Nov 7th, 2020: It Is Time to Regain Our Perspectives
The latest corporate faux pas concerning Wholefoods decided not to allow their employees to wear poppies as a sign of remembering men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Canada. Wholefoods initially stated that they don't let their employees do that because it shows support for a cause.
Later today, Wholefoods backed down after reactions from many Canadians. Some are politicians, some are their customers, and some from the public. All is well now with Wholefoods employees who would like to show their thankfulness and appreciation for those who died for Canada. What do we learn?
We live in a time when some people don't appreciate those whose work is to protect our freedom and safety. It starts with the whole movement of de-funding the police. Please understand that I don't undermine police brutality incidents and we need to deal with them firmly and clearly. However, we seem to forget that when wars and horrible incidents happen, we have the privilege to stay far away while these men and women run toward them so that they can intervene and fight for us. I cannot forget the images of police officers and firefighters ran into the twin towers to save lives when others tried to find their way to escape (many of us watching the whole event on TV in the comfort of home). The next time when someone thinks about overlooking the sacrifices these folks have to take, think again and ask yourself this question: "Would I risk my life so others might live?".
We live in a time when we can learn our nation's history so that we might have a deep appreciation and reflection for where we came from and hopefully know where we are going. The freedom we have is a very costly one. It won't take long for that to disappear if we are not intentional about protecting it. We saw an example of that this summer when people decided to use violence and destruction as a way to express their message for equality. When that happens, everyone loses. No one felt free to walk on the street, no business was able to open, and no meaningful conversation took place. We should be able to find a way to express our anger and frustration in dealing with discrimination and inequality differently so that we all gain needed freedom from that. Replacing one form of injustice with another is not how we are going to about building up a just society.
Now let us go back to Wholefoods. Have you ever asked the question of whether such a store has the mandate to make sure that different people with various lower income levels can enter and get something? You know the joke among some people when they talk about going to Wholefoods. It takes "the whole paycheque". Somehow these forms of economic discrimination are acceptable. Employees cannot wear poppies because they support a cause. A spokesperson from Wholefoods stated that. The price tags in Wholefoods have also made a similar statement. They show support for a lifestyle (or a cause) that many cannot afford.
Proverbs 28: 26
"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered."
