Why don't people do more to help society?

[Calmnesspersonified]

I just went for a walk and it got me thinking about why people don't do more to help society. It's been raging on my local community facebook groups about why the paths aren't gritted (it's been really icy here) but there's no way that the council can do even a tiny percentage of all of them.

I grit my estate every time it's icy and don't understand why more people don't do the same. If everyone just adopted their street and made sure it was gritted in the ice and kept free of litter a huge proportion of the country would be litter free and navigable in the ice. I know that some couldn't get involved e.g. the elderly, people working crazy hours, some disabilities etc but millions more could.

Even if there's no nearby grit bin, a bag of grit doesn't cost a fortune and many people can afford a few pounds (I'm well aware some can't and that's understandable). Litter pickers can be as cheap as £2 and are often available for free from town councils. Sacks often are too.

It doesn't even have to take more than a few minutes. It took about 3 minutes to grit my road this morning. I went to the dentist on Monday and got there 15 minutes early. I picked up half a sack of rubbish outside while I waited (instead of playing on my phone like everyone else in the waiting room).

There's so many ways to help. Listen to readers at a local school, offer to take your neighbours kids/dog for a walk to give them an hour free, volunteer to go into a care home to talk to someone who doesn't get visitors, slip a fiver through the letter box of someone you know is struggling, give a fiver to the food bank, litter pick, grit your road etc. Why don't people do more. People say they don't have time but so many spend hours on their phone or watching TV.

I'm certainly no bloody angel but I couldn't sit back and do nothing to help my town. Why don't people do more?

Because I have loads going on in my life and when I get free time, I want to relax or see my partner and children. I do money, but I really don’t want to give my time.

I do DONATE money

You don't have 3 minutes to grit your road or 5 minutes to pick up litter on your road. I'm sure you do.

Doesn't even need to be every day.

Some of us work for a living.

I don't have any grit.

I don’t want to spend my free time doing that... even 3 minutes. 😉

You win!

So do I. Full time. But I still manage to think about the bigger picture and not just about myself.

So you don't mind if your elderly neighbour or a small kid breaks their ankle?

⭐️ for you, although you have probably made yourself one already. 😂

YABU For pontificating about it here.

My husband cleared the snow and gritted our road twice this week.
I gritted it once too.

But the rest of the time no one has done anything which is fine.

I've got winter tyres fitted to my car so it doesnt really affect us anyway.

It's annoying. Because if everyone just put a bit of grit outside their house it would clear the whole road. And we do have grit bins near out house that are full of grit.

But YABU- cos grit is expensive.

It only goes so far. We could only grit so much cos of the huge council bins near out house.

I have no idea if it’s an urban myth but I have often heard of you grit your drive or path and the postman sips and breaks his neck he can sue you but if you leave it as nature has allowed it and he slips, it’s his fault?

Please correct me! 😀

No need to be a complete arse. I don't tell anybody I know that I do these things and don't need anything for it. It's just the right thing to do as I'm not a selfish prick who can walk past litter outside my own front door etc and do nothing about it.

Slips!

Finding, buying, storing grit all takes time and energy. Getting it all out including a spade every morning. Then you only have a tiny bit of time and can't lug all the grit backwards and forwards, so it seems pointless gritting a tiny bit when either side stays icy. Also people think that the council grit stuff so it's not on their radar. There are also a hundred things people need to do that only take a bit of time and money. It's the effort/energy that's in short supply.

But that's exactly the point. If everyone just did the bit directly outside their front door, huge areas would be fine.

Rather than donate money I buy and give back a lot to charity shops.
Today for example I bought 3 books from the local chazza which I'll read and return at a later date for them to sell again.

I win, the chazza wins, everyone wins.

That's my contribution.

Well, my nearest neighbour is about a 15 minute walk away. But no, I have no desire to grit roads, litter pick, child mind and walk dogs for random people.

Wasn't there some stupidity regarding people doing this being liable to be sued if someone still has an accident, Councils stating they are the only ones who are legally covered to do gritting, etc.?

I agree with you OP people used to do their bit, litter pick, grit, clear snow but somehow but it died a death with people fearing they could be liable for all sorts of nonsense courtesy of the no win no fee, where's there's blame there's a claim mob or people complaining that those volunteers weren't doing a good enough job, moaning, etc. Little wonder people don't want to put themselves out and we all lose out because of it.

All this happens in my lovely village. I have disabilities but had to go out in the ice one day, as I was involved in interviews. When I came back my neighbour had cleared and gritted my drive.

But that tiny bit might mean someone doesn't break an ankle.

How many hours of volunteering fo you do a week, every week?
May not be as much as me!

Who in turn may not be doing as much as another person.

Easy to do one upmanship isnt it?!

No. I don't.

I'm also disabled. But even if I wasn't I don't have time to pick up litter in my street.

I already pick litter out of my front drive

There is no grit bin in my street. Where would the grit be stored? How would I be expected to get the grit? Where from?

Awww lovely. Glad to know it's noy like my town everywhere.