Thursday, March 24, 2011

Why you shouldn't buy your grapes from Chile or your pineapples from Costa Rica

We just finished watching two documentaries, The End of Poverty? (watch free on hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/151119/the-end-of-poverty?c=Food-and-Leisure/Petsand) and Darwin's Nightmare, which we picked up at our local library. I'm sure some of the information in these documentaries is very controversial, and facts need to be checked, but on the whole, this is what they reveal: People who live in poverty in countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Tanzania and countless others, are forced into servitude by land-owners and corporation owners who export their natural resources to rich white folks. The poorest people are being exploited, living on one meal per day, making one dollar per day, even experiencing famine as they harvest delicious foods for the richest in the world to consume. They make a minuscule amount of money, so we are not supporting the people of these countries when we purchase products from them. We are making rich people richer.

What can we do? I felt so hopeless when I finished each of these documentaries. I sat and cried. I prayed. It is clear in scriptures that it is our responsibility to help the poor...the poor will always be with us...we are to bear oneanother's burdens....and love our neighbors as ourselves. We can say NO to slavery by not purchasing from these huge companies. I also feel that the Lord is revealing to me how spiritual this issue is, after all, we do not battle against flesh and blood. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I could help some with their physical needs, but if I war in the Spirit, I can help so many more. I take for granted our most precious and profitable resource...prayer. We will continue to buy locally, to avoid slave-produced products and produce, but I am even more determined to find out God's heart in this matter and how He wants me to pray. Let's move some mountains!

1 comment:

  1. Watch "The End of Poverty?" free on Hulu!
    http://www.hulu.com/watch/151119/the-end-of-poverty?c=News-and-Information/Documentary-and-Biography

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