It’s All About the Little Things

Originally posted at Articulated Hippo, 10/15/2009

Since I’m running on US time, this is still a valid Blog Action Day post. Anyone who argues is getting a lolcat in the face.

So back when I was trying to get home during Typhoon Ondoy, I was on a bus that was trying to get through the traffic to Cainta. If you’re
familiar with G-Liners, then you know they ply the Taytay - Quiapo route, via Ortigas. This time, the driver thought he could go around the grid lock on the Manggahan Floodway by going through the East Bank Road through Lifehomes. No such luck. We got stuck on the outskirts of the whole mess, in hip deep water.

So while we were waiting in traffic, the passengers were asking local kids to bring them things from a nearby Sari-Sari store. Crackers and Juice were had. Afterword. I saw something that still irritates me whenever I think about it. Here we all are, stuck near a river that has just overflowed it’s banks, in hip-deep sewage, and people begin throwing their trash out the window into the flood. I’m not the kind of guy who likes to make a scene so I’m gonna let it out here.

By now, EVERY Filipino should know that unchecked littering is one of the reasons floods happen in this country. That cigarette but you just tossed on the street, the tissue you threw over your shoulder, the juice bag you just threw into this big puddle that is Metro Manila has all gotta go somewhere and it’s usually to clogged water ways and drains. Not only is it a cause of floods, but garbage burning contributes to the warming of the planet.

After being in the country for almost 2 decades now, I can tell you that the problem isn’t the “discipline” the local media harp about all the time. It’s just a simple lack of courtesy. Many of our people live without a real understanding of the reasons why improper disposal of trash is wrong or that it does affect others. They’ve grown up with an apathy towards the whole thing. Take this for example: in the States, it’s expected for customers at fast food restaurants to clear their table as a courtesy to the next people who need to use it. People don’t do that here. You hear shit about traffic in LA, but let me tell you, traffic in Manila is about 100 times worse. A big part of that is because drivers here know nothing about right of way and will try and get ahead anyway they can. Why do we have problems like climate change? Because big companies aren’t thinking about clean air or
sustainable energy for the good of their fellow man. They’re thinking about getting all they can, while they can.

It’s all about courtesy, my fellow Filipinos, not discipline. Do you care about the person next to you? Because genuinely caring doesn’t only mean you volunteer when a natural disaster happens or donate some clothes. That’s like only going to church on Christmas. Genuinely caring means that you think about the effect you have on others around you and make an effort to improve yourself. Instead of adding to the bad, add to the good. Clean up after yourself when you’re done. Stop counterflowing everytime your stuck in traffic. Flush the goddamned toilet after you take a shit. Or hell, remember to be on time for once instead of throwing out the “Filipino Time” excuse.

And for God’s sake, if you can’t find a trash can, put it in your pocket until you can.

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