Article: thinking of our global family

Sunday December 22, 2002 19:13

by CavanMan

Happy Solstice!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas is well and truly upon us as we get set for the showers of food, gifts and relaxation time that most of us will enjoy over the coming week or so. After all the hype and stressful shopping of the past few weeks, it will come as a welcome relief to finally sit down and enjoy the days ahead. And so we should – it’s rare in these days of rushing and running around that we find the time for the important things in life like sharing quality home cooked food with our families and loved ones. This is what Christmas should be all about, Christian or otherwise, taking time out to reflect, to give thanks and to ponder the past, present and future.

Thinking of our global family this Christmas
by CavanKingdom

Christmas is well and truly upon us as we get set for the showers of food, gifts and relaxation time that most of us will enjoy over the coming week or so. After all the hype and stressful shopping of the past few weeks, it will come as a welcome relief to finally sit down and enjoy the days ahead. And so we should – it’s rare in these days of rushing and running around that we find the time for the important things in life like sharing quality home cooked food with our families and loved ones. This is what Christmas should be all about, Christian or otherwise, taking time out to reflect, to give thanks and to ponder the past, present and future.

This time for reflection often helps us to spare a thought for the less well off in our communities, nationally, and globally. While many of us donate food or money to local charities such as St. Vincent De Paul or global ones like Concern, few realise the link between our wealth and our comfort, and the despair, hunger and destruction suffered by much of the world.

Of course, praying, fundraising and reflection may go some way towards alleviating this horrific situation, but nothing is more urgent than a radical realisation that the increase in wealth and material comfort enjoyed by many of us comes at a terrible price. It doesn’t take a genius in mathematics to realise that there is something horribly wrong with the fact that one fifth of the world (that’s us!) uses four fifths of the planet’s resources (food, water, oil, wood etc.) and owns four fifths of the wealth.

Nobody can deny that Ireland has done its fair share of sitting at the poor man’s table.
Our days of hunger, emigration and war are hopefully over. However, this should not mean that we can forget the reasons for our painful past. Just as the people of Ireland suffered from the injustices of a famine where food was being exported to feed an emerging empire, history is repeating itself from Africa to Asia.

Countries rich in gold, copper, oil, forests and fish, such as Ghana and Papua New Guinea, are being forced to exploit and export their enormous wealth in order to pay unjust and illegal debts to the wealthy west, the west which we now belong. So while there is plenty of wealth in many of the poorer countries, much of it ends up in the hands of corrupt leaders and their supporters in western governments, banks and companies. The result is the hunger, disease, human rights abuses and environmental destruction we read about on a daily basis.

The Irish government is accountable to the Irish people and its policies, social and economic, reflect our values and desires. If our government continues to exploit the 3rd (majority) world by supporting unfair American and EU trade practices, then the Irish people may well have made the tragic transition from the role of the oppressed to that of the oppressor. Indeed this sad reality is evident in our towns and cities today as refugees and immigrants from the countries we help to exploit are told that there’s no room at the Inn.

Blaming the government isn’t good enough. The responsibility also rests with you and me. If we buy gold products sourced in Indonesia, diamonds from Sierra Leone, petrol from Nigeria, wood from Brazil, or clothing and footwear from Vietnam or China, then we are directly supporting a system that dreadfully exploits the world’s people and environment. If we continue to blindly seek happiness through buying more and more then others will simply have less and less. As this cycle continues, the more unstable our communities and our world becomes. As a result everyone loses!

Feeling guilt and shame about this is pointless. Action is what makes a difference and action starts at home. It isn’t just about voting for honest and accountable politicians, it is about how we spend our money and on what. It is about how we respond to the pressures to buy, be branded, spend and become indebted. It’s about the relationship between giving and taking, greed and need. It is about the packaging, paper, glass and plastic that some of us will send to the soaring toxic landfills, while bypassing the recycling centre on the way. It is about the way we think, act and live. Action starts with realising that it’s you and me that make things the way they are and it’s you and me who have the power to change them.

So, when tucking into your turkey, as part of the one third of the world that is overfed, remember that it’s no coincidence that another third is underfed. Surely, realising this and resolving to do something about it is more to do with the true meaning of Christmas than the relentless pursuit of money, material wealth and over indulgence.