I like creating things.

I like creating things that creates things for me.

Recently I watched a video about the first computer ever made. It was roughly the size of an operation table and could do less than half of what your calculator on your phone can do. It was a big deal, though, because even though it couldn't do much it meant that what it could do, you no longer had to do yourself.

This was one of several events that has sparked my interest in the power that comes in creating things that do things for you. I have mentioned before that I think everyone should learn a programming language. I think it should required in schools like English, or like foreign languages. This is why:

Imagine a being able to speak and have the elements combine in front of you. Imagine saying to the elements "Combine and create a world." And the elements combine and create a world. That would be an amazing power.

Now consider for a minute that the very computer you are reading this blog with is capable of handling the computations that the worlds largest and most powerful machinery run on. These machines can bend and shape and carve material to create cars, airplanes, houses, even computers themselves. If you know the language of computers, you can speak and say "Combine these elements and make a car." And the elements combine and create a car. That is also an amazing power.

Speaking of power, I remember reading some of the Harry Potter books, as well as watching some of the movies. I remember thinking to myself that out of all of the characters Hermione best represented my attitude. If I had magical abilities you can rest assured that I would spend every waking moment, (and most likely every non-waking moment) research and developing those powers.

Let me give an example:

Ron might look at the ability to levitate a feather and think "Hmm, this is boring, why would I want to lift feather's anyway? This isn't very useful." Then he would go and perhaps eat some weird enchanted candies.

I would look at that same ability to levitate a feather and the first thing I would think is "Does anybody else see what I'm seeing? Is anyone else realizing the potential this has?" Looking around I would see the Ron's and the Harry Potters who all just care about passing a class so that they can return to their enchanted candies or to dealing with the Voldemorts in their lives. Meanwhile, I would do the following:

First I would expand my portfolio of objects that I could levitate. First feathers, then everything else. If I can levitate things, why not myself. Soon I have gained the ability to fly because I levitate my bones, ligaments, and muscles, and everything else follows.

If I had an invisibility cloak I wouldn't leave it in a box in my room, I would cut it up and make long underwear out of it, with fold back footies, gloves, and a hoodie. Walking around people would see me in my robes and think everything is fine. On a whim if I wanted to disappear I simply take off my robes and I'm gone. If I really wanted to leave no footprint I would add a napsack that I could store my robes in.

So now I can fly and be invisible. Imagine how the books would have turned out if Harry Potter was flying around invisible since book two, or whenever it was that he got the cloak.

When power to improve one's environment is so blatantly obvious it doesn't take much to find the drive to master the steps necessary to gain that power. It is when the steps to that power are obscured or appear unobtainable that their is no drive.

In this way a lot of people:

Don't see the benefit in learning the language of computers.

Don't think that benefit is obtainable given their situation.

I have to admit that, for myself, the power to create more than mere websites has also seemed obscure and unobtainable. It hasn't been until recently that the true power that already lies underneath my fingertips has been discovered.

I believe this is related to the gospel as well. Many have an obscured view of what blessings are in store for them if they would only take the necessary steps. There are also those who might understand the blessings but do not think they are capable of obtaining them.

We can be comforted with the good news that the blessings are real, and the blessings are obtainable. Obtain the vision, obtain the steps, perform the steps, then obtain the blessings.

I invite you to live the gospel and obtain those blessings that are very real, and very obtainable.

Life in Abundance

Life in Abundance

There are a lot of excellent books written about the secrets to obtaining an abundance in finance, as well as in life. Many of them have changed the way I see the world. This is a summary of the best concepts I have discovered in these readings:


Abundance in Finance

Income Expenses
Assets Liabilities

Income - Money you receive in exchange for your time and/or work
Expenses - Money you give in exchange for things
Assets - Things that make you money without requiring your time
Liabilities - Things that take your money without requiring your time

Having a high paying income helps a person become financially well-off. Income comes in the form of jobs, commissions, and salaries. Those who have them have money, but their time is still bound to maintain it.

Having high paying assets helps a person become financially independent. Assets are things that one owns and lends to others to use for a price, such as royalties, patents, property, and stock. These people are free to work how, when, and on what they decide to. They can take vacations when the want because they are always being paid.

Having expenses take money, these are things like food, rent, and entertainment. This results in financial reduction.

Having liabilities drains money, these are things like credit card debt, mortgages, and car payments. The debt lasts a long time and is difficult to get rid of. The result is financial bondage.

