Just Artists

Active Participants
By Rik Leaf

What is the value of a human life? St. Ambrose said we wrong everyone would could help but choose not to. That the coat hanging unused in the closet belongs to the one who is cold, that the shoes unused belong to those who have none.

The way we choose to live so often breaks the convictions we profess. This is as true of our religious convictions as it is our political. Held prisoner within the confines of our convictions, our assumptions prevent us from entertaining the transformative power of imagination and the full measure of possibilities available to us.
Canadians along with every other first world country misuse our privilege and position when we consider any personal or national sacrifice an unacceptable cost in acting as agents of change in the global community. In communities across our own country we are confronted with the economic disparity and the inequitable distribution of wealth, hope and optimism on a daily basis.
And yet, it’s so easy to bitch, such a simple thing to complain and lay blame for all our societal ills at the feet of bureaucrats and policy makers, all the while engaging in a lifestyle that reinforces the very system of exclusion and exploitation at work in devaluing our neighbor’s lives
By identifying our securities we can begin to recognize the values we are investing in. Suddenly the problems are not too big, but too small. The decisions that maintain the status quo and reinforce the corporate commitment of doing business as usual fit uncomfortably into our lives. We are active participants every day…and we know it. And it is because we know it that so many around us spend their time, money and resources doing anything and everything to avoid looking in the mirror. No price is too great to avoid looking into the eyes of those we prevent from having a place at the table because of our insatiable greed. We know we could do more, we know our genius and our talents and abilities could revolutionize the way we do business, and we know that it would require sacrifice. The ability is ours…the willingness is up for grabs.