Garbage:  Capitalism's Creative Destruction

          Truthfully, human waste is something I've taken for granted.  It's a huge indicator of our consumptive society and our drive for image.  But, more devastating is the fact that human waste is a severe global issue that everyone disregards because it's immediate effects are unseen, unlike the tragedies that are frequently televised by the media.

          It will bring upon our own downfall if not properly managed; but, no one cares because of our own negligence.  We are unwary of the truths behind our garbage and we are careless to find out. 

          Do you know what happens to garbage beyond your front steps when the garbage truck hauls it away?  And do you think you've really done your part for the environment when you've recycled?

Probably not.

          And, the truth is, garbage is a tragic story that underlies our flaws as humans.  It dictates our inability to forsee the consequences of our actions, especially when passitivity transpires throughout society; but, more pertinently, it demonstrates the natural greed that exists on both ends of the market:  for the consumer and for the producer.

          It's sad to say that helping the environment is a business run ordeal.  Our recycled goods are only sustainable when profit is seen.  Even though you recycle your plastics, if the waste management facility has no buyers for the recycled goods, they get landfilled in the end.  Sadly to say, recycling your bottles and cans are not enough to save the environment because society is market driven.

          With the advancement of technology, one would think that waste production would be less signficant, but with the substantial gadgets and gizmos produced worldwide, the amount of trash resulting has seen a compelling increase over the past decades.  Unlike in the past, businesses are currently no longer manufacturing goods to endure the times; instead, they are producing for the masses.  They are producing so that your new purchase will wear down quick and fast so that you are forced to buy anew and, therefore, increase the company's profits, and consequently, increase the generation of trash.

          This subtlety speaks largely of human greed and self interest and highlights our lack of care for what our actions entail.  In truth, our life is a paradox.  We have advanced so far in society in the hopes that it would sustain the human race for many more generations to come.  But, in the end, our advancements have brought upon our own downfall as a society.  The more technologies available, unfortunately, have had its setbacks.  It's generated a significant amount of trash with a lack of education from our people to manage it.  There's just so much of it, we don't know what to do with it.  It ties into health related problems, land use, our economy, pollution, and climate change; but, because our population has a general lack of understanding of the consequences of trash, garbage remains in the shadows of issues worldwide.  Thus, we are trailing ourselves to the path of our own destruction.

          We need not be ignorant of the issues that plague society but, simply, we must work for our betterment.  Putting human self interests aside, if we are to progress our race, we must consider all issues at hand, including our waste production and its management.