Entitlement

It's been a while since I've gone off on a long rant that may or may not be helpful, but consider this a warning - this post is post is it.

I want to begin by making clear that I think that entitlement in some aspects is healthy and natural. Children who are born into a family are entitled to physical care and love by that family until they are able to provide for themselves. They are entitled to it because there is nothing that they must do to warrant or pay for that care and love. I feel entitled to stay home with my children and care for them while my husband provides for us. These two examples are good forms of entitlement based on our divine roles as parents and husbands and wives.

But I think entitlement can too easily be a vice. And a vice for all of us. Elder Dallin H. Oaks said in his talk in the April 2009 General Conference:

The worldly aspiration of our day is to get something for nothing. The ancient evil of greed shows its face in the assertion of entitlement: I am entitled to this or that because of who I am—a son or a daughter, a citizen, a victim, or a member of some other group. Entitlement is generally selfish. It demands much, and it gives little or nothing. Its very concept causes us to seek to elevate ourselves above those around us. This separates us from the divine, evenhanded standard of reward that when anyone obtains any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law on which that blessing is predicated (see D&C 130:21).

The effects of greed and entitlement are evident in the multimillion-dollar bonuses of some corporate executives. But the examples are more widespread than that. Greed and ideas of entitlement have also fueled the careless and widespread borrowing and excessive consumerism behind the financial crises that threaten to engulf the world.

I see an entitlement attitude all around me. It's apparent in people that buy brand new trucks but can't even afford to buy their own food or homes. People who go into debt to keep up with their neighbors in the latest fads and fashions. I'd even go so far to say that it may motivate people who buy a chocolate bar and pop at the convenient store every day because "they deserve it".

Now really there's a bit of entitlement in all of us, isn't there? I feel entitled to a warm shower every day and when I don't get it, I feel like I've been robbed! Is there anything that I've done on my part to deserve a warm shower? Not really. I work hard every day to take care of the kids and my home while my husband works, but a warm shower is probably not a basic necessity of life. It's more of a convenience.

I think entitlement gets to be a problem when we have the attitude that the world owes me something for being alive. I deserve more than I have and better than I've got. The government should care for me because I'm a citizen of this country.

Now don't get me wrong, I know there are people who need government care. Those with debilitating circumstances that keep them from being able to take care of themselves and their families. Let me be quite clear that those are NOT the people I am talking about. I'm talking about the people that ARE able to work and choose not to simply because they'd rather sit on their fannies and watch videos, surf the web or play video games or whatever their pet desire is. They are never satisfied with what they have and always feel like they are entitled to more "free stuff". Some of these people would find that have enough money to meet their basic needs if they cut out the fluff, but they are not satisfied with that so they seek forms of government aid to provide their basic needs so that they can have "extras". And I don't think that the internet, direct TV or cable or video games count toward basic needs.

Entitlement is selfishness. It seeks to put ourselves above others and get ahead in power, fame or wealth. Often times I don't think people realize that they even have the attitude. It's subtle, but rampant. I think the answer is to live simply. To be satisfied with what we have and grateful to the Lord for our blessings. Gratitude is so important. When we really sit down and realize what we have been blessed with, of no merit of our own, we realize that the Lord is good to us. I love King Benjamin's address in Mosiah 2:

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.

I think that's so true! If we really sit down and think about how much the Lord has blessed us, the entitlement attitude slips away. We realize that we are given so much by the Lord, with very little in return. I know that He will care for us and bless us if we trust in Him.

Becoming Self Reliant

This topic has been on my mind for a while now. I wanted to post this about 3 weeks ago and haven't had the chance. This is a wonderful article by Elder M. Russell Ballard on becoming self-reliant. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this article:

“To become self-reliant, a person must work. Work is physical, mental, or spiritual effort. It is a basic source of happiness, self-worth, and prosperity. Through work, people accomplish many good things in their lives. …

“As people become self-reliant, they are better prepared to endure adversities” and are “better able to care for others in need.”

He also talks about 5 principles that can help us prepare to become more self-reliant:

1. Find Answers through the Spirit
2. Appraise Our Lives and the Needs of Others
3. Choose between Good and Evil
4. Think Straight
5. Seek the Lord’s Guidance

I really feel that this is such an important principle to be reminded about - right now especially with all the economic turmoil that we are experiencing. I'm interested in your feedback. What do you think about this topic?

Looking Outward

I read a talk yesterday that was given by one of our church leaders, Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I thought it was really important especially during this Christmas season.

"As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness. President Lorenzo Snow expressed a similar thought: 'When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.' In today’s world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counterintuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn’t lead to lasting happiness."

I loved this! It's very important to remember. Many of us are feeling (or will feel) the pinch of the economy, which may lead us to look inward and forget about those around us. I love what he said about finding someone in a worse plight than us (and there's always someone) and helping them out. This will help dispel our own troubles and help us be happier. It is counterintuitive, like he said, but I've experienced the happiness that comes from serving others and I know it really does work. Service and Love and Giving really does make us happier.

Are We Prepared?

