I watched a movie over the weekend that was a really great philosophical, soul-searcher. It’s a new release called Eye in the Sky starring Alan Rickman and Helen Mirren that explores the ethics of drone missile strikes and raises some really interesting questions about the value of human life. You know those movies that really make you think!
Throughout the film I kept thinking about the “value” of human life. The value of one person versus the value of one hundred. Or the value of someone I know and love, versus the value of a stranger on the other side of the world. So often we become conditioned to care about only the people right in front of us – we see it all the time with the inequity in news media coverage of any disasters – natural or inflicted by man – there is outrage and an outpouring of love and support and donations when our fellow citizens are harmed and the longevity of these stories far outlasts the daily atrocities and ongoing human rights abuses and attacks inflicted on cultures and people far from our doorstep. Human connection… it’s a funny thing right? And when you start to question what tugs at your heart strings and why? Well I’m sure like me, you will be challenged, conflicted and changed! And that’s a good thing.
One of the reasons I am passionate about fairtrade is because I believe in the value of humanity. As global citizens, I believe it’s important to be connected to not just the friends and family who live in our postcode (even though it’s a pretty bloody marvelous postcode) but to the individuals whose lives have intersected with ours in our travels. I am passionate about the opportunities that fairtrade provides for people to pursue sustainable livelihoods for their families. And most of all I love having the opportunity to connect other people with that vision and ethos.
I don’t profess it to be the best way and it’s certainly not the only way, but I do believe it definitely is a GREAT way to ensure that all of humanity is valued and connected across oceans and continents. When individuals are connected to the people, places, and cultures that craft the products we buy, it ensures we place more value on what could ordinarily be quite a mundane business transaction, with no thought process involved in how a product come into your possession. I truly believe that human connection can only make the world a better place.
