Tyme

That Js jr. had schizophrenia is laughable at best. As somebody who has sz I can say with a surety he did not have sz. A big part of sz is negative symptoms. Those include avolition, anhedonia and flat affect to say a few. Avolition is when you have no motivation to do anything and anhedonia is when you can’t experience pleasure. Those two negative symptoms do not apply to js jr. by all accounts. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to LDS critics but there is no way he had sz. From my experience with az the chances of him having it are zero.

That Js jr. had schizophrenia is laughable at best. As somebody who has sz I can say with a surety he did not have sz. A big part of sz is negative symptoms. Those include avolition, anhedonia and flat affect to say a few. Avolition is when you have no motivation to do anything and anhedonia is when you can’t experience pleasure. Those two negative symptoms do not apply to js jr. by all accounts. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to LDS critics but there is no way he had sz. From my experience with az the chances of him having it are zero.

Lectures are the best. I’m one class away from getting my Master’s online. I sorely miss lectures. Just not learning as much as when I attended lectures in undergrad.

I would be FAR from upset (my reading is very rarely textbooks for my subjects its mostly research papers or government produced documents). You would not be emailing me asking me to explain basic concepts and would go away and study anything you needed to. I do explain that all students in each class can get a 2.1 or a 1st for each module but that will require reading around the subject and having a knowledge of current industry practices and research.

I love this so much I quote it twice! I feel just the same. You should see me teaching myself stats from Youtube!

I use too be overly critical of my local church leadership too. Now I realize they're unpaid volunteers who donate a lot of time to the church. Looking back it really makes me dismiss any wrongdoings or mistakes. In reality the bishop and stake president were actually very very good. I don't think it was a mistake that the first Sunday I went to church in a family ward the stake and I had to sustain him a new Bishop. It wasn't a mistake that we both entered each other's life at that precise moment. I learned a lot from him and I'm sure he learned a thing or two about patience. God works in mysterious ways to give us trials(I know all trials are blessings)and blessings.

My depot nurse told me yesterday that I looked happier than she’s ever seen me. She also said I had a glow around me. I find that interesting because that’s a popular saying in the LDS vernacular.

It's not necessarily voting that puts politics over the gospel. The problem is that when I get involved in politics I go overboard. I start thinking and acting like politics is more important than than the gospel. It's better that I just stay far away from all things politics. That includes - for me - voting. It's a sacrifice worth making according to my calculations. If I don't stay away from politics I won't be on the spiritual plane I want to be. I know me. If I get involved with politics the gospel will fall by the wayside. It's a personal decision.
That's not to say being involved in politics or voting is detrimental to everybody's spiritual well being. I would advise if you're a normal human being to get involved and to vote. As for most people, they can place the gospel above politics when involved. It can even enhance spirituality for some people. In addition, I think the church strongly recommends getting involved and voting. It's important no doubt.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I'm not advocating that people don't vote or that voting is spiritually bad. I'm just talking about my own personal experience with politics and the gospel.

The problem is that I choose politics over the gospel. That's an eternal error as I see it.

I really love politics. It's just that it consumes me and I've placed it higher than the gospel before. I think that the gospel is more important than politics. The only way I can place the gospel higher is if I abstain from politics. With voting being today I'm thinking strongly about not voting.

My depot nurse told me yesterday that I looked happier than she’s ever seen me. She also said I had a glow around me. I find that interesting because that’s a popular saying in the LDS vernacular.

I’m excited most for the jail and Adam-ondi-ahman. Isn’t that where Jesus is suppose to return?

I visited the Church's Missouri sites 25 years ago. Loved them. More of a history thing than a spiritual thing for me. Illinois felt more like a spiritual connection than Missouri, but I did enjoy the sites. I was glad we drove out to Farr West, even though there's nothing there but a fenced plot with a plaque.

I think you should get baptized when YOU are ready. Not when your family accepts it and not when the missionaries think you're ready. I don't buy that whole get baptized then everything will fall into place.
 
I think a lot of the dysfunction with converts stems from them not being ready to be baptized. If the policy would change to make sure missionaries emphasize people get baptised when ready it would create stronger converts. The church would tradeoff higher numbers for stronger and committed members. Most of the converts who join when not ready fall away or are spiritually weaker.
The truth is I wasn't pressures or anything like that. I just fibbes on the questions prior to baptism because I was put on the spot and had my girlfriend at the time right by me. I think it would be much wiser to ask the prebaptism questions asked in private by a local leader who has no relationship built with the person be interviewed. The missionaries have a relationship built with the investigator thereby making it more difficult to answer questions truthfully.
With that said, I support wiser and more spiritual people than me. The leaders of the church. I'm sure they have thought and prayed about this many times. It's also true that I'm only answering this based on my experience. It's probably different for other converts.

