A FEW days ago, I was walking downstairs at my apartment building when I felt a sharp pain on my left shoulder.
I realised a half-empty bottle of soft drink had fallen from upstairs and landed on me.
Perhaps, I need to rephrase that.
A half-empty bottle of soft drink was thrown out by an irresponsible resident from one of the balconies upstairs and I found myself in its path.
Sounds a lot worse now, does it not?
Unfortunately, this is the reality we live in. We may be living in the 21st century with the latest gadgets and technology one can dream of, but our attitude when it comes to the concept of responsibility, is down in the pits and definitely behind the times.
I am appalled when I reflected on my recent experience because I cannot believe that people still have the audacity to do such a thing, seeing that it has caused so much damage.
Perhaps you might recall the tragic death of a 15-year-old boy at the Seri Pantai People’s Housing Project in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year.
The teenager and his mother were returning home from grocery shopping when the unthinkable happened: they were about to enter their block when he was struck by a large object.
The object turned out to be an office chair, which was thrown out from an upper-floor window. The boy was killed at the scene.
Although it has been half a year since it happened, the culprit has yet to be found and the victim’s loved ones are left mourning his death.
What will it take for us to realise how serious a problem this is?
How many more deaths will it take for us to comprehend the grave danger of high-rise littering?
We call ourselves adults, but do we really act like we are?
We call ourselves educated, but do we really act like we are?
We call ourselves civilised, but do we really act like we are?
It is getting tiresome, really.
Words cannot describe how horrifyingly shocking this is.
Why the need to throw junk out of your window or balcony?
Do you not have rubbish bins and chutes at home, and on your floors or blocks?
Why the sick need to litter as you wish?
I have lived in a few apartments, and this issue has always been the most prominent one that plagues residents who are on the receiving end — the ones living at the lower floors.
These residents are faced with an ever-growing collection of rubbish and junk, thrown down by residents living above them whenever they open their doors or windows.
It is one thing when it is littering, but it is a whole new ball game when it ends up injuring someone.
The teenager’s death is ample proof of how big a problem this is.
I am blaming this entirely on the lack of education and awareness among people, regardless of age and background.
When society lacks civic-mindedness, issues like high-rise littering will surface. Most of the ones who are guilty of throwing junk out of their window have one thing in common: they are blissfully unaware of how their ignorance is affecting others around them.
It seems to make sense because the ones who are doing it do not need to deal with the pile of junk at their doorstep each day.
To make matters worse, it is nearly impossible to find the culprit, especially when the suspect pool spans hundreds of people. This in turn leads many of them to believe that it is okay to do what they do because the worry of getting caught is almost non-existent.
Enough is enough.
We have done so much damage as it is — this has to stop.
It is high time we came to terms with the gravity of the situation, and figure out a way to do something about it before more people end up getting hurt, or worse, killed.
Ashley Greig, a lecturer at Sunway College, is a Malaysian-born Eurasian with Scottish/Japanese/Indian lineage. She believes in a tomorrow where there is no racism and hatred