So, I am driving on the off-ramp to get home. The passenger of the car in front of me rolls their window down and throws out a bundle. A half-eaten sub sandwich, the paper plate, and some potato chips flop onto the shoulder. I immediately think of the following quote:

“We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.”
– Quote from a Native American

Human Complacency is one of the problems that needs fixin’ when thinking about our planet’s welfare.

I could not help but think of that quote. Here you have a person doing this lazy act and their ancestors must be thinking…THIS person is the product of our evolution?

“Hey, litterbug, think of your ancestors across the countless years of history and their milestones. Not to mention the fact they escaped from predators (i.e., a long, long time ago); overcame obstacles; made choices that affected their future, their family’s future generations, and in some cases – humanity. Then, the family tree branched off and ultimately lead to you. And you, among other things, chose to litter. Bravo – way to leave your mark on the world and make your ancestors proud – NOT!”

Here is another quote that helps my thought pattern…

“Don’t expect everyone to do everything, but expect everyone to do something.”
– Laurie David, Global Warming Activist

It’s a matter of putting a bit more effort into the proactive rather than the reactive. For instance, the same energy it took to roll down the window, and use muscles for the toss, can be redirected into something as simple as, oh I don’t know, keeping it in the car until you reach a trash can and/or recycle bin.

I wonder how some of these individuals would feel if Mother Nature drove to their house and threw some trash on their lawn. Or, if someone threw a lit cigarette through their living room window and it falls onto their living room rug. I believe it would be safe to say that individual would be the first to complain about how wrong it was to do those things.

It only takes a few proactive actions to get the ball rolling in the right direction folks. If you’re already doing that, congratulations and thank you. If you’re not, then start doing things that make a difference. You have an amazing ability to make proactive choices and it feels great!

“No matter how insignificant you think your proactive action is…
it matters to someone or some thing.”
– Greg Ugolini