Awareness of Ourselves

Message from Natalie - West Coast Challenger

More than anything, this month's challenge has sparked an awareness for me about the way we live, the way we make choices and the way we rationalize turning a blind eye to certain things, such as where the things we live on come from. But how can we be expected to be aware of the lives of others, if we are not even aware of OURSELVES? We live in a society that does not promote self-awareness, social responsibility, but instead promotes what seems to be a laziness of the mind, body and intellect in order for money to be made.

And the root of our nature to remain in the dark in general are fear and money, the two things that drive our society.

Why does it not send up huge red flags when we see that a garment is made in China, Indonesia, or some other exploited country? Do we believe what the manufacturers believe; that the population of a perhaps non-developed country is only worth the few cents the individuals are paid in order for a HUGE North American company to make a 5000% profit?
Is this what we believe?

Rationally, NO. No one I know believes this, everyone I know is frustrated to a certain degree by this, but how deep does the awareness really go if we don't make different choices as a consumer?

These are the questions I am asking, have my choices supported what I truly believe in or is that just what I'd like to believe?

And it all seems so symptomatic of our society; a society in which our driving WANTS, and "NEEDS" and fears cloud us everyday with rationalizations that allow us to be ok with the fact that a person living in poverty and being exploited made my shirt, my jeans, my jacket...

It really does start with ourselves, the awareness we need to change anything in the world has to start with growing that awareness in ourselves. And that is not easy.