(Red)emption links fixed

If you tried the links in the post below earlier today, you probably were frustrated. They work now, so try them again!

(Red)emption

You have likely heard about the Product (Red) campaign that was launched recently (here in North America) by Bono, Oprah, and others. My reaction was mixed, and both sides of the tension are a direct result of our experience in South Africa.

On the positive side, we are, of course, thrilled by an attempt in North America to raise awareness of and money for the HIV/AIDS emergency in Africa. There is no doubt that the situation is worthy of whatever we can give. This sentiment on our part probably comes as no surprise.

Perhaps more surprising is the negative reaction. I myself have been surprised at how difficult the adjustment back to life in Calgary has been. Probably the biggest adjustment has been trying to make sense of North American spending habits, now that we have seen the other side. It's absolutely mind-boggling how much wealth we have, and how quickly we spend that wealth on stuff for ourselves. That stuff is, of course, almost entirely unnecessary, but we convince ourselves that we do need it, even to the point of working way too much to be able to afford all that stuff. Our entire economy is built on, and measured by, this greed and wastefulness, even though any sane person agrees that it is a freight train speeding us to destruction: morally, spiritually, socially, and environmentally.

Whew! I'll stop ranting now... I can sit and judge others (the rich, the media, the system), but the reality is that I live my life with the same selfishness, and I still struggle to extricate myself from hold it has on me. Even after our the privilege of going to Africa.

Which brings me back to the negative reaction to the Product (Red) campaign. What bothered me was that it appeals to our materialism in order to get us to give.

Then I read Mike Todd's blog . I've never met Mike, but he's a friend of a friend and a fellow Canadian whom I've grown to respect through his online writings.

Here's a taste of what he wrote in response:
"The currency of the Kingdom is love. The currency of this material, self-centered culture is 'stuff'. Bono is brilliant as he has realized this, and knows we will not give out of love. HIV/AIDS is killing people in numbers too horrible to give voice to. And while this troubles us, it apparently does not trouble us enough to give out of love. The brilliance of Product (Red) is that it will get the money out of us anyway. No love? Fine, then we will appeal to your need for the other currency, for stuff. Want a new Gap shirt, and a trendy one at that? Great. Here you go, and by the way, a couple of bucks will go to life-saving drugs."

But Mike doesn't stop there. He goes on to create an alternative, nicknamed (Red)emption, which essentially is a challenge to each of us to simply donate $10 (out of love) rather than buying the $200 (Red) iPod. Mike explains it better than I can, so go read his full blog from that day. And before you are done, be sure to click on his Make a Donation button!

Another option would be to make a donation directly to GGA, the organization that we volunteered at in South Africa. Our friend Caroline, who is there right now, recently wrote a blog about the money they are raising for the Christmas celebration at GGA Residential.