“It is the worst of times but it is the best of times because we still have a chance.”

– Sylvia Earle

Empathy has always come easy to me and it has come to me in the most bizarre manner possible.

The fast paced nature of our times has opened us up to a myriad of information through means of social media. Often times we find ourselves succumbing to this global nexus of unsolicited, unwarranted information but with the ability to tell right from wrong, this extensively built network can come in handy.

Plastic pollution is a menace in today’s time and I attribute my knowledge of the same to social media. All major news broadcasters have taken to this digital realm to equip their readers with the dangers of plastic pollution to biotic life. It poses a direct threat to sea turtles and other marine life, killing them by thousands. Harrowing images and videos of aquatic animals entangled in plastic films make for a daily appearance on the news feeds of countless people across the globe.

I happen to be one amongst many to witness the ordeal on my mobile screen, hoping against all hope for their suffering to come to an end. One gut wrenching video in particular held me in deep contemplation for days on end and helped strengthen my resolve to substantially reduce the consumption of single use plastic.

This viral video showed scientists pulling out a four-inch plastic straw from the nostril of an Olive Ridley turtle. The graphic heralded such a revolution within me that three months hence, I can proudly say that I, in my individual capacity and beyond, have worked an inordinate amount in order to significantly reduce the consumption of single use plastic in my daily routine and there is still a long way that lies ahead of me.

I started small by introducing a Bring Your Own Mug campaign on my college campus and with due support from my council, within a few months time, we were successful in phasing out plastic straws, containers and lids. Alongside, I started carrying a steel water bottle at all times and absolutely refrained from buying packaged drinking water. While these were baby steps that required the bare minimum, switching to some rather unconventional means of everyday living, took a little getting used to.

It is important to note here that selective empathy is a phenomenon central to the problem of plastic pollution. In a bid to lay massive emphasis on reducing the consumption of plastic straws, people tend to overlook its equally harmful counterparts, plastic cutlery, plastic toothbrushes, plastic packaging, to name a few.

I tried to account for this inherent bias by carrying cutlery of my own. On select occasions it felt like an exercise in futility, when instead of emulating my habit of enjoying street side delicacies in a steel tiffin box, friends, acquaintances and strangers stood and gaped wide-mouthed, murmuring in soft undertones of loud sarcasm. It was on days like these when my spirit would crush under the weight of judgment and apathy but the alarming frequency of horrid videos and ghastly images on my social media feed helped me to stay undeterred.

I had to reiterate to myself that I alone can set the world ablaze with my light and put thousands even millions to flight.

This is to say, that my journey en route freedom from plastic has not been an easy one.

It has conjured a riot of emotions within me, both good and bad but what was essential was to not lose sight of your goal. The journey is a perennial one and I am a novice traveler, experiencing the worst of times and the best of times because there is still a chance and dear god am I exploiting it to the most of its potential!

About The Author:

Lakshita Arora is a fresh Business Economics graduate from Gargi College, University of Delhi and is currently serving as a Risk Analyst at Deloitte. An avid reader and an accidental writer, she resigns to the Kafka-esque realm to detox. Urdu poetry, Theatre and Economics pique her interest and hold her imagination captive. Empathy is both her greatest friend and her deadliest foe. A peace-maker in the making, she wishes to create visible impact.

Watch the Sea Turtle video here.