Think Kindness Blog

Child trafficking, diamonds, oil, puppy mills, slavery, child labor, sweatshops, starvation, . . ….for any of you who think that the discussion of the above has anything to do with what is right or wrong. . . . just read this.

There was once, in recent history, a time when people with dark skin couldn’t go into certain businesses, ride in parts of busses, sit at certain counters, go to certain schools, use certain bathrooms, or even drink from certain water fountains. Your great grandparents lived in a time when children were used as labor, hard labor, in incredibly unsafe conditions –in America (it still goes on in the world).

We, as people, do, and have done, incredibly stupid things to our fellowman for reasons that are hard to determine. American soldiers shot women and children in ditches, the Japanese tortured the Chinese and Koreans, cultures in Africa kill each other with machetes, the Shah of Iran had a secret police force that murdered thousands for control of the country, the Catholic Cruisades, gladiators, and on and on and on.

Crazy. Crazy things that are hard to imagine, impossible to understand, and difficult for some of us to ignore. Diamond mining, child trafficking, sweat shops. . . these are some of those crazy, stupid, unbelievable injustices that can just shock the hell out of you when you hear the details.

But my God, it’s SO FAR AWAY and so remote and diamonds and cute cloths are so…what? Beautiful, valuable? In demand? . . . COME ON REALLY?

This, my friends, IS SELF-DEFENSE on a global scale. I cannot and will not completely ignore injustice. I may not always be able to do something about it — but I will not pretend that companies, people, governments sometimes exploit people for profits and/or politics.

The way I buy….what I purchase…that is, sometimes, my only available protest. I WILL SUPPORT THE GOOD! It’s a powerful one. Oil, diamonds, shoes, clothes, chemicals —I am personally taking more responsibility for the what, where, how, and why of everything I consume.

When you open your heart and mind to human suffering, it’s hard to ignore injustice. It’s also hard to do something about everything unjust, but we must try. . . we just must!

This, I believe, is the attitude of a Master. My heroes — people both living and dead — are the kind of people who would have cared and taken action. These are my teachers…and the lessons they give are about awareness and taking action and standing for something.

So, Think Kindness supporters – Facebook friends I ask one thing. . . CARE!

Care about all sorts of things. Care about where your cloths and jewelry come from. Care about waste. Care about children around the world. Just Care!

Talk about them. Blog about them. Discuss them –hold on to your beliefs in a way that allows you to feel for every skin and blood, man or women, who wakes up in the morning and loves their children, and the feel of sun on their faces and the taste of food in their mouths –and appreciate how incredibly lucky we are to be where we are…and appreciate that in many other parts of the world –people are not enjoying the freedom and abundance we have. Notice the beauty and kindness around us. Heck. . . don’t just notice it – CREATE IT!

I can’t find anything better to fight for. . . I will do my part. Will you?

I’m off my soap box. Time for a Latte.

-Brian

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care, charity, hope, kindness, motivational, take action, youth