You Are The One

“Tell me everything is all taken care of by those qualified to take care of it all.” Dave Matthews Band, Dive In

A new friend and I were talking the other day. We’re like-minded in that we both believe there’s a lot of room for  improvement in the world these days. She mentioned how, when she was young, she watched her parents throw trash out of the car window. That didn’t seem right and she questioned their judgment. She asked them if they were littering? “Of course not. There are people who pick this stuff up,” was their response.

I remember riding in the car with my grandmother when I was a kid. She’d open a new pack of cigarettes and throw the cellophane wrapper out the window. And then her lit cigarette when she finished smoking it. I had the same feeling that maybe that wasn’t a good move. But I never mentioned it. Surely Grandma knew what she was doing.

The same message came across last night when I listened to Dave Matthews’ tongue-in-cheek song about our ability to turn our heads away from the obvious, avoid personal responsibility, and pretend there’s somebody else out there who’s going to clean up our messes.

Wake up sleepy head! YOU are the one who’s been hired by the planet to:

1) Be a good steward of our natural resources – Today and every day, when you see someone else’s trash, you pick it up and dispose of it.

2) Connect and care for the life around you – Pick a cause and be proactive in the world.

3) Use good judgement – There’s always the best choice to consider for every action.

There’s no phantom “people” out there qualified to take care of it all. YOU ARE THE ONE!