It All Starts With A Question

No matter the perspective from space, the world is mostly blue, mostly ocean. The ocean is what supports life on the land. It give us the majority of the oxygen we breath. It absorbs most of the carbon dioxide released. One recent statistic that I can not get out of my mind: no matter where we live on earth, one in five of our breaths is from one type of plankton. Just one type.

Remarkably, in the environmental movement, little attention is given to the ocean. The vegan community speaks a little on the atrocities perpetrated on whales, sharks, dolphins, by-catch... What about the fact that 90% of the large fish are now gone... forever.

Most of science will tell us that life came from the ocean. It also tells us that the salinity of our bodies is remarkably similar to the ocean. Yet we, us, humans, constantly show a lack of respect for our life support system. We take all that we can from the seas and we return waste that we don't want to have to deal with. There are floating islands all over the ocean, twice the size of Texas or more, that are made out of plastic. The top 10 list of pollution found in the seas: number 1 is cigarette butts; the following 9 are all food and beverage related from a culture of over consumption of disposable/single use items. That is before we get into the barrels of nuclear waste, or the results of wars at sea, oil spills...

If you watched the video of Sylvia Earle from the last post, you know what I'm getting at. Since then I've also been reading "The Sea Around Us" by Rachel Carson. Written 10 years before "Silent Spring". It was the number 1 non-fiction book of 1951, and just as poetic as anything else she has written. It starts with a brief history of the evolution of our blue planet, describes the 4 seasons of the seas, and just keeps going.

Oregon Coast

Our world has changed quickly since her observations, and so has our knowledge about our behavior's effects on these forests in the ocean. We know it will never be sustainable to harvest 50, 100, 200 year old fish, but we still do it. We know that the precious Omega oils that we crave are not in the cold water fish, but in the DHA from the plankton those fish eat, so why not eat the plankton (spiralina and other blue-green algae) instead of those fish, or fish oils.

We have more knowledge, more answers than we have ever had before... so maybe it isn't answers we should be searching for, but questions. For what we need is not more answers, but changed behavior. We need people to not consume those things that give us life; from the mussels that filter the ocean water to the Orange Ruffy that feed even larger fish. What changes behavior?

Well for me, it always starts with questions. Why do I do_________. I became vegan because I started asking questions. In changing what I ate, I didn't solve any problem or find any answers, but created more questions that led to more changes in how I move through the world, leading to more questions, etc.

The world is dynamic. Always changing. Its a lot like riding a bike. After riding for some time, we don't notice all the little adjustments we make, even on the shortest rides, to keep from falling over, but they are there. Nature does the same. Not enough food in an area, the animals don't have as many off spring. For some reason, humans don't get this.

I'm not worried about the world coming to an end. I am deeply concerned about the violence and suffering that a small percentage of humans (actually) on the rest of other humans, plants, animals, and all of nature; however, the world will survive. It knows how to balance it's self. Humans may not make it; we may be responsible for our own extinction. If we, as a species and individuals, wish to continue, we need to change some things.

So lets hear from my favorite teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh: "It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual.  The next Buddha may take the form of a community-a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living.  This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the Earth".

So where to start? Step outside. Take a deep breath. Ask "Where did that breath come from? Where will my breath go?" Next time you eat anything ask, "Where did that come from? Who made/grew/packaged/planted/harvested/drove/tended/etc it?" Talk to your neighbors. See if they are asking the same questions you are. Ask about their experiences. Learn together. Share Food. Bike together. And keep asking questions. You'll be amazed at just how empowering taking your own action can be. It can be even more empowering when we do this as a community.

I still want to dive into the lessons of Sylvia Earle and others that are in love with the sea, but first I want to explore what it is that we are searching for. Answers? Actions? Support? Community? For I believe that we love this world deeply, and fiercely. And to love something so much, we must do those things that are hard. We must examine how we are complacent in the harming of what and who we love. We must be willing to face the pain we have caused. We must be willing to stand up to those who continue to bring harm to what we love. We can do it with compassion, but we can not do it if we are complacent.