This is another ECB article that affected me personally. Approaching four-scores this story led me to thinking how trivial many young people feel about senior citizens (old folk). Too often I have heard young people tell an elder they are just old and didn’t understand their point of view. They seem oblivious to the fact that they are standing on the shoulders of those who came before them, and some are still leaning and depending – in some form on the “Old Folks”.
The Green Thing article told of an older woman who was chastened by a young cashier for not having her own grocery tote bag. The cashier emphasized that the store’s plastic bags weren’t good for the environment, and it was all about going “Green,” to “preserve the environment.”
The woman humbly apologized to the young cashier and replied, “We didn’t have the green thing in my days,” but, the young person responded with sarcasm, “That’s the problem today, your generation didn’t care enough to save our environment.” When I read this, I knew I had to rebuttal this young cashier’s and anyone else’s claim for senior citizens not caring about the environment, which is absolutely untrue. And I offer opposing arguments and confirmation by the previous writer of what we old folk did, in our days, to keep the environment in almost perfect condition, before the green thing.
I give 100% attestation to how we preserved our environment in our days. We didn’t have the green thing in our days, but what we did do was:
• We returned soda and mil bottles to the store (Earning a few cents) to be sent back to the factory, to be washed, sterilized and refilled. That was our recycling.
• When we visited buildings with stairs, we walked up and down, there were no elevators or escalators – which was a health benefit.
• When we needed to go to a store two blocks or two miles away – we walked – instead of climbing into a 200-300 horsepower machine that spews dangerous emission fumes in the air, another health benefit.
• We washed our cloth baby diapers – there were no throw-away diapers to litter the earth or clog drains and costs a fortune.
• We dried our clothes on a clothe line outside in the sunshine, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up to 220 watts of electricity – wind and solar power was used.
• In our days, we only had on television, not one in every room of the house, which would be discarded in a dump, when they no longer worked.
• We only had one electrical outlet per room – instead of multiple outlets or banks of sockets, throughout the house.
• In our days, we refilled our ink pens or replaced ink cartridges – instead of buying dozens of new pens and discarding them. As were razor blades when they got dull, they were replaced in one razor – instead of purchasing many razors to go in the dump.
• We didn’t fire up an engine to use gasoline to cut our lawn – a push mower ran on human power, got the job done – another health benefit.
• WE didn’t need to join a fitness club or go to a gym and run on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike to get enough exercise – we worked.
• When we got thirsty, we drank directly from faucets or water fountains – instead of using a plastic cup or bottle every time.
• Back then, we walked everywhere we needed (not wanted) to go - instead of turning our mom into our 24-hour taxi or Uber service.
• In the kitchen, we mixed and stirred by hand – there were no electric apparatuses to do everything for us.
• When we packaged fragile items to be mailed out – we didn’t have Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap – we waddled up newspaper to cushion them.
I can metaphorically hear this super modern generation wailing that we old folks didn’t have what they are privileged to have today. I would agree, but my question is how are you managing appreciating, respecting and caring for these privileges you have been availed?
I reproof anyone who dares to lament old folk for being inconsiderate or wasteful. The truth is, if generations past and present were not so careless, ruinous and inconsiderate, the environment would not be in the detrimental condition it’s in today.
Mary Madison