Luxury

What do you think of when you hear the word "luxury"? Personally, I think about walnut-accented interior, heated leather seats, in-ground pools, marble counter tops, and real silverware you actually eat with. Maybe you think about gated driveways, Armani suits, designer sunglasses, and "tea-cup" breeds of dogs. Perhaps you think about high-rise apartments with rare works of art and handmade oriental rugs. Whatever the case, I'm willing to bet you think about those things that are intrinsically tied to money, or to be more specific, a lot of money.

I have a real hunch you would never consider running water a luxury. Or how about electricity, for every hour of every day? What about food (and I don't mean caviar or Kobe beef)? Is food really a luxury? What about health care (too political?)--is it a luxury too? Here's one to really send your head spinning: is debate a luxury?

Hear me out. Is it a luxury that we can actually sit in groups and argue about things? Is it a luxury that we actually have the time, the energy, and the resources to argue about things that seem to matter, but in the lives of others they fall so far down the list of priorities that they rarely recognize the existence of such issues? Allow me to give you an example.

Say a group of people meet to talk about an important issue (i.e. climate change, fair-trade vs. free-trade, organic farming, unemployment, etc.), and when they gather to talk about this issue, they tend to argue, or debate, whichever is more diplomatic. And in this argument, both sides make some very good points and may even have caused the opposition to pause and reflect on its own understanding. Then, the television cameras are off, the moderator's gavel falls, or the coffee is all gone and the shop is closing, so everyone goes home to ruminate on the events of the evening. SO WHAT?

What difference does it make? Those who would actually be effected by the outcome of such weighty decisions are often left out of them, and mostly because they are too busy with their own life's realities that they have no time to slow down and put in their two cents' worth! The truth of the matter is most people are left in the dark about things like the fair/free trade argument because they're just trying to find the most food for their hard-earned dollar.

Now, I'm never one to defend ignorance, but I do think the ignorant need some sort of advocate. After all, we are always eager to hear the opinion of those who stand to make us or save us a buck, but we're rarely ready to hear the words of those who are just looking to make things right, fair, and honest for themselves and their families. Don't they deserve a sliver of our luxury?

CPT