stupid vs. sinister
Whenever I judge another person, I look at where that quality might exist in me too.
In my previous post, I referenced Stephen Miller, American political advisor serving as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security. Questioning his past littering behavior, I asked, “Why do people litter on purpose and can their behavior change?”
“The truth is, I have littered… on purpose. ”
Years ago, when I was a smoker, I would throw my cig butts out the window. I believed they were inconsequential and mostly cotton anyway. Nope. These little litter pieces are made up of toxic cellulose acetate, a man-made plastic material. And combined, they add up monstrously:
“Cigarette butts are actually the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our global environment…. Cigarette butts are by far the largest single type of litter by count. Since the 1980s, cigarette butts have consistently accounted for 30-40% of all items picked up in annual international coastal and urban cleanups.” [Source]
What changed my behavior was knowledge. I learned that cigarettes are made of plastic and full of harmful chemicals, that they don’t just break down quickly, and that they directly affect the enviroment we live in. As Maya Angelou said,
"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."
My attitude about littering wasn’t sinister, it was stupidity. Do some people litter out of spite? Sadly, yes. But often, stupidity is worse than evil. Miller attended Duke and I don’t believe he was or is stupid.
In the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
‘‘Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless….
“But these thoughts about stupidity also offer consolation in that they utterly forbid us to consider the majority of people to be stupid in every circumstance. It really will depend on whether those in power expect more from people’s stupidity than from their inner independence and wisdom.”
In his younger years, seeking class votes, perhaps Miller depended on others to be stupid when he spoke in defiance about being told to pick up his trash. I encourage others to liberate their minds and keep learning more ways to do less harm.
We are malleable. How have you changed? How does your attitude and belief system inform your behavior in “every circumstance”?
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**The picture of today’s post was taken in 2016 when I decided to pick up litter along a cemetery road.
