It's easy not to care...

"Responsibility:  A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one's neighbor.  In the days of astrology it was customary to unload it upon a star." 
~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

I currently live in a house of 5 other individuals. We each have our own bedroom and share a kitchen, living room, and two bathrooms. Although we have the shared space (and lots of it) it rarely gets used....the tv remote is dusty and the dining table has never had a plate laid upon it.

I know why I live here...I have been a drifter for years now with very little money to my name and no ability to commit to a long term lease...in lamest terms I rent a room, and so does everyone else in this house. The strange thing is though that I feel none of them need to live here. One is a doctor, one an IT guy, a teacher, a government worker, and an administrative assistant. With the exception of the doctor, none of them are necessarily rich but don't need to be living in these conditions. Not to say that these conditions are terrible but who would choose to live their lives in a room when they could afford a place of their own or a simple flatshare with like minded individuals?

Today I set foot in the bathroom I use and discovered the tub was clogged. I figured I would unclog the tub and while at it clean the rest of the bathroom. I did notice that it wasn't in the cleanest state when I moved in but didn't think too much of it. I proceeded to clean out the drain and discovered what seemed to be several months build up of grime, hair, and who knows what stuck in there. The floor of tub also had a layer of thick grime that a took two sponges and heavy cleaner to remove. The rest of the bathroom was in a similar condition. Obviously it is impossible to tell how long it had been since the bathroom had been cleaned.

I have lived in tight living situations before, heck my previous flat before this one had 4 people including myself and it got dirty quickly but never had it reached this point. The difference there was that we all lived together, knew each other, and actually lived in our flat as opposed to just sleeping there. Needless to say I was a bit upset about the state of the bathroom and that I have barely lived here 2 weeks and already I am cleaning up after others.

Then I realised why people choose to live in these type of dwellings.....lack of responsibility. No one is incharge of anything....the toilet paper ran out? Someone else will replace it.....something not working? Someone else will fix it....and the list goes on. When did we stop caring about where we live? The same concept can be applied to our neighbourhood, our city, our country....heck even our world...very few people are proud any more....very few care....and those who do are up against an army of those who don't.