It was a Friday night - party night... Well, sort of, with two young kids "party night" means a DVD and some chocolate. The DVD arrived in the mail, the kids were in bed so I grabbed my skateboard to go and get the chocolate. And, there I stood at the supermarket in front of a huge range of chocolate. A huge range but only one had the blue and green fair trade logo on it. It belonged to a boring block of milk chocolate which unlike almost everything else was not on special. Only one piece of chocolate I knew did not have child slave labour involved in it's production. I did not buy it. In my justified that it's not fair that there is only one fair trade option and my wife would be disappointed if I bring back the most boring and expensive chocolate option.
Only hours before I was at another supermarket doing the weekly shopping. There I was faced with the option of expensive free range meat or cheaper innocuously unnamed meat. Meat that surely was produced in factory farming conditions. Chickens in battery conditions and pigs in stalls where they can't move.
So here I confess that I support child slavery and animal torture. I confess this because it feels horrible to write this and confessing is compelling to change my behaviour to match what I say I believe.
3 comments:
Hello again, I found this post very powerful and wise.
I try to only eat fairtrade chocolate, and I don't eat meat at all, but I find it hard to talk to people about the ethical reasons behind those decisions. I also feel the same way about discussing my Christian faith.
I feel weak, that I can value these ideals so deeply in my own life, but not talk to others about them.
Here I guess I have to remember that God does not give us that spirit of fear. I have no reason not to be bolder about these issues.
Hello T,
Thanks for your comment. My second confession is that idea for the post came from Peter Rollins who is worth looking up.
Praying for you as you and I make our beliefs into a material reality.
Great Blog by the way. :)
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