all for one, one for all.
this adage was made popular by alexandre dumas' "three musketeers". it contains a simplistic appeal for loyalty, solidarity, and justice. it is a phrase that each country would do well to adapt into their government policies.
loyalty is a choice to stick to something or somebody no matter what happens. often we are forced to change our loyalty towards a person or a product, because it goes against our fundamental beliefs.
i'm constantly amazed by the wrong that is done throughout the world. the sheer absurdity of injustice and unfair scenarios.
it starts with me walking into the supermarket and having to choose a product (or brand).
when you look at fruits and vegetables, you might have been driven to complete paranoia about pesticides and genetically modified food. After all, fruits are 'natural'. You cannot really turn them around and expect to see a label reading 'Pesticides 75%'. You might even decide to go for the local products. But what if I want a mango? There's no way, I will ever get a Bavarian mango. So I have to pick the only mango that is available in this shop.
it says the mango is from India. great! care to pinpoint at least the region it is from? the same is true for other exotic fruits and vegetables.
yesterday, i saw a documentary on "fair trade" and how the original fair trade movement has been corrupted by the huge food corporations (Unilever, Nestle etc.). they have bought the label and are using it to their advantage. we, the common consumer, have so little knowledge of what really goes on. be it tea or coffee plantations or factories or what not. there is injustice across the board.
terrible wages. awful working conditions. ethical abuse. sexism and sexual harassment. the list is long.
and yet we, the common consumer, are walking into the supermarket and buying a product that is more expensive than the actual value of production. even the workers receive only a fraction of its selling value.
it continues with me walking into clothing stores, where it's impossible to tell whether or not the H&M t-shirt was made in a different place to the shirts from Hugo Boss. most labels simply state: Made in Bangladesh, China or some other Asian country.
the world of branding is strangely obscure. we live in a consumer society that is trapped on a misty hilltop. we don't buy the brand. we buy the lie that is perfectly wrapped up in a foil of truth. we buy the brand that has the cutest ribbon. we buy the vibrant colours. we buy the form, and forget about the content.
i love reflecting on the past. but i also enjoy speculating on the future. we all paint our own picture(s) of what the future might hold. i'm worried about the superficial lifestyle, which is being passed down to the next generation. we are prisoners of conformity.
and reformation is once again regarded as the greatest rebellion an individual can bring to the table.
society is a strong entity. it's like a river of lava that won't stop for no one. to change the perception of a society, we must reform the different groups within it. this is why schools and the education system are so extremely important. this is why the future belong to teachers. they are the ones who are contributing to re-shaping the minds of the new generation.
tell me that that's not the most important job of all.
however, teachers are more individual than ever...and there is no common approach to the idea of moral reformation. or can you remember a class in 'general ethics' or 'dealing with the world's injustice'?
individualism is a wonderful thing. no doubt! but how amazing would it be if people were on the same page when it comes to topics that are hindering the progress of humanity and this earth we were called to look after? what if we all had the same understanding of 'justice'?
we would truly be looking forward to a pleasant, exciting future. we wouldn't worry about wars, global warming, overfishing, overeating, overbreeding, overstarving...poverty, slavery, sexual immorality and more.
what if we lived everyday as if we are living it for all, and everybody else is living their day as if it was for us? perhaps our lives would dramaticall change if we stuck a little 'all for one, one for all' into our daily routines.
this adage was made popular by alexandre dumas' "three musketeers". it contains a simplistic appeal for loyalty, solidarity, and justice. it is a phrase that each country would do well to adapt into their government policies.
loyalty is a choice to stick to something or somebody no matter what happens. often we are forced to change our loyalty towards a person or a product, because it goes against our fundamental beliefs.
i'm constantly amazed by the wrong that is done throughout the world. the sheer absurdity of injustice and unfair scenarios.
it starts with me walking into the supermarket and having to choose a product (or brand).
when you look at fruits and vegetables, you might have been driven to complete paranoia about pesticides and genetically modified food. After all, fruits are 'natural'. You cannot really turn them around and expect to see a label reading 'Pesticides 75%'. You might even decide to go for the local products. But what if I want a mango? There's no way, I will ever get a Bavarian mango. So I have to pick the only mango that is available in this shop.
it says the mango is from India. great! care to pinpoint at least the region it is from? the same is true for other exotic fruits and vegetables.
yesterday, i saw a documentary on "fair trade" and how the original fair trade movement has been corrupted by the huge food corporations (Unilever, Nestle etc.). they have bought the label and are using it to their advantage. we, the common consumer, have so little knowledge of what really goes on. be it tea or coffee plantations or factories or what not. there is injustice across the board.
terrible wages. awful working conditions. ethical abuse. sexism and sexual harassment. the list is long.
and yet we, the common consumer, are walking into the supermarket and buying a product that is more expensive than the actual value of production. even the workers receive only a fraction of its selling value.
it continues with me walking into clothing stores, where it's impossible to tell whether or not the H&M t-shirt was made in a different place to the shirts from Hugo Boss. most labels simply state: Made in Bangladesh, China or some other Asian country.
the world of branding is strangely obscure. we live in a consumer society that is trapped on a misty hilltop. we don't buy the brand. we buy the lie that is perfectly wrapped up in a foil of truth. we buy the brand that has the cutest ribbon. we buy the vibrant colours. we buy the form, and forget about the content.
i love reflecting on the past. but i also enjoy speculating on the future. we all paint our own picture(s) of what the future might hold. i'm worried about the superficial lifestyle, which is being passed down to the next generation. we are prisoners of conformity.
and reformation is once again regarded as the greatest rebellion an individual can bring to the table.
society is a strong entity. it's like a river of lava that won't stop for no one. to change the perception of a society, we must reform the different groups within it. this is why schools and the education system are so extremely important. this is why the future belong to teachers. they are the ones who are contributing to re-shaping the minds of the new generation.
tell me that that's not the most important job of all.
however, teachers are more individual than ever...and there is no common approach to the idea of moral reformation. or can you remember a class in 'general ethics' or 'dealing with the world's injustice'?
individualism is a wonderful thing. no doubt! but how amazing would it be if people were on the same page when it comes to topics that are hindering the progress of humanity and this earth we were called to look after? what if we all had the same understanding of 'justice'?
we would truly be looking forward to a pleasant, exciting future. we wouldn't worry about wars, global warming, overfishing, overeating, overbreeding, overstarving...poverty, slavery, sexual immorality and more.
what if we lived everyday as if we are living it for all, and everybody else is living their day as if it was for us? perhaps our lives would dramaticall change if we stuck a little 'all for one, one for all' into our daily routines.
