"We are all searching for something valuable enough to live our lives for"- Dr. Woods. This was the introduction to my Eastern Civilization class this semester. In the introduction to the course, Dr. Woods challenged the class' world view by postulating the question every human since the beginning of time has dared to ask: What is humanity? What makes something wrong? In essence, Woods asked 'who am I' and where does morality derive from? About 16% of the class considers themselves composed of matter. Meaning they believe they were created through matter and will die as matter. In regards to morality, 43% of the class determined that individual conscience constructs our moral code; with 27% believing in God or a higher power who created moral law and 28% of the class believed society dictates morality. The issue behind some of these ideologies is the fact they are all subjective to the individual's or culture's set of beliefs. Even reason is dictated by what you perceive as truth. Where do our beliefs come from in the first place? Who says one is right and the other is wrong? What is wrong and right? How do we as a culture implement justice of those who have been wronged? Lots of philosophical questions that are hard to answer without an absolute standard in which we all agree upon.
All of these inquiries begged in me the question of 'what is worth' and 'who gives people worth?' Apart from a Creator i.e. God, worth can only be defined or given either by the self (to be self-defined) or worth is determined by others. If you boil it down to brass tax, both options are like building a house on sand. If our worth is determined by one's own self definition- it is no wonder why many people suffer from depression or false self image. We are our own worst critics, constantly on a tirade of pinpointing our flaws. In some ways, understanding our flaws and weaknesses can help us grow and discern but it also can skew our perception of who we truly are. Especially considering the fact we are so driven by emotions. Worth defined by others is flawed as well. I asked an individual the other day 'what gives people value or worth' and he responded that people give validation to a person. If you look down the timeline of history, even to present day, the value of human life has been degraded in pursuit of progress, greed, resources, reproductive rights, etc... The opinion of even the ones closest to us can vary from day to day pending on a multitude of factors. If it is society or other people who apply worth to an individual, how do you explain the worth of the Jewish people to the Nazi regime? Or the slaves' inherent worth to Southern whites during the slave trades?
If people are simply matter, with all of our destinies ending in eventual death- what would cause an individual to value another's life over their own? Why try to cure cancers or risk our lives to save someone else's? The worth and value of each individual person is so incalculable that even our own perception or the opinions of others can not dictate it. I believe this worth can only be given by an unwavering truth. The Word of God is considered to be everlasting, eternal, a solid rock, never changing...what does the Creator say about you? He has given you infinite value...value that was not meant to be compromised. How absurd would it be for the most precious, prized jewel to sell itself short of its value? I leave you with this to ponder, who is allowing to give you value and worth in your life? Below is what God would say you are...just saying. ;)
Ever wear a pair of TOMS? How about a pair of TOMS with your American Apparel tee? Sure, we know that when we buy a pair of TOMS they send another pair to someone in a third world nation. A pretty neat idea and too be honest, I am glad that it has become trendy to have a pair of these shoes because of the heart behind the business. But if you break it down, how many people at this point are buying these shoes because of the humanitarian effort or because it is the latest hipster wear? Not trying to sound cynical, but honest. I wonder if those same hipster TOM wearers who sport their V-Neck American Apparel tee, know that the two brands contradict one another. Recently I found that American Apparel was an honorable mention in the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame for poor business practices amongst Honduran workers. This brings me to my next point: how much do we know about the products we buy?
As I have researched human trafficking and others forms of indentured servitude, I have found the urge and importance to become a better consumer. I recognize that raising hell and picket fences is not going to accomplish much besides loud noise, yet realized that raising awareness and choosing not to support certain businesses is the best tactic against these poor practices. My research is far from over, yet some of the data I have found is a little disheartening, especially if some of these corrupt companies products can be found in your very own closet! I am all for giving people jobs, but to not provide workers with proper treatment, rights and adequate wages is wrong! Many sweatshop workers are forced to work obscene hours with no overtime pay in poor conditions with little to no breaks. Children are also at the brunt of this forced/unlawful labor. There is really no excuse for this type of business practice- especially since a majority of the companies in the hot seat have plenty of money and resources to operate with integrity. As far as I am concerned, Wal-Mart is completely dead to me- there are so many accusations, charges and complaints made against this corporation. Enough to bar me from ever wanting to support that company ever again. I would rather spend a little extra money, but unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury to be picky where they shop because of their financial state themselves. But I know we can do better! It's time that we stop oppressing the poor so we can have the latest fashion trend. I suppose Ecclesiastes was correct in its statement, "for much wisdom, comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief". Eccl. 1:18. The sacrifice we would make by not supporting these companies is minimal compared to the change we could actually create! Love you all! Here are some resources...
http://www.laborrights.org/creating-a-sweatfree-world/sweatshops/resources/12211 http://www.freethechildren.com/getinvolved/geteducated/childlabour.htm http://www.globallabourrights.org/alerts
I have sat down to write this blog on several occasions but have turned away multiple times because how do I put such a serious issue into words that ward off the trendy "pick-a-cause" types or in the most important sense; how do I convince people that by their consumerism into this market, is indirectly or even directly contributing to the death and enslavement of many? This market I speak of is the diamond market. America consumes over two-thirds of the diamond market, yet most of its mining is done overseas. Many of us remember the hit movie "Blood Diamond" starry Titanic hunk Leonardo DiCaprio- the movie was attempting to shed light and awareness to the conflict diamond struggle in Sierra Leone in 1999. As with any Hollywood political piece, it has its impact on a few, but many times its never enough to create real change. Especially since Hollywood itself is about as diamond hungry as the rest of the world. So we see movies such as these, perhaps shed a tear at the thought of such atrocities, maybe even feel a little shame and remorse but for the majority, it stops right there.
