I don't even know what to call this... I saw the Constant Gardener though
I just finished watching The Constant Gardener. It really made me think about my life so far and whether I change the world for the better with my actions. Have I helped someone facing a struggle just to survive? Do I even take the time to pay attention to the fact that others face these struggles on a daily basis? And are my everyday economic and political actions, such as purchasing the clothes I wear or voting for or against certain propositions, making the world a better place?
The little things that we do or do not do in the name of following our own dreams add up to the world that we live in. Usually, to alleviate guilt and responsibility for those actions that created distress in the lives of others or our surrounding environment, we tend to claim ignorance of or helplessness regarding the effects our actions have caused. We typically do this because we didn’t want to pay attention to the potential negative effects our actions might have, or we were too lazy to even consider them, or we didn’t want to pay the price for doing things the right way, or we were too lazy to enact change. Rarely is the case for ignorance and helplessness in regards to past actions justified, although the current United States executive branch now is fantastic at justifying their actions based on those two arguments.
“There was nothing else we could have done.”
“We just didn’t know.”
Watching this movie made me realize that I personally cannot claim ignorance or helplessness as arguments for my actions, however, when I never took the time to find out what the resulting effects would be or attempted to find and enact and pay the price for a more positive action. To that end, I would like to start investigating the possibilities for groupware tools that enable individuals to link the effects of the actions of corporations and governments back to the responsible parties. This way people can be more aware of the actions as simple as buying a cup of coffee can have, and what other options are available. It might help me sleep a little better at night. And though the entire idea may turn out to be ridiculous after I’ve looked at the domain set of the problem, but you never know until you start to look.
If there is anything G.I Joe taught me, it is that knowing is half the battle.
The little things that we do or do not do in the name of following our own dreams add up to the world that we live in. Usually, to alleviate guilt and responsibility for those actions that created distress in the lives of others or our surrounding environment, we tend to claim ignorance of or helplessness regarding the effects our actions have caused. We typically do this because we didn’t want to pay attention to the potential negative effects our actions might have, or we were too lazy to even consider them, or we didn’t want to pay the price for doing things the right way, or we were too lazy to enact change. Rarely is the case for ignorance and helplessness in regards to past actions justified, although the current United States executive branch now is fantastic at justifying their actions based on those two arguments.
“There was nothing else we could have done.”
“We just didn’t know.”
Watching this movie made me realize that I personally cannot claim ignorance or helplessness as arguments for my actions, however, when I never took the time to find out what the resulting effects would be or attempted to find and enact and pay the price for a more positive action. To that end, I would like to start investigating the possibilities for groupware tools that enable individuals to link the effects of the actions of corporations and governments back to the responsible parties. This way people can be more aware of the actions as simple as buying a cup of coffee can have, and what other options are available. It might help me sleep a little better at night. And though the entire idea may turn out to be ridiculous after I’ve looked at the domain set of the problem, but you never know until you start to look.
If there is anything G.I Joe taught me, it is that knowing is half the battle.
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