In the Grand Outdoors

All of us think we own the grand outdoors, don’t we? When we step out in to the wilderness, outskirts which are sparsely populated, along lonely river banks and in stretches where there is nothing but trees for miles, we have this notion that we can do as we please. There does not seem to be any etiquette attached to the place and the question of ‘What is the Etiquette of This Place?’, does not crop up.

Yet, here are a few questions to ask yourself, especially if you are working towards becoming full of etiquette in 2023:

01.Can you keep the air as fresh as you found it? – Whether it is you chugging at a cigar or your vehicle emitting lots of toxic fumes, no one appreciates it, least of all, the trees. Minimise all emissions and do what is only essential.

02.Since it is bio degradable, is it alright to throw it? – Throwing plastic wrappers is an unsightly habit which is prohibited and needs no further emphasis. My focus here is more about the food waste – some people think it is alright to throw the leftovers to the side of the street or the foot of a tree, but it is not. The food starts to rot and smell and anyone else who wants to use that space will suffer.

03.Must the world be your wash basin? Have you seen how often people just yank open a shutter, stick a bottle out and wash their hands? A tarred road can take it – maybe, but it’s not a suitable practice everywhere. Do people walk past? Would it make the area muddy? Am I washing off a lot of food or dirt that will make the place dirty or is it just a few crumbs? Consider asking yourself these last few questions before you turn the world into your wash basin.

04.Should you crank up the music? If it is a quiet locality and/ or is supposedly rich in fauna, you should probably keep your crackling voice and the music to low decibels. This sounds hypocritical coming from me, as I have the loudest and most embarrassing laugh my friends have ever heard – it is in my list of resolutions to keep it at lower tones when necessary; wish me luck.

05.Do you act like it is your backyard? Just because there is a lot of free space and not many people seem to be around, does not mean that you can act, behave, hog space and live as though it belongs to you. Stick to a sensible place, use up only the space needed for the group and avoid being a nuisance to the locals in the area or others who visit.

2023 has a nice number of long weekends which we Sri Lankans absolutely adore. The country is stunning and has so much diversity that no one can get bored of it. Enjoy the grand outdoors while sticking to your resolution for the year!

P.S.: All the places in the collage were taken by the writer in Sri Lanka and they are totally free of edits