I can’t believe that it’s taken this long, but I’ve finally seen the movie “The Constant Gardner.” It is perhaps one of the more important films to see this decade. If you haven’t seen the movie, you need to add it to your must-own or must-rent-this-weekend list.

While the story is fiction—about a British couple caught in the middle of a massive cover-up and conspiracy with regards to drug companies testing a particular drug on African citizens dealing with the onset of tuberculosis. The drug, while successful in treating TB in many people, it was also found to kill a number of others. Those deaths were covered up and the the British couple were caught up in the mess of it all.

The story is fiction, but there is probably more truth than some might wish to acknowledge. Why else would there be a need for the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use? I’m sure there has been some unsavory tests done on the innocent—or as the big pharmaceuticals might see as expendable people. The mentality being, “they’re going to die anyway.”

How many luxuries do we consume or purchase or take advantage of, that were created or produced by and or through the exploitation of other people? It’s no secret that our electronic goods are mass manufactured by those only being paid a few hundred (or less) per month—working twelve-hour days, sleeping in crammed dormitory conditions and making barely enough to pay for food. All for the sake of our mobile phones. Our iPods. Our personal computers. And by purchasing such goods we only propagate the problem further, fulfilling our perceived needs and our deepest wishes and wants with goods produced by those who are not fairly compensated. God only knows the people that were also exploited along the way to help satisfy our hunger for more.

And I’m guilty—right along with everyone else. I’m driven by desire to have the coolest gadgets. I’ve got the 60 GB iPod Video. My wife and I have nice LG mobile phones. We’ve got a good camera and lenses. We have more electronic gadgets than I know what to do with. We own so much. Too much.

I can’t help but to feel some ounce of remorse—remorse for what I have done to fuel the god of capitalism and propagated the exploitation of people in developing nations. Do I have proof that this has happened? Maybe not direct evidence, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise. Exploiting the “lesser of these” for personal gain and profit is not a new phenomenon. The Old Testament records a history exploit at the hands of kings and pharaohs. But it has this way of causing me to be still, take care to think about how things reach us, and wonder with some level of scrutiny if this product could have been produced in a more ethical, responsible and humane manner with little or no impact upon our planet, upon societies and people’s right to a humane life.

I’m glad that my wife and I didn’t go Christmas shopping this year, contributing to the supposed .5% increase in sales over the holiday season. Instead, we’re going to both reduce our debt and also give some of our money to help those that have not. I just have to believe that there is more to this life than needing one more gadget or one more thing that will end up breaking in two years and filling up some landfill south of the metro area.

Of course, I’m referring to needless consumer items that have little or no possibility of adding value to the lives of others without degrading or exploiting another. Mobile phones are a perfect example of that. These days we all can’t imagine life without them—we’re joined at the hip. Literally. But I remember life without them, too. And funny thing, we actually managed to do just fine without them.

Is it progress? Perhaps to some extent. But what negative footprint has this left on the planet? On other cultures and people groups? Could we have found a better way of creating what we have?

Just thoughts. A lot of thoughts, sure—but it’s stuff that I feel American culture overlooks. We love stuff…to a fault.

December 24, 2006, 2:54 am

Filed under: Awareness, Websites

1 Comment »

1. Isaac said,

   December 31, 2006 @ 2:27 am

   I love this movie. It really opened my eyes as it seems to have for you… but sadly I see so little real influence in my life base don what I saw. Maybe part of me wants to ignore it, but it can’t be ignored, what’s going on is wrong. All in the name of progress, so many lives are ruined.

   Slowly I am eliminating fluff from my life, but it’s harder than it should be.

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