In a previous post, “Liberal Arts and Spiritual Education”, I refer to a value that I feel is important: the courage not to accept what our values tell us is unacceptable. I think that this is very important, but also very challenging to practice.
I’ll give two examples.
I’m not rich by any means. But I believe that I could give away half of my income to those in need and still live a lifestyle that, by global standards, is quite comfortable. Further, I don’t honestly believe that losing half my income would make me any less happy.
So here I am, in a situation where I could help some number of people in need without any real negative consequences at all. But I don’t.
How do I explain this choice? Maybe I don’t have confidence in my ability to be happy with less. Or maybe I’m restrained by the norms and values of my society. In either case, it looks like a lack of courage.
Second example.
I almost always use my refillable water bottle. But sometimes I buy a bottle of water. It might be a Dasani. By doing so, I am supporting Coca Cola, an organization that uses violence to protect its ability to exploit its workers.
I mostly walk, bike, or take public transit. Sometimes, however, I rent or borrow a car. In these cases (and even the case of public transit), I am supporting organizations that are selling the health of our ecosystem for their own profit.
It’s not simple. I suspect that a majority of the products we consume in our society are connected to organizations guilty of behaviour I would consider unacceptable. With the prevalence of greenwashing, it can take a lot of work to even determine which goods are “clean”.
So really, I think the only realistic solutions are radical: living outside of society, perhaps joining an eco-village. Nothing I’m likely to do anytime soon.
So, every day, I’m supporting, through my purchases, perpetrators of violence, greed, environmental destruction, etc. I’m acting against my own values and beliefs, in this case, basically out of convenience. Does this make me a coward?
To be clear, this is a philosophical musing. I feel good about the way I live my life. But I’m not sure that I should. Is the radical choice too much to ask of myself? Is it enough to make the occasional charitable donation and try to shop ethically, when I can?
Where does one find compromise between dignity and fear?
I think that, in the times we're living in right now, being conscious and aware of such issues is an enormous first step to take. To open your mind to *seeing* each individual aspect of a situation, each item- see where it's come from and where it's going. Trace out its journey in your mind. Who is affected by it, how are they affected by it. Just observing and gathering information. Before we've gathered enough data how are we to know which direction to take things in? Which choices will be the ones with the greatest benefit to everyone overall and the least, if any, amount of harm to our people and our planet?
ReplyDeleteThe perceived 'cowardice' is only from the fear, and we know that all fear is
F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal...
How to disprove it to be free of the fear? If you believe you could give half your income to someone in need, what about setting up a bank account to deposit half your income in to so that you can see what it would feel like, but it would still give you the security of being there IF you found yourself wanting it after all?
Just for curiosity's sake. Imagine how freeing that would be if you could Know the potential of improving someone's standard of living while not putting your own financial 'security' in jeopardy?
"Helping is the greatest joy.
Let no one go without, or be in real need, if you have what they lack. Share of your abundance. Even if you think you are not abundant, share what little you think you have. What else is the point of having something if you don't share it? To use it for yourself, and yourself alone? Would that be the point?
I don't think so. In fact, that would miss the point of all of life."
- Neale Donald Walsch
A wonderful story about a man who was mugged for his wallet and managed to make a difference in the world of the boy responsible for the crime:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759
Love and compassion. No matter the subject at hand, it always comes down to these. In the future we may discover technology that will help to speed-heal the planet and make it a lovely, wondrous place once more for us to reside on. Or maybe we'll bust a move into space and get into terraforming. Start all over with fresh resources which we may not even need in the same way by then. We can't worry too much about it at this point, just do what we can in the moment and take it as it comes. Humans are impressibly adaptable to our environments; we'll make it somehow. But we'll still be humans, having human relations with each other. I believe that the love and compassion we can express and experience with each other will be the ingredients for lasting happiness and fulfillment throughout our lifetimes.
Reduce our consumption,
Re-use what we've already got by donating and finding new uses for old things,
Recycle as much as we can and be sure to buy things that are specifically made of recycled materials, and
Spread the love.
As for dignity? 'The state or quality of being worthy of honour'?
What is more honourable than someone following their truth, whatever this may look like? Regardless of how it may be perceived by others?
I can't think of anything in this moment as I'm still in bed and a little sleepy, but I will be sure to notify you if I can think of something later on :)
Hugs to you & your family, give Monster a kiss for me!
As a PS to that:
ReplyDelete“Do not wait for leaders;
do it alone, person to person.”
Mother Teresa
I was touched by this blog entry, and thought I would share some of my personal thoughts and experiences about these issues.
ReplyDeleteIn the past I was very concerned about owning a minimal amount of ‘stuff’, and making ethical purchases. But I felt a lot of turmoil inside, I felt I was being pulled in so many directions. I thought there was no need to own more than one or two pairs of shoes, yet society told me I needed a different pair of shoes for every occasion! I wanted to make ethical consumer choices, but the amount of work necessary to research what was ethical was overwhelming. What to do?
But in the last year I feel like I’ve gained more clarity about my own personal situation. I found that in the past I was largely caught in a materialistic view. I thought the way to help was to give my money, my time (through my career or volunteer work), and being a conscious consumer. But I have learned that I was leaving out something critical, my heart. To give someone my whole presence, to love them fully and freely from a place of understanding and compassion, to listen to them deeply, is the most powerful and precious thing I can give. A couple of weeks ago a girl I had just recently met was very upset, and I spent the day walking and sitting with her. I didn’t have the authority to take action to help, and I didn’t feel I had enough wisdom to give sound advice, but I gave her my presence, and listening, and understanding from my heart. It was a very powerful and healing experience for us both.
I still think that donations of money and being an ethical consumer are very important, but they are only one piece of the pie. At the moment I am focusing on developing my heart. Through this process I see that in rejecting materialistic aspects of society, I was actually caught in a materialistic view. I also can see that in my case I was repressing my ability to express my feminine side, to be a women in this world. I now own a couple more pairs of shoes than I did before, but I somehow feel more whole, more authentic. I want to live simply, but culture, community and self-expression are also important, so I am trying to find a balance. I recognize that this balance will change with time as my heart grows, and with it my capacity for generosity and compassion. I have already discovered that I more naturally and easily make choices that are in line with my deepest values. What I need the courage to continually see myself with new eyes.
I find it is important to be gentle with myself, and to recognize my own capacity for generosity. I have given more than I had to give in the past, and was left exhausted, drained, and ineffective. But being gentle with ourselves doesn’t mean we are complacent. I think we need to wake-up, and if it is beyond our capacity to live according to our deepest values we need to have the courage to admit this to ourselves, and the passionate intention to always walk in the direction of our deepest aspiration.