Choice

We are sentient beings - we are able to think. Therefore we can make choices. How we exercise that choice & what the issues are is very important.

At a mundane level, we chose what food to buy & how to feed ourselves, our friends, & our families. Rarely, if we are honest, do we think about the impact of those choices on other people or eco-systems. I go round Tesco's or Sainsbury's with a list of what I know I need for the coming days. I'm aware of husbandry & sustainability issues. They are at the back of my mind, so I try to avoid unsustainable fish for example. But I usually buy what my next meals require. I am lucky. I have a choice because I can afford to buy what I need & even what I fancy. It seems very wrong therefore, that there are now a substantial number of people who can't do that simple thing. Their low income robs them of choice. They have to eat unhealthy, cheap, food. Here, in the UK today. Never mind about the lack of choice, for a whole variety of reasons, in the developing world.

Similarly I can chose what I want to wear. I could, if I could be bothered, spend a fortune on new clothes, not to mention matching accessories. In fact I estimate that, apart from underwear & shoes, I could dress myself till I drop dead with what's in my wardrobe at this very minute. I am aware that cheap / child labour provides the developed world with ridiculously cheap clothing.The fashion industry has thrived on that premise for years & many of us are slaves to continuously changing fashion trends. A lot of high street fashion changes ranges every 6 - 8 weeks. There are almost continuous sales. We let them persuade us that we need to keep changing our look, our image. When & why did we suddenly need an "image"? We no longer just wear clothes to cover us, or keep warm / dry.

Even the decor of our homes has "built in obsolescence". A kitchen or bathroom is not expected to last 10 years. People change their furniture on a whim. Nothing is expected to last. There is no longer any craftsmanship left in the western world. Everything is machine made. There are probably dozens of choices for everything in your rooms now. When we are fed up we buy something to make us feel better. We can't face up to changing ourselves, so we chose to change our environment, if we can afford it.

"You don't get owt for nowt" as my dad used to say. Unless, that is, someone else is paying a price for your cheap goods. We should at least think about the choices we make.