Agreed. Your agency and the tragedy of the commons are in conflict.
I researched my feelings when not picking up some trash:
- disgust towards the thing
- disgust towards the person who („)lost(“) it
- grateful that the city will clean it for me
- doubt if I didn‘t delegate too much power to them.
Where I'm from we've got some kind of social aptitude that allows us to delegate and not convey too much power.
Too bad you guys don't have that.
Well, I can standup at the town hall meeting and yell at them. But not for cleaning. They‘re doing that very well. So well that you don‘t even feel much that some people are not brought up cleanly.
Public cleaning should address difficult situations that need special equipment, like removing a lot of leaves and dust after a storm, to avoid obstruction of manholes. Or empty the public litter bins.
Until years ago, it was absolutely normal for my grandfather to cut the grass on the side of the public road in front of the house. Or for farmers to keep the ditches near the fields clean, to allow good irrigation when needed.
They were grateful for what they had and gave some help back.
If everyone does this, we have an orderly and efficient environment.
But nobody does that today.
The problem is not the 'government', it is the lazy people, the same people who ultimately build the government itself. And we are all a bit lazy, so I think improving our personal attitude is the best action to help us as a community.
