There are many quotes about keeping our environment clean. For example; “keep your surroundings clean and you'll keep your mind clean. A clean environment is a happy environment. Take care of your environment and it will take care of you.” However, the one that resonates deeply with me is John Wesley’s quote about cleanliness- “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Growing up, I learnt from people around me, particularly my school principal, to always keep my environment clean. He instilled strict rules about cleaning the environment. For instance, if you pass by trash without picking it up, whether you dropped it there or someone else did, you will be punished. If the school was dirty in the morning before assembly, the whole school would get punished.
Out of the blue, my school principal would walk into the class to inspect. If he found the tiniest piece of paper or a snack wrapper on the ground, he'd punish the class perfects first, then punish the whole class including the class perfects whom he'd already punished. Meaning, the class perfects would get punished twice. This strict approach was the background that shaped my cleanliness habits. I got used to it in high school and I have learnt to apply it to other aspects of my life. For day 22 of the inleo prompts, the clean planet community asks us if we can manage to stay in a dirty environment.
What do you do when you find yourself in a dirty environment? How do you cope when you find yourself in a dirty environment? During my days in high school, the whole school, including the lawn, assembly ground, and classrooms was always clean. We had huge trees that shed their leaves every morning, and during the rainy season, countless leaves would fall to the ground, and that it'd be impossible for students to clear them in just one morning. It was only on these days the school environment was slightly dirty. Our school was generally spotless because the students collectively cleaned the environment every morning. We were all intentional about keeping our environment clean (of course, it was because we didn't want to get punished by our principal.) But what if you find yourself in an environment where people around you do not care about cleaning like you do?
I live in a very big hostel with 68 rooms and more than 120 students. Unfortunately, not so many people care about cleaning the environment like I do. It'd be absurd to take a broom and start sweeping the whole compound all by myself. I live in a student environment where students often litter, causing pollution. Imagine taking a short walk and the stench of refuse breezes through your nostrils. Sadly, no one is doing anything about it. It'd be absurd if I wore gloves and started clearing heaps of refuse in front of other people’s hostels.
I'm not comfortable staying here. I don't think anyone should be comfortable staying in a dirty environment. So, what I do is take good care of my room and the tiny space in front of my room. I enjoy staying in a clean and well-arranged room. Although we occasionally come together to clean our hostel, this doesn't happen too often.
Thanks for reading.
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