Shalom, friends.
So, it's been another 40 days, and tomorrow I'll start wearing regular clothes again, rather than a white t-shirt and jeans. The main thing that's been on my mind this week about this deal is whether or not it was worth it, whether I actually learned something. Honestly, I was scared for a while that I hadn't learned anything, that it didn't count because it was too easy. All I did was cut my hair and put on the same clothes everyday. It really got to the point where I wasn't even thinking about it anymore. Naturally, I began to assume that if this was my dominant mindset, then I had gained nothing from the experience except an easier way to dress.
Right now, I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I suppose that, just like the fasting over Lent, I have isolated the problem of idolizing something trivial in my life, and tried my best to wean myself of such thought processes. During all this time, I have summarized my thoughts into two points. 1) I realize that I think way too much about what people will think of me based on what I put on or what my hair looks like in the morning. I have also fallen into a pattern of deriving my identity through the style of my hair and dress, and I don't think I should do that anymore. And 2) I have seen that almost all of my shirts and pants were made in countries where sweatshop labor still thrives and workers are still exploited. I don't think I want to wear symbols of those things anymore either.
So, I'll be making my own clothes over the summer and giving most of my clothes I have now away to people who actually need them. Other than that, it's been another wonderful learning experience and another step down my path towards arête. I don't really know what the next step will be, but you'll know eventually. Thanks for reading.
-Caleb-
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3 comments:
So I was thinking about it and I do think that vanity has to do with how much time you spend staring at yourself. But I also think that it is about striving for people's praise for things that really just aren't all that important. I also think the latter is the one that the average person struggles with the most. In any case it sounds like your experience has paid off.
"I realize that I think way too much about what people will think of me based on what I put on or what my hair looks like in the morning"
-i think you worry too much about what people think in general
caleb i think you are going crazy, and you used to be normal and religious, which is ok, but now it's more of obsession rather than religion.
and you're still obssessed with what people think of you
it's like fat people are obsessed with food, and then anorexic people are obsessed with the lack of food
you are like the anorexic
everything you are doing just seems like obsession, like you're trying to prove to the world you're more religious than everyone else. it's still being self centered.
which you weren't to begin with. i realize you won't believe a single word of this and just say whoever wrote this is crazy, but you've got to know that everyone who isn't in your college over there..
that's what people think of you when theyre reading this
caleb you're a pretty nice person but you've changed a lot of who you are...
were.
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