Because we have no home school co-op today and since October is Fair Trade Month, I'm taking my kids on a shopping field trip to a few places that sell Fair Trade items. As you may guess, with four children, this brings about a mixed bag of responses. The girls simply like to get out of our home and do anything. The boy...not so much.
But I am determined to get this principle ingrained in myself and hopefully begun in them: "My purchases do affect others...directly."
I am hoping to have a Fair Trade and/or local, small business Christmas this year. How about you? Does Wal-Mart really need your money again? Especially if you know buying from companies like them and Apple and Starbucks and many, many others, keeps another human soul in physical bondage? Even gift cards from McDonald's, any fast food and most large retailers mean you support companies who do not pay a fair living wage. We can't continue to keep repressing people and then expect them to not need government or charitable assistance. You literally can't have it both ways.
So what if we bought a little less this year, so we could spend a little more, so another soul could at least be physically free? I can't think of a better meaning of Christmas, can you?
But I am determined to get this principle ingrained in myself and hopefully begun in them: "My purchases do affect others...directly."
I am hoping to have a Fair Trade and/or local, small business Christmas this year. How about you? Does Wal-Mart really need your money again? Especially if you know buying from companies like them and Apple and Starbucks and many, many others, keeps another human soul in physical bondage? Even gift cards from McDonald's, any fast food and most large retailers mean you support companies who do not pay a fair living wage. We can't continue to keep repressing people and then expect them to not need government or charitable assistance. You literally can't have it both ways.
So what if we bought a little less this year, so we could spend a little more, so another soul could at least be physically free? I can't think of a better meaning of Christmas, can you?
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