Having a rich culture is a boon, and a rare one. There are fewer countries, each time you count them, that seek to preserve theirs in all its glory. A deeper look into most of these cultures can convert this boon into a bane that parades right under our noses. This comparison can be simplistically defined as a western / western whitewash vs. a century / millennia-old preservation. It can also be classified science / reason/ logic heavy vs. a collection of arbitrary habits that add colour to the variety of ways people live. They made sense in a setting that has been preserved from a long time ago, that sometimes can just be cute and antiquated today, and it may or may not be realistically holding out as a sensible lifestyle against the tide of change.



If the latter is your thing, what you are is blindfolded. You are, thereby, blind to everything except those things that define your cultural 'fold'. Just not your eyes, but your mind too. The blindfold over your mind keeps it working only within the same fold, and shuts it to everything outside of that. As the world grows and changes, the former engages with them, the latter maintain a status quo. And if they must engage still, the status quo leads them behave like a monkey does in outer space—just that the analogy is a mismatch with what and where you actually are. You are not a monkey and you are not in outer space, but just woefully ignorant of the world that starts 0.00000000 mm away from where you stand, live and breathe. You just behave that way for an insane reason that, if anyone, only you can explain, and even that is positively unlikely. The word for this is: mindless. Write that down. Memorize it.



In India, the same word has a different expression: "we are like this only". That roughly translates into being mindless, and all its many deeper levels. Just like how that monkey in outer space behaves, we seem have no problem being so. One amazing way we do show it is how we easily litter, like every moment is our last one on Earth and we'll never get to do it again—like it's uncultural to use dustbins (or other facilities) in public places.



We let go of our trash practically anywhere. And I mean that, literally. Pristine lakes, majestic tourist hotspots, train tracks, street corners, footpaths, drains... we spare no place that's garbage-free to litter it. We may as well put a notice board each time we do that with our selective value system stated: keep your own house clean and everything outside it as dirty. India shouldn't fear a zombie apocalypse because one is already here and evolving with the mindless vigor we do this with. All that we need is a prominent, visible street corner or just a train or car window to use as a perfectly legitimate bin.



We're so used to this that it's accepted primary behaviour. Swach Bharat Abhiyans, and plans make Singapores in India is all high talk that flies high above zombie minds. If you're reading this, and analyzing even a little, remember you don't have to be one. You actually have the ability to understand that littering stops when we individually stop littering. And, no, it isn't just illiterates. It's also the well-read literates. They selectively choose to disperse their intelligence when it comes to big-time jobs and cars (and other generalisations). (Note: mindlessness)



Let's understand the ill here.



Littering i.e. throwing away any form of waste in a dustbin, or any other designated place that is not designed for it.



Why is it a problem?



1) None of us want our public spaces to be garbage dumps.

2) They aren't good for general health and stink.

3) Cows and dogs eat from what is meant to decompose or be better disposed of which includes plastic.

4) If you needed all/one/some/some more of the above reasons, you must belong to species that can't smell, see and think.



I turns out most of India belongs to 4) at least when it comes to littering. If it isn't with the inability to see or smell, it has to do with not being able to think. That can easily be disproved by fighting one of the stupider things their culture favours, and you'll see the brain jump in to action in one nanosecond to defend it. Since we've eliminated the zombie theory, the only one we have left is the mindless one. If you were to ask them why they litter as much, they'd probably do what that monkey in space is likely to do—scratch their head and look at you absolutely cluelessly, to your infuriation. To those who won't do that, there is still self-defeating hope, but hope nonetheless.



There are a number of reasons that can be their excuses.



1) There are no bins to use and it's impossible for you to carry your trash all the time till you find one.

(Government/administration has some of the responsibility too, you know.)

Litterer: 1 - Non-litterer: 0



2) The trash bins are overflowing and it'll fall on to the road anyway.

(Granted. Motivation actually helps the worst of us do what we do.)

Litterer: 2 - Non-litterer: 0



3) There is no proper garbage processing system by which it won't go to a landfill.

(That's not excuse enough. Throw it where it's supposed to be thrown and then blame the government.)

Litterer: 2 - Non-litterer: 1



4) If I'm the only one doing it, I won't really be making a difference.

(a) The idea is not to "make a difference" but to be sensible. b) Would you litter your own house like this? c) That's how everything starts. d) Does it really cost you that much? e) Do you like littered streets?)

Litterer: 2 - Non-litterer: 2



5) This is India. We are like this only.

(Then you deserve to live in filth like this only. Listen to yourself think, if you do.)

Litterer: 2 - Non-litterer: 3



The non-litterer wins by a slim margin, but by a very important point, but with no value in a "we are like this only" world. We've debilitated our senses when it comes to disposing of anything that belongs to the right bin, in a bin (or any other alternative). If most Indians are idiots, how it takes them precisely one millisecond to use every square inch around them as a possible garbage dump is the biggest proof of that. God bless India.



So what do we do, apart from just drives that clean up after everyone else? As noble as that sounds, it doesn't address anything for less than 5 minutes tops. We forget that we wouldn't have to clean up after if we didn't litter in the first place, and if we continue to mindlessly litter, we'll never be able to clean up after enough.



Sarcasm apart, there are things you could do to start with:



Don't put your garbage out on the street: Get/ask the authorities to put a proper garbage bin for you it in, or put one there yourself. Crowd or neighborhood sourcing for this also is a good idea. There are also private organizations you can send your non-biodegradeable waste too. Compost the organic stuff in compost boxes and plant plants in them or give them to people who do (or find a way to get it to farmers).



Recycle & Reuse: Don't get to a point where you need to throw away so much. Use reusables. More glass and less plastic. If you have throw away, get cardboard or paper packaged consumer products which are biodegradeable.



Tell me other points that can be added here.



Ideally, your single action won't keep the whole world spic and span, but you could do your bit and keep your fingers crossed. If you are reading this, and processing it, you can think and keep that next piece of litter to the right dustbin alone.