Tips & Quips—TIP: Alternative Thoughts: Littering
What if… the litter on the side of the road is the result of an eating disorder?
Driving home today, I noticed a pizza box on the side of the road in the bushes. An entire pizza box! It was in a residential area, just resting in some bushes. How did it get there? For a moment I felt angry (I hate littering and don't understand why people do it), and then I paused. I asked myself what possible story could be behind this behavior.
It was then that my brain said:
What if someone threw the box away because they couldn’t go home with it?
What if they felt shame (or shamed) for eating pizza?
What if the litter on the side of the road is the result of an eating disorder?
I don’t know what the answer is, and I never will. I don’t litter, so I still don’t understand why people do, but taking a moment to shift my perspective allowed me to get to a place of compassion.
It also helped me to accept, or at least understand, that one reason why that could make sense to me could exist… at least a little bit.
To me, littering is wrong and I would always invite the person to find another solution, but for the briefest moment, I felt compassion and connection, instead of anger and a “me vs. them” sensibility. For a moment, I felt more human—connected to our universal humanity. Taking perspective can do that.
I actually think the ability to take perspective is a superpower that can be learned and honed. Maybe for just a moment today, see how you can shift what you're perceiving. See if you can tell yourself a different story than the one you gravitate towards. Especially in today’s divisive world, it can set you apart from others in how you connect and converse with people, which can only be a good thing.