Who pays for the choices we make?
Everyday Justice is a book you will want to avoid if you do not want to be confronted with uncomfortable issues. The cover alone gives enough clues about where the author will take us.
Clawson's target readership is followers of Jesus Christ, and her basic argument is based in issues of faith. How can we say we love God, yet not practice love for the people He loves? How can we say we love Him, yet not care for the earth He entrusted to our guardianship? Although some of her examples are American specific, much is applicable to Canadian audiences as well.
Clawson begins by noting that justice deals with relationships—relationship with God, with each other and with the world—and that biblical justice is not merely about punishing for injustices done, but about healing and restoring relationships. Living justly means understanding the impact of our decisions on others. It means both acting righteously and not complying with unrighteousness.
The author discusses specific topics like food, clothing, fuel consumption and waste. She discusses how our choices affect both the producers of the goods we consume and the environment. The chapter on cancellation of national debt for poor nations speaks to an important issue. Yet Clawson's discussion of the topic seems simplistic, almost naïve. She also addresses wages, labour conditions, child labour, chemical contamination and toxic waste disposal. Chapters end with suggestions for changes readers can make and additional reading resources.
Clawson's purpose is not to shame but to inform. She does not condemn, but asks readers to question whether our life choices are congruent with our professions of faith. She has managed to couple frankness with empathy, confrontation with humility. Repeatedly she acknowledges how insurmountable the problems appear and how overwhelming the prospect of doing anything corrective can feel. She urges readers not to panic, but to remember that the world doesn't rest on our shoulders.
A recurring question is: who will pay for the choices we make? As Clawson so honestly states: our choices cost someone something. There is simply no way around the cost attached to the things we have come to enjoy and expect.
The question grips me. Will I pay the cost for what I want and enjoy? Or will I leave someone else to pay?
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