And when people throw their cigarette butts on the ground I have the barely suppressible urge to ram my car in to theirs, drag them out the window back to their disgusting litter, rub their nose in it and scream,
“This planet is not your Damned ashtray!”
As uncivilized as it sounds, I think I'd vote to give police officers the power to force the butt into the litterer's mouth and make them eat it right then and there.
If someone wants to inhale poison into their lungs, be my guest. It makes me sad that they care so little for life and health, but I am happy to see freedom in action – as far as I’m concerned, a person is free to commit a slow gradual suicide puff by puff by puff. I’m not an anti-smoking advocate even though I watched both of my parents die early because they couldn’t bring themselves to live without breathing tobacco smoke. Further, I am politically ambivalent about smoking in restaurants and bars. I can argue both sides of that issue without convincing myself either way.
Cigarette butts are a different matter. You have no right to flick these non-biodegradable little poison pills onto our ground and into our water system. You don't want to put those stinky things into your car ashtray? Then don't smoke in your car. Businesses are essentially blackmailed into placing ugly ashtrays all over the place in hopes that you'll have the decency to use them rather than litter their property -- use them!
Calming down a bit: this issue is one of the very best metaphors for how we treat this planet. We think the Mother Earth and Nature will take up all of our waste with a loving smile on her face and continue suckling us and keeping us warm and safe in our cribs. Well guess what, we are wearing our mother out, making her old, draining away her life and her ability to give us life.
Do us all a favor and spend some time feeling into this metaphor. Use your own mother as a stand-in for Earth and think about what you are doing. It's time we all grow up and take responsibility for ourselves.
