The 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped underground for the past two months (2010) are rescued from their predicament. Hearts around the world are warmed by the outflow of empathy. The heroics of the miners themselves has been expressed through their willingness to collaborate and survive the harsh conditions. Perhaps it is the drilling crews who have won the day. There's no question that these heroics have attracted an enormous response from the international media. Could there hardly be a better feel-good story to counter the many disasters in recent months and years caused by the mining and extractive industries?
Indeed there is another story which will emerge over time as the media focus on these Chilean miners looks deeper in the root causes. Two days ago there was a story from Mat Frei of the BBC profiling the way in which these miners are perhaps being positioned within what is otherwise a great embarrassment for Chile. We are all very pleased to see these miners having made it out alive, but who else has been pulled up from 700 meters below; perhaps the mining companies and politicians have likewise been saved? This story is raising so many difficult questions for me.
To what extent have I allowed myself to be caught-up in the story of the moment? Have I already forgotten about the BP oil spill in the Gulf, the indigenous communities displaced or poisoned in many countries throughout the world, the thousands of Chinese miners who lose their lives each year, or what events have led to waves of the toxic sludge running through the streets in Hungary and into the Danube, the Tar Sands mining in Canada?
This story of the extractive industries is described well in such Internet videos as Anne Leonard's classic “The Story of Stuff.” Leonard's on-line sensation intersects with that of the trapped miners in respect to how we evaluate or value the true cost of nearly all products sold in the modern industrial world. These costs are simply not being accurately or honestly reflected in the price consumers are asked to pay. The truth of how our financial systems place profits before people has staggering long-term consequences.
The true cost of producing many goods is being paid for by the poorest people living in developing countries; through their loss of labour standards, loss of air quality, loss of food and climate security, loss of human rights, and the list goes on and on. The opportunity in Chile is perhaps that these questions of social and environmental justice be raised by the world's media. But will they? Why should we assume that the media is going to tell the whole story? Especially a story which questions the very foundations of the global economy? Will the opportunity be seized eventually?
There is little doubt in my mind that today's commercial media is largely incapable of critical analysis regarding social or environmental justice issues which will make or break the global economy. After all, it is a function of the commercial media to protect its advertisers; companies which in turn rely on cheap labour, cheap energy and resources to stay afloat. The same could be said of the politicians of most democratically elected governments. Clearly there are self-perpetuating systems of injustice and insecurity which are driven by short-term profits. Will these entrenched interests realize that we are all, the whole world and all its ecosystems, locked in this together? If politicians and industry leaders are unable to respond ethically to global systems which are perpetuating poverty and heightening insecurity in the long run, then is there a pragmatic course of action for global citizens to take?
These questions descending upon consumer society are not ones which I myself am going to try and answer. Instead, I plan to bring these questions into an honest conversation with friends who are willing to search for what we can do together. There are all kinds of participatory conversations emerging around the planet in an effort to better understand the complexities of our individual responsibilities vis-a-vis a complex global sustainability challenge. Conversation circles, sharing circles, peace circles, or just sitting around a campfire or kitchen table, whatever form the conversation takes, it is essential that the conversation starts. It is hopefully going to come through such a group inquiry that I will discover what small role I am meant to play in this unfolding drama.
John Freebury is a Canadian who lives in Ecuador and is involved in various sustainable community living programmes. He is a regular contributor to IofC's environment mailing list and has been involved in Initiatives of Change for the past seven years. John is also a student of bio-dynamic agriculture and permaculture design.
NOTE: Individuals of many cultures, nationalities, religions, and beliefs are actively involved with Initiatives of Change. These commentaries represent the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Initiatives of Change as a whole.
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