Self-reliance

"Self-reliance is a product of or work and under-girds all other welfare practices. It is a essential element in our spiritual as well as temporal well-being."
Thomas S. Monson

"No true Latter-day Saint, while physically or emotionally able, will voluntarily shift the burden of his own or his family's well-being to someone else."
Ensign, Nov. 1977, p 77

The ability to provide for oneself is vitally important in a healthy society. Not even elderly are to be placed upon society as a burden...

"The prime responsibility for supporting an aged parent rests upon [the] family, not upon society. ...The family which refuses to keep its own is not meeting its duty."
J. Reuben Clark, Jr.

In a healthy society there s no room t flee from responsibility. This helps o keep people healthy, working, loving, respectful, and in continual progress. Te ability to become self-reliant is the ability to control ones quality of life. Without this principle we fall into the welfare state. All of a sudden we become dependent on others to provide for our inability to take control of our lives. There are situations where people do need help but this does not mean that we should provide them with our pay checks, stealing from one person and giving the spoils to another is never the right answer. We must have a way to evaluate the situation and provide a way for the person to regain self-reliance as well as independence.