Quakerism and How to Be an Ethical Consumer
October 23, 2017
Since the founding of the Society of Friends, social justice and activism have been a large part of Quaker philosophy. Quakers have always been on the front lines of justice and are not afraid to get their proverbial hands dirty. The spirit (pun intended) behind this activism is based in a recognition that all beings are created in the image of the Divine. Notable Quaker activists who contributed to the Society’s nonviolent change include Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Woolman, and Benjamin Lay.
The Society of Friends place high value on nonviolence and peaceful conflict resolution. Let’s face it: in life there will always be conflict. What makes a difference is how the conflict is addressed and resolved. There will be times when one can peacefully disagree and there will be times when one needs to stand and fight for justice. “So what?” one might ask. “Why should this matter to me?’
It should be important to you because, more than ever in this day and age, we are faced with daily decisions to stand up and be counted. We need to act for the environment, to conserve resources, to more equitably share our resources and to address human rights injustices, alleviating the suffering of those in need here and abroad.
According to John Pemberton Jr. “Civil rights issues cannot be resolved by officials alone; only a total commitment of the conscience of an entire people to fulfillment now of the promises of 1776 will do it.”
I am urging us as individuals and a community to fight for these civil liberties by:
- Purchasing products from vendors that have an environmentally sustainable philosophy
- Choosing carefully the food establishments that one frequents because food workers are some of the hardest worked and lowest paid persons
- Refraining from purchasing and/or distributing ‘toys’ that encourage, portray or re-enact acts of violence, especially violence towards or on women, children or other currently marginalized groups in our society.
- Standing up for the rights of others because only through tolerance and understanding can there be a United States.
References:
“Famous Quakers .” Famous Friends (Famous Quakers), Adherent, 10 Oct. 1999, www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_quaker.html.
“Reflections on Selma: What Quakers Were Saying in 1965.” Friends Journal, Friends Publishing Corporation , 16 June 2015, www.friendsjournal.org/reflections-selma-quakers/.
Hanke Chen • Nov 7, 2017 at 9:40 am
In APES class, somebody mentioned that we can reach a better sustainability by eating plants instead of meats because plants are producers who “live” in a lower tropical level. I doubted about that because it seems unnatural, but I could not find evidence to support my claim. Recently, in a conversation with one of my friends, we discussed this topic. What we came up with is that the economy can adjust the ratio of meat and plants for us to eat. Because crops can only grow in the specific environmental condition and we cannot eat most of the species of plants on earth, other animals, such as buffalos and sheep, can digest those plants for us in a bad place for developing agriculture. This may be the reason why people and other animals still eat meat.