Suns and Sons. Men and Ego.

I have been reading the book "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini.  He is the author of "The Kite Runner".  I am about 2/3 through his latest and I find it fantastic.  One of the better books I have read (then again I often say that of the last book I have read!).

It is the story of Afghan women and their plight through wars, forced marriages.  Their suffering at the hands of uncaring, egotistical men who fight wars amongst themselves and take this attitude home with them, if they come home.  The value of men and boys over women and girls.

Very well written, descriptive.  Angering, disgusting, sad.  Yet it shows the flame which the human spirit has if it is given a chance, the slightest breeze, to grow.

While I was reading it this morning my thoughts wandered a little.  Away from Afghanistan but rather to places like Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Pakistan.  Places where many of the clothes I wear here in Canada are made.  To China where many of the gadgets I own are made.  I am not implying any comparison between these countries and what I am reading in "A Thousand Splendid Suns".   For whatever reason my thoughts wandered to free trade and world trade and those individuals who are against trade for various reasons (human rights, unfairly shared economic benefits, employment protection, etc.).

What would the world be like if we just allowed people to make what they want, sell what they want and let them benefit from the proceeds?  Why not just look at it from the simple perspective of an individual who either makes and sells their own goods and/or works for another individual?  Do we need to politicize the purchase of a t-shirt, of a pair of shorts, of underwear?  I do not deny that there are employers in every country of the world (including Canada) that mistreat their employees nor do I want to minimize the fact that some have less options than others regarding where to work.  My point though is that world trade allows individuals and companies to do what they do best and sell their goods around the world and it gives some people a rung to grab onto and pull themselves up a little higher, above their current position on the ladder.

Those that complain about world trade here in Canada or in the United States or elsewhere are likely similar to me in that:

the shorts they are wearing might have been made in Sri Lanka

their shirt is made in Pakistan

their computer is made in China

their mp3 player in China

their television in China

their plates in Poland

their underwear in Sri Lanka

their soap in the United States

the wood for their house is from Canada

the fruits they eat come from Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada, the United States

on and on.....

The plight of some people on this planet is terrible...no doubt.  Typically this is not due to the people themselves, those who are scratching a living, but rather due to corrupt, egotistical men who have little care for anything or anyone other than themselves.  Who are narrow-minded.  Factory owner, boss, president, prime minister, mayor, warlord, sultan, king, preacher.  That is the connection to the book I am reading now and explains why my mind wandered this morning.

So....let's not create yet another hurdle for those folks by politicizing the act of buying underwear.  No trade barriers, no quotas.  Let's at least give them a chance of reaching that next rung.