“No that’s okay” I said. I once again went back without taking the plastic bag the shopkeeper was offering me when I went to buy some items from the local provision store. The same thing I did whenever I had to go for some small purchase. Every time the merchant tried to get the plastic bag to put the item, I told “No Thanks” as these items were small and I could take them without the need of plastic bag. These consecutive experiences led me to the thought that has been touted by government and other organizations for public awareness. These all issues at last come to single point that is to save planet. Let the issue be ozone crack, petroleum shortage, water problem, deforestation, energy saving and plastic usage to name a few. Lots of money is being spent on publicizing these issues to make sure that it creates some public awareness. But it seems as there is very little effect, at least what I have observed till now. The most despairing thing about this is even educated people tend to behave as if they were some illiterates and were unaware of what was going around them. Neither I am asking for mulling over these issues all day and feel guilty of all the catastrophic situation around you nor I am telling you to be thrifty like Mahatma Gandhi was, who spent only those much amount of water that he needed, and nor I’m like Mahatma Gandhi. But what I ask for is at least not to waste if not use frugally. Science says “energy cannot be destroyed, nor can be created”. This can be a good excuse for those wasting energy right??!! But as they say “Its easy to destroy but hard to create something”. So think of the second thought when you are wasting that is created.
As the energy and other issues does not directly and immediately affect individual’s life they tend to use natural resources unwisely. And as it turns out that the hoardings of government have very little effect as compared to the hoardings of movie or some big sale in your favorite shopping mall. And apparent reason behind this is those things have direct impact on our lives but doing things like saving natural resources has no obvious benefit to us and so very few of us go for that. In my perspective and what I experienced is that there should be some inner incentive which will entice one to stop oneself while wasting energy. One feeling is beyond these daily lures put by advertising companies, who are exploiting psychological behavior of humans, for their own benefit .And that feeling is the satisfaction we get in return by helping our planet.
So what we can do? Simplest way to achieve this can be to try it out only once not even twice just once. Next time you are about to do something like leaving the tap open unnecessarily , keep your vehicle on while waiting for signal to go green, leave the light or fan of some room on, ask for a plastic bag when not needed at all, or anything like that, just stop yourself and make yourself aware. If that step is not inevitable then don’t do it. Just help the planet ones and experience the feeling that you get by doing this. Enjoy this feeling of satisfaction you are getting. That’s it. Next time even if you wish your soul won’t allow you to do so. There would be something pinching you from inside saying “Something wrong is going on” and then this sequence of doing good thing becomes perennial.
If only one of the readers of this post implements it in her/his life then this whole writing would be worthwhile.
