• Why I wrote this essay (namely I think it’s important for “those who have eyes to see” to prepare now for survival in a terrible economy).
• Why those concerned with global warming are barking up the wrong tree.
• Why concern over global warming is a valid and noble endeavor, even if it poses a much lesser threat than economically-induced global grand-mal seizures.

 

Let me preface this 5-part essay as something I’ve written to help me sort my thoughts, but also something I believe useful for my relatives and for a world-wide audience desirous to prepare for the possibility of hard times. I am a devout but average member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and take many of my points from truths I believe I have learned from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, modern prophets, and the Spirit of Truth. I am certainly no prophet and have little scholarly knowledge. I’m just a regular guy who tries to pay attention and discern what’s going on, and could easily be wrong or off-base. Knowing that, you’ll comprehend what I’m saying much better.

 

Is 2006 the best of times, or the worst of times?

The present world is such a place of confusion. Who can really figure it out? Truly there are many who “call good evil and evil good” (Isaiah 5:20). A mechanism I have found useful to discern what is Really important is to look at the opposite of what the worldly and godless think is “truth” or “important”. Many would have us believe that life has never been worse on planet earth, and that the United States is the primary reason why. A rational, truth-seeking soul (via mind, heart, and prayer) can, given time to ponder, easily recognize that the truth is exactly opposite. The world has never known prosperity and wide-spread improvement in freedom, enlightenment, and hope as it has now – and United States has been largely the vehicle of choice for which God has blessed the earth with these wonderful things.

 

What are our biggest threats? Republicans? Global Warming?

Prophets of doom are convinced it’s worse than ever, and predict calamities will befall us if we do not immediately spend trillions on this or that. Take global warming. The spirit of truth has taught me not to dismiss good science, and I recently saw a NOVA program that convinced me global warming is occurring, and gave compelling reasons to believe combustion may be a factor to some degree. The same spirit of truth also tells me that God would expect a responsible individual, with whatever stewardship is allotted to them (in my case small) to strive to improve upon even potentially bad situations if he discovers opportunity to do so.

 

To me this means driving vehicles that do not consume above my needs (vanity is not a need), supporting legislation that might fund research into alternative energy sources (namely nuclear, fuel cells, solar, improvements in mpg, etc.), and deriving many of our tax needs from fossil fuels to encourage their conservation, reduce their pollution, and create more incentive to develop more friendly energy sources (but at the same time lowering other taxes). I am not radical and do not believe it is necessary or wise to massively and quickly alter our economy as the “Kyoto treaty” would require. God’s commandment to Adam and Eve was, paraphrasing, “You are given dominion over the earth. Use what you need, but take care of the Garden.” The above seems in harmony with this.

 

On with part 2, or the essence of the Perfect Financial Storm!