Out in the Pacific Ocean is the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a swirl of plastic trash more than twice the size of Texas or three times the size of France (CNN, April 18, 2023). An astonishing 1.15 to 2.41 million tonnes of plastic find their way into the ocean from rivers every year (Nature Communications, June 7, 2017).

The sort of sins that were once concentrated in certain cities are becoming mainstream everywhere. Many social and regulatory restraints have crumbled as local and federal authorities encourage the moral plummet (Axios, May 12, 2026).

The most dangerous idols may not be so easy to see, even when they’ve been right in front of you all along.

Can that little shaker of tasty salt on your dinner table teach you a big lesson about how to treat others?