I'm sorry

I’m sorry about all my mad ranting against sweatshops. I'm sorry if you felt judged. Please forgive me.

I was angry and upset, so I used big words and vulgar images and whatever other tricks I could conjure out of my little bag. I only did it because it hurt me so much to hear and read what was going on. I desperately wanted things to change.

I did not mean to judge those who may work for or buy from these various companies-- I'm sure if you looked at my list of monthly purchases, you will still find companies who engage in unethical and unjust practices. I have to admit I don't really know whether it's objectively right or wrong to buy from Wal-Mart or to work for Halliburton*, but I do hope for a world where we don't have to ask these questions because Wal-Mart treats its employees and suppliers well and Halliburton actively promotes and pursues renewable energy sources.

So I do not mean to condemn you, because I am in the same position as you. Rather, I want to exhort you to yearn (and to strive for) a society where injustices are not so deeply embedded in the way that we live, so much so that we often do not even know that they are there.

Try shopping only thrift stores for a few months, or learn how to make your own soap. You can talk to the homeless man on the streets or volunteer to plant trees or start your own herb potted plant garden in your apartment. Why not take the riskier, lower-paying job that you really love? Or maybe you just want to start praying.

When we go against the pattern of the world, in the opposite direction of the pull and the tug of what everyone else is doing, we often find ourselves surprisingly blessed by a joy much greater than the comfort and convenience of what we left behind.


*Though if you do feel slightly uneasy about it, perhaps it's worth questioning it.