhampered by impediment.

"I learned that you should always take care of your body," he said. "Take nothing into your body that will harm it, such as we are counseled in the Word of Wisdom."

He counseled young men not to feel bad about features of their bodies. "You are a son of God," he said. "You lived in a pre-mortal existence as an individual spirit child of heavenly parents. At the time of your birth, you received a mortal body of flesh and blood and bone in which to experience earth life. You will be tested as you prepare yourself to return to our Heavenly Parents."

General Authorities join the congregation in singing an intermediate hymn during the priesthood meeting of general conference. The members of the First Presidency were among the speakers in the session.

President Packer said gender was determined in the pre-mortal existence. "You were born a male," he said. "You must treasure and protect the masculine part of your nature. You must have respectful, protective regard for all women and girls.

"Do not abuse yourself. Never allow others to touch your body in a way that would be unworthy, and do not touch anyone else in any unworthy way.

"Avoid the deadly poisons of pornography and narcotics. If these are in your life, beware! If allowed to continue, they can destroy you. Talk to your parents; talk to your bishop. They will know how to help you.

"Do not decorate your body with tattoos or by piercing it to add jewels. Stay away from that.

"Do not run with friends that worry your parents."

President Packer said that, as a boy, he came to understand that the remission of sins obtained at baptism can be retained through the ordinance of the sacrament.

"If you have been guilty of sin or mischief, you must learn about the power of the Atonement, how it works with deeply sincere repentance," he said. "It can rinse out small things. With deep soaking and scrubbing, it will wash away serious transgressions."

He admonished young men not to complain about school, but to study well and attend always.

"You can learn about fixing things and painting things and even sewing things and whatever else is practical," he said. "That is worth doing. If it is not of particular benefit to you, it will help you when you are serving other people."

Citing his experience as a pilot in World War II, President Packer said he was issued a pocket-size Book of Mormon that he carried with him everywhere. "I read it, and it became part of me," he said. "Things that had been a question became certain to me.

"The certainties of the gospel, the truth, once you understand it, will see you through these difficult times."

Pertaining to difficult economic circumstances of late, he said: "Your generation is filled with uncertainties. A life of fun and games and expensive toys has come to an abrupt end. We move from a generation of ease and entertainment to a generation of work and responsibility. We do not know how long that will last.

"The reality of life is now part of your priesthood responsibilities. It will not hurt you to want something and not have it. There is a maturing and disciplining that will be good for you. It will ensure that you can have a happy home and raise a happy family. These trials come with responsibility in the priesthood."

President Packer told young men: "Be a responsible member of your family. Take care of your possessions — your clothing, your property. Do not be wasteful. Learn to be content.

"It may seem that the world is in commotion; and it is! It may seem that there are wars and rumors of wars; and there are! It may seem that the future will hold trials and difficulties for you; and it most likely will! However, fear is the opposite of faith. Do not be afraid!"