Oranges vs. orange juice, and all that it implies

So, these days, our local grocery store is selling really good oranges. My 14 year old enjoys them, as do the rest of us. My last two trips to the store, I’ve noticed that my 14 year old (14yo) has written “O.J” on the shopping list. I ignored it. Why buy orange juice (which is processed in a factory, using energy; bottled in a plastic container made of petroleum products, etc. etc.) when I can buy delicious oranges?

I am living my beliefs by not buying O.J. while oranges are still in season. This is good. I’m doing my (small, yes) part to save the planet.

But then I was thinking about Separation of Church and State. How does my not buying orange juice relate to that principle, which I so strongly believe in?

As primary food shopper for my family, I am kind of like an elected official. I have the trust of my family, a certain power over what they eat, and a responsibility to them. So should I impose my O.J. philosophy on them?

Believe it or not, I actually gave this some serious thought.

It is my deeply held belief that each of us should take the small steps that we can, and it is my “faith” that if we all did that, we could save the planet, humanity, etc. So I am really tempted to impose this on my family. But I decided that would be wrong. I’ll still try to persuade them, by explaining and modeling the behavior I believe in, but I can’t force them to follow my beliefs.

I tried to explain this to my husband and 14yo last night. They just wanted to debate O.J. vs. Orange Juice.

It took quite an effort (and a moment of will over shaky voice) to explain that the point I was trying to make had little to do with O.J., but everything to do with power, and resisting the temptation to use it, despite my personal beliefs.

It ended up being a pretty good discussion. Maybe I was inspired by the Teaching Tolerance website I was looking at yesterday. Certainly also by the First Freedom First campaign.