thoughts on the news of the day: batteries

hmmm…..

            The Zhejiang Haijui Battery Factory which makes lead-acid batteries for motorcycles and electric bikes is in the news.  This manufacturing plant in a tiny eastern China village is responsible for lead emissions which have poisoned employees and residents of the small town of Mengxi.  The factory had ignored government regulations for over six years and that has resulted in over 300 adults and children being adversely affected.

            Can you imagine the rage and despair you would feel if the company you worked for was killing you and even damaging your young children?  China is a long way away and adults taking responsibility for their own lives is one thing, but we all touch the lives of dependent children almost every day.  We see them playing on the playground, with their parents in stores and with their teachers in schools. Children in China aren’t so far away.

            But we also need the batteries to power our tools and our toys.  I don’t know about you, but when I buy a battery, I don’t really think about what it took to make it.  It would never occur to me that someone’s life was on the line for the battery I needed to run my alarm clock.    

            The world is getting smaller.  People who live thousands of miles away, who we may never meet, touch our lives.  What is our responsibility to them?  Didn’t Jesus say love your neighbor?  Nowadays, isn’t China right next door?   I will be thinking about all those things next time I buy a battery.

            hmmm…..