The challenge of Day 3, by Bruce Benson: What’s the one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

I believe that mankind is destroying not only the earth, but themselves at the same time. Most humans live mindlessly, unaware of the havoc they wreak on nature and each other.

The earth is being polluted because as a society we have become apathetic and lazy. The majority of people do not recycle, do not carpool; they litter the highways with paper, cigarette butts, cans, plastic bottles and a sundry of other items, instead of disposing of it properly. People have lost their connection to ‘mother earth’. Without this connection, I believe there is a loss of concern for the earth in general. This lack of interest carries over into our interactions with each other.

Humanity, on the whole, has become detached, living unaware of the effect their choices have on each other. The family system has disintegrated, leaving them scattered in every direction. There is not enough time used to focus on family life. Parents compete with each other. It has literally become a feud between the “Smith’s” and the “Jones’s”. Children are no longer held responsible for their actions in schools, playgrounds, and malls. Most of them are born with a silver spoon in their mouth and grow up to be entitled. What ever happened to The Golden Rule! What happened to chores?

I am not sure what inspires this belief; probably several things. Maybe it was the generation I grew up in--the Hippie era…“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair”; “Tip toe through the tulips”. Or maybe it is my own experience with my daughter and her generation thinking the world owes them just because they exist. But it is a strong belief.

We recycle everything in my household. Yes, it is a lot of work because our waste management does not have a recycle program for our neighborhood. Therefore, we have to store everything, load it in the trailer, and take it to a recycle facility. Over the years, I have tried to instill kindness, manners and good values in my daughter. But, what she chooses to do as an adult I have no control over. I try to live my life as unobtrusively as possible. But most of all, I try to live awake, aware of my surroundings and the effect I have on my fellow human beings and the earth on which I walk.