“Your children have so much that they have lost their souls. They have lost their connection with the earth and the seasons.” (Comment by Grethel Nbntoya, Nicaraguan mother and women's leader, on why she would not want to raise her children in the United States.)

The truth, and tragedy, of this statement goes far beyond the impact extreme materialism has on the souls of our children. It affects the whole world. First, with the explosion of communications technology and the pervasiveness of advertising, American consumerism has threatened traditional cultural and religious values in every corner of the world. But even more seriously, it has become the rationale for the unprecedented expansion of the United States military power. We are being sold an ‘us against them’ worldview that justifies our intervening militarily in nations that threaten our privileged lifestyle and that denies a sense of the global human family in which we are all equally important children of our common creator and God.

How do we help young people realize how privileged and unjust the lifestyle of our nation is, especially when that is what they see all around them? How do we help them become more person-oriented and less thing-oriented, less tied to consumerism and more committed to service of others?

Perhaps the best way to open our eyes and move our hearts to a sense of global solidarity is to open our homes and hearts to others. This can help us experience people and places where the standard of living is very different and where we can meet people and form relationships. This can begin within our own homes as we open them in hospitality to those needing a sense of belonging and perhaps a meal or short-term stay. We can also reach out into our local communities where we can encounter people who are struggling economically, whether it is at a shelter, food pantry, or public hospital. Sometimes taking public transportation provides an opportunity to see and meet others who can help us see and feel and then act. For older children, service or solidarity trips, either in this country or overseas, can provide a more expensive, but highly effective, experience.

It was on a family service trip to Nicaragua that our family, and particularly our daughter, learned that we had so many more things than the Nicaraguans did, but that things are not what provides genuine happiness. We experienced people of great courage and faith who invited us to join in their struggle for a more just way of life. We learned that community cooperation is more satisfying than everyone trying to get as much as they could for themselves.

At the end of our stay, a thirteen year old girl named Elizabeth gave our daughter Theresa one of the only two shirts she owned, as a friendship gift. Theresa, at fifteen, realized what that gift meant. She felt a little awkward going through her suitcase to choose one of her nine shirts to give Elizabeth in return. She understood the difference in life styles and the level of generosity in an unforgettable way. Perhaps we all need to regularly recharge our sense of solidarity with person-to-person experiences, or begin to provide them for the first time.