Popping Bubbles

Further reflection on life, e-waste and voluntary simplicity...

I just had a long, difficult conversation with my Mom. The discussion began with her questioning my faith, why I wasn't going to church much (or at all), and so on. She was asking me, "wasn't I worried that God wouldn't bless me if I didn't go to church?" She said that God had blessed her with an extremely good life, because when she was young they were very poor, and had to wash all their clothes by hand, etc. But now she had lots of things and didn't have to work very hard, and had a very good life.

And I started to cry.

I told her that even though it seems that way, it was not a good life. A good life would be one where nobody has to suffer or be exploited for the sake of it. This life might be very simple, but it would be great. We would have a lot less things, but a lot more time for one another. And we could be truly happy knowing that all other people had the opportunity to live a happy, simple, good life too. How could a life be good if it is breaking the backs of others? How could someone be truly happy living such a life?

The answer is: through ignorance. Mom said it herself, she didn't know that's what was happening. But now that there's more information available, she tries to make better decisions. (Like to not buy a new pair of shoes just because the style changes.) And that is very good. But the fact remains that for the most part, North America is in what I like to call a "happy bubble." We are self-absorbed in our own little world, and don't think much about where our products come from, how they are disposed, or why they are so cheap. We don't question it.

When someone asks me what I do for a living, I am going to say..."I pop bubbles."