Good day to all members of the ecotrain community and to all my friends on hive. It's my first time writing in this community and I'm super glad that I'm writing for a good cause and most especially, that the community welcomes absolutely anyone. I guess I'm welcome here then...🙂
So, I came across this community about three days ago on a person's blog that I can't quite remember but I sure loved the idea of the community and decides to join. Although season 8 question has been answered, I still wish to share my opinion on the QOTW which is centered on action.
As the question asks: "What is your best action?"
According to the oxford learner's dictionary, action is defined as the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim. An example would be that all civil servants engage in a strike for the cause of salary increment. The strike in such a situation is termed an action. So, in its simplest terms, one can understand that action is when an effort is made to often improve a situation.
Design created from canva app.
Personally, I believe that taking action is the solution to the many challenging issues facing our societies today. But as we all know, not all action produces effective results. Some do not produce results at all and we do not often blame those who took the action. Rather, we blame their lack of understanding towards the issue that may have required a different solution. That is because different problem require different approach. For example, the approach used in tackling a government that oppresses its citizens is not the same approach to be used in tackling a case of domestic violence.
That being said, an important issue I will bring to answer the QOTW is environmental pollution. Environmental pollution has adversely affected our existence on the surface of the earth since time immemorial. We have seen cases of refuse dumps being littered on the streets and oil spillage in water. But an important case that I find really disturbing at this point is the black soot that affects the southeastern region of my country, Nigeria.
It gets embarrassing that one day you could get smartly dressed for school with neatly ironed shirt and on your way, you find people starring at you awkwardly. You begin to feel weird and then go ahead to check yourself only to realize that your shirt has black particles all over it. You can imagine the anger and frustration that you would feel, most likely to ruin your day. But now, imagine if the same soot that ruined your shirt is the same that caused a loved one to suffer a respiratory disease. How would you feel?
That answers the question you have in mind, to say that black soot is as deadly as every other disease. For some that may not know, black soot is often as a result of abattoirs burning tyres, heating of asphalt and even burning cowhide for leather in the open air. Technically, it is a byproduct of incomplete combustion of carbon in the air.
Around where my grandma lives, the area is mostly covered with dark clouds and that is still as a result of the same black soot. During the COVID-19 outbreak last year when countries were locked down and movement was restricted, lots of people who were of the working class had to stay home and they also got affected by the black soot. People in the vicinity often suffered irritation to the eyes, nose and throat and that made them fall Ill.
The ignorant citizens often thought it was an issue that could be managed until a certain young girl of age 16 was diagnosed with bronchitis. Prior to the lockdown, she was without any health issues until she came in contact with the black soot which according to the doctor's result, was the cause of her ill health.
Her family was forced to move to another vicinity, far away from the area and she was also forced to change to another college and again, to live with the respiratory disease for the rest of her life.
Her story went viral and people became more cautious about their health, wearing masks and cleaning all surfaces at short intervals. The young girl's family took the state's government to court and with a good lawyer, the case was won and her family was paid heavily for damages.
The incident also caused a change, such that the residents of the community took a stand to peaceful protest and the government was responsive. At the moment, the government are working towards moving the refineries to a place far from citizen residence and recently, they have been working with the citizens to punish all defaulters that engage in any venture that results in releasing black soot in the air.
From the whole story, I learnt that the best action to take is the right action. Imagine if the action taken was signing petitions online and not moving out to the streets to protest, maybe this result wouldn't have been achieved. So, I believe what goes is different strokes for different problems. But for this prevalent issue and a couple of other societal problems, taking a stand by calling it out when you see it is the best action and that is fighting physically with your voice and with the law.
In as much as I acknowledge standing up for our rights as the best way to action, I also encourage people to read, learn and also spread the word about the dangers of environmental hazards and the effects of any other challenging situation.
I end by saying that all societal issues are as important as the issues we face in our homes. We do not have to wait for it to be a home problem before we can speak up to the truth. Being humane also means being concerned with the welfare of others even when you are in good shape and that's what makes us a big family regardless of race and social status.
Thank you to @ecotrain and @charleywhittall for organizing this beautiful for the QOTW as it has taught me to reflect on issues that needs more attention. I hope you all can join in the next edition already published. Do have a good night rest.