Perhaps, many of you are not following what is happening in our market and maybe you don't care. I, myself, have become very interested and highly concerned. I believe 100% that very troubled economic times are ahead of us. I do not understand all the complexities of the market, in fact I probably don't understand much of anything, but I do understand that there are ramifications for living beyond your means. I think that the majority of Americans, especially my generation, has no idea what it really means to live beyond your means. It is much easier to recognize it in others than ourselves.
I worry about the future, not so much in the grand scale, but in the details (things like: will we continue to have employment? how much will food and clothing cost?). I am doing everything that I can now to prepare for the future. We are buying clothing for our kids to grow into and continuing to build our food storage. Jeff and I have cut our spending down to the essentials.
You may wonder why I am sharing this with you. Quite simply - I want to urge everyone to take the time to study what is happening to our economy so you can decide the best possible course of action for your family. (I thought that a well known financial analyst, Peter Schiff, did a good job of explaining why the future is rocky, at best, in simple terms in this interview. You can read it here: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/17246/) Honestly, it floors me, when I see the complete stranger buying up a cart full of holiday decorations and party platters.
I am appalled by the bailout package and the fact that our government is buying into private banking institutions. I understand why they are doing it, but that doesn't make it right. Good intentions does not make something inherently good. I hope and pray that we, as a people, understand the basics of capitalism, democracy and our constitution enough that we can stem this tide before it goes too far. My greatest fear is that we won't.
What are your thoughts on this.
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4 comments:
I am with you on living within your means! But at the same time I don't want to live my life in fear (not to say that this is what you are doing!) I feel that all we can do is the best we can and follow the counsel given to us by the apostles and prophets. I also feel that our country has been in hard times before and we pulled through then and we will pull through now. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but the important thing to remember is that they WILL GET BETTER!!! I also firmly believe that if we are constant and faithful in paying our tithes that the Lord will always provide. WOW, that was a lot more lengthy than I thought it was going to be . . . SORRY!!!
(MARY) I agree with you Heather. I have faith that we can get through these difficult times ahead. There is even a part of me that welcomes what can come of it as we learn to value the truly important things, focus on our families, and rely on the Lord. A refiner's fire of sorts. I just hope that, in the midst of such trails, our country's leaders do not act out of fear and desperation (as we have now seen them do - in my opinion). I have found great peace and comfort through the counsel of prophets and apostles - this last General Conference was amazing!
I know what you both mean about the internal conflict between wanting to be realistic and prepared and not being overcome by fear. In times like these, I am incredibly grateful for the law of tithing and the blessings it brings into our lives. I'm also grateful that years of hearing about preparadness are finally starting to sink in as our family has been working on more carefully managing our finances this past year or so. I'm hoping this will be a big wake-up call to look toward alternative energy sources and to live at or below our means (so we can save, etc.). Thanks for your thoughts, Mary.
It seems like in every church meeting lately I am hearing about food storage. It's a little frustrating knowing that my well stocked food storage was left behind in Hawaii and now I'm starting over again. At least I know that it was given to great families who will now be prepared. There is no question that we are facing harder times. We have to... (in a Biblical sense). I think that a little bit of fear is a good thing. It makes it possible for us to put back that item we don't need and use that money for wiser purchases, i.e. clothes, food, etc. When we look back are we really going to care that we missed out on the party platters? We will feel peace in being prepared! I think in being prepared both temporally and spiritually we can truly feel peace in the Lord's words, 'Be still, and know that I am'.
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