(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
See, it’s not enough to just pledge, there has to be some action too. Impressive action by supporters of “the greenest inauguration in history” here. We cheer the idea of being responsible for making our communities better places, but when the speechmaking is over, we leave our junk behind. This is nothing new, and it is not unique to either side of the political spectrum, but it is disheartening, especially after all the rhetoric about pledges to make our world a better place and the hope and change that is supposedly coming.
The sad fact is that we don’t change. In 4 years, or 8 years, when Obama leaves office, we will still be leaving our trash behind for others to deal with, both literally and metaphorically. Human nature has its dark sides and one of them is that we downplay our own contributions to large phenomena. “It’s just one paper cup”, or, “It’s just one piece of newspaper”. We tell ourselves that it’s not big enough to make a difference; that it’s just a drop in the ocean. Without a sea change to this rationalization, apparently inherent to Western thought, any pledge is ultimately worthless.
