Healing Begins With Being Considerate
by/margit cathrine moller

Few weeks ago, while walking I saw a man who threw his cigarette butts on the street. He did it so casually that it looked like he didn’t care at all the consequences of his act. Perhaps for him it didn’t matter. But for me who has been in the healing professional for a long time, such an act was very inconsiderate. It was inconsiderate of him to smoke and throw his cigarette in the public when so many people can be affected. It was also very inconsiderate of the environment.

Creating a healthy community requires the cooperation of everyone – not just those who live a healthy life. It is a responsibility of every citizen to make sure that the human habitat is healthy for children and adults. And I am not even talking of difficult commitments like going vegan or living off the grid. I am referring to simple acts of consideration for others and for the environment.

What are the fundamental things that considerate people should do? For me, these are my top seven items on the list:

1. Smoke only in assigned places. Or better yet, stop smoking.
2. Drink responsibly.
3. Dispose your wastes properly.
4. Drive defensively and obey traffic rules.
5. Help in reducing fuel consumption.
6. Plant trees.
7. Conserve water

These are simple stuff, and we have been reminded constantly about these.
But, even if I sound like a broken record, I will say this again and again – our health is affected by the health of others and the state of the environment. It is time that we do our part.
We, and our children, will benefit from these.