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This past week, I’ve been thinking about the Buddhist precept of Right Livelihood again. The primary idea is that a person should make their living without causing or contributing to harm. This feels deeply important for me because it is bound up with the larger question on how to live an ethical life with others. It makes me think about the mutual obligations we all share.
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The ongoing crisis in our migrant workers’ community has been incredibly distressing. We need courageous decisive action now more than ever to alleviate the disaster. If you feel dismayed by the official response and lack of focused leadership, I encourage you to make a donation to organisations like HOME and Transient Workers Count Too who are helping to meet the needs of quarantined workers. We are demonstratively capable of being resourceful, altruistic and creative. I am moved by our collective will to help in the ways we can. *
This Labour Day, I stand in solidarity with workers all over the world who have been exploited and alienated from their labour, trapped with hostile work conditions, and who have been failed by the institution. We need to transform our relationship with work and I hope that we get to live dignified lives with fair wages, healthcare, and the power to choose the work we find most fulfilling.
I know we desperately need it.
With hope,
Justin
(From May 2, 2020)
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