Challenge to be Conscientious

Recent events in Bangladesh and the factory fire that killed more than 100 people earlier this week, have got me thinking yet again about the importance of being not only conscientious consumers, but conscientious global citizens.  My brother, who lives in Bangladesh, was contemplating what our connection, if any, could be to such an event and honestly, when one starts to read the list of retailers who fabricate their clothes in these factories in Bangladesh, it becomes very clear what our connection - even our responsibility - is to this tragedy.  Of course, the issues are much more complex than simply assessing where we buy our clothes and deciding to change our purchasing habits, but that can be a positive start in becoming more conscientious.  Even more so, when we start to ask these questions and make the connection between these types of events and our own personal lifestyle choices, when we start to think and care about the lives of others who are affected by our choices, then this concept of global citizenship starts to make sense.  Unfortunately, in our globalized world it is easy for corporations to make big bucks by supporting projects in places they do not see on a daily basis, and almost just as easy for us as consumers to not think about these bigger issues for that same reason: we are endlessly connected, yet disconnected, from the reality of those beyond our borders.  Again, I draw upon the words of Tobias Roberts and his reflections on global warming that accurately highlight this point:

"The affluent, consumer lifestyle that characterizes the industrial world is  unavoidably disconnected from any specific place or community.  This lifestyle of "being everywhere but belonging nowhere" is in large part responsible for global tragedies such as climate change.  If we never truly belong to a particular place, then our lifestyles are never going to be contained by the necessary limits and possibilities of each place, nor are we going to be concerned for preserving or protecting that place.  The inevitable outcome of many individuals living a lifestyle unchecked by local limitations is seen, for example, in the absurd amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the industrial world.  It is this lifestyle that, when confronted with the need to reduce its carbon emissions, prefers to pay for projects that ruin places and communities irrelevant and unfamiliar to them rather than question their own patterns of consumption.  If we are to responsibly and seriously confront the issue of global warming, our most urgent need is to change the scale of our livelihoods and to accept the necessary and health limitations of each place."

This affluent lifestyle is represented again and again by the large multinational corporations prevalent in Bangladesh, Guatemala, you name it, and the great lengths they will go to to support projects outside of their borders, regardless of how unhealthy or unsafe they may be, all in an attempt to make money.  This disconnect that leads to issues  like global warming, or factory fires in Bangladesh, is also seen when we decide, either consciously or unconsciously, to continue living a consumer lifestyle without asking important questions - questions that are highlighted by this interesting project:  Where I am Wearing.  If we can start this process of thinking critically, asking questions, and connecting to people wherever that may be, I do believe that these larger issues can start to become a bit smaller, and we can continue on the road to becoming conscientious global citizens - "understanding that individuals can improve the state of the world and accepting the responsabilty to take action to do so." 

To read Tobias's full article:  Climate Change, Carbon Offsetting, and the Destruction of Local Communities

 More information on the Bangladesh fire:  BBC News and CNN

 And to read about people who are working to address these kinds of issues:   

Clean Clothes Campaign

 

Photos taken by Tim Koehn in Bangladesh of young boy weaving a sari and my sister-in-law connecting with local women