In the U.S., we live in an extremely cutthroat society founded on the beliefs that property and possessions define one’s sense of identity and worth. The need to accumulate began with our “founding fathers” who decided it would be nice to have more land, especially the land that was being “wasted” by the Natives. What started as selfishness has snowballed into an economic and political ideology that says we can acquire what we want if we work hard enough. Those who do not have are lazy and ridiculous because they are missing out on the joys of ownership. Never mind, that valuing community over individualism has served many societies well for centuries. Today, we are confronted with the concept of a global community. I like the sound of a neighborhood of diverse languages, cultures, perspectives, and religious beliefs. In fact, I spend my life pursuing this kind of community as I live, travel, and study with amazing people from around the globe.
I now reside in a nation that has one of the loudest voices, backed by the most powerful military in the world. As a forerunner for democratic values, it would seem logical that the U.S. would consider it’s role in the world significant enough to weigh each decision with care and precision. I won’t feign expertise, but it doesn’t take a genius to recognize the areas our nation has fallen short.
I have been accused of absorbing information as is from both the politically and socially defined Left and the Right. Even those who know me well, have forgotten that I am a questioner. I like to suspend my opinions in attempt to gain understanding and perspective (that I may not actually believe). I enjoy getting to the root of issues because the foundation of ones belief system reveals whether or not the rest of the structure will be faulty; whether the construction workers veered from the plans. While I am enrolled in a “liberal” graduate program, I attended this school because of its emphasis on democracy and social justice in the teaching profession. Every day, I decipher how much of this is b.s. and how much of it resonates with the convictions of my soul. More often than not, the bells are ringing as my heart does a little leap and shouts yes, yes, this is what community should look like.
Community is not based on the deficit model. You don’t have therefore you are incomplete. No, community looks at the benefits of each for the benefit of all. When my feet hurt, the rest of my body is affected. Likewise, when six year old children work fifteen hour days in a factory to make a pair of Nikes that sell for $145 in the U.S. but walk home with 1.50 a day to help support their starving families, I am affected. I can pretend that it doesn’t matter when a company patents a yellow bean from Mexico but eventually, I will feel the pain of this. It is merely a matter of time.
The purpose of corporations and businessmen/women is to make money for their shareholders. Why should they be concerned with little Juanita? She is expendable. There are thousands of other young women that need jobs and are willing to work horrific circumstances for anything that will keep them alive. When we reach a point in where people are treated like recyclables, or obstacles in our path to success and personal fulfillment, we have lost it!!!!!!!!!
When we can sit back and sip our lattes in our SUVs and pat ourselves on the back for making more than ends meet, while ignoring the fact that people have become a commodity (ranging from young people as free advertisement for GAP to the rush of proving our workers will give you more for your investment), we have forgotten principles of compassion, kindness, love, and justice.
My uncle recently told me that it was inevitable for small farmers to be eaten by larger corporation because that’s the way it is in a globalized economy. When are we going to pause and say, hey, this is NOT okay! It doesn’t have to be this way. Why do I settle for the mediocre, to be pleased by half-assed effort to improve our way of life? I reiterate that we are connected to one another, across the world. Our selfish greed will eventually bite us in the butt and we’ll have screwed ourselves over because we forgot to remember our neighbors. I’m a firm believer in reciprocity. You may call it karma, but I say God will enact His divine justice to redistribute what has been co-opted by the undeserving. Read your Bible. The heart of God is for the widow, the homeless, the orphans, and the powerless. He will have his way, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to piss him off. We are playing for keeps here, boys and girls. We’d better get a move on it.
