Pollution Is Killing Our Planet

Introduction

I live in an urban area that some often say is upscale. It is a revitalized region very close to the downtown section of the city where arts, entertainment, shopping, and dining abound. The area is within walking distance of major corporations and universities, too.

It is a pleasant community filled with mixed-income residents. People who reside in single-family homes and townhouses own them while apartments and condominiums are rental properties. The majority of residents take pride in their property by keeping it well-maintained and clean. Sadly. some of the people who live in the large community simply do not care.

And the latter what I was recently confronted with.

We Share This Environment

As I drove through my community the other day, I witnessed a disgusting sight. A man exited his vehicle and headed to his apartment. He tossed his partially filled water bottle into the path of my car into the clean street. Appalled, I decelerated my car long enough to maintain sustained eye contact with the person who desecrated the clean environment by selfishly and comfortably throwing his trash into the street so that someone else would pick it up. Although I can be an outspoken citizen when I need to amplify my voice, I choose not to verbally admonish the man because I needed to use wisdom as it relates to my safety.

As the man returned his sustained glare directly into my eyes, my hope was that he realized that I witnessed what he did and that he will make a better choice with his trash in the future. At the same time, these rhetorical questions entered my mind:

1. Why is this man so lazy that he would not discard his garbage in one of the trash can strategically located around the apartment buildings or inside of his home?

2. Does he expect the maintenance workers of his apartment complex or other people to clean up what he messes up because he does not own his property?

3. Why is this rude person destroying the community that we share?

4. Exactly who does this man think will clean up after him?

As quickly as I asked myself these questions, I answered them. The reason why the man tossed the water bottle that he had no more use for into the trash-free street is that he simply did not care.

Community Engagement Is About Caring

As a citizen of humanity, it is our responsibility to protect the territory we inhabit. This covers the sphere of community engagement.

We must join collective efforts to respect our most beloved dwelling place, our earth. We all have to care about the welfare of our planet.

While there are infinite ways to stop pollution, I offer four viable suggestions.

1. Honor your regard for your space by modeling good citizenship. Simply stated, recycle and don’t pollute your community nor the community of others.

2. Teach your children the importance of respecting the earthly home we share with others by leading through example. Be a good role model for them.

3. When we are uncomfortable or afraid to use words of disapproval when we observe those who pollute the earth, we can use our body language to boldly communicate our disgust and disapproval when others disrespect our shared space. Doing so makes violators realize that others see what they do to the earth. Perhaps they will understand the message you send and it will prevent them from polluting our environment in the future.

4. Collaborate with others who are devoted to returning our planet to a state of purity that God gifted humanity with and keeping it clean. Appreciating the power in unity will build the capacity to work together to solve the problem of pollution.

My Final Thought

We owe a debt of gratitude to our earth for providing bountiful resources that have sustained humanity and all the other forms of life since the beginning of time.

The best way to be thankful for what has been provided for us is to show our thankfulness by keeping our earth clean.

Just do your part to stop pollution.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story and for doing your part to honor our earth.

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This story was originally published on Medium.com in ILLUMINATION-Curated.