People define the term sacred differently, but I talk to a lot of people about what nature means to them and I hear a lot of them describe it as sacred. I understand them to mean it’s spiritual, divine, not to compromise on.

Recently I came across a word for the first time in a while that hit me as appropriate for pollution, deforestation, and the various other things we’re doing that lower Earth’s ability to sustain life: Profane.

Since then, I think of the word and concept while picking up litter in particular, and while considering what we’re doing the environment in general. As with sacred, you can define profane differently, but I think most people’s definitions will include pollution.

I share the idea in case you consider yourself religious, spiritual, or the like. If so, do you see litter and pollution as profane? Do the concepts of litter and pollution hit you differently when you identify them as profane? Does seeing, say, packaged food as profane change your likelihood to accept and eat it? Does seeing how people treat nature as profane make you see and treat it as more sacred?

What does profanity mean to you in the context of how humans treat nature today? How should we treat it?

Is this picture of something profane?

Or this one?

Sadly, I could show you hundreds more.

For a while the words that such images recalled were disgust, irresponsible , addiction, doof, and a few others. Profane has made the list, sadly. I prefer less profanity in nature.

• ← My brief conversation with someone smoking crack by Washington Square Park, next door to Babbo, with a twist at the end.
• 529: Katie Redford, part 2: No distractions. Keeping oil in the ground. →