What I Want To Change About My Community



The country we are living in is a community where people of different districts, different cultures, and different societies are surviving together. As a part of a shared community whatever we do will affect the people living in the society. So, our society is our responsibility and the reflection of us. Nowadays whenever we open our newspaper, we can see many news about different clubs, rallies or different kind of sessions. Those clubs, rallies are for the innovative change of our community. However, we forgot that if we want to bring a positive change in our community, at first we will have to change ourselves. Our environment is the biggest part of our life. We are surrounded by our environment. So, if our environment is in trouble, we are in trouble. In today’s world environment pollution is the major phenomenon and everyone is concerned about the issue. However, the issue ends with people’s concern. If we truly focus on the main reason behind the destruction of our environment we can identify the lack of self-reflection, particularly on the part of high profiled and educated people. The lack of consciousness matters to me most and I want to change it though it’s not an easy task.



In our schools and colleges we read about the importance of environment and the disadvantages of environment pollution. We are getting education, but there is no implication of that education. We eat chips, juice or chocolates and every packet has an instruction to put the waste into the dustbin. Though we can read it, we are not willing to do it. We use our roads as our dustbin and this is one of the reasons of environmental pollution. It has become a habit of the people of our country and bad habits are difficult to leave. I provide a personal experience to illustrate what way the bad habit leads the people. One day my school friends planned to do a get together party. Everyone came to my house. We spent the whole day gossiping, eating, and dancing. After that we planned to go outside for a walk. We were walking through a beautiful garden and eating chips. Suddenly one of my friends threw the packet of the chips on the ground. I became very angry and told her she should put that packet into the dustbin. When I said this everyone started to laugh at me. My friend told me, I should be in the City Corporation. I was really shocked at their behavior. Then a thought came in my mind, did I say something wrong? Or was I talking to some uneducated people? I could not define myself and the people around me. This type of situation is not only the case with my friends, but also the problem of everyone. We are getting education for degrees, for good jobs. As a result, we do not pay heed to our surroundings.



Wherever we look, we can find only waste. Water, air, and soil these elements are very essential for our livelihood, but all are full of pollution. Our cities have become victims of pollution which has only one remedy and that is people’s consciousness. In Dhaka to protect people’s health, they are advised to stay outside of the city only for one day in a week. Dhaka City is polluted in such a way that living here can bring a risk to our life. Though people can realize it, there is no single indication of their realization in their work. Still they are raising industries and building expensive houses for the high profiled people of our country. Hills are cut down by the people for the space to build industries. It is a matter of pride that Bangladesh is developing, but development does not mean that we will embrace deforestation. We are so busy in making money that our life seems less important than money. Our industries cannot give us oxygen or cannot save us from natural disasters. Once, I asked one of my father’s friends, who are very famous industrialists, why they do not focus on nature. At that time he told me, there are lots of people to take care of the environment. Most of the people of Bangladesh have the same thought and with that thought they are destroying our nature.



Bangladesh is a riverine country. It is famous for its huge and beautiful rivers like Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, and so on. Our villages are full of ponds and canals. The people of that country, where water reigns, are suffering from the lack of pure water. Isn’t it sad? Where tourists come to see the rivers, there people are crying for water. We know in villages poor and uneducated are polluting those ponds and rivers, but they do not have any education. Their poor financial condition and lack of consciousness have made a big distance between them and the light of education. However, those, who are financially strong and getting education, what happened to them? We cannot say that they never visit the rural areas or they are so busy that they do not have any time. They visit rural areas during their vacations and boat journeys are the best ways to make the vacation more exciting. They have picnics on the boat; sing songs, chat, and do many other relaxing activities. But besides those activities they are also polluting the water. For example, once I went to Kaptai with my family members. We hired a boat for one hour. While the boat was almost in the center of that river I found lots of trash flowing in the water too. After that I noticed that my parents, my relatives are throwing some trashes into the water. I know they were doing it without thinking, but when they will understand that this is wrong. Kaptai is one of the most important and beautiful places of Chittagong. It is important because we get electricity from the water of Kaptai and beautiful because of its indescribable green hills, features, and unique nature. It is the precious heritage of our country and we are using it as our dustbin. Whenever I think about this I can predict the devastating future of Bangladesh.



Today the world is very demanding. Everyone wants to create their identity and is concerned about their personal gain. In Bangladesh people are mostly respected for their status instead of their talents. Even in the case of marriage, parents prefer a boy from a renowned family with whom their daughter will be happy. To build a status in this society people need money and for the security of their money or property people are destroying environment. To illustrate in Bangladesh now we have money, but in future we might not have. For this insecurity people build apartments. That means our country is overpopulated and accommodation has become the most important issue in our country. As a result, people give their house to others on rent. Most of the high profiled people are securing their property in this way. If they would face any problem in their business or lose a large amount of money, there would be a source to earn money or to survive. Even middle class people also try to be the owner of at least one apartment, because of their daughter’s marriage. Though dowry is illegal in our country, still people are bound to give dowry because of their daughter’s happy and secure future. People are surrounded with many kinds of problems, which cannot be neglected. However, can we not think of any alternative way to save our environment? If we are cutting trees to build our houses, we can make a small garden on our rooftop or around our house. If we have a land we can grow vegetables there and sell those vegetables. It can also be a source to earn money.



If we would only show the problems we have, we cannot reach any solution. There is a great proverb, “Where there is will, there is a way.” If in actual way we care about our environment, we will find the solution to save our environment. For this our Government can help us to a great extent. I am concerned about my community, the people living in this community. I am concerned, when they will realize what they are doing. I have changed myself totally. Now, I do not throw trashes which I used to do before. And I know others start to realize their own role in destroying and protecting our environment and will follow me soon.

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