Income = Financially well-off
Assets = Financially free
Expenses = Financial reduction
Liabilities = Financial bondage

Key to financial freedom : Invest as much as you can in obtaining assets. Stay away as far as you can from liabilities.


The Abundant Life

Consider these keys to the Abundant Life and how they relate to the keys of Financial Freedom:

In the talk The Abundant Life by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, Elder Wirthlin mentions three keys to obtaining the Abundant Life:

- Drink deeply of Living Water
- Filling our hearts with love
- Create of our lives a masterpiece

The Living Water referred to is the happiness and joy that comes from knowing and living the truth that comes from knowing Christ and living his teachings. Christ has Eternal happiness. He has happiness and joy, Eternally, and Eternal is abundance. He never runs out. He is the one source of value that a person can constantly tap into. Many things in life sap our energy: trials, hardships, misunderstandings. These things create voids within us. Christ offers to replenish these voids, and teaches us ways to avoid creating these voids in the future.

Filling ones heart with love, as explained in the talk, is done through reaching out and lifting and serving others. The promise is a greater happiness than one has ever known.

Creating ones life into a masterpiece involves hard work and dedication, the dedication of a life time.

Consider the following as it relates to the Key to Financial Freedom and the Abundant Life:

Physical		Spiritual
Hard work in the service of others	=	Spiritual gratification that stays regardless of time.
Expense		Asset
Stealing something of value from another	=	Spiritual haunting that stays regardless of time.
Income		Liability

Notice how in exchange for hard work and service, one can receive Spiritual Freedom.
Notice that in exchange for a temporary income, the result is Spiritual Bondage.

Hard work and serving others are two of the requirements for obtaining the abundant life. I don't find it surprising that the combination of these two principles results in a Spiritual Asset. The third requirement is to tap into an already existing Spiritual Asset, Living Water, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ.




I invite you to apply these principles of Financial and Spiritual Abundance in your own life.

The Value of Human Emotion

The Value of Human Emotion

Recently a friend asked for our opinions on a subject that involved the human form in art. Specifically what degree of the human body was acceptable to be shown when modeling for art studies. This is part of my response to her:

Message:

I think it's smart of you to think through such a sensitive subject, and I hope my feedback can be helpful:

My thought process concerning it:

The human body is designed to be attractive to the opposite sex. And for good reason! The body can evoke very good and strong emotions.

When emotions are reserved it creates value, they become special. There are two ways that emotions can be reserved:

Timing: When things don't happen all the time they become special, like Birthday's and Weddings.

Audience: When a limited amount of people are allowed, the event increases in value. Like front row seats at a football game, there fewer who can participate the more valuable the opportunity.

The human form contains the strongest of human emotions. These emotions can be transformed into value by reserving when and with whom they occur.

The body and fine art:

Art, like other industries such as science and medicine, benefits greatly from an understanding of the human body. For artists, this means better control in rendering realistic and believable images. This understanding then becomes a tool for creating beautiful things.

Just like a hammer can be used for creating beautiful things, like a house. At the same time, a hammer could be used for destructive things, like breaking a window.

Likewise an artist could destroy the value of special human emotions in the way they use their understanding of the human body. On the other hand, they can create beautiful and uplifting and inspiring art that still values the sacredness of human emotion.

So for me, it really depends who is using the knowledge and how they use it. I personally own some art books that have nude drawings, and they have been tremendously useful in understanding proportion and anatomy! But the models weren't displayed nude to evoke emotion or for admiration of their bodies, they were there to understand form. Like Leonardo's Vitruvian Man. This way their value (virtue?) was still maintained.

Those are my thoughts. I hope they help! Good luck!

Mine Intent

For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.

Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world.

-Nephi

Immigration

Immigration

I had a conversation about immigration not too long ago with a few of my roommates, this is what we decided:

Lately I've been taking the bus to the mall, which has opened my eyes to the lower class of Provo, and all the unseemly things that BYU students are normally not exposed to in their day to day living. I've also had opportunities to talk to the bus drivers, who have seen it all. One time I was talking to a truck driver gone bus driver, who had literally driven through all of the lower 48 states. Talking to her confirmed to me again, there is a lot of space in this country.

Even driving down to St. George confirms it, there is a lot of space in Utah.

If there is all this space, why not just open up the borders and let all these huddled masses yearning to breath free be free? Let them come in and be productive and enhance this great country!

