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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesWANT TO GET A FRIDGE, STOVE OR WASHING MACHINE?

WANT TO GET A FRIDGE, STOVE OR WASHING MACHINE?

There is a new place in the territory to get a stove, refrigerator or washing machine. It is next to each garbage dumpster.
This collection of used appliances is a major eyesore and it tells a lot about us as a people. The "throwaway" society in which we live bears out the point that we consume and discard. No effort is made to repair and retain. More effort is made each day to replace broken appliances, than is made to restore broken homes.
The unsightly mess gives anyone concerned, a good insight into who we are, and how we think. Over the years, I have been involved in many clean-up campaigns and there have been many educational opportunities for one to learn about the proper disposal of garbage, but like most things in life, what you see is what you understand, and what you understand becomes your way of life.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with a couple who visited many condominium associations in search of a unit. They said they were interested in a waterside unit. The Realtor had carefully selected three units for them to see, but the first unit they visited was in such a mess, that they did not bother to look at anymore at that complex.
This must be the impression one gets when he or she visit the islands and see our trash all over the place. Why would anyone want to live in a place where there is trash all over? Why can't we make it clean, and keep it clean.?
There are examples all over the world, and certainly here in the Caribbean, where we can copy the way trash is handled. Every community has trash, but some are better at handling it than others. Some of my Rotarian Colleagues will be traveling to Singapore this month, and I am sure on the tip of their tongues when they return, will be stories about cleanliness of that tropical paradise.
There is a saying that "cleanliness is next to Godliness"
What do these appliances really say?
Editors' note: Christopher E. Brathwaite is a local businessman and author.

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