Buying items "Made in the USA" is more difficult than it might seem. Why would I do such a thing? Why seek out items made in the USA? What's wrong with basking in the global economy, helping others around the world sell their wares, earn an income and create a better life for themselves? Brad, why would you want to take that away from the the "honest, simple, hard-working indigenous peoples of ... wherever" (Fight Club).
The global economy is a wondrous thing. Don't get me wrong. I get excited thinking that someone on the other side of the world can produce something that affects a larger part of our world. The human mind is a magnificent creation, capable of applying thought and ideas to create the coolest things; real or imagined. I recall as a child, one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament of the Bible was the Tower of Babel story.
I don't remember the details. Basically the people of the world were building a tower to heaven.
When God found out about their plan he said one of the most amazing things in the early books. Genesis 1:6 writes:"And the LORD said,
Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they
begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they
have imagined to do."
The underlined text is what gave me shivers and hope. Can you imagine that God knew we can do anything we put our minds toward? Humans are that powerful when working together. I was amazed that this one sentence showed God had such faith in his creation. Those people were busy stacking bricks and dreaming of touching his face. Happy people, chatting and having a good time building this tower.
Then, He did the strangest thing; He confused languages and sent everyone on their merry way.
Poof.
No more tower. No more shared language. The builders couldn't build. The managers couldn't manage. The watchers had nothing to watch any more. Everyone was sad. Or so it seemed to my child's mind. What the H.E. double-hockey-sticks God? Why on Earth would you be so mean?
Fast forward to adulthood, and that story has a different meaning to me. I can put the Big Babel Building Blunder into perspective because, as the slogan says, "We know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two". I've seen a thing or two too, and one of them helped me locate an important part of that verse. It's this part.
"which they
have imagined to do."
This is the critical part of that verse because, on the whole, people suck. People are born that way..and it's not all that good. First of all, babies are the most selfish beings on Earth. They care only about themselves. They poop and pee when and where they want. Essentially, they are gross and most of them don't get any better as they age. They grow up from self-serving, conniving, defecating bundles of joy to self-serving, conniving, defecating bundles of adults.
Second, considering these same adults make horrible, self-serving decisions that affect other people's lives let's put the story in a mature way.
The King was self-centered and he wanted to be a god. In his mad quest to become a god he created a slave labor camp to make bricks and mortar. He used taskmasters to drive the workers nearly to death to feed his dream of becoming a god. Many of his court were very happy because the king rewarded them for their production and quality. The draftsman were beaten if something went wrong in the design, while the taskmasters ate well and slept soundly at night.
Life was easy at the top until God stepped in and scattered their language. Without communication the risk on this project escalated until it became unmanageable. End of story yet the beginning of many nations.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Here we are again. Mad men trying to build a stairway to heaven. All banded together again by a single language; money.
Okay, so you're probably asking yourself how the biblical Tower of Babel dovetails into buying goods made in the USA. Right? Or, perhaps instead you're wondering how you made it this far into my blog page. Wherever you find yourself now, pat yourself on the back because you've made it this far. Here, there be dragons. Here be wolves.
Buying something made in the USA is important to me because this is the country in which I live. It is my home turf. Every day I wake up and look at American skies, take my trash to the curb, walk to the office and face the daily grind.. which is not only the coffee grind but its also the load of work grind I must do. I believe in the American spirit, the history of our nation, and the hard working people like me.
Sending money to other countries that murder their own countrymen is not something I can sleep well at night with on my mind. I know the US has it's own problems, but genocide and racism is nothing compared to the countries that make goods sold here in the States. I won't support countries who ignore civil liberties, murder and manipulate their own people, and hide and lie about the atrocities.
...nothing will be restrained from them, which they
have imagined to do.
Evil begets evil. I will have no part of it. I support my country, and will attempt to fix any problems I have on my home turf. I will not turn against any of my neighbors who are willing to do the same, who continue to pursue happiness and imagine freedom is greater than turning a blind eye to the perils of mankind.
Spend your money at home. Find the greater good and feed it.
