The system is broken. Look around and you will see a society that may seem as if it is striving toward lofty ideals: equality compassion sustainability. However a look below the surface— a look at the far-reaching implications of all our collective choices— shows that something fundamentally opposed to these values is actually occurring.
Due to the corruption of a few and the ignorance of many the ways in which our society functions all too often promote the exploitation of the environment animals and even human beings. Such systems simply become ingrained and are never questioned. And the best way to change them is in essence to change the hearts of the people who participate in them.
And the only way to change the hearts of others is to first change your own. Become aware of what is wrong with the system and commit yourself to making the small decisions that change the bigger picture. For it is small apathetic decisions that escalate to create the most unjust of situations.
Seemingly minute choices such as buying a certain type of shampoo make a big impact. Every time you purchase a cosmetic body care product or medicine it is quite likely that not only was your product of choice tested on innocent animals but many of the ingredients in it may be harmful to you as well as to other beings and the environment.
However companies exist that do not use questionable ingredients or animal testing creating natural organic non-animal-tested products. The stuff that might kill you (and that certainly killed animals) may be cheaper but only because the price is paid elsewhere. It can be tedious but researching and supporting companies that conduct ethical research and use natural ingredients is the first step to creating a system in which they become the norm.
When you go to the supermarket and purchase fruits out of season you consume not only the nourishment they provide but the precious fuel it cost to bring the fruit from the far-off country in which it was grown— not to mention all the chemicals sprayed on it to make it appear fresh. When you purchase meat from large packing houses restaurants and fast food chains you are not only contributing to a system that raises and slaughters animals in an abusive manner but you are also exposing yourself to everything from feces to infected tissues to antibiotics.
However by purchasing organic locally grown produce and known-source free-range and hormone-free meats you can avoid being a part of such a clearly unsustainable system and make yourself healthier as you do.
If you purchase an item of clothing or a toy that was made in an Asian African or Latin American country chances are high that the product was made under inhumane or sweatshop conditions and that it used child or slave labor. If you purchase coffee chocolate bananas or many other food crops from a major non-fair trade company it is likely it was harvested using people who were paid less than a living wage and probable that the owner of the crop may not have even been paid what it cost to grow the product.
The only way to be sure that the products you purchase do not contribute to human suffering is to research which companies are transparent about where they source their products and labor or stick to those certified by a third party such as fair trade.
Choices even the smallest of them carry a heavy weight. Since our markets function within a capitalist framework each time we purchase something we place a vote. It is either a vote for the current system or a vote for something that would— and should— replace it. The collective everyday decisions of the people of our country determine what will change and what will not.
We should all care so much to vote for change with each of our small decisions. Start yourself and help others to follow. If enough people become aware change their hearts and begin taking the time to make the little choices that matter we may just be able to change the system itself.
