The Blood Daimonds movie.... and Real Blood Diamonds...
I watched Blood Diamonds last night.
And it totally distrubed me.
I had read about conflict diamonds briefly in one of my devotionals (The Irresistable Revolution), in which the author was saying that, espcailly as Christians, we need to care about workers and where our products are coming from... (and as consumers we have the power to put pressure on companies to make sure that human rights violations are not going on their factories, etc.). But I'd never head of conflict diamonds before, and no more specific information was given, other than some British jewelers go out of their way to ensure that the diamonds they are purchasing were from companies that treated their workers fairly and with digninty.
But God seems to have a way of re-affirming things.
This movie gave me the rest of that specific information.
People are killing each other in the name of GREED, all for the sake of diamonds... for a stupid ROCK!
SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE ARE KILLING OTHER PEOPLE FOR A SILLY ROCK!
BECAUSE WE ALL WANT A PRETTY DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING.
OR A DIAMOND TRINKET FROM OUR LOVERS.
SERIOUSLY???
PEOPLE ARE DYING FOR THIS!
Yes, this blew my mind.
And it totally changed my way of thinking.
(God seems to be doing that a lot lately... challenging my way of thinking and of the way that I look at the world.)
And I'll never be able to look at a diamond rings the same way again.
Now, of course, though, there is the KIMBERLEY PROCESS, which tries to eliminate illegal conflict diamonds from making it to the market through dirty dealers and cut-throat slavers.
More about the Kimberely Process: http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/
It certainly is a start in the right dirction.
But if you are going to be buying diamond jewelry, find a jeweler who doesn't purchase conflict diamonds. Check this site for ways you can be sure.
Because it seems an awful ironic way to give a diamond as a token of love and commitment when it had been swathed in the blood of innocents to get it to you. *shivers*
I hope that (if I ever get married) whoever I marry is very open-minded and passionate about the same things that I am. Because I'm not so sure I'm gonna want an engagement ring. (Even though I know that buying diamonds from a legit source would keep the workers in those countries in work, 1) I would be afraid that someone would cheat me and I'd actually end up buying a conflict diamond, and 2) I just don't think I'd ever be able to get that stigma out of my head. And I wouldn't want that thought of blood diamonds in my head everytime I looked at the token of my love's affection. It's just frankly sickening.)
Actually, I'm thinking that my tattoo wedding ring idea is looking better and better. Because if you're commiting to forever, why not a tattoo of it? Plus, then I wouldn't have to wear a ring and worry about loosing it...
Yes, I am going to be one hard chick to get unless you are a passionate, people-loving, let's change the world, let's help people, let's actually give a care sort of guy. Yes, indeed, I think.
Still... IT'S JUST A FREAKIN' ROCK!
It's so illogical.
And so so sad.
So let's do something about it!
-->Check to see where your diamonds are coming from.
-->And check out http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/ for more information.