i have this sence that there's alot of useless money floating around the world at the moment. useless in the sense that god desparately wants to use that money to see his kingdom come on this earth, (feed the poor, release the oppressed etc) but because of the choices of selfish consumeristic christians he can't.
imagine if all the christians in the world lived of only what they needed, and gave the rest directly away to the poor...
casey and i are currently trying to 'cap' our lifestyle. to work out how much money we need, and then be content to live of that. [of course the word 'need' is an interesting one. i know for a fact that my definiation of 'need' and some of my sudanese friends definition of 'need' are quite different. my definition seems to include, 'need to be comfortable' where as there's is more 'need to survive'. ] But regardless, we want to work out what we need and then channel the rest somewhere more useful for god's kingdom. somewhere which maybe shows some respect for our unmet brothers and sisters who are living in poverty. (we useually channel this money through aid organisations).
other than capping our lifestyle, the other way we can help see god's kingdom come is by choosing Fair Trade products...i've just been learning how the coffee bean industry is literally keeping people in povery. the price that coffee bean farmers in third world countries get paid for their beans has dropped dramatically in the last two years. so much so that many of them can no longer afford education for their children, medical expences and in many cases enough food for their families. their are growing coffee beans to make cappuccinos and chocolate for fat white people when they can not afford to give their children a proper meal. mark on sunday asked what makes you angry...THIS DOES!
but some business do choose to pay a fair price so that produces will have enough income to provide for their basic needs...products from these producers are called Fair Trade, and they do not contribute to oppression, like the producers of nescafe, cadbury and brands apparently do. (if you have any avidence to suggest the contrary please let me know...i don't want to bag the innocent.)
but with this new knowledge i can not hide in ignorance any longer. i have a choice. convenience or compassion.
http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/mtf/fairtrade/
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4 comments:
Fair-trade coffee has turned into quite a trendy business for some, but a little closer to home, what about a fair go for Aussie vegetable farmers who are losing out to Asian imports?
They are quiting their farms, cos they can't make a profit. It is actually costing them money to grow the veggies and get them to the market now. I imagine it will be hard for them to afford their kids school fees and to keep anything other than basic food on the table.
Don't get me wrong, my man and I have capped our income - as you call it - for years. With me being out of work at the moment though, even some things we thought we needed, have been cut out. Right now we're flat out affording real coffee instead of instant, let alone paying extra for fairtrade brands.
If you're able to afford buying fairtrade coffee, that's great. But, sometimes, life just isn't fair . . .
Kel, "fairtrade coffee has turned into quite a trendy business for some", are you implying it's just another cynical marketing exercise, or could it be that there are people genuinely trying to work against a system that is clearly unjust? I reckon they should be applauded.
Also, I don't doubt things could be getting quite tough for Aussie vegetable farmers and if they need help and support they should get it, but I hardly think their situation is comparable to poor farmers in the deveoping world. Let's not forget we have a social security system, we have free healthcare and free education - it may not be all we want it to be, but it's there.
You're right, sometimes life just isn't fair and anything you and I do to try and make a difference is in reality just a drop in the ocean - but that's not the point. To sit back and do nothing is to implicitly offer your support to a system that is clearly unjust, rigged and flawed.
I didn't actually say, sit back and do nothing. I applaud genuine efforts to give all people a fair go. It was more a comment about addressing it closer to home.
if i can't afford fair trade coffee i can't afford coffee. but definately with ya kel on the closer to home thing. just found out that 80percent of clothes makers who live in Australia work in little back yard sheds and often work 60plus hour weeks for as low as $2 an hour RIGHT HERE IN AUS!! couldn't believe it. decided to only buy Fair Trade clothes (or op shop) aswell. most of these women can't speak english...i wonder if they have access to free education for their kids and medicare? think i need to find out. i wonder if there are any of these little dogie factories in wa? sounds like they need a voice to me.
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