They say the best things in life are free and to an extent, I agree. However as a professional, I have been taught that nothing is ever absolute and there is always an exception to every general rule.
As human beings, we have been blessed with sovereignty over all living creatures. There was no debate as to who would be put in charge of the earth. The birds, lions or even fishes weren’t given an opportunity to make a case as to why their species should be chosen to take care of the land and seas. They arrived and their roles were already carved out for them, same as we the humans, the only difference being we got the best deal there is. We have been given the mental capacity to appreciate the beautiful world as well as be caretakers of that beauty.
One of my favourite animations is titled ‘Thneedville’. It illustrates how the people were oblivious to the gradual destruction of the planet that as new generations arrived, other living things became extinct. They lived in an artificially built world with artificial flowers, man-made weather (they surfed and did snow sports in the same place) and they even purchased the fresh air that they used every day. Sounds cool? I don’t think so. No one wants to be restricted to a bubble or even have to buy fresh air however thinking about it, can you identify similarities as to how we are treating our planet?
We all know that little drops of water make a mighty ocean. In the same way, little bits of trash tossed on the street and into bodies of water create huge piles of trash that on the long run as we have seen is detrimental to our world.
Whilst taking an early morning jog, you take in what you presume to be fresh air but instead you lungs are filled with the foul smell coming from a heap of trash carelessly thrown at the roundabout by food stalls that specialise in making noodles and egg for the late night road side eaters. The government makes an effort to clear the drainage whilst fixing the roads only for people to stuff it with used nylons, plastic bottles amongst other things.
I am tired of living like this. There is only so much that our government can do for us. They can’t do it all so it’s about time that we stopped complaining and start acting. It starts with us. We must make conscious effort not to contribute to the destruction of our world by making sure we dispose of our trash the right way. Let us stop throwing things out of our cars onto the streets, instead wait till you see a dustbin and empty your trash there in. The next step is to ensure that the people around us understand the harm being caused in the world by not properly disposing waste. Whether you are walking on the street, in a bus or in your office and you see others please do not keep silent. We are the change and we need to act now otherwise we would wake up one morning and there would be no other option but to buy fresh air in other to survive.
If you want change it must start with you, you are the change you seek!
Oluwaseyi Lawal
