Al Muhamalat heya al Qamama - Trash is Trash

 I want to thank the people who came to the Solutions to Littering Unconference. Though a modest gathering, I learned that the trash extends to most of the areas the experienced hikers have visited, and that tires make up a good deal of the rubbish in the desert. I was able to notice this on a road trip I took this past weekend as well.

In fact, there is one thing more thing I have been noticing since my first ride through the Empty Quarter 26 years ago. There are wrecked vehicles on the opposite side of the fence being sandblasted away bit by bit. At first, I wondered how they had gotten there - on the opposite side of the fence. That was until one trip several years ago when I witnessed a large crane that had lifted a wrecked car that had been on the side of the road for a while. When we happened upon it, the crane operator was in the process of depositing its load in its new home on the sand. It is hard to tell if that car is still there as there are now many abandoned vehicles of all sizes resting, rusting, and being slowly chipped away by the ever shifting sands. I imagine the Empty Quarter was once a pristine sight to behold - breathtaking in my mind’s eye. However, it has now been reduced to an unvalued makeshift vehicle graveyard.

Young Lady or Old Woman (Covey, 2020, p. 26)

As long as these vehicles remain in place, being added to over time, no one will be able to truly see nor appreciate the desert for her natural beauty. These cars need to be removed as the tires, plastic bags, wrappers, cups, and endless list of rubbish. The beauty needs to be revealed. In different parts of his book, Covey (2020) refers to the idea that we may see things differently by saying, “You see the young lady, and I see the old woman” (p. 352). Look at the image above, What do you see? When you look at Saudi’s deserts, what do you see?

I would love to organize a meet up to collect the trash in the desert starting on the roadside,

but since convening is not allowed, I have a proposal. I challenge you to put on a pair of

gloves and your mask, take a bag, and clean up in your neighborhood. This is a simple way

to let others know you value your environment. Who knows, you may just inspire someone

else to do the same.

#TheDesertIsATreasure

References

Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary

          Edition [Kindle]. East Roseville: Simon & amp; Schuster Australia.

Media Sources

Covey, S. R. (2020). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary

          Edition [Kindle]. East Roseville: Simon & amp; Schuster Australia.

[The image of the vehicles in the desert] were created by the author of this blog post.