Self-Reliance
From LDSOSS
One important aspect of Free Software and its relationship to the principles of the gospel is self-reliance. The LDS Church, under its inspired leadership, has always been very down-to-earth in focusing on the most practical issues of our existence. We are taught to:
- avoid debt
- quickly pay off any debts we currently have
- plant gardens, and grow some of our own food, when possible
- store food for use in future emergencies
Self-reliance was a strong focus in the early days of the Church as well. Nauvoo comes to mind, as do the straight-forward teachings of Brigham Young, and the Saints' undertakings upon their arrival to Salt Lake.
Libre Software can provide us with a large measure of self-reliance, both as a Church and as individuals. It is important for members of this group to be actively involved in all kinds of open projects. As members of the Church, it is valuable for some of us to understand and hack at Linux or the BSDs, others Apache or JBoss, yet others BouncyCastle or Classpath.
As we each involve ourselves in the Free Software community in the areas of our specific, nuanced interests, we are putting ourselves in a position to be able to wield the knowledge that we gain towards the benefit of the Church (or our families or our neighbors). And the same applies to all areas of software interaction -- installation, configuration, bug reporting, etc. -- in addition to the more commonly appreciated act of software development.
Disaster Preparedness Technology
As technology advances, our ability to prepare and cope with emergencies changes. Ideas about technology and self reliance can help us be more self-reliant.
Go to Tech Discussion
Online Resources
- Provident Living is an official site of the LDS Church, containing many resources related to self-reliance.
- ProvidentPeople.Net is a non-profit group dedicated to supporting individuals and families by providing support in the areas of personal preparedness and debt-free living. The newsletter is open to anyone, but co-op purchases, grocery special emails, and classified ads are local to the Pikes Peak region.
- Guide to Family Finance - Article based on a talk given by Elder Marvin J. Ashton with great financial advice, including debt management advice.