“As the twig is bent so the tree inclines.”

“As the twig is bent so the tree inclines.” I am sure that most of us have been in forests and seen the deformation of trees through some quirk of nature. This saying, however, refers to the forming of character in the young. If their cultural environment does not teach them aesthetic values, chances are that they will grow up to be litter bugs.

I want to share an article from one of my magazines. The title of it is Little and Culture. Here are some excerpts-'It is necessary to cultivate the aesthetic sense of the individual. He must be made aware at an early age of the personal value of orderly arrangement and neatness as constituting a form of harmony and beauty. Those things must not be an imposition or a discipline exclusively. Rather, their advantages should be made known to the individual. Their satisfaction should be taught, their advantages should be made known to the individual. Their satisfaction should be taught, by contrast, to what is ugly, disheveled, and disordered. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder is a truism. If one at an early age is exposed to certain environmental conditions that provide sensual satisfactions and is told that this is beautiful, he will gradually accept such as an ideal of beauty.

One who has cultivated a love of the symmetry and harmony of nature and the orderliness of his surroundings will not be guilty of littering, simply because he does not want to offend himself, realizing the self is related to his environment.’

The foregoing is rather deep, I suppose, but it does reflect on the one who litters. As the season approaches when there is a lot of surplus wrappings and those who indulge in liquid refreshments will be in their heyday, why not pause and asky yourself, ‘If the Christ should come to earth to celebrate His Birthday would I be willing for Him to know that I am guilty of this mess?”