BARBADOS BOASTS OF BEING one of the four “more developed countries” in the West Indies.
Our national motto is Pride And Industry. But how self-respecting can Barbadians be when in so many suburban areas the spectacle of all kinds of bushes, long grass, weeds and shrubs can be seen growing where they clearly ought not to, while the residents, almost without exception, make very little or no effort to get rid of them?
Something similar can be said of the frequent sight of refuse in all sorts of non-urban areas.
Sometimes, however, an individual is idealistic and civic-minded enough to engage in herculean efforts to rectify the situation and goes about doing what he can to clean and tidy the place.
It isn’t long before said individual is labelled eccentric even though the way he goes about his activities is never irresponsible.
Eventually his efforts just might cause him to be deemed insane and, as in one case I am aware of, earn him a stay at the Psychiatric Hospital.
One might well ask: “Why not leave it to the Government to send in some workers to do these tasks?” Well, that is simply not going to happen. I imagine that the expense involved would be prohibitive.
If everyone did a little it would not be long before the problem disappeared.
I should mention here that the foregoing does not justify attacking wild, natural areas which are so situated as not to constitute an eyesore and which are sometimes rather attractive.
In addition, these wild areas are an indispensable haven for innocuous wildlife – birds, lizards, butterflies, toads, and so on. These creatures are an essential part of the ecosystem.
– MICHAEL J MOSELEY
