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Where am I?
News
6
20 March 2008 |
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Moderator: There is Life Before Death
 A violent Friday,
before dawn broke three days later. In the meantime, three days of
“going through”, the period between the day of violence and the day
of hope. Most of us spend our lives somewhere between the anguish of
yesterday and the hope of tomorrow – “going through”. During my
childhood, I often heard the saying “Such and such a family are
going through a difficult patch” and sometimes “Such and such a
family have been though the mill”. There can be no no
Resurrection without Crucifixion, and no Crucifixion without
Resurrection.
Never
have I seen anyone concentrate so much on violence as Mel Gibson in
his film, The Passion of the Christ. Never have I seen a film
that concentrates so much on violence and pain. Such was the focus
on violence that the few seconds dedicated to a raw interpretation
of the Resurrection meant nothing. The violence had frozen all
ability to think and had withered all ability to feel.
That was my
experience of watching a film, but what about the experience of
those who must live with violence from day to day at home and on the
street – not to mention the Gaza Strip and parts of Iraq,
Afghanistan, Darfur and Kenya? Hand in hand with the violence goes
oppressive poverty and merciless injustices. There is nothing
‘instant’ in the joy of the Third Day, yet it is full of hope.
Fairtrade
Fortnight was held during Lent this year. This attempt to deal with
the violence, poverty and injustice of free trade was much
criticised by the Adam Smith Institute, promoters of that kind of
trade.
It is not true
that a few farmer benefit at the expense of others. This reveals a
failure to understand the system. A minimum price, rather than a
specific price, is offered as a means of security. When the price is
higher, all the farmers benefit. But when the price falls, those
most at risk are secure.
It is not true
that farmers in relatively prosperous countries such as Mexico reap
the most rewards. Last year – 50 projects in Mexico, 242 in Africa.
It does not favour
the middle class. But the small farmer is backed and workers on the
biggest farms have their rights protected.
Fairtrade does not
prevent farmers from diversifying. The fact is that the farmers
don’t have the knowledge, the resources or the market to diversify.
Fairtrade tries to change this by offering low-interest loans to the
farmers.
Fairtrade did not
come up with the idea of protecting vulnerable producers during
their formative years. That was Adam Smith himself.
Fair trade and
free trade cannot be compared. We do not have a free trade, but a
trade that leans towards the rich.
Fairtrade touches
7 million people. It is neither the whole anwer nor the final
answer, but it is a creative way of working, and it is better than
doing nothing because we can do little.
The challenge for
us is to help sow the seeds of hope by joining in the Fair Trade
whose products we see in our shops and churches.
Reverend
John Owen
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