You made me need you.
And I did.
But I turned into an avalanche.
The more I needed you the more I collapsed.
And you were caught in it.
And you came tumbling down with me.
And then we were both at the bottom.
Buried, trying to breathe.
And now we are digging our way out.
And it's very hard.
We are so weighted down.
But we will get out.
You will survive.
I will survive.
And hopefully we will make it to the top again.
Maybe not together.
Maybe not even at the same time.
But we will both get there.
Yes, we will.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Peace
There is no peace.
It is not within me.
It is not within you.
It is not within us.
It is not within them.
It has never been.
It will never come.
I want peace.
Peace for me.
Peace for you.
I want it in my bones.
I want it in my veins.
Pumping into me.
I want it in the air.
Breathing into me.
And then I want to breathe it out to you.
I want it for us.
I want it for them.
It is not within me.
It is not within you.
It is not within us.
It is not within them.
It has never been.
It will never come.
I want peace.
Peace for me.
Peace for you.
I want it in my bones.
I want it in my veins.
Pumping into me.
I want it in the air.
Breathing into me.
And then I want to breathe it out to you.
I want it for us.
I want it for them.
It does not fit.
It does not function.
It does not cooperate.
It does not know.
It is not right.
It is not satisfied.
It is not calm.
It is not okay.
It has no reason.
It has no fight.
It has no idea.
It has no clue.
It does not know where it is going.
Or if it is going anywhere.
It has no true answers.
There are no answers.
It must wonder aimlessly.
That is the point.
It does not function.
It does not cooperate.
It does not know.
It is not right.
It is not satisfied.
It is not calm.
It is not okay.
It has no reason.
It has no fight.
It has no idea.
It has no clue.
It does not know where it is going.
Or if it is going anywhere.
It has no true answers.
There are no answers.
It must wonder aimlessly.
That is the point.
Where do friends meet when they're poor?
When the coffee is money
And the drinks are more.
Where do grandpas give whey they're old?
When their kids are too busy
And the distance is far.
Where do partners embrace when they're torn?
When the church is too righteous
And the public is proud.
Where do winners look when they loose?
When the camera is there
And their fans all stare.
Where do deaf men hear what you say?
When their ears are numb
And their heart is full.
Where do girls play all their games?
When their tricks are dull
And the boys have won.
Where do parents kiss when it rains?
When the kids are gone
And their love is old.
When the coffee is money
And the drinks are more.
Where do grandpas give whey they're old?
When their kids are too busy
And the distance is far.
Where do partners embrace when they're torn?
When the church is too righteous
And the public is proud.
Where do winners look when they loose?
When the camera is there
And their fans all stare.
Where do deaf men hear what you say?
When their ears are numb
And their heart is full.
Where do girls play all their games?
When their tricks are dull
And the boys have won.
Where do parents kiss when it rains?
When the kids are gone
And their love is old.
Natural
The rest of my speech will come later.
I do not want things to be formal or overdone. I want everything to be true and natural. This is probably my biggest problem. While everyone else is changing who they really are to appear to be something more, I am just who I am. And I know I am making others sounds bad, they are really just bettering themselves. But I want to see people raw. I want to see them with their hair done naturally and their talents without practice. So when I could look better or more appealing, I choose not to because I do not feel that it is truly me. It is ridiculous, but I cannot get out of that mindset.
I do not want things to be formal or overdone. I want everything to be true and natural. This is probably my biggest problem. While everyone else is changing who they really are to appear to be something more, I am just who I am. And I know I am making others sounds bad, they are really just bettering themselves. But I want to see people raw. I want to see them with their hair done naturally and their talents without practice. So when I could look better or more appealing, I choose not to because I do not feel that it is truly me. It is ridiculous, but I cannot get out of that mindset.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Consequences of Being an Uninformed Shopper
This post is the start of a series of information from a speech I gave for a class last year. (It still remains in the speech format)
Sixty-nine percent of you (my class) said you relatively do not know where the products you buy come from. You may know that you bought that banana at Wal-Mart, or that shirt from Express, but you have no idea who made it or who worked in the fields or for how much.
Even a popular clothing store, The Gap, in 2004 admitted to widespread problems - from unsafe machinery to child labor violations - in the thousands of factories it uses around the world to produce clothing (Teather). Today I would like to share with you the issue of passive consumerism and how through our multiple purchases, things like child labor, under pay, and adverse working conditions go unnamed.
Surprisingly child labor still exists in the world today. An estimated 211 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working around the world according to the International Labor Organization (Batstone). An article in USA Today, reported a discovery of children as young as 10 sewing clothes for clothing retailer Gap Inc. in a New Delhi factory (India). Children working at such young ages mean that they are not being educated, ruining their future to get a better job. Not only are they working, but The Child Rights Information Network states that 126 million children from the ages 5 to 17 work in hazardous conditions (Child).
Not only are children forced to work, but also the entirety of the work force is being affected negatively. Much of this is due to the fact that we want things cheap causing those providing all of our stuff to get paid cheaply. Also due to lack of funding or care, working conditions are harsh. Companies like Wal-Mart supply many resources. This means that many workers are paid up to 30 percent below their country's legal minimum wage (Creating). We know that when companies outsource they are able to pay workers less because the country’s standard of living is much less. Yet many companies are not even paying to match the country’s standard of living.
Workers also are forced to work long hours; often 16 to 18 hours a day and do not get paid over time (Creating).
Women are not only underpaid, but in many cases paid less than men. They also deal with sexual harassment in the workplace, and workplace-related sexual violence (Rights).
According to the International Labor Rights Forum under its Wal-Mart Campaign they state that, “the health clinics that many countries require their factories to have often do not exist and workers are not provided with basic safety equipment, such as dust masks (Creating)”. In many factories, workers are required to have a pass or a permit to go for a timed bathroom break.
