Am I a Bad Person? I try to do all that I can to learn about good nutrition, healthy living, the environment, and all that. I try my best not to take it to the extreme, which can at times, be a little difficult. I'm also a pretty slow moving person, so by the time I really get going on something, most people already know as much as I do about it. So am I a bad person when I, at least in my own head, think less of a person who chooses not to do what I think is right? I'm not talking about walking or biking to work; I'm not talking about eating only things that don't have eyes. I'm just talking about the little things we are all asked to do, like recycle. Everyone's garbage hauler provides you with a recycling bin, and ours doesn't even ask you to separate out anything. Just dump it all in and pull it to the curb on garbage day. No big effort on anyone's part.

So when I talk to people who are surprised that my family recycles as much as possible (cereal, tooth paste, etc. boxes, as well as junk mail, store bags, and the rest of the normal stuff) I'm a little taken aback. I just don't understand how a person can be so unthoughtful (is that a word?) or self-centered that they just dump everything they no longer want into a plastic bag and send it off to a landfill.

And throwing out clothing is another huge peave of mine. Why would you give up the tax write off of donating those clothes to a charity? Many charities here in MN will even provide you with a plastic bag, and will drive over to your house to pick up your unwanted but still usable clothing and household items.

But then, I hear this little voice in my head, closely resembling my mother's, that asks me if I know all the troubles that other people deal with every day, possibly causing them to overlook recycling and reusing stuff. And I have to say that no, I don't know what problems could cause you to avoid such an easy thing. But maybe I need to find out.

Any ideas?

Labels: charity, healthy living, nutrition, peave, recycle, reuse

  ¶ 3:15 PM