18 And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people.
19 But behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.
Have you ever been in a situation where your brain gets locked and you can’t listen to the voice of reason? You’ve made up your mind, you’ve determined your course of action, and you find it impossible to adapt, even as your environment signals to you that things aren’t right. Looking back on the situation later, you might ask yourself, “Why was I so foolish? How did I let my ego influence me to that degree? Why couldn’t I think objectively about the situation?” But while you are in the middle of it, you are stuck, and no arguments or incentives can influence you.
At the end of the Jaredite civilization, we see an extreme version of this phenomenon. But on a smaller scale we can probably all see it in our lives. There are plenty of times when our natural inclination is to avoid making the changes which are necessary for our survival and progress. Our hearts can easily be hardened and our minds blinded as we give in to pride and refuse to repent.
I want to avoid this trap. I want to be the kind of person who freely admits when he’s wrong, who can accept good advice, who hears and obeys the still, small voice of the Spirit, and who speedily changes course when needed. I want to avoid the stubbornness of these Jaredites.
Book of Mormon Study Notes 