There is no shortage of celebratory days in our yearly calendar that glorify certain people or emotions in life. Valentine’s Day brings a plethora of red and pink stuffed bears and cheesy cards to stores around the world, and Mother’s Day has us pre-booking flower bouquets two weeks in advance. Although we go to extraordinary heights to meet the expectations of appreciation on these days, it does not mean that the things we cherish should be forgotten otherwise. This applies to Earth Day just as much any other resource or person worth caring for. How can we make grand gestures towards respecting the earth as a whole once a year when we do not even respect the country we live in on a daily basis? I think that no matter where you are from, each person should make a conscious effort to respect the environment as well as the people in it.
Just as lifestyle and healthy eating is a practice, taking care of our natural resources is also a practice. This practice begins inside the home and extends outside of it and to the people in your life. Simple actions like turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth each day add up at the end and make a difference. Cleaning up the tissues in your living room and throwing them away encourages you to do so in every establishment or place you are in. Appreciating the earth should be expressed through daily actions; it should not be a yearly reminder of what we need to do.
Earth Day is not just about turning off the lights or planting a tree, it is about showing appreciation for all life around you, which includes the earth as well as every person walking on it that you come across. I have no respect for a person that will throw their trash away then turn around and be rude to another person. Likewise, you could be the kindest individual in the world but if you throw a water bottle outside the car window assuming another less fortunate individual will eventually pick it up, this is an act of disgrace. My aunt once witnessed such an incident and lowered her window to ask the driver one question (in Arabic): “Do you see your country as a piece of garbage so that you throw your garbage in it?!” That is exactly what littering insinuates. When I see people littering it makes me want to explode, especially when things are thrown out of a car. You are eventually heading to a destination that will have a trash can, so why not wait those extra ten minutes and do that? The worst incidents are when a parent does this, because their children will grow up thinking it is OK and following this horrible example.
If everyone in Kuwait did just one act toward bettering the earth by not leaving trash behind, imagine what a difference it would make. The largest example of this is all the garbage we find on public beaches on the Gulf Road and out in the chalet areas. It is perfectly fine to have a barbecue and enjoy the fantastic weather, but don’t do it at the expense of the beauty around you! Nobody wants to see paper plates and empty Pepsi cans on a beach that is otherwise absolutely beautiful. It is small simple acts every day that add up and show true reverence towards the ground we walk on.
To be honest, I don’t even know what day Earth Day is and I don’t think it matters because every day should be. We should clean up and throw things away every day, recycle when we have the chance to everyday, and be kind to others every day. This applies to any event that was worth naming a day after. Make every day Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and last but not least, Earth Day. Have a wonderful April everyone!
