“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” ― John Wooden

During my walks with Bella the Wonderdog I think of John Wooden’s quote because I so often see rubbish and garbage strewn along the side of the road. And I wonder what possible excuse anyone can have for littering.

I also understand there are many vile, stupid and uncaring things we do when we don’t think anyone is watching. I’ve come to the conclusion that too many of us Americans are spoiled, ignorant and uncaring about doing the right things just because they are the right things to do.

Sometimes, because we don’t engage in critical thinking, don’t connect the dots and don’t pay attention, our behavior eventually is costly to us.
Besides the example of littering, which most folks seem to believe is no big deal, here are some other examples:

• People who do not spay or neuter their dogs or cats. Anyone who works in animal shelters will tell you we’ve had an explosion in the pet population that could be avoided if we just did the right thing. Besides practicing birth control, we could only take in rescue pets and let “puppy mills” and stores die on the vine.

• We consume water in plastic bottles that do little more than contribute to our massive pollution problem and threaten wildlife. We also don’t seem to care about obtaining our water far cheaper by taking it from our wells and then making the containers cold in the refrigerator.

• We purchase T-shirts and sweatshirts that advertise such clothing manufacturing giants as Abercrombie & Fitch, Hilliker, Hollister and Old Navy. Because we and our children are walking and talking billboards for these brands, they should pay us, or at least let us pay nothing for the privilege of wearing them.

• Very few of us adhere to speed limits, so much that cops have almost given up on corralling speeders, except for the most egregious offenders. Whatever happened to the notion that “speed kills?”

• We passively have given in to marketing and advertising experts who have persuaded us to “enjoy” commercials while watching the Super Bowl and to stand in line and get up early to save a few bucks on Black Friday, a circus that didn’t even exist until the 1980s.

• Far too many of us use cell phones and engage in texting while driving our cars or trucks. Virtually every study on this issue reveals such behavior as dangerous to ourselves, and even worse, to others who share the road and are innocent of such a crime.

• We passively have grown to accept outrageous prices charged for food and drink while we are attending overpriced venues such as Disney World and professional and major college sports spectacles. We could instead be just as entertained and fed while sitting at home watching TV.

• The most recent acceptance of the obnoxious and annoying is with fireworks, which some people who care not a whit about the rest and relaxation of you of your dog while making childish and frightening noises.

I so often see complaints on Facebook about how “Kids these days ain’t got no respect” and about the dumb things a tiny fraction of them do, such as eat Tide Pods. After reviewing the above lists of boorish, foolish and disrespectful behavior, I have no doubt where they got such crazy ideas.