I’d love to clean the world up but I just can’t stand the stink

Garbage dumps have their own particular aroma. It is quite distinct from that of a junkyard. Both smells differ greatly from the stink of dead fish on a hot sandy beach. There is nothing quite like the stench of an abattoir, which is different again from that of an idling Diesel locomotive.

The world is a smelly place. Some places, like those described, are repulsive; our nasal sense is one that is so keen that it can actually prevent us from approaching certain areas. Other places, like forests or waterfalls, are refreshing and attractive, drawing us in and restoring us.

We humans are far more often generators of unpleasant stenches rather than lovely aromas. Factories, power generating stations, waste processing facilities and numerous other activities are often dirty places that repulse more than they attract. We are polluting our earth at an alarming pace, one that is already beginning to have dire consequences.

There are ways to make things better. In the past few years, paint manufacturers have made great strides in reducing the smell of their product. It’s not just about how the paint smells. The smell is a result of powerful, harmful chemicals being released into the air. Manufacturers have reduced greatly the use of these substances so that painting is less stinky and more healthy than it ever was before. Similarly, many factories and power generating stations have introduced scrubbers and other devices to ensure that the workers within the plants have safe air to breathe while at the same time less pollution is released into the air outside.

The world is still a stinky, messy place. There is a a lot of work to be done in order to restore it to its pristine beauty and wholeness. It is dirty work in some cases, work that requires us to get directly involved with the stink and mess that litters the side of the roads or pollutes a river bank. When an oil spill destroys a habitat and puts the lives of its residents at risk there is no choice but to pick up a dirty, stinky duck and carefully, lovingly wash it clean. It may be an affront to the senses, but it is nothing compared to the affront to nature of our dangerous, dirty lifestyle choices.

At times it’s not the physical world, but our emotional and personal world that is stinky and smell. We ourselves might smell from our unhealthy and unholy way of living. We may bear the stench of putrefaction from the death of our hopes and dreams. We may carry the smell of guilt and shame from our poor choices. Our lives, in short, might just stink.

When we’re in this situation we often don’t realize the mess we are in, but we are more than capable of pointing out the bad smell of the person next to us. They in turn might be oblivious to their own personal situation, but have clear insight into ours. We have the choice to avoid the smell that we just can’t stand, or we can hold our noses and figure out if there is a way to help. Without passing judgment, without adopting a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude, we can help identify the source of our mutually offending aromas and together figure out a way to help each other and ourselves.

What applies to our personal lives applies to our world as well. Perhaps all it takes is holding our breath and stepping into the stench. Perhaps a little more preparation is required. It may take a full HASMAT suit in order to clean up certain messes. The sooner we get over our personal offence and start cleaning things up, the sooner we will be able to forget the stink and enjoy the sweet smell of success.