Lesson in a tin can

I make the journey into Doncaster town centre several times each week. I try whenever possible to walk into town rather than use the car. My normal route takes me across Town Fields, a 94 acre green site not far from the town centre. Generally speaking, it is a pleasant experience walking across Town Fields. One thing which I almost always have to face, however, is finding empty drink cans scattered around. On some occasions, by the time I reach the far side of Town Fields I am loaded down with cans I have collected on the way!

Apart from the fact that litter is one of my pet hates, I am concerned that when the grass is cut, any cans lying around are likely to get mangled up in the cutters, with the result that serrated cans are left lying around which children (or adults) could well cut themselves on. My journey across Town Fields one day this week happened to be the day when the grass was being cut. As I took my normal route across the newly cut grass, I came across several bits of can which had been cut up by the grass cutter, leaving behind dangerous jagged pieces of metal. I collected any I came across, but no doubt others were left behind.

There are plenty of bins around Town Fields, but for whatever reason many people seem to ignore them and cast their cans away without thinking of the consequences. Perhaps it is simply an illustration of the lack of concern for other people which sometimes seems to be a mark of modern society. "Look after yourself first" is a message we often hear. How different from the message of the Bible: 'Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.' (Philippians 2.4)