I choose not to act and not to do the right thing on a daily basis. Do I do this because I'm a bad person….No. Like almost everyone on this planet I don't take these opportunities because it's EASY not to. Humans usually take the easy way out when the positive consequences of their actions can't be clearly seen. Why do people fail to reuse and recycle?? Because it can be such an inconvenience and one load of recycling hardly seems to make a difference. Why don't kids stand up for other kids who are being bullied?? They could themselves get clobbered over someone they may hardly know. When the positive result or consequence of one's action cannot be easily seen in the face of an overbearing negative, it is human nature to ignore the tough choice and to take the easy way out.
The people who have done the most good in our world are the people who either fight through this easy vs. right conundrum or who can see the bigger picture. They wouldn't look at recycling one single bottle as making a huge difference. They would envision MILLIONS of people recycling ONE plastic bottle to making a significant impact. It's all a matter of perspective. Rosa Parks is a perfect example of this. She probably didn't see her one act as solving the problem of segregation. However, she realized that her action could inspire others to do so. Her action clearly worked as today segregation doesn't exist in government levels of countries. Another example of this would be voting. While one person's vote is practically negligible in deciding an election, everyone's vote carries the same weight. The combined force of millions of votes is what represents the popular opinion of the citizens of a country, not the individual vote. If people (including me) can start thinking of how our actions can fit into a greater world community instead of our actions standing alone, then more people will take action and take opportunities to make our world a better place in all regards.
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