This is why not:

Everyone wants the benefits of being free. But not everyone who wants benefits wants to work for them. In that same group of huddled masses are those who want to be able to come in and be productive and enhance this great country! But there are also those who want something for nothing, they are tired of working hard to survive and want to live off of the wealth that others have generated. Providing for these people brings no return, they literally burn money on their lusts. Imagine taking a certain portion of your paycheck every month and burning it on the stove.

Naturally, I don't blame those who are in government positions who have realized this phenomena and therefore set up barriers to entrance. I think the words of Emma Lazarus poem could have been changed to: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, but only send those that are willing to work and be productive, we don't want your leeches."

Another problem with letting in the huddled masses is that unless otherwise coaxed, they will stay huddled in masses. This results in ghettoes. It's logical to stay together, but at the same time it then creates barriers and disunity with the locals. If huddled masses were allowed to come in large groups it could be quite unsettling when all of a sudden local legislature is taken over by new comers. In summary: immigrants need to integrate. Otherwise they aren't becoming part of the country, they are becoming they're own country in the middle of some else's.

If these two criteria are met: the immigrants are productive, and the immigrants are integrating. Let them come! The more the merrier! From what I've seen, we have plenty of room!

Hope Cycle

The Hope Cycle

Hope - Faith - Law - Happiness (-more hope)

Definitions:

Hope: is a belief that you can be happy

Faith: is action based on hope

Law: is action conformed to criteria

Happiness: the result of living certain laws. ( once happiness is obtained, your hope in that course of action is increased )

Examples:

A boy sees a cute girl in an ad smiling and drinking a Coke. The boy believes the girl is happy. He doesn't know for sure, but he has enough hope that happiness might be found here that he decides to act. The law, or criteria of action to obtain this happiness is simple, one must drink a Coke. The boy conforms to the criteria and drinks a Coke. The result, the high levels of fructose corn syrup and sugar spike his insulin levels and and gives him a quick surge of energy. It was a nice feeling, but the result did not fill any of the boy's real needs. The boy realizes that this course of action produces quick surges of energy, but is not the happiness he is in search for.

Someone hears that if they avoid judging others too quickly they will be happy. This person decides to conform to this law by postponing judgement out of a hope that they will be happy because of it. Soon the person finds that because they didn't judge so quickly they have gained several friends that they normally wouldn't have had.

God and law:

The glory of God is intelligence, or light and truth. (D&C 93: 29-30, 36) Truth is a knowledge of how things are, were, and will be.(D&C 93: 24) This includes a knowledge of laws that bring happiness. God knows what actions we need to conform to in order to be happy. God shares this knowledge through prophets: www.mormon.org

Some people wonder why religious people conform to laws. Some assume it is out of fear in something that is not true. If people conform out of fear in something that is false this is sad.

Some religious people conform because they are hoping in something that isn't true, this is also sad.

Finally, intelligent people conform out of hope in something that is true. By conforming they reap the result, and when they realize they are happy this increases their hope, and the cycle continues.

I invite you to find happiness through living the hope cycle. Find a law, live it, and if it brings you true happiness, keep living it!

17 If any man will ^ado his ^bwill, he shall ^cknow of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 7: 17

Mustard Seed

Faith as a Mustard Seed

Recently I read this scripture in Matthew 17:20

"...for verily I say unto you, If ye have ^bfaith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this ^cmountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove;"

I was intrigued by the choice of word "as" instead of "the size of."

I think when most people hear this scripture they think of faith the size of a mustard seed. Meaning, if they put forth just a little tiny bit of faith, mountains will move. I believe this can be true, sometimes all it takes is a couple washings in the Jordan River to heal a leper. (2 Kings 5:10) But I was also intrigued by the interpretation this way:

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed has faith.

Do mustard seeds have faith? I think they do, faith is the agent by which all intelligent beings act, not that mustard seeds are the most intelligent creation around, but they are living things. They exercise that faith in growing, otherwise why on earth would they bother breaking out of that dirt in the first place? The hope that anything is worth while is always the motivation for action. Which action is not based off of a sure knowledge, there is still some risk involved, and this is faith: Acting without a sure knowledge of something. ( and it is after the trial of that faith comes the witness, or knowledge. (Ether 12:6)).

In other words, I'm claiming that faith as a mustard seed is not related to the size of the mustard seed, but to the amount of work that the mustard seed goes through to become a mustard tree.

This seems like a more realistic promise. I'm more apt to believe that God will move mountains for those people who would be willing to pull out their shovels and say, "Somehow, I'm going to move this mountain!" and then start digging. Or as President Uchtdorf explains:

“When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”