Why I am a shoshalist

[JCricket]

I was thinking(dangerous thing to do) about all of the people on this board. I find it fascinating that there is such diversity and dedication by all of the folks to their beliefs. Not because people are nuts and how could so many people be wrong, but rather because people are generally not nuts and believe firmly for their own personal reasons. I am quite certain this comes from their life experiences and observations. With that I thought it might be good for me to share why I am a sshoshalist.

When I was a child, everything in my life was about family. It was how I was raised. No one was better or more deserving than the next. No one got more than the next. Also, no one was ever left out. Everyone was expected to pitch in and be a part of the family. We were an extremely poor family. I can remember adding up the cost of my best Sunday suit, it was generally less than $2.00 and usually bought at garage sales or thrift stores. We were expected as kids to help each other and share everything we had. It was the only way to make ends meet. Hand me downs were a way of life. I started working when I was ten. If I wasn't mowing lawns, I was shoveling walks, If not that then I was pulling weeds or maybe painting a fence. When I was little older I started babysitting. At 12 I got a paper route. And so on. I was taught to look at the money I earned in two ways.

First, if I buy something, is it something I need? This would be clothing or shoes or food. Most of the time the answer was no. I did not NEED a new pair of shoes, I wanted a pair of shoes. I didn't need that cool new pair of jeans I wanted them. I certainly didn't need that bag of chocolate, but I wanted it.

Second, if I only wanted it and didn't need it, could I afford it. If I did buy it, would I be able to have enough to share it. Whenever I bought that bag of candy or whatever it was and did not need it, I was expected to share with my siblings and parents. I was one of 8 kids. My mother and father always said, "Remember, your family is always more important than that candy. Always take care of each other.". When I bought my first car, it was understood that it would be used to transport family members whenever needed, in fact, that I would become one of the "chauffer's" hauling kids around to events as needed. I knew before I bought my car this was the case. I was taught to consider others needs before I used my "resources". This meant everything from my time to my money. I was taught to be conservative as resources were scarce. I was taught that charitable actions were the core to a good person and a strong family. By sharing, we were telling each other we loved each other. We were making the statement that we would always be there for each other.

I am fifty now and all of my siblings are alive as well as my parents. People frequently tell me they have never met a family as close as ours. We are always there for each other. If a water heater goes out in the middle of he night, one or more of us will show up to help. If someone is out of work, they know their family will never be hungry or without clothes or shelter.

I am a pretty strong and independent person today. I do not rely on anyone for resources. I luckily have never had to be on the receiving and of financial means. I guess I learned how hard it was to come up with that money and I would not want to deprive a person of their means. I would gladly give to those who need it though. Here again, the key word is "NEED". This shoshalistic attitude has made me a strong person, and a charitable person. It has also made my family a strong family.

The one key thing here, I was taught to give to those who were in need. I was not taught to give to another person who would then distribute those resources to others. It was my responsibility to give to those in need, not my parents, not my teachers, or my government.

Sorry for the long rambling mess of words. I just wanted to give a little insight on why I believe as I do.