Shalom

In high school I ended up taking the required economics class at a local Christian college. Theoretically it would be more rigorous and difficult than the one offered at my high school, and it probably was, but seven years later there's only one concept I remember. It's not supply and demand or... I can't even think of another actual economics subject. No, the one concept I remember is that of Shalom.

You see, as I learned it there are four parts or aspects of Shalom:

• love of God
• love of self
• love of others
• love of nature

Perhaps love isn't the best word, but it's the way I remember it. Our lives, it was suggested, should be about improving and nurturing relationships with each of those things. Our pursuit should be achieving shalom in those four areas.

This did all tie into economics. Whenever you invest in anything you need to think about the return. My teacher took that concept beyond just thinking about material gain and asked us to consider how any choices or investments we make would bring us closer to Shalom. The college education we were getting at the time was one such example. From a purely business-minded point of view we were investing in an education so that we would have more knowledge and experience and be more valuable to employers. But from the perspective of Shalom we were showing love and respect for ourselves by enriching our mind, and we were gaining skills and knowledge that could be used to help others and help the environment, and through it all we would be honoring God by pursuing a path we believe best furthers his plans for our lives. 

The first day of class the teacher outlined this, and when it came time to prepare for the midterm and final it's the idea he reviewed most thoroughly. I guess he figured most of his students would never really need econ in the future so he might as well teach them something that would continue to apply to their lives after the need to graph some things in a blue book had come and gone. In which case, I have to say kudos to that professor whose name I forgot. If that was his intention, it worked.

I rarely thought about it throughout my four years in college in Los Angeles, but it started cropping up in my mind as I did a year of national service back in Minnesota and was trained in civic engagement and began thinking more about a world outside of myself.

Then I moved to New York where practicality and frugality were added to my desire to make decisions that at the very least don't hurt others. And I started to seriously question why we, as a society, do things the way we do, and if there is, in fact, another, simpler way. In time I realized my new mindset aligned shockingly well with Shalom. While new experiences, well-done documentaries and awareness of different cultural movements (minimalism, homesteading, sustainability, no-poo), may have brought these ideas to the forefront of my mind, I know it was the nugget of and idea from that senior year econ class that started it all and continues to describe my new intentions best.

Now, I think about how the decisions I make affect others. I think about how the things I do affect myself. I think about whether I'm hurting or helping the earth, and I consider whether my decisions are bringing me closer, or pushing me further, from God.

Notice I just said think about. I'm still learning, and I have different answers about what is beneficial to myself and others and the environment than someone else might have. For example, I never intend on being vegan, and while I might occasionally feel guilty about not supporting small businesses and local farmers I still tend to shop at bigger chain stores. Part of that's because I'm cheap. Part, because I'm lazy. And part because I don't know what the heck I'm doing most of the time so I tend to go with what I know.

Thus, I bring you this blog. My roommate suggested I start it after talking at great length about my adventures going no-poo (more on that later). I thought it was a great idea and a few months later (I'm still working on procrastination), I finally made it happen.

While the whole Shalom thing may sound lofty and big picture, I'm more interested in the small day-to-day changes like eating well and eco-friendly ways to clean things. That's what this blog will be about: my adventures and discoveries as I pursue new ways to save money while working toward Shalom. Although, I may never even mention Shalom outright again. Instead I'll post tips about cleaning or organizing or simplifying your life, recipes for healthy meals or snacks, reviews for eco or health-minded products, links to neat or old-timey things, or anything else that I've found useful or interesting. And sometimes it might be something else entirely. It's my blog I can do what I like. That said, I hope you like it. I hope there's something you might find of use, I hope you share some of your own discoveries and ideas, and I hope you forgive me if I totally screwed up the whole Shalom thing. It was way back in high school, and I was running on about 4 hours of sleep a night back then.