Toilet trips

Recently, after encountering a public toilet in terrible shape, I reflected on the following... The fault can only lie with the users and/or the cleaners. Maybe the cleaners are not doing a good job because it's not THEIR toilet? Maybe the users are not using it in a considerate way because it's not THEIR toilet? Does the man on the street treat his own home toilet the same way they treat public ones?

Hey! Public toilets belong to everyone, including the one-time users! And do the cleaners not use the toilets they clean too? Does a messed up toilet make the next user more likely to mess it up more in exasperation, or to be more careful, so as to not make things worse? Why should anyone be inconsiderate to unknown future users just because some unknown past user was inconsiderate to him? If vengeance was in mind, it doesn't work. From something as simple and routine as the way we use toilets, we can reflect on our level of sensitivity and consideration. Do we practise equanimity in treating all toilets with the same respect? In fact, should we not treat public toilets with greater respect since they are for countless more people? Do our mindfulness fluctuate in different situations?

One good turn definitely deserves another. But should one "bad turn" deserve another and another endlessly? Why do users choose the vicious cycle instead of the virtuous? Why should everyone compound the problem and make public toilet trips unpleasant to everyone, including themselves? Users point their fingers at cleaners for unclean toilets and cleaners point at users - but none of this pointing will work unless every single person points at himself to be responsible. Yes, every single person plays a part - as it only takes one person to disregard responsibility to mess things up.