Today is my one year anniversary of buying my Nissan Leaf. So I thought I would do some math to figure out how much money it cost me to drive this year with my EV.  On average it cost me about $0.84 cents a day to drive my car.  The gas price at 3.50 a gallon would have cost me $4.37 day.

It would be cool to get solar to power my car, but at $10,000 dollars it would take over 30 years to recoup the cost.

I read an extremely hopeless article today in the New York Times 50 Years Into the War on Poverty, Hardship Hits Back.  While reading the article I was thinking that education, and especially religious education will help change the lives of these people.

It was interesting to read a comment from an author titled “Scared Academic”  This person said they believed;

If the people of a region have nothing of value to trade, poverty reigns. Those that have the means to physically escape do so at the earliest opportunity; the rest engage in the only other means of escapism that is available to them – crime, drugs, alcohol, sex, hypersomnia, overeating, religious faith.

Subtly this person throughs “Religious Faith” in the list with crime, drugs, alcohol, sex and over eating.

They conclude with;

Education can in time eliminate ignorance and racism, however the gradual transfer of our nations wealth into the hands of the richest 1%, guarantee that these poor regions will not only remain poor, but that other regions will likewise suffer similar fates as they too are similarly robbed.

I believe Education is the key to overcoming poverty. However,  to  throw “Religious Faith” in with same categories of drugs, alcohol, sex and overeating?
Religion, and more specifically Christianity, are the principles for which the United States of America was built. Every large Christian organization encourages education. If people seek power they are going to discourage people to be educated, especially religious education. Look at all the people throughout the world, that are much worse off than the poorest of Americans, that live in countries that discourage education and freedom of religion.

Education is the difference between poverty and abundance. Freedom for religious education is one of the things that made the United States great and will keep people free, empowered and prosperous.

Meandering though my life each day I often find myself wanting more;   more money, more peace, more influence, more knowledge, more stamina, more good-looks.  I often think I am sinning in my wish for more.  Shouldn’t I be content with what I have?  Shouldn’t I be thankful for the blessing that have been provided me in this life.  I do try to be thankful.  Then I think, is being satisfied just being lazy.  Should I be getting up earlier to workout, read and study.  Should I be saying up later?

P.S. It’s interesting that Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf answered this question in general conference April 2014