The World’s Largest Dump

I write this article with much sorrow.

Yesterday, we arrived back in India. A country that we love, where we spend a lot of time. Here, Mavi constantly updates her training in Yoga.

We also have friends, and I must say that the people are very nice. Most of the time, always willing to help.

But it’s the world’s largest dump.

A garbage dump.

Yesterday, while we were on the bus from Bangalore to Mysore, we saw things that reminded us of where we were. Stuff we had seen before but never failed to impress us.

Suddenly, a car overtook the bus we were travelling on, and we saw someone throw a soda can and an ice cream wrapper out of the window. Just like that, without a problem. Less than 5 meters from our moving bus.

I was still talking to Mavi and calming my indignation when suddenly, our driver finished his water bottle and did the same.

He threw the water bottle out of the window.

Without a problem. Without remorse. Without a hint of feeling that he had done something wrong.

I was furious.

It doesn’t make much sense

India is known for being a very spiritual place, where yoga, meditation, and various spiritual practices are more deeply rooted than in other parts of the world.

In fact, we come here often for that reason. Here, there are still teachers who dedicate their lives to yoga, where commitment to practice and beliefs is upheld.

Well. In theory, Hinduism speaks of respecting nature. They worship cows (which you can easily see eating from the same garbage) and many other things I won’t explore now.

So, if I read about it in books and stay at home without travelling, I might think that in India, people care for and value nature, and for that reason, I should expect to find little garbage and well-preserved nature.

Mistake.

Big mistake.

Go in the opposite direction, and you’ll be safe.

In India, a dump is any place that is not your property. In other words, people ensure the garbage doesn’t fall on their land. If the neighbouring land has a three-meter-high mountain of trash, it doesn’t matter. My land is clean.

That’s why it’s so essential to travel. To see it with your own eyes and form your own judgment.

It’s something I discuss with my Indian friends

I have discussed this issue several times with several Indian friends. They all agree with me, but I don’t know if they will behave like everyone else.

Perhaps I haven’t conveyed to you with enough emphasis what I want to say. I’m not talking about a bit of trash on the streets.

No.

I’m talking about mountains of plastic and all kinds of garbage that you will see almost constantly while travelling through the country.

In addition, my friends have told me about the individualistic culture they have among themselves. You can also see this in the example I will give you.

Yesterday, I was in an Airtel store, getting a SIM card to have internet on my phone.

Well, while I was being attended to, the saleswoman was constantly interrupted by other people who cut in front of me, ignoring my presence and demanding that their problem be solved immediately.

Ahead of anyone else who was being served. (In this case, me).

Well, the saleswoman, with exemplary patience, tried to handle the problems arising from other customers who came in.

You might say I should have taken action and told them I was there first. Well, things don’t work like that here.

They will absolutely not care about what you say. They will smile at you and ignore you. If you want to change things, you will have to push them and escalate the situation to maximum tension.

It’s as if you were invisible. Everyone acts like this constantly. Everywhere. With over 1.4 billion people in the country, they must strive to put themselves above the next person to claim attention.

It’s not just India

Well, you might tell me you’ve seen people littering everywhere. Maybe in Europe or the United States.

True, I don’t deny it. Even in places you would think are paradise.

I still remember the day we were travelling by boat between islands in the Maldives. A turquoise blue sea was everywhere.

Impressive, beautiful, majestic.

A guy in front of us was finishing their Coca-Cola. When he finished, he shook the can, making sure there was nothing left, and as if we were in a world where garbage disappears when it’s in the air, they threw the can into the sea.

Yes, you read that right. They threw the can into the pristine turquoise sea I was talking about.

I’ll repeat it in case your concentration is off today.

He threw the can into the sea

I looked at the red can floating in the distance. Indignant. I was looking at the person in front of me and on the verge of launching into a fight to the death. My indignation was through the roof.

But you know what. It’s pointless.

In fact, it makes things worse.

Over time, I have found that arguing with that person would have been pointless. People like that don’t accept being told how to do things. In fact, if you say something, they can get angry and even become violent.

The most useful thing I have seen for many years is the following: Quietly go and pick up the trash the other person threw. This way, the other person sees you picking up their trash, and their conscience stirs.

They realize their moral depravity. Their despicable behavior towards their surroundings.

Of course, not everyone will feel the same remorse. For those people who still don’t learn anything even then, I hope there’s a special hell for them in the afterlife.

And it’s not about climate change or anything like that

Well, this article doesn’t reflect on climate change. I don’t want to get into that now. I don’t intend to indicate anything about it.

It’s simply about keeping your house clean. I don’t think anyone likes to see a landscape with garbage instead of cleanliness.

No one.

And I say this from experience. I have seen garbage in all the natural parks we have visited. Cans, bottles, or plastics.

And it’s very sad.

What kind of people do that? Someone with little education?

I have seen many educated people do that. It’s straightforward. They see their parents do it and believe it’s the norm.

With affection,

Juan.

P.S. Now that you’ve read this far, I have a question for you.

Whose problem is it?

Mine, for getting indignant and filled with rage when I see these things, or theirs? They really don’t care. They are fine after doing that.

So, they don’t have any problem. I have a problem.

I’ll leave the answer to you, and I’ll read it in the comments.

Thank you for reading us. If you want to read more, you can subscribe to our newsletter here. We send a daily email where we will make you laugh while learning something new. We write about safaris, nature trips, photography, and yoga with a funny touch.