Eric always gets on to me because I am a people watcher... okay maybe people starer. I never mean to- I just find people so interesting. Today though, I promise, I was not staring. I simply had a conversation shoved down my ears.
I was eating my lunch at Chick-fil-a, while watching the little girl I nanny play in the playhouse, when some teenage girls sat down behind me. After discussing Twilight and how Harry Potter should not have named - spoiler alert- one of his sons Albus Severus because that name "is just awful," the following conversation took place.
Girl 1: I really love the feeling of new socks. Yep you read right- new socks.
Girl 2: Yeah, new socks are nice.
Girl 1: So, I have a question for you. If there was a machine that would give you nice, new fluffy socks every day, and the only thing was every time you got a pair a kid in Africa got punched... would you take them? Yes, still reading correctly.
Girl 2: Uhh, I don't know.
Girl 1: Yeah, I think I would. I mean at first, I thought no way, but then, I really like new socks a lot.
Girl 2: Well, would you have to punch the kid?
Girl 1: Oh no, you wouldn't even know the person who did it.
Girl 2: Would it be the same kid every time?
Girl 1: No, probably not. That would suck. I mean, there's lots of kids there. And we wouldn't even know them anyways.
Girl 2: Yeah, I'd probably take the socks.
As I choked down an expletive and resisted the urge to say something in my best teacher voice complete with stare, I was suddenly struck by how I am the same as those girls. I like convenience, and I like nice things. Now I may be able to take or leave new socks, but there are a lot of other ridiculous, petty things that I enjoy. And quite frankly, while I feel there is nothing wrong in wanting good coffee or nice clothes or a wedding ring or whatever, I also don't really go out of my way to see how what I buy or do affects those around the world. I just let the machine punch the African kid and turn a blind eye. I think that may be one of our common sins as Americans. Greed aside, in accumulating life, liberty, and happiness, we feel that ignorance is our moral get-out-of-jail-free card.
Now, you will not see me tomorrow wearing only my bare feet with my GAP (RED) t-shirt and a skirt I sewed from blades of grass in my front yard (frankly I'm not doing enough watering to procure that kind of crop). But living honestly with my heart as I go about my day to day actions is a direction in which I want to walk. Today was also a reminder that I want to raise children who care deeply for others, who are empathetic, and who value all persons as of worth in God's eyes (and no, this is not a pregnancy announcement). And most importantly, it calls me to my knees to thank the GOD who searches my heart for his grace and mercy upon my life and to ask HIM to help me live in HIS direction.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Straightforward Digressions- Or what happens when a husband and wife share the same blog.
My Blog List
-
-
Shoes of Hope6 years ago
-
Cora: 11 months old7 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Fun with the boys9 years ago
-
In Which Connor's Doing Well10 years ago
-
Crafty10 years ago
-
“My Favorite Things” Water Auction Basket.10 years ago
-
Starting a New Year10 years ago
-
A new month!11 years ago
-
-
As Promised...11 years ago
-
-
Snow baby11 years ago
-
This is Amie...11 years ago
-
Why hello there 201311 years ago
-
O Holy Night!11 years ago
-
Fail.12 years ago
-
Subtle Seeping12 years ago
-
Moving12 years ago
-
Is the Internet killing jobs?13 years ago
-
Thanks Jeff and Dorcas!13 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Websites Worth Visiting
5 comments:
(Warning: Long, opinionated comment--delete if you want to!)
Wow, what a weird conversation! But I am not so sure it's a sin to buy a new pair of socks, etc. That's assuming it's a zero-sum game. ie, everytime I buy something in America, someone in Africa must suffer. I might argue that buying a sock in America actually helps someone in Africa if we consider corporate and government charitable donations "help." My sock purchase gave the company some profit, the government some tax, and some of that money got sent over to Africa. In addition, it employed people at the sock factory, which meant they didn't have to be on welfare (or some kid in Sri Lanka got dinner that night), which meant more money could be sent to Africa.
Ideally, of course, we'd want Africa to be producing its own socks and not needing governments and companies to be sending them money. That's I think where the problem lies...how to do that... I don't think the solution lies in fixing prices to a "fair" price, either. When you do that, some will win, but more will loose...which will in turn cause the some to loose (think global recession). Instead, how do we help Africans create good institutions where people feel comfortable with pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors without fear of government take over, collapse, or lack of stability? When a country has good institutions (courts, government, police, etc), people are able to increase their wealth and well-being. Conversely, behind every third-world country is a poorly managed government and pitiable institutions.
Eh, sorry for the long comment! I guess while I agree with you in the sense we need to be much more aware of how our actions affect others, I do not think the evil inherently lies in buying things in America. Rather, we should be concentrating our efforts on improving institutions--a much more difficult task with no easy answers. You're right that greed is probably at the heart of the issue--the greed of the rulers in countries in Africa, squandering their nation's wealth, taking what is not theirs and not defending their people's rights, etc. That's why the whole world needs the gospel...back to the verse title of this post!
Whoops! For some reason, it posted it twice! Now you've got twice the drivel!
Mary, thanks for your thoughts. I agree with what you're saying- a lot of our purchases do benefit people in other nations, often developing. What I poorly attempted to communicate was not that our consumerism inherently hurts others, but that sometimes it can and does. I am not saying that it is a sin to buy something unwittingly that has hurt another person in its production, however I do think it is a sin to live life in a state of ignorance that does not consider another abstract person when purchases are made. Which I am guilty of. I feel that I need to pursue a direction that promotes awareness of how my actions affect another whether or not my small changes influence the world's big picture. After all, I am not responsible for saving the world, but I am responsible before GOD for the response of my heart.
Nicole--I also agree with you...there are certainly purchases and products that do hurt others (slave labor...pollution), and I should be more aware of that. At the same time, if we all stopped buying TVs, for example, the TV factory worker would loose his job. So, one could argue that by not buying things, you're punching someone in the face in very real terms. Maybe think on that the next time you make a purchase.. :)
Post a Comment