Litter Laws and Reserved Parking

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A few years ago I was walking through a city car park. A driver deliberately dropped a large piece of rubbish out his window, onto the ground. His car was in a queue, not moving. I picked up the litter, passed it back to the driver with the comment, "You dropped this mate." And walked on.

That was years ago.

Last week I was walking through the car park of the local shopping centre. A car drove in and parked in a space reserved for "Parents with Prams". The driver climbed out and walked away: no pram, no children, no excuse to park in a reserved space, except laziness. I walked on.

I watched a lazy drongo take a parking space reserved for parents with children and prams. And I did nothing. What is wrong with me?!

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Not that a healthy, unencumbered adult is "evil" for parking in a reserved parents' space. Nor is it "evil" to drop litter. These things are just stupid. They are examples of people who do not think. Who do not care.

And I did nothing.

There are fines for littering.

There are fines for parking in a space reserved for handicapped people.

There may even be fines for parking in a space reserved for parents with prams.

People still drop litter. And I grimace but walk on.

People park in spaces reserved for others who actually need that convenient space. And I mutter and grimace. But walk on.

Am I an idiot? I do not drop litter. I do not park in reserved spaces.

Nothing to do with the possibility of being fined. I just don't want to add to an ugly environment. I don't mind that I have to walk a bit further in a car park, parents with prams and children may need that tiny bit of ease in their lives. Cripples in wheelchairs need that extra bit of space to manoeuvre as they get in and out of their cars; I can walk a bit further.

Wouldn't it be nice if we did not need to fine people for being lazy, self-centred and unthinking?

"I won't park here because a real parent may actually need -- or at least appreciate -- the convenience of unloading active children close to the safety of the footpath."

"I'll take this rubbish to the nearest bin because I don't want the place to look ugly."

"I will remind that stranger that the space is reserved for others..." But I didn't.

Because I did nothing, another drongo still believes that the world is built purely for his own benefit. He believes that whatever he can do, he must be allowed to do. If he thinks at all, it along the lines of, "I think therefore I don't give a stuff about anyone else".

And I have done my little bit to support that self-centred idiot.

All that is necessary for the triumph of thoughtless stupidity is that those who care... do nothing.

Forget about fines.

Idiots rule the world because people like me let them get away with it.

Independent thinking & independent analysis of your problems. Agamedes Consulting: Support for your thought. email nick leth at gmail dot com