What does home economics mean? What does it mean to you? Is it practical, or philosophical, or both? What do you remember from your home economics classes (if you had them)? Did you take shop classes too? Did you learn to work with wood or metal? Maybe repair a car? Did you ever learn how to hem a pair of pants?
I'm curious. What has been your experience with home economics? Good or bad? Do you know that you practice the economy of your home each day? Or do you? When you are aware of your own economics, do you feel liberated or imprisoned?
What is home economics?
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I've been thinking about this since it was posted and will probably either return to continue commenting or post a blog post with an extended answer.
ReplyDeleteI never had a home economics or a shop class, which is sort of indicative of the educational and philosophical views of our job-centric society and over-specialization. I was always on a college prep course in school and so wouldn't need to know such lowly stuff to earn a living; that would be someone else's job. The most fundamental education I got in this regard was in the planetarium and shop with Rick. I've built upon that and got my hands dirty digging into many things, learning through experience (trail and error...and error and error!).
The more I became aware of the benefits of home economics, though I never associated the term with what I was doing until I read your blog, the more it became a philosophy, which in turn encouraged further learning. It was a bridging of philosophies, really; a self-reliance philosophy and a freedom-seeking, libertarian philosophy. So now, home economics to me is about being personally responsible, and especially not a Keynesian economics, like the status quo. The more the economics are practiced, the less beholden I am to creditors and other service providers, and the more I feel free and in control.
Thank you PintofStout! You get it :-)
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