Price of success

Did it ever occur to you what it costs to others for you to be able to buy things at the prices you do?

Many years ago, I heard that soccer balls and basket balls were made in India.  This is because labour costs is cheap enough, and people living in the richer worlds can afford these balls, while they couldn't, if the Indians were paid according to the wage scale in the home countries of the buyers.

The same applied to clothing and manufacturing.  Rarely is one able to buy t-shirts that are made in Australia these days, as the Bangladeshi, Chinese and Vietnamese ones have overtaken the market.  Even the manufacturing of cars has become largely off-shored, or at least, it seems to be trending that way.  But then again, there is an oversupply of new cars for the world market, so it kind of makes sense to lessen the production in some countries, in spite the costs to the jobs and economy.

More recently, I read about the electronics industry, where it is not just for financial economics that iPhones and mobile are made in China.  There are also health issues.  Apparently, there is a degree of pollution that comes out as a by-product of the electronics industry.  The workers in these factories are exposed to carcinogens.  The Chinese economy is set to overtake that of the USA next year, but even so, people are living in conditions where the level of pollution is 1000% higher than what the WHO deems to be safe.

Are we shocked?  Should we be?  Is this something to think about?  Pray about?  Or not care about since it is somebody else's problem somewhere else?

The article makes the situation of the factory works akin to those of slaves.  Have they overstated the issue?  We pray for and protest against slavery in many situations, do we also care about the situations of factory workers?

What can we do about it?  Can we afford the higher price of clothing, electronics and other consumables if people were paid at a higher rate?

What do you think?  How can we show care for the less privileged around the world?

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 is a parable that Jesus told to explain love to a lawyer.  In a nutshell, the story is about a man who was beaten up by robbers and left for dead.  A priest and a Levite passed by the wounded man but offered no help.  They may have been in a hurry and did not want to be contaminated with the blood of the wounded.  Then a Samaritan passed by.  The Samaritans were considered as racial outcasts by the Jews.  Yet this Samaritan took time to bandage the wounds of the man, put him on his donkey, took him to an inn keeper for care, and promised to pay for the man's care - even though he did not know the man.  He did it out of pity.  Pity that was translated to love.

When I read this story again tonight, I remembered that I had a similar experience to this wounded man, although not quite so bad.

I was crossing the road on foot one day, when an army truck hit me.  I fell, then picked myself up and managed to get to the other side of the road.  I did not realise I was bleeding until people around told me to stop walking.  Most people just continued on their way, just like the priest and the Levite in the Bible story.  Then a man stopped his car and offered to take me to hospital.  He did not worry that I may mess up his car, as some other people might have.  The man was a Muslim, if the clues from the stickers in his car were to be believed.

As I remembered this experience, I thought of the animosity that some Muslims and Christians have against each other.  Is this similar to what the Jews used to have towards the Samaritans?  Yet, as used by God, kindness does get shown.

In this holy month of Ramaddan, while the Muslims fast during the day, let the Christians pray for them - that there be love and kindness, and that God is seen to be real.

Will you join me to in such prayer?  Why or why not?  What specifically would you pray for?

May God bless you in your prayers too.