Why grow tobacco?
Odds are if you are on this page you might have an inkling of who I am, however, if you don't... My name is Jeremy Shenk. I am a freelance jack of all trades (shopify ecommerce | web dev | photo/video and more...). I live in North Carolina with my drop dead gorgeous wife and two kiddos. We manage a small homestead of 2 acres focusing on goats milk, meat rabbits, ducks and turkeys and a large garden! But that's enough about me... Let's talk tobacco!
The history of tobacco paints a clear picture of human nature, and our need for Jesus. Anything can be twisted, misused and masked by greed.
Slowing life down and enjoying a cigar or tobacco pipe, contemplating your day... Noting things that went well, reflecting on the elements of your characture and actions that need to be nurtured... Quiet reflection is critical in ones relationship with Jesus and crucial for bodily and mental health. The constructive use of tobacco has been so tainted that we have lost sight of any benefit aside from those filled with greed, or the desire for a quick fix of nicotine.
Shortly after the introduction of tobacco to Europe, physicians (who at first praised and prescribed appropriate usage of tobacco) began to be angered by its use. Individuals who subscribed to a tobacco pipe were just simply not in need of physicians.
Thus tobacco has been, over the course of history, tied to greed. Used to fund essentially all major wars, to line the pockets of companies so greedy that they produce something so
grotesquely riddled with chemicals all for the sake of money.
Growing tobacco and sharing my experience, my thoughts and learning is a passion project. I am a lover of old traditions of the past, of learning of the mistakes and successes, the good and the faulted. I find the best ways for me to share Christ's love with people around me has always been through my gifts, passion and how I live my life. How I father, how I carry myself in my marriage.
Enjoy the journey with me. Learning long lost simplicity... Long lost thoughtfullness and introspection... Knowing the art of kindness... Leading your family well.
--
"Well, it keeps my hands busy and my mouth shut."
- Anonymous, regarding smoking a pipe