Waste

I have a lot of thoughts while drinking a cup of coffee in the morning. Today it's about how a lot of people do not care about the land they inhabit, nor the wasteful attitudes that they perpetuate. No matter how many ads they see about being good stewards of the earth, air, and water, they still throw trash out their car windows and refuse to throw aluminum cans in the bin next to the trash can. How hard can it be? Recently I was describing the lackadaisical attitude of people who visit the area and don't care about the environment since they don't live here. Her response was, oh well, who cares anyway? "I care," I replied in frustration, which took her aback. My friend for a moment saw that environmental awareness and responsibility has a real human face and body, not just a bunch of abbreviated letters, that some people really do CARE. I was confused, I had spent a moment of my life telling a story to someone who I thought was understanding my ideals, only to realize that they don't really care either. Insightful, yet disappointing.

Well and good, how nice, tree-hugging, blah, blah, blah, you say? True, along with the flippant attitude people have about every place being their personal playground to trash, goes the death of personal respect for other individuals. The prevailing attitude is get out of my way, can't you see I'm talking about some really important matters on my cell phone (what kind of juice does your boyfriend's cousin like, in case he ever might stop by, and oh, can you staple everything on my desk together immediately, my shoelaces are too tight, and are you sitting or standing right now?). You know, really important stuff, we all talk about it, but some of us are polite enough to hold those thoughts just long enough to pause and communicate with the world we are stumbling through.

Doesn't seem like the land and cell phones have much to do with each other? It's all about respect, about integrity, and having the good manners of a guest, whether you're a guest in the forest, a place of business, or your family's home. If you're one of those who lack genuine respect for others and yourself, give it a try, and for everyone else it's a reminder to keep up the effort. Yes, it CAN be a little better world that we can change with our own attitudes. Take a moment and evaluate your own attitude, see what you can do to make it better, to be less wastefull.