Awareness was first brought international in 1999, when Sierra Leone was in a civil war between the government and war rebels know as the R.U.F. (Revolutionary United Front)- both were at war against one another for power. The R.U.F. would go into villages dismembering or killing people to prevent people from voting, getting involved in politics or who would not comply with their orders, including women and children!
They would force able bodied men to mine diamonds day and night, they even had to use the toilet right where they worked. If they tried to escape or stop for a break, they would be shot. The R.U.F. would also kidnap young children from the villages forcing them to become child soldiers. These 8 and 10 year old kids would be forced to commit heinous acts of violence towards their own people. The R.U.F. would use these diamonds for funding of their war efforts, usually trading diamonds for weapons. Diamonds were smuggled into Liberia where they would get bought and mixed with the "clean" diamonds. Once conflict diamonds are intertwined with other diamonds, there is no way of sorting them out. When the U.N. got wind of what was taking place, action started to take place. De Beers diamond company was placed under investigation and the Kimberley Process was put into effect. This process attempts to certify the origin of a diamond to ensure it does not come from a conflict zone. The problem is that it isn't one hundred percent effective. And the Kimberley Process only investigates diamonds that are purchased from war rebels in conflict zones, it does not cover government's who use forced slave labor to mine. Which an organization called the Human Rights Watch is working towards adding slave labor imposed by governments as part of the process. Sierra Leone is at peace today and yes, there are processes and certifications to help ensure that the diamond you are purchasing is not a conflict diamond. But as long as there is a market in the first place, there will always be conflict diamonds!
The best way to combat this is by buying diamond alternatives. I know there is no way that I can convince people to stop buying diamonds altogether...us American girls want our shiny diamond wedding rings right? Well, not all of us anyway. So I have looked into some alternatives- you can purchase what are called "cultured diamonds". They are real diamonds but they are created in a lab. They have the same components as a diamond mined from the earth and cost about the same, they just have been created in a lab which means they are better for the environment and you can ensure that no indentured servitude was involved! I am not writing this to bring condemnation upon those who have diamonds or want them, yet I really want to bring awareness to this issue. It's something that has been a passion of mine ever since awareness was brought forth to me. I'm praying that perhaps if we knew what our consumerism did to people, we would be more conscious about our decisions. I know that the diamond market is not the only market involved in forced labor and it takes education along with sacrifice to know what to buy, so for now, let's create awareness and let the people make the choice. For once you know something, you have no excuses anymore.
We all know it, our nation's pledge..."I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." For the past few months I have been musing over the idea of allegiance and what it means to allege myself to something or someone. Ever since I can remember, grade school and so forth, it has been ritualized into our culture and academia to recite our allegiance to our flag. Honestly, how many of you really know the origins of our flag recitation? I am not going to give a history lesson this time, but look it up, it is rather interesting.
A lot of controversy boils over the issue of the pledge, most of what you hear about is the idea about it being a public prayer because of the words "under God". Which interestingly enough, did not get added to the pledge until 1954, the original was written in 1892. It also was revised to add "to the flag of the United States of America." But my query is neither about the revisions and religious connotations regarding it, yet my query lies in the fact that I am taking an oath that I can not solemnly swear I would uphold. Let me clarify, Blacks Law Dictionary, 6th ed. defines allegiance as "Obligation of fidelity and obedience to government in consideration for protection that government gives." That is one hefty exchange! Now, before I get written off as treasonous or unpatriotic, I would like to defend my honor by stating that I do not want to take oaths lightly. I try to be a person of my word, does not generally always work out that way but is the ultimate goal and with that being said, I do not genuinely feel that taking an oath to uphold all loyalty to my country and binding myself in an allegiance is something I can commit to. No, that does not mean I am going to commit an act of treason or espionage, but if there ever was a day that the government started contradicting, removing or abusing the Constitution and their power, I could not support that. In which I am sure many would agree with that.
As a Christian, my loyalties remain in God and people- those are the two for sure allegiances that I can pledge my loyalty to and even with people, that can be a challenge to uphold. Because lets face it, without sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I am sure we will reach a time when the government will not be our ally. Every week, kids and adults across this nation make a pledge to something they do not even know the history about. Really think about the things you bind yourself to..."It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" Ecclesiastes 5:5 "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said" Numbers 30:2.
I love my country, I have Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" on my IPOD. I support this country, along with the men and women who serve and protect it, who I understand their allegiances, I just do not personally think I can pledge my allegiance to it wholly. Just a food for thought...
