“Indirect harm still causes pain”
After listening to Tamara’s lecture post about Quechua people, reading A. Argumedo and M. Pimbert’s article about Barter Markets and especially after watching “Hija de la laguna” I started questioning the world we live in. While watching the movie and hearing about the horrible stories I realize that my whole life I might have indirectly been contributing to them. This movie made me realize that as people we sometimes unknowingly cause harm – exactly like the jewelry designer from Amsterdam. While watching the movie, I could not stop myself but look at all the possessions I had on in that moment. My jacket, my jeans, my boots, my golden necklace and my golden earrings and within a moment I got so scared that me purchasing all of this could have caused so much harm to someone else. Was I indirectly part of the exploitative gold industry? Was I one of the consumers who blindly just bought the shiny golden necklace without seeing clearly its whole story? To be honest with you, I think I was. And as one saying states “Ignorantia non excusat” in English “ignorance excuses no one” I realize I was guilty of ignorance.
Nevertheless, thanks to the movie “Hija de la laguna” I decided that I don’t want to be causing harm indirectly anymore and that I want to be more responsible and try to do my best by looking for the companies that do not cause harm by exploiting others or destroying the nature. “I will put more effort and be better” were my words after I finished the movie. From now one, I will consciously choose the things I buy from food to any other object to the best abilities I can.
With all this in mind a question for you arises:
Are there any areas in your life where you could make wiser choices? If yes, just start with the one that appeals to you the most. For example, I decided to be more responsible for my jewelry purchases. Starting today I will always try to find out from where and how the gold was obtained. I might be in Canada and the gold might be getting mined in Peru. Two stories of completely different character, yet somehow they are so deeply connected. One affecting the other no matter how far they are.
To the end I would love to leave you with a quote from “Hija de la laguna”
“ El mundo no te pertenece pero tú perteneces al mundo”
“ The world doesn’t belong to you, but you belong to the world”
This sentence serves as a little reminder that we need our planet more than it needs us but as people we sometimes forget to realize that. Without the Earth taking care of us we wouldn’t be here. How lucky we are to live at such a beautiful place! Soooo let’s take care of it together…shall we? 🙂
Hi there, thank you for your thoughtful and insightful post. I, too, found myself feeling guilty about buying, wearing and supporting brands and items that might cause harm. I was especially struck when the jeweler from Amsterdam said something along the lines of, “we have blood hanging around our necks and our wrists”… so powerful.
This Christmas I will definitely be trying my best to purchase sustainable pieces that share their story. Taking this course has opened my eyes to the suffering of those who produce things that we just waltz into the store and buy, often to forget about later (broccoli…. gold… etc.) I know it won’t be perfect, but I think we can all try our best .
Hi!
This movie was very thought-provoking for me. I also finished the movie with a sense of guilt. I felt like so far, I haven’t been doing my homework correctly. I have been stressing about advancing in my career, getting good grades, having a balance, blah blah blah. At the same time, I have been incredibly privileged about not having to struggle about my land being taken away or the resources I depend on being exploited by someone else. I feel most of the knowledge I have acquired so far is very theoretical, and a desire to be more pragmatic arose inside of me.
The story of the Dutch jeweller made me think about my purchasing habits. To be honest, the movie left me feeling ignorant but awoke my desire to do something. I do not want to wait until I have all the credentials we are frequently told we need in order to make a change, but I want to start acting now.
As my good friend Njoki once shared with me.
“Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instil in them even more respect for it… The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. As I told the foresters, and the women, you don’t need a diploma to plant a tree.”
― Prof. Wangari Maathai, Unbowed
What an impactful quote you leave us with, Fernanda. Thank you.
It is admirable, Katerina, that you took those feelings of guilt and made concrete decisions about how you will move forward. To answer your question about wiser choices, here are some of the ways I decided to change how I behave after seeing Hija de la laguna for the first time:
*As a consumer: I will not participate in “newer is better.” I will use my iPhone, computer, shoes, clothes, furniture, etc., until they give out. When at all possible, I will repair items rather than throw them away to purchase something new.
*As a person that lives on the earth: I will treat her (following Fernanda, who suggests using feminine pronouns with the earth in a comment on another student’s page) as the living being she is. I will plant pollinators on my porch for bees and hummingbirds and butterflies. I will not use pesticides and other synthetic items in my gardening. I will shop at my local farmers market as often as possible. I will eat food that is legitimately in season. I will decrease my food waste.
*As an academic: I will incorporate this knowledge in research, teaching, and random conversations. I will fly as infrequently as possible to decrease my carbon footprint.
Thanks for challenging us to think about action and not just guilt!
The impact we have from our every purchase is certainly a frustrating topic to wrap my head around. We can certainly choose to purchase items that were fair trade, and non-exploitative, however, I am also painfully aware that this creates a bourgeois economy that reinforces the privilege the privileged have and the exclusion to the people who can’t afford to participate.