Many of you know that I like to write. That I like to write in my journals. However, I think I've recently discovered that Creative Writing is not exactly what I am looking for. I mean its fun to write and imagine and create a picture or a movie with only words. Its rather amazing to me. And it truly is a lot of fun to make up a story on the spot and tell it to your younger siblings and have them comment, adding to the story or making up their own interpretation and telling me that the characters should actually do something else instead of the thing they were doing.
But then I was thinking which genre would I wish to write in? Fantasy? Science Fiction? Historical? Modern? I just had no idea.
I would like to have an element of each in anything I were to write. However, I then begin to write and I come up with no real true interest nor motivation. :D I'm sure that I just have to push forward and of course everyone is going to do something they don't quite like doing in the process of doing something they enjoy.
However, I have discovered something today that makes me quite excited.
I've been kinda wishing that some entries in my journals could just be published, as they are rather hilarious in my own personal opinion, which might be a little bit biased. Well, I had then come to the Conclusion that when I write a fiction book I want to write just as I do in my Journals. It adds something to the "voice".
Well, I've discovered that there is actually a genre called Creative NonFiction. Which is exactly what my Journal Writing is.
Here's a website: http://www.creativenonfiction.org/
In it it explains what Creative NonFiction is: "The word 'creative' refers simply to the use of literary craft in presenting nonfiction—that is, factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid manner. To put it another way, creative nonfiction writers do not make things up; they make ideas and information that already exist more interesting and, often, more accessible."
When I eventually have the extra cash to spend I think I'd subscribe to this Literary Journal. But doesn't this sound exciting? This genre includes essays just as Emerson and Thoreau have written. I love their essays! In fact, I was thinking the other day that bloggers nowadays are much like Emerson and Thoreau but on a smaller scale of writing professionally. I think I shall address this another day.
In the meanwhile, this is something I would like to do. Write essays about life, about different topics. I'd write personal essays. Much like I do on here and in my Journals, but perhaps more official and revised and more thought out. I should be using the same process of writing a fiction in writing nonfiction, or even an essay. Such as brainstorming, organizing thoughts, etc. I mean, I'm sure you can tell here that I'm a little scattered brained. But these ideas! They would take much time to write. And there are so much thoughts and ideas and facts I learn in college that it seems almost impossible to effectively write on every topic I wish too.
College. You certainly Learn. More about Self. Others. The World. Abstract Ideas. and the Intangible.
On this day I've learned exactly what genre it is that I would enjoy writing in.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Greed: Good?
The word "Greed" has a negative connotation. It immediately brings to mind selfishness, dishonesty, evil tycoon, and other such flattering terms. But is greed in and of itself bad? Perhaps we would widen our American vocabulary. Greed does mean an intense and selfish desire for something.
Greed is bad because it infringes on other people's rights and can also promote dishonesty. Would Bill Gates be considered greedy? He's the wealthiest person in the world in terms of money; is he greedy? He still wishes to become wealthier, elsewise he would have retired. I don't think he is a greedy man in the sense that he's infringing on other people's rights; the right term to use in place of greed I think would be self-interest.
"Self" has a rather obvious meaning. But the word "interest" has some meanings that might be useful to fully understand the abstract idea; it is the state of wanting to know or learn about something or someone and/or the advantage or benefit of a person or group. It also is a word to describe the money that is paid regularly at a particular rate for the use of money lent or the delaying of paying debt. So if you have self-interest, you are investing in yourself in one area or another.
But how does the world work without some kind of motivation? Would just the fact of knowing you are doing good motivate the world to progress? It should, but does it? But even then, are you partly selfish when you are going about doing good? This is what self-interest is. Greed can be gone, but we must still have self-interest in order to progress.
Bill Gates has a type of greed, or self-interest, where he has to persuade people to buy his products. Not force. Also, when he increases in his profit it means that he's creating more jobs, more wealth at an employee's level, and such.
So the question for all of us to ponder is "How can you persuade everyone to give you a dollar voluntarily?" Answering that question, and then investing in it, that's what can cause great wealth. Look at the problems that people are complaining of, fix it and then sell it.
Here is a video they showed in class:Milton Friedman - Greed
But this is what I learned of greed and capitalism today. :D
Greed is bad because it infringes on other people's rights and can also promote dishonesty. Would Bill Gates be considered greedy? He's the wealthiest person in the world in terms of money; is he greedy? He still wishes to become wealthier, elsewise he would have retired. I don't think he is a greedy man in the sense that he's infringing on other people's rights; the right term to use in place of greed I think would be self-interest.
"Self" has a rather obvious meaning. But the word "interest" has some meanings that might be useful to fully understand the abstract idea; it is the state of wanting to know or learn about something or someone and/or the advantage or benefit of a person or group. It also is a word to describe the money that is paid regularly at a particular rate for the use of money lent or the delaying of paying debt. So if you have self-interest, you are investing in yourself in one area or another.
But how does the world work without some kind of motivation? Would just the fact of knowing you are doing good motivate the world to progress? It should, but does it? But even then, are you partly selfish when you are going about doing good? This is what self-interest is. Greed can be gone, but we must still have self-interest in order to progress.
Bill Gates has a type of greed, or self-interest, where he has to persuade people to buy his products. Not force. Also, when he increases in his profit it means that he's creating more jobs, more wealth at an employee's level, and such.
So the question for all of us to ponder is "How can you persuade everyone to give you a dollar voluntarily?" Answering that question, and then investing in it, that's what can cause great wealth. Look at the problems that people are complaining of, fix it and then sell it.
Here is a video they showed in class:Milton Friedman - Greed
But this is what I learned of greed and capitalism today. :D
Monday, February 8, 2010
Learning about the Financial
Perhaps its because I am at college and am more aware of all the knowledge out there and try my best to soak it up, but it seems to me that themes are occurring and repeating. Possibly because I really need to know this information for some strange reason. It amazes me that if you are open to inspiration, you learn things that would be most beneficial. It seems to me that one of the most ideal times in which to learn and gain wonderful habits are in our college years. However, I also think that in all stages of our lives is the best time to be learning more and gaining better habits.
In anycase, yesterday was Fast Sunday and some of the young men from our ward go around to our homes to collect Fast Offerings (which I didn’t know and so turned them in earlier at church). As they do so they also drop off an Ensign for our home: one per home. I began to read it and near the beginning was the Visiting Teaching Message which is entitled “Managing Resources Wisely and Staying out of Debt.” Then today, in my College Success class, the lesson of the day was entitled “Financial Awareness” taught by a Senior who’s major is accounting and who works in the financial advising department. It was very interesting and enlightening.
As a result, I now have some new goals. I’m more knowledgeable about what these goals should approximately be and how to accomplish them. That’s my problem sometimes; the lack of knowledge, also known as ignorance, causes me to not know what it is that I want to attain.
