This has been bugging me for some time. The more I think about it, the more bothered I get.
It started at work. In the middle of a small emergency at the hospital, my bedside cart was void of some simple essentials: saline flushes, extra needles, that kind of thing. My job is hard enough. It is both physically and mentally taxing, and it can be scary when things go bad. When I sit and think about the things I am responsible for (fragile human lives, medications, making sure other people don't kill my patients) it doesn't seem worth the money I make for the risk I take (risk of physical injury, exposure to blood and body fluids, disease exposure). The last thing I should have to worry about is whether or not I have the right supplies to do my job, especially on days when I hit the ground running, and don't have time to even pee.
I don't know how many of you know this, but a few summers ago, I backpacked the bulk of the Tahoe Rim Trail (130 miles in July 2004 and 35 miles on 2 pick up sections in August 2005). It took about 12 days total, and was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, second only probably to getting married and the birth of Elliott. One of the things that made the experience so amazing was how pristine the trail and the lake have managed to remain despite years of use by so many people. The only way this is possible is through the efforts of every single person who uses the trails.
Most backpackers live by the mantra "Pack it in. Pack it out." Many other outdoor enthusiasts live by the principles of the "Leave No Trace" philosophy as well. Even the attendees of Burning Man (psychedelic living arts festival where over 25,000 participants build an entire city in the Nevada desert every summer during the week of Labor Day) manage to leave the Playa with nothing more than footprints of their existence.
So why is it that you can't go to Starbucks without having to wipe a spill left behind from the person before you, or to a gas station bathroom without practically having to do the splits to avoid the puddle, or to a concert without having to traipse around in trash and beer cans to get back to your car?
It's because Common Courtesy is dead!
None of us should have to leave notes to co-workers reminding them to put the lid down or use a toilet brush. You should not have to bust out a Clorox wipe just to feel comfortable sitting on a bus. And you shouldn't have to worry about getting Hepatitis A or E. Coli from going to a restaurant. Don't even get me started on sanitary (napkin) receptacles in coed restrooms.
I try really hard to live by the Leave No Trace philosophy. I don't litter. I clean up after myself at the sugar counter at the cafe, I pick up random pieces of trash. I drive my wife crazy with conversations of bread crumbs on the counter. Maybe I'm obsessive-compulsive in the making, but I just feel strongly that you should not have to clean up other people's messes in order to comfortably live your life.
Stephanie and I went to an art exhibit recently where her grandma was showing some paintings. It was very nice, hosted in a private home, very well-done. I went to use the bathroom (#1), and when I flushed the toilet, it began to overflow. The person who used it before me had clogged it up with who knows what. Luckily, there was a plunger nearby and I was able to spare the next person from a nuclear spill (and thinking it was me who clogged the damn thing). Who does that?
Don't get me wrong. I know in other parts of the world, people live in conditions much more deplorable than I can imagine. I am grateful I don't have to sleep on a dirt floor or try to cook my cup of rice with water that came from the same place the rest of the village squats to pee.
I have the issue in perspective.
But that's sort of exactly my point. If we all did our part, and did things "just because we should" the world would be a much better place, possibly even for those I just mentioned. There might not be world hunger. There might not be WAR. There might not be third-world nations. Maybe this is an oversimplification on the problems of the world, but I think if we simply did things just because we should, the world would be a better place-- for everybody.
There. That's my rant. Remember to wash your hands.
RELATED LINKS you might find fun:
Leave No Trace
Tahoe Rim Trail
Burning Man
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2 comments:
Hey, at least you live somewhere relatively clean. On my street, people regularly leave random trash bags on the street, toss empty (or not so empty) styro takeaway containers, and now that there is a smoking ban in effect, throw their butts and empty pint glasses in the road. Last week I was waiting for a bus and I watched a guy finish a juice container and throw it right in the road, when there was a bin not 10 feet away from him. London litterbugs are everywhere!
Good for people to know.
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