There's a happy medium.  Vote, don't obsess.

I'm going to roll with that. That is very wise advice.

Yes, this is indeed the answer, for all of us who tend to over-indulge in a single thing.
That said, I can understand the OP's thinking and would make the following recommendation:
1) Vote today.  Presumably you've already been heavily involved in politics and therefore know the issues and candidates.  The Lord has instructed us to educate ourselves on these things and then to vote.  So obey the Lord.
2) Then start your political fast.  As Jane pointed out, one doesn't need to be immersed in the muck of politics in order to get educated and vote.  So step out after today's vote, and stay out until the next election draws near.  That should help you lose your taste for the addiction and come back in moderation when the time comes.
I'll compare this to something I did years ago:
I used to carry a small amount of cash all the time.  And I used to go to the vending machine at work every (working) day and buy a candy bar.  I knew this wasn't good for me, but also knew I couldn't resist the temptation, so I stopped carrying cash altogether.  After some length of time (can't remember), I became unaccustomed to candy bars.  I knew I was safe when one day I was given a candy bar and didn't want to eat past about a third of it - it was too much!  This was a wonderful feeling.
For a couple of years now, I have used only cash in local stores.  I carry cash all the time.  But in all that time, I've never used that cash in a vending machine at work (for a candy bar - I bought OJ once when I felt like I might be getting sick, and an ice cream bar on a particularly frustrating day, but those are the only two occasions I can recall in 2+ years).
Basically, I'm suggesting that perhaps your political "fast" will help you lose your taste for being in the thick of it, and when the next election cycle comes around, you'll be content to only do the required research on issues and candidates without spending all your time immersed in the debate / contention people tend to have.

My kid does this with his piano or his books.  He gets so into it that he spends all his time on it and neglects everything else.  So then I remind him he needs to get off the piano because he hasn't done his school essay so he goes dramatic and tells me, "fine, I'll never play piano ever again!".  I just roll my eyes.  He's the ward choir pianist.
It's a very immature thing to do.  You know you have the tendency to go into full immersion on it that you start neglecting everything else.  The answer is not to renege on your civic duty.  The answer is to learn to moderate yourself.  Civic involvement is a gospel principle!
That said, if you're voting Democrat today, then yes, please neglect your civic duty. 
 
 

My kid does this with his piano or his books.  He gets so into it that he spends all his time on it and neglects everything else.  So then I remind him he needs to get off the piano because he hasn't done his school essay so he goes dramatic and tells me, "fine, I'll never play piano ever again!".  I just roll my eyes.  He's the ward choir pianist.
It's a very immature thing to do.  You know you have the tendency to go into full immersion on it that you start neglecting everything else.  The answer is not to renege on your civic duty.  The answer is to learn to moderate yourself.  Civic involvement is a gospel principle!
That said, if you're voting Democrat today, then yes, please neglect your civic duty. 
 
 

I have a testimony of Priesthood blessings. Last night I received one from the missionaries. I gave them a little detail but not much. The only thing they knew about my daughters is that I'm moving to get closer to them. In the blessing he was trying to say you will see your daughters as much as you want. He couldn't get it out. What he actually said was you will see you as much as you want. Little did he know is that me seeing my daughters is at the leisure of my ex-wife and ex-in-laws. It may not sound like much. That's just proof the spirit was working through him. There is no way the missionaries or anyone who talks to them would know I may not be able to seen my daughters as much as I want.
I also received something about regaining membership in the church. He said something about you (I) will recognize the benefits of the church. A simple yet powerful message that will have me pondering for days.
This church has to be true.

I have a testimony of Priesthood blessings. Last night I received one from the missionaries. I gave them a little detail but not much. The only thing they knew about my daughters is that I'm moving to get closer to them. In the blessing he was trying to say you will see your daughters as much as you want. He couldn't get it out. What he actually said was you will see you as much as you want. Little did he know is that me seeing my daughters is at the leisure of my ex-wife and ex-in-laws. It may not sound like much. That's just proof the spirit was working through him. There is no way the missionaries or anyone who talks to them would know I may not be able to seen my daughters as much as I want.
I also received something about regaining membership in the church. He said something about you (I) will recognize the benefits of the church. A simple yet powerful message that will have me pondering for days.
This church has to be true.

Amen President Nelson.
 
 

I never thought I'd love a Prophet more than President Monson. It seems I'll probably love the next one more and then after that more. I can't wait to regain membership in the church

I never thought I'd love a Prophet more than President Monson. It seems I'll probably love the next one more and then after that more. I can't wait to regain membership in the church