But first, let’s continue with what I have learned and perhaps you may learn something as well, or come to a better understanding with me as I rewrite what it is I have acquired from these different sources.
Why should I care about my financial state? Personally, I think that is a stupid question. I mean, money matters. Not in the way of wealth and ambition and greed, but rather in the way of taxes, bill payments, education, food and other necessities. As it does matter we need to be wise about the money we are given. It’s not actually ours anyways. It’s our stewardship, we are to manage and be responsible over it. Use it for righteous means. Money is a blessing, but it can be used for evil as all things can be.
Another reason as to why we should care: the Deficit effects the economy. Less jobs for those of us who are looking for them, even after graduation from college with a major.
What we do with our money depends on our perspective. There are three words that people don’t really like to hear or do: “Debt”, “Budgeting” and “Savings”.
DEBT
What is debt to the average American? An everyday thing. Something you run up everytime you go shopping. It’s a normal occurrence. Debt is something that defines life in the normal way of the world, at least in America.
What is debt to many LDS members? Something bad and to be avoided at all costs. However, there are good debts. What? you ask. Good debts? Why, what is that? Good debts are debts that are made as a result of education, housing, and transportation. Although, it has to be reasonable and not overboard on buying some topnotch super expensive car just because it’s cool and whatnot. But there are somethings that it is acceptable to have a debt for.
BUDGETING
To many people, budgeting is something you do when you are poor and broke. That is a False Statement, as budgeting is something in all actuality is an asset to making you far more prosperous. Budgeting, in my own words, controls the “natural man” to spend. Budgeting is just telling our money where to go. It is also a collection of financial goals. Another false statement: Without goals any failures can be looked at as a success. No progressing equals no improvement and no achievement and no success.
SAVINGS
This is something Americans just do not do. In fact, we are in the negatives of saving. Meaning we spend that which we do not have. We need to plan ahead as we don’t put into account all that we should. For example, what is the estimated cost of education? $1640 for tuition. Then an high estimate of the cost of books at $500. Housing off campus at an average of $900, many places are higher. $700 for food. Possible $150 cost of transportation of gas if owning a vehicle, and even if not, for other kinds of transportation. So an estimated total of $3890 per semester. Do we college students keep that in mind as we are home from school and working, of the amount we should be saving for only one semester of college. For one year, or two semesters, its an estimated total of $7780. And this is only at BYU-Idaho. (Now, hopefully, my parents are freaking out right now. :P) Another something to be aware of as we try to plan ahead is the resources available to us. The free financial advisors, the scholarships and grants, and such. Sacrifice is a huge part of planning ahead. How? Well, explain to me when it is convenient to save. When you are single? When you are newly weds? When you have children? When your children are older? Is it truly convenient at any of these times? No. But we should do it anyways. Even if is just a small amount. At least something should be saved. Excuses shouldn’t really be accepted as to why you can’t save. Although, obviously the amount depends on the situation of each household.
“To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.
‘. . . Of course some debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family. Unfortunately however, additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses.” So says Robert D. Hales in “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually”.
I like this. The Principles of Provident Living:
Joyfully living within our means
Being content with what we have
Avoiding excessive debt
Diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies
What does Provident Living implies?
President Spencer W. Kimball says that provident living implies:
Conversing of our resources
Wise planning of financial matters
Full provision for personal health
Adequate preparation for education and career development
Giving appropriate attention to home production and storage
Development of emotional resiliency
It’s interesting to learn all these things and then try to apply them into our lives.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin has 5 key steps to financial freedom:
Pay your tithing
Spend less than you earn
Learn to save
Honor your financial obligations
Teach you children to follow your example
That is a lot of information and there is even more out there. But it honestly just amazes me the financial information that I gained in these last few days. I really shall be making goals and keeping to them.
Gotta love learning. :D
In anycase, yesterday was Fast Sunday and some of the young men from our ward go around to our homes to collect Fast Offerings (which I didn’t know and so turned them in earlier at church). As they do so they also drop off an Ensign for our home: one per home. I began to read it and near the beginning was the Visiting Teaching Message which is entitled “Managing Resources Wisely and Staying out of Debt.” Then today, in my College Success class, the lesson of the day was entitled “Financial Awareness” taught by a Senior who’s major is accounting and who works in the financial advising department. It was very interesting and enlightening.
As a result, I now have some new goals. I’m more knowledgeable about what these goals should approximately be and how to accomplish them. That’s my problem sometimes; the lack of knowledge, also known as ignorance, causes me to not know what it is that I want to attain.
But first, let’s continue with what I have learned and perhaps you may learn something as well, or come to a better understanding with me as I rewrite what it is I have acquired from these different sources.
Why should I care about my financial state? Personally, I think that is a stupid question. I mean, money matters. Not in the way of wealth and ambition and greed, but rather in the way of taxes, bill payments, education, food and other necessities. As it does matter we need to be wise about the money we are given. It’s not actually ours anyways. It’s our stewardship, we are to manage and be responsible over it. Use it for righteous means. Money is a blessing, but it can be used for evil as all things can be.
Another reason as to why we should care: the Deficit effects the economy. Less jobs for those of us who are looking for them, even after graduation from college with a major.
What we do with our money depends on our perspective. There are three words that people don’t really like to hear or do: “Debt”, “Budgeting” and “Savings”.
DEBT
What is debt to the average American? An everyday thing. Something you run up everytime you go shopping. It’s a normal occurrence. Debt is something that defines life in the normal way of the world, at least in America.
What is debt to many LDS members? Something bad and to be avoided at all costs. However, there are good debts. What? you ask. Good debts? Why, what is that? Good debts are debts that are made as a result of education, housing, and transportation. Although, it has to be reasonable and not overboard on buying some topnotch super expensive car just because it’s cool and whatnot. But there are somethings that it is acceptable to have a debt for.
BUDGETING
To many people, budgeting is something you do when you are poor and broke. That is a False Statement, as budgeting is something in all actuality is an asset to making you far more prosperous. Budgeting, in my own words, controls the “natural man” to spend. Budgeting is just telling our money where to go. It is also a collection of financial goals. Another false statement: Without goals any failures can be looked at as a success. No progressing equals no improvement and no achievement and no success.
SAVINGS
This is something Americans just do not do. In fact, we are in the negatives of saving. Meaning we spend that which we do not have. We need to plan ahead as we don’t put into account all that we should. For example, what is the estimated cost of education? $1640 for tuition. Then an high estimate of the cost of books at $500. Housing off campus at an average of $900, many places are higher. $700 for food. Possible $150 cost of transportation of gas if owning a vehicle, and even if not, for other kinds of transportation. So an estimated total of $3890 per semester. Do we college students keep that in mind as we are home from school and working, of the amount we should be saving for only one semester of college. For one year, or two semesters, its an estimated total of $7780. And this is only at BYU-Idaho. (Now, hopefully, my parents are freaking out right now. :P) Another something to be aware of as we try to plan ahead is the resources available to us. The free financial advisors, the scholarships and grants, and such. Sacrifice is a huge part of planning ahead. How? Well, explain to me when it is convenient to save. When you are single? When you are newly weds? When you have children? When your children are older? Is it truly convenient at any of these times? No. But we should do it anyways. Even if is just a small amount. At least something should be saved. Excuses shouldn’t really be accepted as to why you can’t save. Although, obviously the amount depends on the situation of each household.
