Chances for learning; helping all get a good education

This is a little off-topic, but it has some of my recent thoughts on the importance of helping other people learn. My best friend in my grade in high school came from a family in which his parents hadn't graduated from high school, but with the guidance of my mom, he ended up graduating college. His younger sister is getting a Masters at Stanford and his brother in high school has gone to college summer camps and will do great. Here's some thoughts on helping others learn:

Interestingly, in my life now, I'm actually the person that came from the poor family without a lot of understanding of how to get into the best schools in the country. We were at the top of the heap in Sunnyside, but compared to the people I've worked with who went to middle schools that cost $20K+ per year, we had very little in terms of the "best education." Interestingly, those I was with in the Accounting program at BYU usually went to better schools than me and were from richer families than me, and then after that in work people are from better schools than the BYU kids and richer families than the BYU kids. It's a lot easier to end up in the "best" jobs, schools, programs, etc., when you have more guidance. Better schools are better in 2 ways: 1) better teaching 2) better mentorship. I thik #2 is actually more important than #1 in my opinion and harder to get. I've ended up being incredibly blessed and been able to get to the best of jobs, but in many people's opinion, the difference between Angel's family and mine would not be as great as the difference between mine and the families of many of my professional colleagues. (I do not mean this disrespectfully to my parents in any way. They were perfect. I'm talking about perception.)

Helaman 4 talks about a great destruction that came upon the Nephites 60 years before Christ came. This destruction happened for interesting reasons:

11 Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, ^awould not have happened had it not been for their ^bwickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God.

12 And it was because of the ^apride of their hearts, because of their exceeding ^briches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the ^cpoor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a ^dmock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—

Notice that pride led to the destruction, and that it was because of riches and that they withheld things from those who were poorer than themselves. It is our duty to not withhold the gospel and to not withhold our money, and to not withhold educational opportunities from those who want it.

3 Nephi 6 talks about a similar pattern. Just before Christ came, the people once again had great divisions. Read why:

10 But it came to pass in the *twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and somewere lifted up unto pride and ^aboastingsbecause of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;

11 For there were many ^amerchants in the land, and also many ^blawyers, and many officers.

12 And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their ^ariches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ^bignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great ^clearning because of their riches.

13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and ^apersecutionand all manner of ^bafflictions, and would not turn and ^crevile again, but were humble and penitent before God.

Notice that pride and riches often go together. Riches are also often accompanied by chances for learning. The entire reason we started the perpetual education fund is to try to level the playing field internationally for those who don't have chances for learning due to a lack of riches. It's just as critical that we try to help those who have limited chances for learning (spiritual or temporal) due to a lack of riches or a lack of mentorship. In Angel's and Juana's case, we had the same level of teaching; the difference between me and them is that I had better mentors (my family and others in the church/community that I knew). It's important to help as much as possible with both, but certainly to give as many people as possible chances for learning so that some are notignorant only because of their poverty. The Lord is very clear on this matter.

Alma 31 is a warning to members to not seclude themselves. Notice that the rich people in one community (so the relatively rich compared to those that were around them) worshipped together. Additionally, they focused on the fact that they were not like their Brethren who weren't as blessed of God as them or as wise as them; their Brethren (the church members) didn't believe the correct things according to them. Here's some key verses:

15 Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a ^aspirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.

16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast ^aelected us to be thy ^bholychildren; and also thou hast made it known unto us that ^cthereshall be ^dno Christ.

17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast ^aelected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth ^bbind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.

18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.

Critical that we do not separate ourselves from our brethren and that we do not focus too much on being a chosen people but on being an inviting people. We struggle as a church sometimes not inviting others to be with us.