WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Prices is the documentary film sensation that’s changing the largest company on earth. The film features the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to survive in a Wal-Mart world. It’s an emotional journey that will challenge the way you think, feel… and shop.
Released simultaneously in theaters and DVD in November 2005, the film has been seen by millions worldwide. Families, churches, schools, and small busineses owners have screened the film over 10,000 times and the world is taking notice. See the film, share it, and become part of the movement forcing companies to act responsibly.
I saw this movie quite a while ago. I wanted to post it as a way to start narrowing the scope of topics a bit. What I mean by that is most of the films I’ve posted so far have been about very broad reaching things like war, or activities of governments, etc. This movie starts to bring things down to smaller scale a bit. Even though governments and very large scale institutions create these smaller circumstances, it’s good to see some of the more direct impacts. It’s good to take a look at how it affects individuals and people in the society and see how their thoughts, emotions and consciousness is affected. Because I really believe it circles back to the individual again, and what’s going on inside them.
It’s important to focus on understanding yourself and grounding your perceptions and emotions through connection with nature and people. Then I think you can begin to look outside and start to see the connections of things in the outside world. I think it’s also important to consider the things powerful corporations and money driven social structures encourage you to do:
Watch TV
Watch sports
Buy as many things as possible
Be independent
If you do all these things you have less meaningful connections with other people. Spend your time watching other people do things, instead of making meaningful and impacting changes in your own life as well as other peoples lives. Being “independent” isolates you from communities that enable you to share experiences and knowledge and promote social change. It’s much harder to change things on your own right? You’re only one person after all. But if you never talk about things with other people, then no momentum in the form of groups or organizations can flourish. As you buy more and more things, you have to work more and more to pay for them. If you spend all your time working, then you won’t be “tempted” to think about yourself or what your life means.
I think this is the goal. You are meant to go to work, watch TV, be quiet and die some day. It’s up to you to determine your own path. It’s up to you to change the reality. It all circles back to you, your consciousness, your choices, you. What do you want from this life? Ask yourself this right now: and then do it.