“To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.
‘. . . Of course some debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family. Unfortunately however, additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses.” So says Robert D. Hales in “Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually”.
I like this. The Principles of Provident Living:
Joyfully living within our means
Being content with what we have
Avoiding excessive debt
Diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies
What does Provident Living implies?
President Spencer W. Kimball says that provident living implies:
Conversing of our resources
Wise planning of financial matters
Full provision for personal health
Adequate preparation for education and career development
Giving appropriate attention to home production and storage
Development of emotional resiliency
It’s interesting to learn all these things and then try to apply them into our lives.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin has 5 key steps to financial freedom:
Pay your tithing
Spend less than you earn
Learn to save
Honor your financial obligations
Teach you children to follow your example
That is a lot of information and there is even more out there. But it honestly just amazes me the financial information that I gained in these last few days. I really shall be making goals and keeping to them.
Gotta love learning. :D
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Facing Death to Live
For my Writing Foundations class I am reading Tuesdays with Morrie written by Mitch Albom. It makes you think. It really does. Much like the book The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.
So enlightening. So . . . It is hard to explain without reading it. But it seems to me that those close to death are more full of life, wisdom, inspiration, and cheer. Those who have lived a long life have so much wisdom they can impart to us before they leave us. We just have to listen.
Reading this book, Tuesdays with Morrie is insightful. It hit on some major principles that all humankind should know abut. It amazes me at how those people who never did know much about the Gospel while they lived here, were so close to the truth as they marched on closer to death. I wish that someone would do the work for them. I honestly think they would accept it. But they brought so many people perhaps a step closer to the Truth. We each have a calling here on earth.
As I read, I learned that even though I know a bit about life and living and the Eternities, I still lose sight of how I could and should be living my life day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and minute-by-minute. It's always much easier to imagine that "in the future, I'll be doing . . . " Or "I'll be . . . " But we have to realize that we won't become who we want to become in the future if we aren't who we want to be today and if we are not working on it throughout the day that we are living in.
"Learn how to die, and you learn how to live." So says Morrie. Once you realize that today could be your last day, all the sudden life becomes so much more in just the simplest of things. You enjoy every minute of the day. You enjoy your trials. You enjoy the family and friends in your life. Or you realize that what you have been working towards throughout your entire life is not important at all.
"The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family. It's become quite clear to me as I've been sick. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, 'Love each other or perish.' " Family. Such an important thing. Morrie hit it right on the nose. That is the foundation of Heavenly Father's plan. That is our first foundation of defense. Family.
" 'You know what what really gives you satisfaction?'
"What?
" 'Offering others what you have to give.' "
Service. That is what truly makes a person happy. True Charity. Not just giving money to people on the streets, but actual real service. Really knowing the person. Really giving ALL you have to someone. And perhaps not your material things, but your time, effort, love, joy, knowledge, and wisdom. It is hard to find satisfaction in getting and taking. But giving? That's something else.
" 'I believe in being fully present,' Morrie said. 'That means you should be with the person you're with.' "
"But really listening to someone - without trying to sell them something, pick them up, recruit them, or get some kind of status in return - how often do we get this anymore?"
This is something we don't give to people much. We are too concerned with the future. With what we want. With what we need. With what needs to be done. But in doing so we miss the life right in front of us. We could have made a difference. We could have bettered our selves. But we missed the opportunity.
"Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you."
We try to make the best investments and gain the best reward from it. One of the best things to invest in to gain the most reward is the human family. It's what we should all invest in. Imagine the profit we would gain from it.
These are lessons learned. Lessons to be applied. A lesson is not a true lesson if not ever put into relevance with our lives.
I love Life, but sometimes the best lessons learned of Life are derived from Death.
In any case, I recommend both The Last Lecture and Tuesdays with Morrie.
So enlightening. So . . . It is hard to explain without reading it. But it seems to me that those close to death are more full of life, wisdom, inspiration, and cheer. Those who have lived a long life have so much wisdom they can impart to us before they leave us. We just have to listen.
Reading this book, Tuesdays with Morrie is insightful. It hit on some major principles that all humankind should know abut. It amazes me at how those people who never did know much about the Gospel while they lived here, were so close to the truth as they marched on closer to death. I wish that someone would do the work for them. I honestly think they would accept it. But they brought so many people perhaps a step closer to the Truth. We each have a calling here on earth.
As I read, I learned that even though I know a bit about life and living and the Eternities, I still lose sight of how I could and should be living my life day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and minute-by-minute. It's always much easier to imagine that "in the future, I'll be doing . . . " Or "I'll be . . . " But we have to realize that we won't become who we want to become in the future if we aren't who we want to be today and if we are not working on it throughout the day that we are living in.
"Learn how to die, and you learn how to live." So says Morrie. Once you realize that today could be your last day, all the sudden life becomes so much more in just the simplest of things. You enjoy every minute of the day. You enjoy your trials. You enjoy the family and friends in your life. Or you realize that what you have been working towards throughout your entire life is not important at all.
"The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family. It's become quite clear to me as I've been sick. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, 'Love each other or perish.' " Family. Such an important thing. Morrie hit it right on the nose. That is the foundation of Heavenly Father's plan. That is our first foundation of defense. Family.
" 'You know what what really gives you satisfaction?'
"What?
" 'Offering others what you have to give.' "
Service. That is what truly makes a person happy. True Charity. Not just giving money to people on the streets, but actual real service. Really knowing the person. Really giving ALL you have to someone. And perhaps not your material things, but your time, effort, love, joy, knowledge, and wisdom. It is hard to find satisfaction in getting and taking. But giving? That's something else.
" 'I believe in being fully present,' Morrie said. 'That means you should be with the person you're with.' "
"But really listening to someone - without trying to sell them something, pick them up, recruit them, or get some kind of status in return - how often do we get this anymore?"
This is something we don't give to people much. We are too concerned with the future. With what we want. With what we need. With what needs to be done. But in doing so we miss the life right in front of us. We could have made a difference. We could have bettered our selves. But we missed the opportunity.
"Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you."
We try to make the best investments and gain the best reward from it. One of the best things to invest in to gain the most reward is the human family. It's what we should all invest in. Imagine the profit we would gain from it.
These are lessons learned. Lessons to be applied. A lesson is not a true lesson if not ever put into relevance with our lives.
I love Life, but sometimes the best lessons learned of Life are derived from Death.
