Root of All Evil

They say money is the root of all evil. I disagree. Evil is the root of all evil. Money is just a popular guise that evil hides under. In fact, it isn't money, it's power. People want the ability to do things* so much, that they have learned how to use natural powers**
It was explained to me recently that Money is just a form of transfer and isn't power--I think that's true, however I think Money is tied directly to Power and is synonymous(sp?) with it. When you have money you are carrying the liquid form# of power, it's still power## though.

So when people talk about the root of all evil being money, it's more like they are saying: power is evil. But power isn't evil--misusing it for selfish purposes or wasting it on trivial things is evil. Using it to buy slaves is evil (whether physical slaves like America had in the early days, or modern indentured servants like we have today who are people that just can't get out of debt) using it to get power OVER other people is bad. But using power to HELP other people is good.
I think developing a healthy habit of giving alms to the poor is a very safe and very good path for life. Paying your tithing is a definite must, but I think giving alms, real alms, to the poor is also pretty important. I'm not talking about JUST humanitarian aid or fasting meals to give the money to poor people so that they can buy food. What I am referring to includes things like: taking friends out to lunch now and again because you have money to do so and they do not. I'm talking about saving up for your children's college education, because you have money and they are just getting started{BRANCH #1 (see below)}. I am talking about offering people jobs who are hard workers and desperate for work, when YOU have money and they do not; this can come in the form of starting a business, supplying capital for businesses, even hiring someone to take care of your lawn, house, farm, etc.
When you have power/money, you should use it for good purposes and not bad. The way I see it, investments always come when you use your money for good things. They become wasted when you use your money for bad things and you rarely get returns on those investments. (pornography, drugs, alcohol, etc)

If you want to be wealthy, use your money for good things. If nothing else your wealth will be invested in maturing assets (children, loyal friends, etc) and you can liquidate those assets in the eternities when your good name is brought before God and you are told that you have done well, you are good, you are faithful, and that you left life better than it was when you entered it.

......But what do I know? I don't have a lot of money (liquid power)--I took Benjamin Franklin's advice and have thus far invested my money in knowledge, because I know for sure that I can take that everywhere and can use it to help other people. Money on the other hand is sometimes hard to know to use for good purposes.



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* I suppose doing things can equate to using our agency, which was given to us from God.
** Natural powers -- I'm referring to non-godly powers. Things like oppressing others, domination, wars, threats, unity of masses: riots & voting, etc etc.
# liquidity is a business term that means you have the ability to purchase things at any time rather than having to sell products or assets first.--I am rolling off of this idea because businesses with a lot of liquid assets can do a whole lot more and more quickly than those who are locked up with assets or otherwise.
## I suppose I need to explain what my definition of power is: the ability to DO things. Having lots of power increases your agency (the ability to choose) because you have more options, more things you are capable of doing if you CHOOSE to do them. Satan fought over power (God's power) and he couldn't have it, he essentially misused his agency to get it, so he wasn't able to get a body like the rest of us because that would give him MORE power--God knew he couldn't handle it based on prior performance and that's why he was cast out of God's presence.
We too are here to see if we are worthy of greater power or not, whether we'll use it properly or squander it or misuse it for selfish purposes. Those of us who can learn to use our power in the right way receive more, even priesthood power, which is greater than all power, which is guaranteed to be ours after this life if we live faithfully and learn to control ourselves and our power, which is of course associated with agency.

{Branch #1}
I really ought to write another article on this, but for now I'm just going to branch off into another section and write a blurb about it:
Your children are God's Children, they are your brothers and sisters just as much as your earthly brothers and sisters are. When you can learn to treat everyone equally, you're right on track, the difference is that you have been trusted to mentor and raise these children and have a greater responsibility to them than you might to your best friend (who is your spiritual brother) or to your earthly brother (who is also your spiritual brother). Rich families that have a tradition of paying for their children's tuition and thereby create a perpetual system of paying for college are what we call the upper class (though I disagree with most sociologists's definition of the upper class, because I don't think most of them are a part of the upper class or know enough about them) In any case, in the system I and referring to, when you pay for your kids' college educations, you are essentially paying for your own college education--your creditor is your parents (your kid's grandparents) and you have it on loan until your kids are old enough to go to college and then when they are old enough, they pay it out to your grandkids (their kids). No need to go to a bank, just keep it in the family and let your grandparents spoil their grandkids some more, through you ;)