Clean Restrooms, Thriving Community.

I can think of no better way to spend time than traveling. Meeting different people from all over the world.  It is arguably the tightest thread woven into the fabric of our existence - our desire to explore.  It can be life changing. And it doesn't have to be far. It's just the experience.

What I didn’t foresee following my recent trip to Spain, however, was my takeaway - what I would remember about my travels.  In this case, as odd as it sounds, it was the bathrooms.  Of all things to remember about my travels through Spain, I remembered the toilets.  The outhouses at the beach bars, the closet like bathrooms in the mom and pop restaurants and the apartment size bathrooms, perfectly located throughout the five star establishments.  What I noticed was that everywhere I went the restrooms were clean.  Everywhere.  As my trip went on I started to become fascinated with the cleanliness of the restrooms.  I wanted to know why - and equally important, why our bathrooms in the U.S. don’t compare.  As I briefly pondered the question, while becoming familiar with the culture, the answer came to me as if it were a prophecy.  I began to understand that they’re in some senses more civilized than we are, and they also have a much stronger sense of community. (Enter much needed psychological study/impacts of restrooms in various countries here).

Short of five star establishments, finding a clean restroom in the U.S. can be an arduous task. Whether there’s toilet paper on the floor, overflowing garbage cans, toilets that haven’t been flushed, or in the case of male restrooms, urine covered toilet seats, these are regular finds in the restroom underworld.  I'm sure women have their share of general complaints about public restrooms as well, but not using them myself, I can't really speak on that. When I questioned myself as to why the difference in the cleanliness of the restrooms  the prophetical voice returned.  Because, as a collective, here, we’re kinda selfish.  “I didn’t make that mess, why should I clean it!” “Somebody gets paid to do that, I’m not doing it for free!” This, even though we may have contributed to the mess.  I say that with a sense of guilt that I too sometimes am wrapped up in the aforementioned narrative of “Why should I?”.  My gut tells me that this attitude has a direct correlation to capitalism, and we know that capitalism promotes individualism and breeds greed.  We don’t have to look any further than the current financial disparities in the U.S. to clarify that point.  Unfortunately, typically at a subconscious level, that attitude permeates decision making.  Even when it comes to restrooms.

Alternatively, in Spain there was an inherent sense of community.  One of the ties, among many, that holds the community together is the fact that they have a living wage; as opposed to a minimum wage - so everybody can afford to live.  In and of itself, that goes a long way in building community, because, well, it makes moral sense.  There’s likely a host of other reasons as well, but this seemed to be among the most important.

All I can say is I hope that I get back to Spain soon.  Not sure how much longer I can hold it.