In any case, I recommend both The Last Lecture and Tuesdays with Morrie.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Nursing - How to Cope with Stress
I am taking a nursing classes. Not just any nursing class. But a Family Skills Nursing class. Why? Well, the Family Skills Nursing class are for those who want to learn about being healthy and taking care of different issues, but for those who are not majoring in nursing. Which is entirely me. Nursing is something I would just like to know so I can help my self and family, not to pass a test and become an actual nurse. That takes a lot more concentration and skills then I posses. It's also not quite what I'm looking for in my life. But I certainly am glad that so many people wish to become nurses. In any case, this particular class is on woman's health. Teaching me how to be healthy and solve problems and signs and such...
Well, one day we learned about Stress. We were given some papers to tell us how to better manage stress. This is what it says, and as it came from my nursing class it's totally legit. :P
Ways to Cope with Stress
1. Jam miniature marshmallows up your nose and sneeze them out. See how many you can do at once.
2. Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on.
3. When someone says, "Have a nice day!" tell them you have other plans.
4. Make a list of things to do that you've already done.
5. Put your toddlers clothes on backwards and send them off to school as if nothing is wrong.
6. Tape pictures of your boss on watermelons and launch them from high places.
7. Pay your electric bill in pennies.
8. Drive to work in reverse.
9. Read the dictionary upside down and look for secret messages.
10. Write a short story using alphabet soup.
11. Stare at people through the tines of a fork and pretend they are in jail.
12. Make up a new language and ask people for directions.
13. Replace the filling of a Twinkie with ketchup and place it back in the wrapper.
Thoughts to Get You Through Almost ANY Crisis
1. All thing being equal, fat people use more soap.
2. Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for.
3. Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle.
4. By the time you make ends meet, they move the ends.
5. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
6. Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
7. Happiness is merely the brief remission of pain.
8. I have seen the truth, and it makes no sense.
9. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
10. If you ever find something you like, buy a lifetime supply because they will stop making it.
11. If you think that there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.
12. Indecision is the key to flexibility.
13. Not one shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.
14. One seventh of your days are spent on Mondays.
15. Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world.
16. The facts, although altogether interesting, are irrelevant.
17. The more you run over a dead cat the thinner it gets.
18. The other line always moves faster until you get into it.
19. The world gets a little better every day, and worse in the evening.
20. There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of talent.
21. You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks.
22. To live forever, acquire a chronic disease and take care of it.
23. This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it.
24. Things are more like they are today than they ever have been before.
25. He who steals my purse is trash!
Stress Diet
Breakfast:
1/2 Grapefruit
1 slice Whole Wheat Toast
8 oz. Skim Milk
Lunch:
4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast
1 cup steamed zucchini
1 Oreo cookie
Herb Tea
Mid-Afternoon Snack:
Rest of the package of Oreos
Large Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza
3 Milky Way Candy Bars
Entire frozen Cheese Cake east directly from the freezer
Diet Tips
1. If no one sees you eat it - it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, they cancel each other out.
3. When eating with someone else, calories don't count if you both eat the same amount.
4. If you fatten up everyone else around you - then you look thinner.
I hope that just by reading them, and not necessarily doing all the them, you are a bit less stressed and laughter was brought into your day!
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." ~ Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
Well, one day we learned about Stress. We were given some papers to tell us how to better manage stress. This is what it says, and as it came from my nursing class it's totally legit. :P
Ways to Cope with Stress
1. Jam miniature marshmallows up your nose and sneeze them out. See how many you can do at once.
2. Pop some popcorn without putting the lid on.
3. When someone says, "Have a nice day!" tell them you have other plans.
4. Make a list of things to do that you've already done.
5. Put your toddlers clothes on backwards and send them off to school as if nothing is wrong.
6. Tape pictures of your boss on watermelons and launch them from high places.
7. Pay your electric bill in pennies.
8. Drive to work in reverse.
9. Read the dictionary upside down and look for secret messages.
10. Write a short story using alphabet soup.
11. Stare at people through the tines of a fork and pretend they are in jail.
12. Make up a new language and ask people for directions.
13. Replace the filling of a Twinkie with ketchup and place it back in the wrapper.
Thoughts to Get You Through Almost ANY Crisis
1. All thing being equal, fat people use more soap.
2. Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for.
3. Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a tough battle.
4. By the time you make ends meet, they move the ends.
5. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
6. Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
7. Happiness is merely the brief remission of pain.
8. I have seen the truth, and it makes no sense.
9. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
10. If you ever find something you like, buy a lifetime supply because they will stop making it.
11. If you think that there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.
12. Indecision is the key to flexibility.
13. Not one shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.
14. One seventh of your days are spent on Mondays.
15. Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world.
16. The facts, although altogether interesting, are irrelevant.
17. The more you run over a dead cat the thinner it gets.
18. The other line always moves faster until you get into it.
19. The world gets a little better every day, and worse in the evening.
20. There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of talent.
21. You can't tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks.
22. To live forever, acquire a chronic disease and take care of it.
23. This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it.
24. Things are more like they are today than they ever have been before.
25. He who steals my purse is trash!
Stress Diet
Breakfast:
1/2 Grapefruit
1 slice Whole Wheat Toast
8 oz. Skim Milk
Lunch:
4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast
1 cup steamed zucchini
1 Oreo cookie
Herb Tea
Mid-Afternoon Snack:
Rest of the package of Oreos
Large Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza
3 Milky Way Candy Bars
Entire frozen Cheese Cake east directly from the freezer
Diet Tips
1. If no one sees you eat it - it has no calories.
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, they cancel each other out.
3. When eating with someone else, calories don't count if you both eat the same amount.
4. If you fatten up everyone else around you - then you look thinner.
I hope that just by reading them, and not necessarily doing all the them, you are a bit less stressed and laughter was brought into your day!
"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." ~ Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes
Monday, February 1, 2010
Minor Differences
Minors.
I love history. I really do. I love learning the the causes and effects. I love the stories of the average person and the political and military leaders. There are just so many stories! So many events! So many ways of interrupting the past. However, my definition of history and other peoples definition of history seems to be a little different. Sorta.
I just like reading all the information already gathered. I don't like much the whole researching every document thing. Although, I am very glad I live in this time where the internet, on which information is gathered, exists. Otherwise it would be a lot harder. I love to learn of all the missing pieces and imagine what the time period was really like, but still. I just like being the audience to the real historian.
So I was considering that perhaps I will change my minor. My major I am pretty confidant in. English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. But my minor? That's different.
My options I am looking at: Marriage and Family Studies verses Psychology with a Parenting Emphasis
I have not quite decided, but I think I want to go more along those lines. I'm currently taking Hist 101 so I can take other History classes down the road. Because I love to learn about the different eras and such. I mean, hello, i'm majoring in English. It's all one big story to me with lots of smaller stories in it. Think about all you can write!! It's mind boggling!
