Kicking the Chicken

Today is the seminary retreat. I have looked forward to this time set aside to take a deep breath and think about how things are. It is always a rich time of meditation, connection, grace. As I have been around for more years than one normally needs to complete the program, many of the faces today are new to me. I join a table and meet new friends. It is hard to tear away from the conversations and begin the morning session.

The topic intrigues me. It is a question I have wrestled with. How can I make a difference to the starving millions in the world, to the invisible people I will never meet who need help? Our morning speaker, a sociologist, Lisa Graham McMinn who authored Walk Softly on the Earth sets forth this scenario:

Suppose you are at the grocery store, and checking out. What would you do if the clerk told you that you could save a dollar if you kicked the chicken tied to the cash register? Would you do it? What if you could save $5 by punching the child behind the counter?

What a ridiculous question. Of COURSE we wouldn't do it. But everytime we buy products from companies who exploit animals or children, we are, in essence, kicking the chicken and contributing to the cycle of exploitation and misery. She offers some ideas about how to lessen such an impact without crusading.

1) plant a garden and grow your own produce
2) buy local (also saves on fossil fuel consumption)
3) join a community agricultural project
4) for products that are not available locally, make sure you purchase Fair Trade products. that way you don't support the huge corporations that are concerned more about their bottom line than their slave labor
5) eat low on the food chain (more fruit/veggies; less meat)
6) walk, bike, carpool when possible
7) savor meal preparation and don't go out for fast food or convenience foods

Seven simple do-able lifestyle changes that collectively make a real difference to those poor invisible people who are in need. She also encouraged us to simplify our lives. Don't think you need so much. Make gifts. Own less.

How good it is to hear these truths. How easy to implement the ones I do not yet abide by. We break for lunch and violate most of her suggestions. Oops. The afternoon flies by. Before I know it, we are leaving. I pray this is one event where I don't forget to follow through once I step back into the hectic daily routine.