As I travel the virtual world, one concept pops up frequently. The desire to be clean: in health, in mores, in the environment. But what is clean? Besides being the opposite of dirty, it depends on a baseline unique to every individual and circumstance. We who have plentiful water would never dream of drinking from a contaminated well, or river filled with sewage; yet for millions of people, that is the only clean option they have. Clean air is a victim of industrialization in every corner of the world. All aspects of our societies benefit from dirty water and air. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, consumers and medical practitioners all profit from the desire to consume at the lowest possible cost. Safety equals expensive so clean is considered undesirable and costly. Air is filtered, water is bottled and trash buried all so we can continue our lavish lifestyles in clean comfort while swallowing pill after pill to cope with the toxins. The contrast between clean and dirty is based on economics. Too bad billions of our fellow humans will never get the chance to be clean.
Bawdy Wench
gautami tripathy
September 20, 2010
Good to see you back!
my monkey reads you well
And don’t forget to aboard the Poetry Train every Monday mornings and thereafter to post your work!
Storm Dweller
September 20, 2010
Sad indeed. And it seems so futile the little steps I take to help promote social justice. What’s one bag of Fair Trade coffee to the millions sold on slash and burn principles with the farmers only earning a few cents a pound. Uggh…
Divaa D
September 21, 2010
a very sad sight indeed
better clean than careful
Deborah
September 21, 2010
Well said and well written!
bawdywench
September 21, 2010
Sorry for comments being spammed. WordPress doesn’t think I’m clean.