In any case, I'll still be taking a history class every once in awhile. But in all truthfulness, I don't quite want a career. Writing stories for fun, now that would be enjoyable, but for a career on which my livelihood depended upon? That is a different story that could be written.
I am not act school to only gain myself an education for which I can go into a career, I am gaining an education so I am more intellectually bright and knowledgeable as well as more wise. I am gaining an education so I can be a better mother to my future children. I am gaining an education so I will be an asset to my community. So I am just taking a wide variety of courses in which I am interesting in knowing more about or I can see being entirely useful.
The differences:
Marriage and Family Studies:
Family Relations - overview course of family development across the lifespan including the study of the family as a system, family interaction, family issues and family roles. This course will emphasize relationships of the family and its environment. Consideration is given to the cultural diversity and heritage of families.
Parenting - A study of theories, principles, and practices needed to build nurturing and supportive parent-child relationships and to guide children toward healthy development courses.
Marriage - Focuses on contemporary issues affecting marriage, along with skills and principles needed to build strong and successful marriages.
Money Management - Financial concepts of direct concern to the individual or family. Budgeting, financial institutions and services, consumer buying, use and control of credit, financial records, buying and selling home insurance, and basic investments will be discussed.
The Family - Application of gospel truths and supportive scholarship to strengthen marriage and family relationships using "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" as the guiding framework.
Home and Family Management - Application of principles of home management. A goal oriented study of values, resources, decision making, time and money management.
Family Recreation - This course will address the issues related to recreation as it applies to the LDS family environment and develop within the student the tools needed to implement the principles for success set forth by the prophets.
Marriage Skills - Foundation principles of successful marriages with application to strengthening marriages.
Parenting Skills - Foundational Principles and basic skills of parent child interaction with application to typical decisions, problems, and opportunities encountered by parents.
Preparation for Marriage - Highlight skills, attitudes, behaviors, and principles needed to prepare oneself for a strong marriage and to wisely select a marriage partner. Preparation for marriage is also emphasize by focusing on healthy practices related to dating, courtship, engagement, and the transition following marriage.
Psychology with a Parenting Emphasis:
General Psychology - This is an introductory course in Psychology which surveys the various fields of psychology and application of selected psychological principles to life situations.
Developmental Psychology Lifespan - The study of biological, affective, social, and cognitive aspects of development through the life span.
Psychology of Effective Living - An explanation of psychological principles which facilitate a productive and satisfying life.
Child Development - A theoretical, academically oriented course focusing on the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development of the child from conception through adolescence. Explores the influences of family, peers, and social institutions on the child's development.
Adolescent Development - A study of the biological, social and cognitive foundations of adolescence. Includes in-depth examinations of many developmental issues faced by adolescent, e.g., gender, the self, family relationships, friends and peers, dating, love and sexuality, school, etc.
I also debated with Home and Family as a Minor, but I think that I'll just take some of those classes rather then just the whole minor. Perhaps the same with the Psychology. It's so helpful to write it all out. :D I am certainly still going to be taking some History classes. And definitely some English - Creative Writing classes.
But these are some minor differences, and I plan on making them all together. Or at least, mostly. :D
I love history. I really do. I love learning the the causes and effects. I love the stories of the average person and the political and military leaders. There are just so many stories! So many events! So many ways of interrupting the past. However, my definition of history and other peoples definition of history seems to be a little different. Sorta.
I just like reading all the information already gathered. I don't like much the whole researching every document thing. Although, I am very glad I live in this time where the internet, on which information is gathered, exists. Otherwise it would be a lot harder. I love to learn of all the missing pieces and imagine what the time period was really like, but still. I just like being the audience to the real historian.
So I was considering that perhaps I will change my minor. My major I am pretty confidant in. English with a Creative Writing Emphasis. But my minor? That's different.
My options I am looking at: Marriage and Family Studies verses Psychology with a Parenting Emphasis
I have not quite decided, but I think I want to go more along those lines. I'm currently taking Hist 101 so I can take other History classes down the road. Because I love to learn about the different eras and such. I mean, hello, i'm majoring in English. It's all one big story to me with lots of smaller stories in it. Think about all you can write!! It's mind boggling!
In any case, I'll still be taking a history class every once in awhile. But in all truthfulness, I don't quite want a career. Writing stories for fun, now that would be enjoyable, but for a career on which my livelihood depended upon? That is a different story that could be written.
I am not act school to only gain myself an education for which I can go into a career, I am gaining an education so I am more intellectually bright and knowledgeable as well as more wise. I am gaining an education so I can be a better mother to my future children. I am gaining an education so I will be an asset to my community. So I am just taking a wide variety of courses in which I am interesting in knowing more about or I can see being entirely useful.
The differences:
Marriage and Family Studies:
Family Relations - overview course of family development across the lifespan including the study of the family as a system, family interaction, family issues and family roles. This course will emphasize relationships of the family and its environment. Consideration is given to the cultural diversity and heritage of families.
Parenting - A study of theories, principles, and practices needed to build nurturing and supportive parent-child relationships and to guide children toward healthy development courses.
Marriage - Focuses on contemporary issues affecting marriage, along with skills and principles needed to build strong and successful marriages.
Money Management - Financial concepts of direct concern to the individual or family. Budgeting, financial institutions and services, consumer buying, use and control of credit, financial records, buying and selling home insurance, and basic investments will be discussed.
The Family - Application of gospel truths and supportive scholarship to strengthen marriage and family relationships using "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" as the guiding framework.
Home and Family Management - Application of principles of home management. A goal oriented study of values, resources, decision making, time and money management.
Family Recreation - This course will address the issues related to recreation as it applies to the LDS family environment and develop within the student the tools needed to implement the principles for success set forth by the prophets.
Marriage Skills - Foundation principles of successful marriages with application to strengthening marriages.
Parenting Skills - Foundational Principles and basic skills of parent child interaction with application to typical decisions, problems, and opportunities encountered by parents.
Preparation for Marriage - Highlight skills, attitudes, behaviors, and principles needed to prepare oneself for a strong marriage and to wisely select a marriage partner. Preparation for marriage is also emphasize by focusing on healthy practices related to dating, courtship, engagement, and the transition following marriage.
Psychology with a Parenting Emphasis:
General Psychology - This is an introductory course in Psychology which surveys the various fields of psychology and application of selected psychological principles to life situations.
Developmental Psychology Lifespan - The study of biological, affective, social, and cognitive aspects of development through the life span.
Psychology of Effective Living - An explanation of psychological principles which facilitate a productive and satisfying life.
Child Development - A theoretical, academically oriented course focusing on the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development of the child from conception through adolescence. Explores the influences of family, peers, and social institutions on the child's development.
Adolescent Development - A study of the biological, social and cognitive foundations of adolescence. Includes in-depth examinations of many developmental issues faced by adolescent, e.g., gender, the self, family relationships, friends and peers, dating, love and sexuality, school, etc.
