Have the broader picture in mind

little confinement.
The car had to be clean simple.
This woman is not the only one. There are many people in their own different ways that do not see beyond their nose. They only deal with the immediate without stopping to think beyond the present.
They do not have the broader picture in mind. As the book of Hosea Chapter 4:6 says “My people perish/are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Sounds true when you think of what happens in our little worlds and the world in general. It is therefore not surprising that a person throws out garbage from a moving vehicle or dumps it in undesignated places. He or she does not stop to think of the long term negative impact on the environment or on public health. Think of all the cholera and typhoid outbreaks that gobble up unbudgeted resources and gives the country a poor image.
Imagine the lives that would have been saved with foresight starting from that micro level.
The story does not end there. Look at how the fences along the highways have been removed to fence off small and at times not so productive gardens. These fences were erected to stop cattle from straying onto the road. The cost to human life and assets is far greater than we can measure.
Consider what has happened to our traffic lights. I have heard that the lights are used for disco equipment and the metal components to make pots. I really have no clue why people vandalise the lights but they do so for selfish reasons. I have seen metal frames on bridges cut off and shelters at bus stops destroyed. Surely people, is this what the search for survival has done to us?
There are people who do not know what to do with themselves when they are excited. They go about destroying things for the sake of it. What really do you get at the end of the day? Do you even stop to think of the impact that has on development? The actions that give you five to thirty minutes excitement affect the whole nation for years.
It steals years of progress from the current generation and those to come. A nation cannot move forward for it has to keep pouring money into the same thing over and over again. I have seen students on strike throwing stones that shutter windows of buildings and overturning cars. When all is over they have to go back to the same college and use those same buildings. All this is done in a moment of madness but its consequences are far reaching.
I have also heard stories of similar mishaps in cases of domestic violence. There are cases where property is destroyed as the aggrieved breaks windows, bashes cars and even kills a child to hurt the other part. What a shame really. Self control is a virtue.
In rural areas there are people who plough through a road and with erosion the road gradually becomes unusable. The furrow will slowly turn into a big gully. In the end many people are inconvenienced as they cannot get their produce to the market, the sick cannot go to hospital and movement is curtailed.
If you extend a helping hand to a person in need you can help to restore hope and provide encouragement to someone and maybe impact the whole family.
There are people who let their cattle onto the fields of other villagers as pay back for a wrong or out of jealous. By so doing such a person cannot see beyond his/her anger. The fuller picture shows that this not only puts a strain on relationships but also affects food sufficiency of the family and also contributes to the overall national deficit.
It is important to stop and ponder over your next move. Think of the impact of that move on you tomorrow and on your great grandchild. Your action can result in a curse that condemns even the unborn.
Some of the trouble that we find ourselves in is of our own making. We do not do the right thing at the right time. It is sad that we tend to be blind to our own misdemeanours and focus on what others are doing or not doing. It is important to always think of how much your actions or inaction have contributed to the problem at hand. It would therefore be foolhardy to complain of poor service delivery if you are not paying your rates or vice versa.
To me it is a vicious cycle whatever you do feeds into the other. Your actions can either feed or break the cycle.
If you are troubled by the levels of corruption then stop paying the bribe. If lies irk you then tell the truth even on your cell phone. By so doing you would have the bigger picture of the world that you want to see. If you pioneer and take the right way someone else might follow suit until the influence spreads to as many people as possible.
The Bible says a foolish woman destroys her home with her own hands. Let me hasten to say that this is not only referring to women but to anyone who is foolish enough to destroy those things that benefit him or her. I recall a story told by a pastor in a sermon a long time ago. The woman, it was said, was lazy and therefore did not go out to fetch firewood like the rest of the women in the village. So every time she ran out of firewood she would go for her wardrobe starting with the legs, then the shelves, the doors until the whole unit was gone.
The things that we do or not do no matter how small have an impact, which can either, be positive or negative. Every time you do something or fail to do that thing, think about how that helps to create those things that you resent. The idea is not to point fingers but to take responsibility for your actions.
Remember it is important to always have the broader picture at the back of your mind. It will guide your step and help you to make that difference to your world.