Slavery Stiched into the Fabric of My Clothes

Someone told me over the weekend they were concerned about finding and understanding religion because they want to know if they should do good for fellow humanity or just go on with their own self interests. They called this a crisis of faith.

My answer is this:

My religion is an unyielding love for humanity. Even if there is not some divine connection between us, such as Adam and Eve, or a prerequisite of good deeds to enter heaven or to end reincarnation, we are all still connected. We share this planet together, we are all dependent on each other in some aspect, our actions' ripple effects can be felt infinitely beyond what we will ever know. So hinging one's humanitarianism on its need to get into heaven is silly.

On the other side of the world, a woman works tirelessly in a sweatshop, where she earns barely enough money to eat so we can wear the season's best fashions. She eats, sleeps, and breathes work, so we can have cheap clothes. We send our factories to foreign counties exploiting their labor, resources, and health. We do this because their labor, natural resources, and well-being is worth less than our own. We build machines and train soldiers to kill another human being who believes they are right, just as we do. This soldier probably has a spouse and child who they are trying to project from the "evils" of the world.

I thought about my shoes the other day--
I have 30 pairs of shoes: a young boy trekking through trash in Africa has none.
I eat everyday, 3 times a day: a family of four, just down the street is lucky if they eat once a day.
I wish I could have a new sweater: some people don't have enough clothes to shield them from the elements.
I wish I could repaint my room: some people don't have their own room, some don't have heat, or a lock on their down, or electric, or clean water...or shelter.
I complain about waking up early for classes: a little girl in a developing country isn't allowed to go to school.


Thing about it, we could not live without our fellow human beings,--what we eat, what we wear, what we think, what we drive, what entertainment we seek, has been touched by others in humanity. My comfortableness is at the expense of some people's lives. If I just give a little more, share a little more, felt a little less entitled--things could be different for that shoeless boy, or the illiterate little girl.

Why does this connection matter? Because our salvation (our life) rests in others' hands. We all share this dilemma-the dependence on the other.

To some degree, the homeless, the sick, the poor, the disenfranchised, the abused are our responsibility. By looking at humanity not through religion's eyes but in regards to this other connectedness, it makes this responsibility all the more greater.

"Talk Bout' Your Revolution, It's Independence Day"

So often it is the “tragedy-that-stops-us-in-our-tracks” that allows an ageless incessant crisis to finally enter local discussion. The crisis which I speak of is domestic violence. In Lebanon County a phenomena is occurring; the taboo topic of domestic violence has suddenly reached the dialogue of our community. Because of my job, rarely a day goes by without partner violence entering my thoughts. It is as if domestic violence is a new crisis of Lebanon, but in actuality, this crisis has always existed. It is neither a novel concept, nor is it a recent trend as headlines have dubbed it.

The conversations surrounding Meleanie Hain, a woman who was murdered by her husband-who then killed himself, is my frustration with my community. I am not writing to discuss my personal thoughts on guns rights or permits to carry as that conversation should not enter into this conversation. Many find it ironic that Meleanie Hain was killed by a gun because she was the famous woman who advocated for her own gun rights at a soccer game. The real irony is that so many find it ironic that a woman was murdered by a gun in a domestic violence situation. This was an intimate partner murder that happened to be committed with a gun. I say this because nearly any object could have been the lethal weapon. The sad reality is that her murder is not all that distinctive in the realm of women murdered—as 1 in 3 women murdered know their perpetrator intimately (compared to just 3% of male victims). And about the gun—in Pennsylvania, 60% of domestic violence fatalities involve the victim being shot.

Articles in the newspaper noted that Meleanie Hain had discussed with her lawyer leaving and obtaining a Protection From Abuse order—she never did. Unfortunately, this is a glaring example the complexities of leaving an abusive situation. It is hard to know the particulars of her situation, but she is now one of many disturbing statistics about women who died at the hands of an intimate partner.

Since the community has taken interest in the recent domestic violence deaths, one should view this as a call to action. Saying this is not an attempt to politicize Meleanie Hain’s death or take a tragedy and use it for some agenda. Domestic violence is like heart disease or breast cancer—it affects women of all backgrounds, races, and classes—and moreover, intimate partner violence will happen to 1 in 4 women in her lifetime. But unlike heart disease or cancer, the solution is not found in tireless scientific research, but is in all of us—it is in our control.

Ending domestic violence will never be an easy task, but has to begin somewhere.

Awareness is the first step—talk about in your churches, schools, social clubs, etc.—because if you ignore a problem you only allow it to flourish.

Change social attitudes towards women—domestic violence is long rooted in the idea that women can be property of their spouse and unequal to their male counterparts.

Know the warning signs of a potentially abusive situation: controlling/obsessive/stalking/isolating/verbal abuse/possessiveness/mind-games/and physical abuse.

Get help if you are or could become a potential abuser through counseling or other means. Get help if you find yourself in an abusive situation. Support friends, family, or co-workers who find themselves in an abusive situation.

Hold your elected officials, police officers, and school district accountable on laws and initiatives concerning intimate partner violence.

Dear Mr. President, I am dissapointed in you.

As most already know Barack Obama just won the Nobel Peace Prize. I am not really sure about how I feel about him receiving it so soon in his presidency. I mean, isn't it a little premature? So far he really hasn't done more than any "good" president should have done, or is doing--passing good laws, taking on long over-due initiatives. The last president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize while in office was Woodrow Wilson. He created the League of Nations, the first idea of an international dialogue between nations and was instrumental in the Treaty of Versailles. Has Barack Obama done anything close to that? Other than paying lip service to the way good diplomacy should be conducted, has he actually followed through?

I don't mean to say that Obama isn't a great motivator for peace. But, also in the news with him receiving the Prize was his refusal to meet with the Dalai Lama to keep the Chinese happy. This is not something a Nobel laureate should do. It is nothing more than ignoring a wrongfully disenfranchised group of people for selfish gain. It is in the U.S.'s economic interests to keep the Chinese happy. It's like ignoring atrocities happening in Africa, or unyielding taking the Israeli side in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His actions of not meeting with the Dalai Lama showcase that he did not rise above to save human rights--I don't understand how a person "fighting for peace" would do this. When running for president he told all of us his administration wouldn't refuse to talk with anyone--meaning unpopular groups in the middle east and Korea. I don't understand, is the Dalai Lama so much worse?