We have two powers in our life. Our money and time. How we choose to spend that money says everything about our character.
I have shared before avoiding companies that were unethical and hurt society. Since I have avoided those companies I have felt better about not contributing to the inequality that exists in the world. I am not perfect, but as I find out about companies that are cruel I stop using them. It doesn’t matter if I liked their products, if they hurt others the cost is too high.
The second part is something that we less often do. We might not buy something because we don’t like the company, but few people will avoid working for companies they don’t believe in. In fact, most people hate the company they work for. When I have worked with people I find out that they hate the company and they show this in their words and actions.
We are not police and we don’t have the broad set of legal powers they have been granted. We are not judges, so we can not judge others and sentence them to punishment for their crimes. We are not the executioners, although many people with guns feel that they have a right to kill others. All we have to legally change the world is our time and money. How can we best use that to show the change we want?
For me, this is what I struggle with each day. I was raised with relatives who had guns and I don’t think guns are bad. However, theory is much different than reality. The reality is that just having a gun in the house increases the risk of dying from a gun-related injury. There is no avoiding this. The idea that people are better off with guns is probably more fantasy than reality, but it’s something that people just can’t shake. I had a friend who used to be a former gang member tell me that when he had a gun he felt powerful. Yet he changed and he renounced that life and the benefits. He saw that it was hurting him and others that he loved and he gave up the sense of power for a stronger sense of love.
We can show our love by helping others who need it. By avoiding doing harm to those who are weaker than ourselves.