Why is it so?

It is a recurring comment that I will let out every time I leave the cinema-

'This place looks like a trash can'

The sight of pop corn being left scattered all over the place with the empty containers left dangling on the edge of the seats and the drink packets just lying helplessly on the floor. It was as if people who watch the movies just expect the place to clean up by itself, ala wonderland in Disney cartoons but then again, I always get that nudge on my side saying that "they have cleaners, Ana".. Wait, are those MY friends giving the comment? Yup, apparently so.

What is that disease that we have that we seem so intent to make sure that these people have a job-cleaners and sweepers etc? And we also seem so keen on making them work so hard to earn their salary while you waltz away, sneering at their jobs when in fact, our world would be a dumpster if they weren't around. Having foreign workers as the dominant group involved in this field also certainly does not add value to their contribution to society as people continuously mock the sacred cleanliness that we all should practice.

What I find appalling might be normal to you as we all grew up depending on the cleaners to literally clean up after us but honestly, how hard can it be for us to just pick our own trash? Remember when we were studying abroad, we owh-so-obligingly picked up our tray of fast food litters to be tossed into the can without batting an eyelid but do it here, you get stares from the crowd that finally you just succumb to not doing so for fear of being called a freak.

But I say let's all be a freak now and learn to accept these small responsibilities. Only when we can do so, we will feel that we own this country as our home, not as somewhere we intend to just make a pit-stop. If you are walking down a street and you see a piece of paper, pick it up and if you must, wash your hands after wards (or use that sleek hand sanitiser stashed deep in your bag). If you see a cleaner cleaning up a toliet, offer to hold the door for her because I think even you feel nauseous cleaning your own toilet of your own shit.

Let's all start somewhere now. This is a reminder for me, you and you that small acts lead to great changes, a flicker of light can shine a whole prairie if only we see the power of what we can do.