I also debated with Home and Family as a Minor, but I think that I'll just take some of those classes rather then just the whole minor. Perhaps the same with the Psychology. It's so helpful to write it all out. :D I am certainly still going to be taking some History classes. And definitely some English - Creative Writing classes.
But these are some minor differences, and I plan on making them all together. Or at least, mostly. :D
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Lessons to Becoming a Writer
My Writing Foundations class is one of my favorite classes.
I've mentioned before that in this class I had written an Photo-Autobiography. Which I would recommend people to do. It's kinda amazing. Sorta like scrap booking, but with more words. Rather then the pictures being the center of attention and the words supporting, the words are the main attraction with the pictures being complementary.
The lectures of the class:
Lecture number One
1. Pick a subject that means something to you
2. Have a Reason to write
3. Turn your feelings to account
Lecture number Two
Details = Power
What else have I learned?
That view point matters, that description matters, that the small details in words give a story power. That's what the element of great story telling is. Details. That's why stories told by my mother and family are always silly and rather interesting. Details.
The other day we were required to read an essay entitled "Letting the Light Shine Through" written by Deborah Harrison. What an essay!! Let's see if I can quickly summarize the main points.
We are each different from one another. Even identical twins are different. Their personalities are not cloned. We each have a different view on the world even if we are looking at the same thing. The things we can learn from each other if we were to have a book named after each of us in which our every thought, action, event, and experience were recorded and we could read about it. There wouldn't be a library big enough to hold it all. Everyone, once in awhile, writes something in order to present themselves or their ideas. A letter of recommendation. An advertisement. A resume. A novel. An informative book. A pamphlet. There are so many things we write.
John Jakes has said, "Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish." This creates something that is yours and no one else's. It will be a part of you.
Depending on who the audience is we use the rules set for us and bend them into our own form. Perhaps naturally, and then with added tweaking. We have a purpose for writing. If something is recorded it is because we find it is something to take note of. Whether it is for ourselves or for someone else.
It is my impression, that any writer of any sort, in order to seem real and be truly heard through life, needs to intimately know what it is he or she plans on writing on. Whether a skill, a object, a person, a place, or an idea. You must capture the essence of it into written word and to do that you must know it. There are many ways of discovering something. To take from my history class, you can use primary sources, secondary sources, or a general overview of the topic. Primary sources I would include experiencing it yourself. Perhaps, watching and asking a person who has done it for information, but I think that might work better in the secondary sources. Then you can learn the topic from other written words or internet or some other broad source.
According to E. L. Doctorow, "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." When you discover what it is you plan to write about. Learn all you can about the subject. Writers must be very educated people if they are learning all they write about and write with authority.
These are the lessons I have learned and try to apply. These are the lessons and I will continue to try to improve them in myself. I don't think there is a limit on how high you can go.
I've mentioned before that in this class I had written an Photo-Autobiography. Which I would recommend people to do. It's kinda amazing. Sorta like scrap booking, but with more words. Rather then the pictures being the center of attention and the words supporting, the words are the main attraction with the pictures being complementary.
The lectures of the class:
Lecture number One
1. Pick a subject that means something to you
2. Have a Reason to write
3. Turn your feelings to account
Lecture number Two
Details = Power
What else have I learned?
That view point matters, that description matters, that the small details in words give a story power. That's what the element of great story telling is. Details. That's why stories told by my mother and family are always silly and rather interesting. Details.
The other day we were required to read an essay entitled "Letting the Light Shine Through" written by Deborah Harrison. What an essay!! Let's see if I can quickly summarize the main points.
- Style: "It encompasses clarity and coherence and conciseness and voice. But it adds up to more than these individual considerations. ... Our style is made up of the choices we make in presenting our ideas."
- "Writing forces us to think. The process of writing is thinking."
- Clarity: "Deep or complex ideas need not be expressed in obscure ways. Indeed they shouldn't be."
- Coherence: "A coherent essay is one that simply makes sense; it moves logically and smoothly from idea to idea."
- Conciseness: "When we write, we want the most amount of pawer from the least number of words."
- Voice: "I mean that you, your personality, or how you want readers to perceive you comes off the page, that I can hear you speaking in your own matchless way, that I can feel you genuinely wish to engage me as your reader."
- Title: Walker Percy "A good title should be like a metaphor: It should intrigue without being too baffling or too obvious" (Trimble, 2000, p. 180)
- "Which person we choose, either first, second, or third person, affects the distance we create between ourselves and our readers."
- "Choice of tense also affects voice and distance."
- "Word choice and levels of formality can also affect the sense of voice."
- Delivery: "It's also important to pay attention to the details of delivery, our punctuation, usage, and layout, so that our ideas can be more easily understood and accepted."
- Punctuation: "punctuation becomes as much as an art form as painting or drawing."
- Punctuation: "We need to know the rules so well that we understand when it is appropriate, for our purposes, to break those rules."
- "Usage has to do with how we actually use the language, our choice of appropriate words."
- Layout: "A good page layout is a type of persuasion in and of itself."
We are each different from one another. Even identical twins are different. Their personalities are not cloned. We each have a different view on the world even if we are looking at the same thing. The things we can learn from each other if we were to have a book named after each of us in which our every thought, action, event, and experience were recorded and we could read about it. There wouldn't be a library big enough to hold it all. Everyone, once in awhile, writes something in order to present themselves or their ideas. A letter of recommendation. An advertisement. A resume. A novel. An informative book. A pamphlet. There are so many things we write.
John Jakes has said, "Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish." This creates something that is yours and no one else's. It will be a part of you.
Depending on who the audience is we use the rules set for us and bend them into our own form. Perhaps naturally, and then with added tweaking. We have a purpose for writing. If something is recorded it is because we find it is something to take note of. Whether it is for ourselves or for someone else.
It is my impression, that any writer of any sort, in order to seem real and be truly heard through life, needs to intimately know what it is he or she plans on writing on. Whether a skill, a object, a person, a place, or an idea. You must capture the essence of it into written word and to do that you must know it. There are many ways of discovering something. To take from my history class, you can use primary sources, secondary sources, or a general overview of the topic. Primary sources I would include experiencing it yourself. Perhaps, watching and asking a person who has done it for information, but I think that might work better in the secondary sources. Then you can learn the topic from other written words or internet or some other broad source.
According to E. L. Doctorow, "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." When you discover what it is you plan to write about. Learn all you can about the subject. Writers must be very educated people if they are learning all they write about and write with authority.
These are the lessons I have learned and try to apply. These are the lessons and I will continue to try to improve them in myself. I don't think there is a limit on how high you can go.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Time
Time it marches onward in a steady pace.
Yet, sometimes time moves slowly or moves too quickly.
But perhaps time is only a mortal thing.
