 |
|
| If
you're coming for a ride in my car, don't ask if you can light up. If we're heading
inside somewhere, don't expect me to wait out in the cold while you grab a few more drags.
And don't ask me to go out of my way to Quick Chek just so you can grab a pack of
Marlboro Lights. What's my problem? Why am I not willing to budge when it comes to your neverending need for nictotine? Well, I think smoking cigarettes is just plain wrong. I don't smoke, and I don't plan to start. It's a habit that has no redeeming values whatsoever. Given, it is a habit, and I feel the pain for people who honestly want to quit. But for those who smoke, love it, and don't see the err in their ways, I think that they need serious help. Smoking just isn't cool. You've seen the commercials, you've heard the lectures in health class. You know it's bad for you. Yet, for some reason, intelligent people continue to smoke! I'm not going to attempt to delve into all the psychological reasons why this is so, because I wouldn't know where or how to start. But I do know this--smokers are deliberately inconsiderate of others. Not only that, I think that people who smoke are simply weak. How can I go and make such a sweeping statement about anyone who puffs on some ground tobacco rolled in paper? Some of my best friends smoke. I've watched them start, borrowing a cigarette here and there. Soon they're asking someone for a butt whenever the chance comes up. And then they're picking up a whole pack when we go to 7-11 to get cherry Slurpee's. I see it as a weakness. They need cigarettes to relax, or to relieve stress. They need something to put in their hands. They can't stand to go 2 hours without inhaling something besides oxygen. I can get by without the crutch of cigarettes. Somehow, I missed the boat and never got hooked. I'm not complaining. Sometimes, as I'm sitting with seven of my best friends at the diner I wonder why they do it. I try to enjoy a chocolate milkshake, but clouds of carbon monoxide and tar invade my lungs. I come home and I have to take a shower to get the smell out of my hair. Why? I think the world would be a better place if cigarettes just went the way of slap bracelets and parachute pants. There's no reason it couldn't become a passing fad as smokers everywhere stop and wonder why they're paying $3.50 a pack to kill themelves. We would cut down on endless litter (is there more gum or cigarette butts on the sidewalks?), salvage billions of dollars in healthcare, and save lives. Or we could just keep smoking our brains out for a worthless buzz. So, as you're looking around here at exit 13,
do me favor. Please don't smoke--for your good and mine. |
|
- leigh13, 03.15.99 |
|
