Interwoven
Minister’s Message
Interwoven
Do you ever check the labels in your clothes to see where they come from? Unless you buy exclusive designer creations, chances are much of what you wear is not produced in the United States or some other “first world” country, since factory costs are relatively high. Suppose you were going to purchase a pair of pajamas. On what do you base your decision? Style? Comfort? Price? Sometimes we just end up buying what we like, without giving it a second thought. We don’t stop to reflect on what was involved in producing the yarn that was made into cloth. Did it require cotton fields, the hot sun and irrigation, or are we talking about some synthetic that a brilliant chemical engineer invented? We don’t usually muse about who designed the articles, who made the patterns, who cut the pieces to be sewn, what kind of dyes were used, or who sat at a noisy sewing machine running mile after mile of thread to join components that would eventually emerge as a shirt, a blouse, or a dress.
It is even less likely that we would pause to wonder how many women and men (or other living beings) were involved in making this item available for us, how old they were, what their homes were like, what they wore, how many children they had, or how much they made. Much less likely still would we ponder whether they were good persons or bad, what they hoped for or dreamed of, and what they feared, hated, or loved.
In our increasingly global market that makes the world seem so small, those involved in our comfort, well-being, and existence have become so far removed from us as to be faceless and insignificant in our heart-minds. Where is Dhaka, Bangladesh? Do you remember the huge garment factory fire that took place there a few weeks ago? Though as many as 1,127 people are known to have perished in it, our minds move past that news item, searching instead for numbers relating to sports and finances. Since then, there have been other deadly fires in Bangladesh, the world’s third largest exporter of clothing, where there are some 5,000 clothing factories with about four million workers. Those people need their jobs, though they only make about $38 per month and the conditions are extremely hazardous. Still, they are not asking consumers to boycott the companies whose goods they produce. For us to do so would be a misguided act of compassion, or “”poisoned good.” Right now, the workers only hope for more humane conditions, such as wages they can actually live on, and safety measures that include building inspections and fire escapes.
Given the interdependence of all beings, we might recognize that these people depend on consumers and vice versa. Moreover, countless other lives are touched on both sides of the equation. More than half a century ago, my mother took in factory sewing, which she did on a piecework basis long into the night. The rapid rat-tat-tat of her power machine was my lullaby as aprons and sundresses grew into mountains at the foot of the bed. At the time, the activity was shrouded in secrecy, but my mother was thankful to have such a job in the first place, in the wake of the war, with discrimination still lingering. My existence would have been quite different were it not for this “opportunity.” For all that they sacrificed and all that they did, I am forever grateful and indebted to my parents. Their lives weren’t easy but their stories lacked bitterness, being flavoured always with appreciation and quiet dignity.
Over time, and with a postwar bent arising for social justice, conditions improved in certain countries like ours. The drafters of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, having just emerged from the tragedies of a war that affected millions, seemed to understand the realities of interdependence—that mankind rises or falls
together. With all peoples in mind, the preamble of the declaration begins, “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world …” Though the document now seems idealistic, there was at the time a sincere will to address what we would call the delusion of discriminatory thinking. To take it a step further, we must remember that our very existence depends upon the well-being of all life on this planet, not merely that of people.
As we proceed through our everyday routines, let’s get into the habit of being mindful of our thoughts, words, and deeds, and our relationship to what we perceive as “other.” Let us do what we can to care for all beings, and realizing that we are unskillful and imperfect, let us be grateful to the great interconnected web of life that sustains us, just as we are.
In the words of Shinran Shonin, “Those who feel that their own birth [awakening] is completely settled should, mindful of the Buddha’s benevolence, hold the nembutsu in their hearts and say it to respond in gratitude to that benevolence, with the wish, “May there be peace in the world, and may the Buddha’s teaching spread!” [“A Collection of Letters,” 2; CWS, 560]
Gassho,
Rev. Patricia Usuki