When we are learning and are productive constantly throughout the day doesn't it seem like time most quickly? You were able to do and learn so much in a small amount of time that you can practically feel your mind and self progressing. However, when we are lazy or unhappy or our spirits are weary, time seems to be trotting along at the slowest pace possible.
Sometimes I wonder. Is an aspect of mortality to be learning about time? Because as immortal beings we wouldn't otherwise understand it? Are we to learn to be organized and not wasteful in our time allotted to us?
It's only been 27 days since I've been in Rexburg. I say only, but there are times when 27 days is long, but sometimes it can be short. In anycase, I have been here for 27 days. I've made great friends. Met new people. Felt my world widen around me. Feel my mind making connections as I absorb knowledge like a slightly damp sponge soaks up water, but my brain doesn't have a limit on how much it can hold. I discover that I have lived with the barest hint of the Large Picture of Everything. So time moves so quickly, yet I'm learning so much. Much more then I ever have before.
The question becomes: Is 27 days a long time? Or is it short?
There is just so much to contemplate on this matter of time.
I love it. :D
Yet, sometimes time moves slowly or moves too quickly.
But perhaps time is only a mortal thing.
When we are learning and are productive constantly throughout the day doesn't it seem like time most quickly? You were able to do and learn so much in a small amount of time that you can practically feel your mind and self progressing. However, when we are lazy or unhappy or our spirits are weary, time seems to be trotting along at the slowest pace possible.
Sometimes I wonder. Is an aspect of mortality to be learning about time? Because as immortal beings we wouldn't otherwise understand it? Are we to learn to be organized and not wasteful in our time allotted to us?
It's only been 27 days since I've been in Rexburg. I say only, but there are times when 27 days is long, but sometimes it can be short. In anycase, I have been here for 27 days. I've made great friends. Met new people. Felt my world widen around me. Feel my mind making connections as I absorb knowledge like a slightly damp sponge soaks up water, but my brain doesn't have a limit on how much it can hold. I discover that I have lived with the barest hint of the Large Picture of Everything. So time moves so quickly, yet I'm learning so much. Much more then I ever have before.
The question becomes: Is 27 days a long time? Or is it short?
There is just so much to contemplate on this matter of time.
I love it. :D
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness
I'm sure I've mentioned at how much I love my classes and how they make me think and stretch my mind in directions I hadn't previously thought of. Today I had one such class. Now all my classes do that, but today, it was just amazing learning things I sorta knew, but now really understand.
The class was American Foundations. It's a class everyone at BYU-I has to take at one point or another. But I have it with Brother Ryan Johnson. It's amazing.
There are quizzes based on the readings, but you don't know when you will have the quiz and when you will not. So no matter what you have to do the reading. The reading I did was This Nation Shall Endure by Ezra Taft Benson. He's given it several times to several different groups of people. I would highly highly recommend just getting the book to read. In anycase, I read parts 1-3 for my assignment. I love it. It basically states what the purpose of Government is, or the Principles government should follow, more especially, this wonderful country of the United States of America. It tells us to not tare down the characters of our Founding Fathers and make them less then they were. They received the ordinances of the temple after their death, so they were worthy of such a thing. But read it, because I honestly don't know how to explain it to you properly. READ IT though, so that you can understand the rest of what I am saying, although, you might understand it anyways.
So to properly begin:
The Founding Fathers were led by Heavenly Father to create this country's Declaration of Independence and Constitution. All men are created equal by their Heavenly Father, as they are all children of His. Natural and Inalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness existed before government and was given to each of us by our Heavenly Father. God gave them to us. The Government's Job, according to Benson and in which I agree and I'm sure the Founding Father's would as well, is to protect these Natural Rights and that is all. That is the moral justification of Government. To Protect these rights by deriving their power from the people.
The Ten Commandments. I'm sure you all know them. But let's quickly go through them again.
1. Thou shalt have no other God before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and they mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet . . . anything that is thy neighbor's.
Now think about all the redistribution the Government does now a days. Would you call that taking away from some to give to others? Is it a form of legalized stealing?
If just because it's a law of a country make it right? The twelfth article of faith states: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." So in terms of Hitler and the Nazi's in Germany was it right to follow the law or to stand up for moral righteousness? But what if everyone only had a certain degree of light, or knowledge, of the awful things going on about them. If they had a greater knowledge do they have a responsibility to share that knowledge even if it means death? So then coming back to the United States, if a law legalizes something that goes against the ten commandments should we do it?
Should we turn to the government for financial support when we are between jobs or suffering from heavy medical bills? In the church the standard is more like you depend on yourself first, then on your family, then the church. If you must get government help, it should first be the local government, then the state government, and only as a very very last resort should you go to the Federal Government.
If we believe that God truly blessed us with these Natural Rights of life, liberty, property, and pursuit of happiness, we must practice faith in that belief in that God will provide.
We must humble ourselves sufficiently to ask for such help.
If we wish to incorporate it into our lives study it out, prayerfully, and have faith to apply these principles.
In my class, we discussed the right or wrongs of food stamps or government college grants, but it's each a person decision and between God and yourself.
Moses 4:1-5
After Heavenly Father presented his plan, Satan presented his, but it doesn't really seem like Heavenly Father even asked for another's idea. It was The Plan. Satan's plan wasn't even possible. He wouldn't be able to come through with his promise of security in Exaltation because to be saved one must have agency. He probably didn't convince people to follow him and his plan by telling them they will loose their agency, probably just that they will have security in that choice.
Revelations 12 the Chapter Heading, John sees the war in heaven in the beginning when Satan was cast out and he sees the continuation of that war on earth. What is that war over? Our agency. We have the ability to choose liberty or a sense of security in bondage. Like the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:27 "Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or choose captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
In Mosiah 29:38-39, King Benjamin creates the Judges. Giving them the choice to choose agency and the continuing in that agency. With this plan God will judge the people of their choices (Mosiah 29:12) because they have greater agency then they did under a king because of the Rule of Law, which is a where the law are constant throughout different leaders and generations creating stability and having the rulers constrained by those laws as well. Rather then a Rule of Man where with every leader the laws are changed.
We then talked about the United Order verse Communism or Socialism. The difference? Agency. The United Order you choose to donate and sacrifice. In Communism or Socialism you are coerced into doing so. Security at the expense of agency verses respect of agency.
Without private property rights your agency is limited. It becomes a violence. And violence and force is the opposite of charity and love and willingness. There becomes a breakdown.
For what reason did God free this land and continues to be free?
The Restoration and so Zion can be built. It is a special land on which Adam dwelt, the Jaredites lived, and Lehi's descendants live.
It was one of the most thought provoking classes I have had for a long time. Or ever. A full hour and a half. And the question then comes to mind, how to apply these teachings best into our lives now??? How can we affect our country, or whichever country we live in, to become better in following these principles??
