Less and Fewer

     There are few things I would like better than to have less homework and fewer assignments due. While certainly not above the priority of lightening my work load, hearing people properly identify the difference between "less" and "fewer" would also be pretty awesome.
     For a simple overview, "fewer" refers to a lower quantity of something you can count, e.g., "I ate six cookies. I should have eaten fewer." Meanwhile, "less" indicates a lower quantity of something you cannot count, a hypothetical amount, such as, "I ate so much junk food today. I should have eaten less." You wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) say, "I ate three junk foods today," nor would you say, "I had so much cookies." Cookies are counted, so there can either be more or fewer; junk food can be any amount, so it is either more or less. Another useful way to identify which is which is by seeing which word works best: "many" or "much." "Many" also refers to a specific quantity, a "fewer" category, as in, "There are so many lions in Detroit." Parenthetically, I have no idea why that was the first sentence that came to mind. Weird. Anyway, "much refers to a "less"-type word, something you can't count, such as, "There is so much ice in Antarctica." Thus, if there are many lions, there could be fewer, and if there is too much ice in the Arctic, there could be less (as inconvenient as that would be).
     Now, this isn't a huge issue, nor do I think that there is an inordinate amount of people who commit this mistake in most cases, but I overheard a conversation in the library recently that made me realize that every professor I've ever had has fallen prey to one of the classic blunders (following "Never get involved in a land war in Asia" and "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line): whenever they assign a paper, the requirements say, for example, "500 words or less." For some reason, this had never triggered any alarm bells in my mind, but when this girl in the library pointed it out, I felt like such a fool. Words are counted; therefore, there should be fewer rather than less.
     I don't think I've ever heard a professor say "500 words or fewer." It actually even sounds weird, which tells me that even though I know it's correct, my brain still isn't accustomed to hearing it that way. Everyone, even at the highest levels, has been saying it wrong all this time.
     Two works I've read recently have reminded me of the importance of doing with less: Robert Burns's song "For a' That and a' That," discussing society's frivolity and the true merit of a man's soul, and Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," featuring his motto, "Simplify, simplify, simplify." Prophets and expert economists alike frequently advise us to stay out of debt, to live within our means, and to be more grateful for what we have. Honestly, we shouldn't need either to tell us these things; they should be perfectly logical.
     Here's a great video that won't embed because it's not on YouTube, but it makes staying out of debt kind of obvious: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/dont-buy-stuff/n12020

     But I think most of us understand this. Unfortunately, something far less easily managed and something with which I certainly struggle is how to stop spending time on things I can't afford. I'm a full-time student and part-time employee, I serve in my church, and I'm engaged. Each of these things is wonderful (especially the last one), but finding the proper balance of time can be frustrating and practically impossible. One of my favorite scriptures reads in part, "It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27). In a blessing given to me almost eight years ago, an inspired man quoted this scripture and counseled me to "accomplish a few good things each day, to be satisfied with these things, for they will all accrue to [my] good and be laid up as treasures in Heaven for [my] abundant reward at the last day." Rarely have I received counsel so applicable to my life and so transcendent of time--I was thirteen when this happened, and it's still true. So why is it so hard?
     This is one topic in which I don't know if I can come to a solid conclusion right now. I have no authority to tell anyone else what to do since I can't figure it out for myself, so the only thing I can really do in this post is brainstorm, hoping to discover the secret so I can fix my own life and then pass it one to others. I think one of the biggest reasons I overwhelm myself is because I see all of the things I'm doing as the bare necessities--they're just really time consuming. I have to study so I can graduate and get a good full-time job. I have to work for now so I can have money to support a family and (if I don't get scholarships) pay my way through college. I believe that above all these is serving God, so fulfilling a church assignment is extremely important to me. And don't you dare tell me not to be engaged! (unless you tell me to be married)
     So if I can't get rid of any of these things, do I just need to be quicker at homework? Better at multitasking? It wouldn't hurt. I also need to be honest with myself about my use of time. I often hear people say that they've bitten off more than they can chew, but I can easily identify several hours of their day that could have been put to more productive use. Isn't it so easy to recognize these things in other people? I need to be more vigilant in seeing those things in myself. Another possibility is to be realistic. A day will soon come when I don't have school, but I will be working full-time, and I will likely be a father by then or shortly after. Time will always be short, and sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. I need to remember that the purpose of this life is to be stretched and purified, and that will take pressure, stress, and discomfort. The only thing I can do is endure it well, with a smile.
     But I think the best thing to do is to stop focusing on the negative: "if I had fewer things to do, I would have less stress." Instead, let's accentuate the positive. In these trials, I can learn to have more faith, more patience, and more gratitude. I can develop more love for my fiancée, for my Savior, and for my fellowman. I can be more like Christ. I can learn to be more productive in my limited time. I can be more focused on the tasks before me until I complete them. I can be so much more than I am now.
     A friend told me yesterday that a gift isn't an object; it's the act of giving. So whether we receive blessings or trials, anything God gives us is a gift. What a beautiful lesson. I'm determined to spend less time and energy to complaining, to devote fewer moments to dwelling on the negative, and instead, as I still struggle to find the balance, to actively ponder, "How can I get more out of this?"

I love this song. The title says it all.