Years before someone asked me this, and expressed their feelings of powerlessness in the face of evil actions in the world, such as war, and famine, poverty, abuse, violence, inequality, prejudice.
Recently, and partly because of the incredibly fast refutaion of my article pointing out the dangers of plastics (another petrochemical product) I have thought more about this and the ideal expressed in “think globally act locally”; and so I have made an effort to make the world a better place in any way I can. I realised now after writing this there is no way given my character I can’t make this sound like a load of self righteous hot air, but its not meant to be. I know we all could strive for a bit more love and thought in our hearts, however, I also know that I constantly blow it, by making mistakes of all sorts, however, just because i forget to put the recycling bin out doesn’t mean I can’t be nice with my kids, or because i have an arument with my son doesn’t mean i can’t buy an organic free range chicken…sometimes I beleive the powers that be want us to feel disempowered because it does not threaten them…so why not be a little threatening?
I am determined to use my purchasing power to buy as much as possible FAIRTRADED products, products that do not contain petrochemicals, and are as biodegradble and ecological as possible, this means buying many soaps, detergents and washing products via the internet (www.naturalcollection.com)
their guides to different aspects of using consumer power for a better world are excellent and well worth reading:
[url=http://www.naturalcollection.com/dotguides/organicguide.asp?bID=2490602]ABOUT ORGANIC PRODUCTS[/url]
[url=http://www.naturalcollection.com/dotguides/chemicals.asp?bID=2490602]CHEMICALS[/url]
[url=http://www.naturalcollection.com/dotguides/recyclingguide.asp?bID=2490602]RECYCLING[/url]
[url=http://www.naturalcollection.com/dotguides/ethicalfinance.asp?bID=2490602]ETHICAL FINANCE[/url]
[url=http://www.naturalcollection.com/dotguides/greenerpower.asp?bID=2490602]GREEN POWER SOURCES[/url]
I am attempting to use these and other sources as a guide to make my actions on the world one where i take responsibility for the short and long term results of my actions…are you? Altrusim and community are still important values, what are your values.
Of course this is all about consumerism, in itself not the best set of values around, I am trying to take a kinder attitude to those around me but also to realise that unless we become aware of our own inbuilt shortcomings we cannot control or curb them and so i have become mistrustful of those that are impossibly good, (often in denial about their faults) just as i wish to struggle against those that are impossibly bad.
So whats this all about you may be thinking, or whats he ranting on about AGAIN, or yes yes I must do this too, but why…well lets take the running sore of Iraq in the centre of the corrupt middle east…its all for the sake of oil…not just in your vehicle, but the vehicles that deliver the produce in you shops, of which, more than likely, a good proportion is likely to be produced locally, but that isn’t the way SUPERMARKETS work.
My girlfriend often asks me why I “rant” about the middle east and never mention Southern Africa or the Congo in my world picture. The answer in the think globally section, is i just can’t encompass it all. My particulalr interest has always been Islam and Muslim countries, so it is an area i like to discuss, that does not give it greater validity or importance compared to the atrocities and slavery going on in the congo for Gold, Cobolt and tantalum mining, or the destruction of the Shanty Towns in Zimbabwe or the US back coups against Chavez in Venezuela.
I like to balance this holding of ideas beyond the scope of my power with what can be done in protest, in kindness to others in always buying the free range chicken…because I can…oh yes there are plenty who can’t do we really expect the mum with 5 kids to buy the chicken that costs £7 rather than 2.99, of course not (of course there is always a chance).
I suppose the end of all this to think carefully about what you do have power over, how you act and react with others, where you spend your money, how you use that purchasing power and who has made what you bought, what were they paid, what went in to it and so on oh yes…….and how you live your life.
New catchphrase:
Change your life…Change the world!
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