Indeed Black Friday

I went to Safeway this morning for milk and bread. I came away with milk and bread. The thought of potentially being down to one paycheck in a couple of months is already making its way into my shopping habits.

That is not going to be a bad thing. Like many folks I shop too much, I buy things I don't need and I purchase on impulse. With more time for planning my new system is going to be write lists, go to the warehouse store (not necessarily cheaper overall but good quality food), and plan menus. We will eat out less - I suspect running costs for our household will decrease by about 30% - at least. Especially if the kids do their laundry and put away the clothes they do have so they do not think they have none!!

I was appalled, yesterday, by the story from Nassau, New York about the Walmart employee who got trampled to death in the rush to get the bargains on Black Friday. This was bad enough but the story continued to say that when police tried to close the store people would not leave because they had been in live so long and wanted to get what they thought was theirs. Sometimes I am ashamed of ourselves.

Why do I include myself? Would I have left the store? I hope so - but this consumer culture we are all a part of drives us all to a narrow-mindedness and greed which at times eclipses our humanity. Whenever we put what we want, our consumption, above the basic human needs of another person then we are no better than folk who refuse to leave a store because they have still to purchase the TV they lined up for. And we do that all the time.

I am still guilty but my first line of resistance against this has been my coffee purchasing. I now only purchase Fair Trade coffee - yes I know that this is not a perfect system but the Fair Trade symbol does give some guarantees that growers are being paid at least a fair market price and are not in vassal or slave conditions. There is so much more. Everyone who contributes to everything we have or buy deserves a fair life - Jesus said he came to give abundant life - this does not mean that my abundance should be depriving someone else of basic human rights.

It is a big question. But in the run up to Christmas as we are all about to spend a lot of money it is worth considering, holding back and yes even praying about our purchasing. Are we the christian we want to be by buying these things, or are we guilty of reducing humanity to demanding that we keep our place in line, no matter what it costs someone else and therefore, ultimately, our own sense of self-worth.