It’s humanity v/s values, greed v/s need, luxury v/s existence, power v/s command – it’s Myanmar v/s Ruby. Or is it really all this. The recent US ban on Burmese ruby has got a lot of us thinking. I mean it’s fair if you look at the human rights violation and the inhuman working conditions the miners are forced in. In a world where freedom is our fundamental right, if people are being treated as slaves, we should support any move against it. So what do we do, we go ahead and ban it. Fair. Actually as an American I fell a little contended and generous for this philanthropic act of mine – I don’t but blood rubies you see.
And then I met Kiet Timkul, a gemstone artisan from Thailand. He earned his bread and butter by cutting and polishing ruby. All he has done in 30 years is cut and polish ruby from a small machine installed in his hard-to-breathe-in cottage. And I realize it’s not just Kiet, it’s thousands and millions like him who are suddenly out of business. In most of these countries that earn their living by catering to the first world’s luxuries, being out of business means not getting two square meals. But this fact still doesn’t support ‘blood rubies’. So I am battling ethics here. I know world’s not a fair place but are we the ones who get to stamp things around? Thinking… a very ironical truth – I love rubies!
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