Pride keeps us as Americans from taking a look around this world that we live and realizing that people die every day so that we can enjoy the privileges that we enjoy.
Did you know that Americans consume about 80% of the world's coffee supply? And yet, we aren't told a lot about the coffee business. In order for us to have our coffee at these rock bottom prices, coffee companies pay the coffee farmers in other countries pennies per dollar that we spend. Often the amount that they are paid is not even enough to pay their expenses let alone support their families. And it designed intentionally to keep them in debt and the countries in debt so that we can control the market. Sometimes it is even done so that the companies get the land and then make the farmers work for them while they make the profits.
The same is done with tea. However, there are groups, many of them Christian based, who have determined to change these practices and make sure farmers are paid fairly for their product. This is called Fair Trade coffee. It costs a more -- sometimes a lot more. But to refuse to acknowledge the situation and hide behind some free market capitalism is just a mask of pride.
The same situations exist with clothing manufacturers as well as most of the other items that you might get at Wal-Mart or even the dollar stores.
We need God. The problem is huge. We need God to intervene. We need God to show us what it is that we can do. And this begins with prayer. Earnest prayer. It shows up in repentance. Things are messed up and we are a part of the problem. Pride says, "That really has nothing to do with me."