I've thought a lot about preparedness lately. Many of you probably have also. With the drastically fluctuating economy, it's easy to see how anything could happen and it could happen fast. Peace comes by being prepared for whatever lies ahead. In our church, our leaders have counseled us to be prepared. A great resource for helping you become prepared is: http://providentliving.org/. We've used this website numerous times. It contains helpful information about:

• Family Home Storage - information about storing food and water. On this site you can calculate how much your family will need for a time period you select (a month, three-months or more). Also there is information about how how long food stores and where to go to obtain it. This is an excellent resource!
  
• Emergency Preparedness and Response - information about preparing for an emergency or disaster and what to do in an emergency.
  
• Employment - helpful information about finding a job and job links.
• Family Finances - good information about avoiding debt and using a budget.
• Social and Emotional Strength - overcoming additions, coming challenges that face families including divorce, parenting issues and pornography.
• Physical Health - Information about exercise & fitness, nutrition & diet and medical care.
  

This is just a few of the highlight of this wonderful website. Let's seek to become prepared for what lies ahead in all aspects of our life.

Optimistic Thoughts in Troubled Times

This morning I opened up yesterday's paper (I was running a day behind) and began perusing headlines. I don't know if yesterday was just a downer news day or what, but it was a little discouraging. These are some of the words & phrases I read:

• Economic Meltdown
• Protest
• Havoc
• Racist Threats
• Prospects Dim
• Tragedy Endures
• Struggling
• Failing
• Making Matters Worse
• Confidence Wanes

Almost every news story had one of those phrases in it. These are hard times! And if we read or listen to the news it is shoved in our face every day. Although it's important not to be naive to the negative things that are going on in the world, I don't think we should surround ourselves with it.

I try to put on filtered lenses as I read the paper or hear the news these days. Of course I still see the bad, but I try to look for the good. Here's what I found when I read today's paper:

• Winds Calming
• Big Boom
• Rebuild America
• Fresh Vision
• Brighter America
• Develop Courage

Let's focus on the brighter, rebuilding and booming America. Let's develop courage and fresh vision. These are hard times, but the future is bright.

How can we survive the economic crisis?

I guess we'll step off the soap box now and get back down to earth and it's practicalities. Some of us are feeling the economic pinch right now and some will feel it in the short-distant future. I expect that most of us will feel it before this crisis is over. How can we survive the hard times that we face now and will face in the future? What can we do to keep afloat financially? Where can we cut back?

Here are a few ideas to think about as we trim our budgets:

• Gasoline - for some of us this is one of the largest expenditures in our budgets other than housing. Although prices have recently gone down, don't be fooled into thinking they will stay for long. Now is the time to prepare for when the prices will go back up. Is carpooling an option? Walking or riding a bike? I'm always surprised at how fast the miles rack up in the car even just going short distances. Save money and walk (or ride a bike). The perk is you get your exercise at the same time!

• Food - trim your food budget by cutting back on expensive snacks and packaged foods, try not to eat out much and cut back on expensive meats and comfort foods. By simplifying your meals and returning to basic foods, you'll not only save significantly on costs but start to eat healthy as well!
  

• Limit Shopping - plan ahead and only go to the store once a week (or once or twice a month if possible). It's a fact that the fewer times you go to the store, the less money you will spend. If you run out of something that you use, try to do without until your next planned shopping trip. As you limit the number of shopping trips you make, you'll also cut back on the amount of money you spend on gasoline and food.
  

• Utilities - think in conservation mode as you use utilities. Turn your temperature down and put on a sweater or an extra blanket at night. Lower your water heater temperature. Turn out lights that aren't being used and switch to florescent bulbs where possible. Don't run the dishwasher until it's full. Take shorter showers. And so on. Doing this will not only save you money, you'll be preserving our natural resources as well.
  

Well there's just a few basic ideas to start with. Do you have more ideas? We'd love to hear your comments.

Americans Have Lived Beyond their Means Long Enough

At this time of economic crisis it's really easy to point fingers at who is to blame. Some claim it's the federal government's fault. Some blame it on the housing lenders. Most of us aren't willing to admit that we as an American people have been altogether too rash in our spending on every level. Greed has plagued the market from the top of of the government ladders all the way down to the basic family unit. Living beyond our means has caught up to us and we will be paying for it in the years to come.

It used to be that wealth was measured, in part, by what one owned. In general, people who were rich dressed better, ate better, owned more and lived in bigger homes. Today, this is no longer the case. In our day, we have seen how the convenience of credit cards and the ease of obtaining housing and consumer loans has blurred status lines. People who make $40K/year can now live in mansions, drive expensive cars, eat at costly restaurants and wear expensive clothing all purchased with credit cards and loans. Greed has led us to believe we must have everything that anyone else has in order to be happy, and we must have it right now.

The American people need to reinstate the basics of wise economic practices. To put it simply, we need to spend less than we earn. It is our opinion that government Band-Aids will not really solve the problems we face right now. In the end, the American people need to solve this crisis. We can start in our own families. We can discipline ourselves to pay of debts and spend less than we earn, no matter how much that is.