I was listening to a Danielle Rose CD on the way into work yesterday, one of the disks of Mysteries, a 2-Cd set. As I was listening to Crucify Him, a song that is spoken from the perspective of the mob of Jerusalem, the line that struck me was:
Do we stay silent while the world screams out its lies? Sell your body, buy your beauty, live at the cost of others’ lives.
Specifically, the line that stuck in my head was “live at the cost of others’ lives.” In what ways do we live at the cost of others’ lives? I’m thinking it is not too difficult to find examples.
Buying fair trade goods (e.g. fair trade coffee) costs a bit more than non-fair trade coffee. But, every time we buy non-fair trade goods, aren’t we living at the cost of another’s life? Shouldn’t we be paying more if “more” means a fair price for the goods?
When we buy chocolate that is produced by the labor of children who are the victims of trafficking, aren’t we living at the cost of others’ lives?
We can all come up with examples beyond these two, but the point is broader than any specific example. We we all need to examine all of the decisions we make to ask: are there ways I am living at the cost of others’ lives? Are there ways I am not valuing the dignity of all human persons? And if so, what do I need to do to change that.
Creo en Dios! 
and this…
“In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad”
Great post and hopefully brings a twinge of conviction…
Perhaps the greatest example that we could provide that we “live at the cost of others’ lives” is the fact that not enough share the love and truth of the Gospel message. A typical response to this type of post is “I’m not an evangelist” or “I really don’t know what to say.” To those who may fall into either of those categories, I offer you Francis of Asissi’s words, “preach the Gospel and when necessary use words.” Allow your life to be a testimony to your love of Christ. shalom.