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Do you ever devise a plan in your mind to accomplish something and then realize the odds are stacked against you?

I think this happened to Joseph Smith. He wanted to be an archeologist, a theologian, an explorer, a dictator, and a teacher.

How could he be these things without funding or an education?

Well, he put forth a good show. It's too bad his dreams were partially realized at the expense of others around him. That one point is probably the most disappointing aspect of Joseph's story.

What could he have done differently to avoid taking advantage of other people? How could he have achieved his lofty goals without the bad?

zeezrom wrote:What could he have done differently to avoid taking advantage of other people?

Told the truth.

How could he have achieved his lofty goals without the bad?

He could have run for President...

zeezrom wrote:
What could he have done differently to avoid taking advantage of other people? How could he have achieved his lofty goals without the bad?

If Joseph wanted to take advantage of people he didn't need the Book of Mormon. He could have just established a church with Sidney. No problem and he would have been successful. To see Joseph Smith going all the way with his calling unto death is quite amazing. Not to mention with threats of death when he was in liberty jail. Only once did he show weakness in a letter to emma when he was away from her. But then, he quickly got back in stride and continued on with his calling.

why me wrote:
If Joseph wanted to take advantage of people he didn't need the Book of Mormon.

That is true of all people who take advantage of others, but he choose this because it appealed to him and the environment he grew up in.

He could have just established a church with Sidney. No problem and he would have been successful.

Well Joseph at least did. Sidney may have been from the start, but we don't know this.

To see Joseph Smith going all the way with his calling unto death is quite amazing.

Not really. So many do. Jim Jones did. David koeresh. Funny how pious frauds are willing to endure hardships, but then they like Joseph also had many benefits. People don't generally confess unless they know they are caught, and even then many of them still don't. People want to be remembered, and remembered well.

I think you are right Zeez, that Joseph Smith had an enormous ambition and a great deal of creativity. Had he not been an auto-didact, but had some formal disciplined training, we wouldn't have had a religion, but perhaps a very interesting literary writer.

There are two things he could have done differently that would have made a huge difference.
1. Polygamy. If he had never introduced it and remained faithful to Emma, that would have eliminated a significant amount of troubles.
2. Patience in trying to establish Zion. I think his focus on frantic theocratic empire building was more directly responsible for his death than polygamy.