Even when I was still a little kid, I adopted a habit of not throwing anything anywhere. If I ate a candy, I usually put the wrapper in my pocket until I find a place with a trash can or until I get home. There are also times that I forget that I have a small piece of candy wrapper in my pocket, that I only noticed it when I’m doing the laundry.
I was glad that, my old habits are still with me as I grow older. My latest girlfriend also acquired this trait from me. Although, we sometimes fight over little things such as, when she has a tissue or a plastic wrapper she wants to throw away but then I get it from her and keep it in my pocket (or bag pocket if I’m carrying a bag) until we find a trash can. I never did blame her for throwing things, but what I did was train her so that she would not litter just about anywhere. We’ve been together for 6 years, and I’m happy to say that she eventually adopted my childhood habit.
Unfortunately, during the course of our relationship, I also acquired her habit. Sometimes, just sometimes, that little piece of candy wrapper gets thrown outside the car window. I know, it’s not my way, but sometimes it gets to me.
I was never an environmentalist, but in such a little way of not littering, that small step can prevent a large scale disaster such as flash floods. Small things done by a single person can make a large scale impact. Such is the way of the Butterfly Effect.
The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that ultimately cause a tornado to appear (or prevent a tornado from appearing). The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale phenomena. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. (Wiki).
This post is an entry to
Blog Action Day, which is today, October 15, 2007.
On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
Tags: Blog Action Day, environment, littering, trash