Other sources of information:
Socialism and the United Order, Elder Marion G. Romney, April 1966
J. Reuban Clark, 113th Semi-Annual Conference, Oct. 1942
President Benson, Ensign, Jan 1988, p. 3, 5
1st Presidency Message, 112th Annual Conference, April 6, 1942
The class was American Foundations. It's a class everyone at BYU-I has to take at one point or another. But I have it with Brother Ryan Johnson. It's amazing.
There are quizzes based on the readings, but you don't know when you will have the quiz and when you will not. So no matter what you have to do the reading. The reading I did was This Nation Shall Endure by Ezra Taft Benson. He's given it several times to several different groups of people. I would highly highly recommend just getting the book to read. In anycase, I read parts 1-3 for my assignment. I love it. It basically states what the purpose of Government is, or the Principles government should follow, more especially, this wonderful country of the United States of America. It tells us to not tare down the characters of our Founding Fathers and make them less then they were. They received the ordinances of the temple after their death, so they were worthy of such a thing. But read it, because I honestly don't know how to explain it to you properly. READ IT though, so that you can understand the rest of what I am saying, although, you might understand it anyways.
So to properly begin:
The Founding Fathers were led by Heavenly Father to create this country's Declaration of Independence and Constitution. All men are created equal by their Heavenly Father, as they are all children of His. Natural and Inalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness existed before government and was given to each of us by our Heavenly Father. God gave them to us. The Government's Job, according to Benson and in which I agree and I'm sure the Founding Father's would as well, is to protect these Natural Rights and that is all. That is the moral justification of Government. To Protect these rights by deriving their power from the people.
The Ten Commandments. I'm sure you all know them. But let's quickly go through them again.
1. Thou shalt have no other God before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and they mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet . . . anything that is thy neighbor's.
Now think about all the redistribution the Government does now a days. Would you call that taking away from some to give to others? Is it a form of legalized stealing?
If just because it's a law of a country make it right? The twelfth article of faith states: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." So in terms of Hitler and the Nazi's in Germany was it right to follow the law or to stand up for moral righteousness? But what if everyone only had a certain degree of light, or knowledge, of the awful things going on about them. If they had a greater knowledge do they have a responsibility to share that knowledge even if it means death? So then coming back to the United States, if a law legalizes something that goes against the ten commandments should we do it?
Should we turn to the government for financial support when we are between jobs or suffering from heavy medical bills? In the church the standard is more like you depend on yourself first, then on your family, then the church. If you must get government help, it should first be the local government, then the state government, and only as a very very last resort should you go to the Federal Government.
If we believe that God truly blessed us with these Natural Rights of life, liberty, property, and pursuit of happiness, we must practice faith in that belief in that God will provide.
We must humble ourselves sufficiently to ask for such help.
If we wish to incorporate it into our lives study it out, prayerfully, and have faith to apply these principles.
In my class, we discussed the right or wrongs of food stamps or government college grants, but it's each a person decision and between God and yourself.
Moses 4:1-5
After Heavenly Father presented his plan, Satan presented his, but it doesn't really seem like Heavenly Father even asked for another's idea. It was The Plan. Satan's plan wasn't even possible. He wouldn't be able to come through with his promise of security in Exaltation because to be saved one must have agency. He probably didn't convince people to follow him and his plan by telling them they will loose their agency, probably just that they will have security in that choice.
Revelations 12 the Chapter Heading, John sees the war in heaven in the beginning when Satan was cast out and he sees the continuation of that war on earth. What is that war over? Our agency. We have the ability to choose liberty or a sense of security in bondage. Like the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:27 "Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or choose captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
In Mosiah 29:38-39, King Benjamin creates the Judges. Giving them the choice to choose agency and the continuing in that agency. With this plan God will judge the people of their choices (Mosiah 29:12) because they have greater agency then they did under a king because of the Rule of Law, which is a where the law are constant throughout different leaders and generations creating stability and having the rulers constrained by those laws as well. Rather then a Rule of Man where with every leader the laws are changed.
We then talked about the United Order verse Communism or Socialism. The difference? Agency. The United Order you choose to donate and sacrifice. In Communism or Socialism you are coerced into doing so. Security at the expense of agency verses respect of agency.
Without private property rights your agency is limited. It becomes a violence. And violence and force is the opposite of charity and love and willingness. There becomes a breakdown.
For what reason did God free this land and continues to be free?
The Restoration and so Zion can be built. It is a special land on which Adam dwelt, the Jaredites lived, and Lehi's descendants live.
It was one of the most thought provoking classes I have had for a long time. Or ever. A full hour and a half. And the question then comes to mind, how to apply these teachings best into our lives now??? How can we affect our country, or whichever country we live in, to become better in following these principles??
Other sources of information:
Socialism and the United Order, Elder Marion G. Romney, April 1966
J. Reuban Clark, 113th Semi-Annual Conference, Oct. 1942
President Benson, Ensign, Jan 1988, p. 3, 5
1st Presidency Message, 112th Annual Conference, April 6, 1942
Discovery!
College. It's full of discovery. It really is.
Things you discover:
~more about yourself
~more about the gospel
~more about the world
It's really interesting. College is much like an expedition for some hidden treasure, but you don't know quite what it is your looking for, you just have some vague idea.
You find your interests. You find how well you do without family around. You find out how well you get along with people you've never met before in your life and how to live with strangers and make friends. You find out about your habits. You find out where you need to improve and where your strengths are.
You make connections with the gospel that you hadn't made before. You are constantly spiritually fed, at least at BYU-I. You learn how to be strong in the gospel and help those who have a testimony strengthen theirs. You learn how to be attuned to the spirit so you can be a better person, be aware of those around you and their needs. You learn the power of the priesthood when you've just had it in your life as a constant, you realize that the brethren in the church are all priesthood holders and you can depend on them if you need help.
You learn how to pay bills and what groceries you need. You learn the scholarly knowledge that you gain at college. You learn about the viewpoints of the world. You learn how to survive and adapt to the environment, aka the cold.
Discovery. It's an adventure.
Things you discover:
~more about yourself
~more about the gospel
~more about the world
It's really interesting. College is much like an expedition for some hidden treasure, but you don't know quite what it is your looking for, you just have some vague idea.
You find your interests. You find how well you do without family around. You find out how well you get along with people you've never met before in your life and how to live with strangers and make friends. You find out about your habits. You find out where you need to improve and where your strengths are.
You make connections with the gospel that you hadn't made before. You are constantly spiritually fed, at least at BYU-I. You learn how to be strong in the gospel and help those who have a testimony strengthen theirs. You learn how to be attuned to the spirit so you can be a better person, be aware of those around you and their needs. You learn the power of the priesthood when you've just had it in your life as a constant, you realize that the brethren in the church are all priesthood holders and you can depend on them if you need help.
You learn how to pay bills and what groceries you need. You learn the scholarly knowledge that you gain at college. You learn about the viewpoints of the world. You learn how to survive and adapt to the environment, aka the cold.
Discovery. It's an adventure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)