Thread by @ThatJohnChaffee

Okay. It's time for another thread. This time, two of my favorite terms from the Christian tradition.

#Sin and #Shalom.

Even if you do not identify with the Christian faith (or any faith tradition), hear me out, your life can be improved by understanding these terms.

Both words, sin and shalom, are said but rarely did I come across any meaningful definitions that I found helpful.

Sometimes they would be defined for me through platitudes that sounded like good answers but were never truly satisfying.

One day, I was reading Augustine's Confessions (a literary classic), and came across the part where he steals some pears with friends.

He then took a bite of the pear and found it unsavory.

This led him to deep reflection. Why did he steal it? Wouldn't the pear be delightful?

Augustine essentially stole a pear just to throw it away. He couldn't even enjoy his own spoils.

This led Augustine to contemplate sin, and what it is.

Eventually, he came to this...

#Sin is a matter of "loving the wrong things too much."

Sin isn't so much a matter of piety or platitudes, it is a matter of our human hearts being attached to the wrong things or to the wrong degree.

Martin Buber kind of did this as well. We use things, love people, and adore God. When we mix those verbs up, we are sinning.

So much of the pain in the world is a result of adoring things or people more than we should or using people or God to get what we want.

But what about Shalom?

#Shalom is "being in right relationship in every direction."

I got that from someone who lived in Jerusalem.

Some people know it as a greeting, as "hello" or "goodbye." Some understand it as harmony or peace (which isn't too far off).

These definitions of Sin and Shalom sound like counterpoints to one another, they are foils of one another.

Sin is loving the wrong things too much.
Shalom is being in right relationship in every direction.

Even if someone is not religious, think about this.

Everyone's lives could be better if we simply took time to reflect and ask ourselves, "Do I love things more than people? Do I worship people around me too much? Do I ever seem to use people rather than love them?...

How can I work toward being in right relationship with my money, my car, my family, my kids, my job, my successes, my failures, my future, my parents, my environment, my politics, my recycling, my community?"

The list doesn't end because there is no end to Shalom's work.

So, if over the years you have been handed more platitudes that weren't helpful, I hope this helped you out.

May we all stop "loving the wrong things too much" and "be in right relationship in every direction."

Cheers to you friends.

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