My family and I were taking a walk down a nice new path that they made next to a “bypass” from the southern to the eastern side of our little town. It’s only been open for a month or so. There’s still straw in all of the ditches not grass. What really struck me is the amount of litter in the median and ditches. After such a short time, people are already throwing their bottles and cans and other miscellaneous trash out their windows onto the freshly graded land.
What is it that causes people to do that? I believe it is self-centeredness. They are thinking of only themselves and their convenience. If you really think about it, a lot of societies’ behavior can be explained by this. Ever get mad at one of those drivers who insists on flying by the traffic backup in the merging lane waiting until the last possible second to cut into traffic and create a worse backup? They’re self-centered. How about the person driving 10mph under the speed limit down the LH lane of traffic on the highway? Yep, self-centered. What about you when you’re standing in line and getting impatient with the person in front of you who waits until their total is read off before even beginning the search for their checkbook? Okay, we’ll chalk both of you up as being self-centered on that one.
What would happen in our society if everyone started thinking about everyone but themselves for a change? I’ve got a pretty good idea what that would be like. Any chance that is going to happen?