There is a problem and we are all a part of it. We all consume. Simply being an American most likely means that we consume a lot. Being human means we like things to be cheap. This desire for many cheap goods has helped child labor thrive, drove workers’ pay down, and taken the time away for regulations that ensure healthy working conditions. We unknowingly support this with our daily purchases.
Works Cited
Batstone, David. "Stop Child Labor - Cocoa Campaign." International Labor Rights Forum. 11 Apr. 2008. Child Labor. 12 Apr. 2008.
"Child Labour." Child Rights Information Network. 2008. CRIN. 6 Apr. 2008.
"Creating a Sweat Free World - Wal-Mart Campaign." International Labor Rights Forum. 2007. Labor. 2 Apr. 2008.
"India Activists Decry Gap Child Labor." USA Today. 2007. News. 1 Apr. 2008.
"Rights for Working Women." International Labor Rights Forum. 2007. Labor. 9 Apr. 2008.
Teather, David. "Gap Admits to Child Labour Violations in Outsource Factories." The Guardian. 13 May 2004. News. 2 Apr. 2008.
(The next post will have some solutions to this problem.... sorry this is not written like a paper format... pretend you're hearing a speech :)
Sixty-nine percent of you (my class) said you relatively do not know where the products you buy come from. You may know that you bought that banana at Wal-Mart, or that shirt from Express, but you have no idea who made it or who worked in the fields or for how much.
Even a popular clothing store, The Gap, in 2004 admitted to widespread problems - from unsafe machinery to child labor violations - in the thousands of factories it uses around the world to produce clothing (Teather). Today I would like to share with you the issue of passive consumerism and how through our multiple purchases, things like child labor, under pay, and adverse working conditions go unnamed.
Surprisingly child labor still exists in the world today. An estimated 211 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working around the world according to the International Labor Organization (Batstone). An article in USA Today, reported a discovery of children as young as 10 sewing clothes for clothing retailer Gap Inc. in a New Delhi factory (India). Children working at such young ages mean that they are not being educated, ruining their future to get a better job. Not only are they working, but The Child Rights Information Network states that 126 million children from the ages 5 to 17 work in hazardous conditions (Child).
Not only are children forced to work, but also the entirety of the work force is being affected negatively. Much of this is due to the fact that we want things cheap causing those providing all of our stuff to get paid cheaply. Also due to lack of funding or care, working conditions are harsh. Companies like Wal-Mart supply many resources. This means that many workers are paid up to 30 percent below their country's legal minimum wage (Creating). We know that when companies outsource they are able to pay workers less because the country’s standard of living is much less. Yet many companies are not even paying to match the country’s standard of living.
Workers also are forced to work long hours; often 16 to 18 hours a day and do not get paid over time (Creating).
Women are not only underpaid, but in many cases paid less than men. They also deal with sexual harassment in the workplace, and workplace-related sexual violence (Rights).
According to the International Labor Rights Forum under its Wal-Mart Campaign they state that, “the health clinics that many countries require their factories to have often do not exist and workers are not provided with basic safety equipment, such as dust masks (Creating)”. In many factories, workers are required to have a pass or a permit to go for a timed bathroom break.
There is a problem and we are all a part of it. We all consume. Simply being an American most likely means that we consume a lot. Being human means we like things to be cheap. This desire for many cheap goods has helped child labor thrive, drove workers’ pay down, and taken the time away for regulations that ensure healthy working conditions. We unknowingly support this with our daily purchases.
Works Cited
Batstone, David. "Stop Child Labor - Cocoa Campaign." International Labor Rights Forum. 11 Apr. 2008. Child Labor. 12 Apr. 2008
"Child Labour." Child Rights Information Network. 2008. CRIN. 6 Apr. 2008
"Creating a Sweat Free World - Wal-Mart Campaign." International Labor Rights Forum. 2007. Labor. 2 Apr. 2008
"India Activists Decry Gap Child Labor." USA Today. 2007. News. 1 Apr. 2008
"Rights for Working Women." International Labor Rights Forum. 2007. Labor. 9 Apr. 2008
Teather, David. "Gap Admits to Child Labour Violations in Outsource Factories." The Guardian. 13 May 2004. News. 2 Apr. 2008
(The next post will have some solutions to this problem.... sorry this is not written like a paper format... pretend you're hearing a speech :)
Friday, March 13, 2009
Injustice
Lives ruined by the cruelty of others.
The selfishness and the greed. The carelessness and the numbness. The pleasure and the thoughtlessness.
Power tricks people into thinking anything they do is okay because it is available for them to do. So they do.
And it is okay.
But it is not okay.
Everyone around them is missing something. Missing their wife. or their son. or their neighbor. or their leg. or their eye. or their house. or their food. or their hope. or their happiness. or their future.
I have not lost these things.
But I am lost.
I want to be selfless and giving. I want to be careful, but be free. and to be penetrated. I want to know and to reason. And to not have power so that I cannot be tricked. And to not have access to things I may do if only there were available.
The selfishness and the greed. The carelessness and the numbness. The pleasure and the thoughtlessness.
Power tricks people into thinking anything they do is okay because it is available for them to do. So they do.
And it is okay.
But it is not okay.
Everyone around them is missing something. Missing their wife. or their son. or their neighbor. or their leg. or their eye. or their house. or their food. or their hope. or their happiness. or their future.
I have not lost these things.
But I am lost.
I want to be selfless and giving. I want to be careful, but be free. and to be penetrated. I want to know and to reason. And to not have power so that I cannot be tricked. And to not have access to things I may do if only there were available.
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