Is everything disposable now?

Published 8:00 am Tuesday, August 30, 2016

We live in what we like to call a “disposable generation.” Everything is disposable. There was a time, not so long ago, when men and women shared the same values. They worked toward the same goal, they valued honesty, loyalty and relied upon each other; they built the dream together. There was a time when what was important was worth making an effort for, when you would go out of your way to ensure success in that which mattered. Unfortunately, today’s society is disposable, everything and everyone disposable and replaceable, and while that may work with things and stuff, it is not the way humankind was created and it is not the way humankind will thrive. People need people to learn from, to teach, to share, to grow, to inspire, to be a shoulder in times of pain, to be a tower of strength in times of travail.

My generation is a dying breed, the last of the “permanent” Mohicans. I can remember when you were taught to retain things and not be wasteful. You rinsed out the plastic butter dish and saved it for the next time you had leftovers and you used a glass for a drink; you didn’t have a sleeve of Dixie Cups for portability. Seems like we weren’t in as big of a rush as we are now. Times have certainly changed.

At an early age, we’re taught to follow the rules. Don’t push, listen to the teacher, don’t pick your nose. Entering adulthood, we’re advised to obey the law (aka grown-up rules). These basic rules and laws are created for our good and they’re meant to be followed. I’m talking simple stuff too: Don’t pass on a solid double line, do wear your seatbelt, don’t drop the hair dryer in the bathtub, do make a complete stop, don’t exceed the posted speed limit, don’t shake a baby, do use your blinker, don’t litter, do flush. Simple, right? Not so much.

Due to an ever-present issue with littering, I was curious what defined it, so I looked up “litter” on Wikipedia. Interestingly enough, here’s Wiki’s take on litter: “Litter consists of waste products that have been disposed improperly, without consent, at an inappropriate location. Litter can also be used as a verb. To litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles on the ground and leave them there indefinitely or for others to dispose of as opposed to disposing of them properly. Litter is an environmental issue in many countries around the world. While countries in the developing world lack the resources to deal with the issue, consumer-based economies in the western world are capable of generating larger quantities of litter per capita due to a higher consumption of disposable products.”

There’s that word again: disposable. Seems to be a trending adjective here. Let’s consider for a minute what else may be disposable. Have we become so complacent as a society that we don’t recognize the impact of our actions? Are we moving SO fast that we’ve forgotten to consider the consequences of our choices? Even the tiny, insignificant ones? The disposable/portable products we’re afforded are only half of the problem.

One can hypothetically say our character has also become disposable. We can’t honestly feel like we’re contributing to society if we don’t work together to ensure the success of what’s important. Key word — together. If our society has reached a plateau of zero permanency, how are we going to address and resolve this issue facing our community? The litter on the roadways and illegal dumping won’t go away overnight, nor will the attitude of “not my problem.” It’s time to stand up. It’s time to do what’s right. What are we waiting for?