Well, that was a hefty read, ggelsrinc.
First, I had to look in to some idiom to get my senses in line with your American English. I don’t think I’m successful. At least, not on the very depressing Phone number you recommended.
But hey, your society also spawned Zappa, and quoting him, I’d say “…broken hearts are for assholes…” . I always like that one when I feel I’m getting oversentimental.
Nevertheless, I got the creeps reading that d****d eyewitness report.
I remember having enjoyed Thor Heyerdahls’ book on his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which many details illustrated the rich ocean environment still present in 1947.
I remember too how he was worried after his Ra-expeditions in ’69 and ’70, though these led him through the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific.
On your question: no matter whether you’re religious or evolutionist, I guess mankinds' reckless profligacy is obvious from both spectres. A Christian could see this as one of the bad attributes mankind took on after being dismissed from Paradise. An evolutionist would see the evidence in 2 million years old campsites, where the ancestors littered their surroundings with bones, stoneflakes and everything else that has not stood up to decaying time.
That said, I have a hard time holding only governments responsible for the waste.
Within both general providence and our personal fate there are continuously short moments of choice. I think everyone knows deep down which way to choose.
And when I think about that way, I just hope it’s not like this one, painted by Anselm Kiefer:
It’s Varus’ way, death in sombre forest.
I saw it first in Simon Schama’s book “Landscape and Memory”. And later, in real life, in the Kröller-Müller Museum, where it held both my attention and my breath.
I’m not a sad person. I hope I can accept death without being too sad for our children and other sensitive creatures) having to endure this waste. On our fate, in this material world, I have little doubt. For me, there’s only compassion left that can make the rest of our time here worthwhile. Other expectations are very, very likely in vain.
Oh, JimD, I'm glad you posted some practical info. We should try to fix our mess and enjoy even the small successes..
werther, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me and appreciated every word you said and have said. I could add a little, but not add anything which is significant enough, except maybe the Thor Heyerdahls’ book on his Kon-Tiki expedition comment, which I just copied and posted instead of putting it in my own words with my American accent. When I was in high school, 9th grade I believe, Thor Heyerdahl was a very real hero or inspiration to me. There is a thread about people who inspired you, I think it's in the rest forum, but when I first read the story of Kon-Tiki and what Thor Heyerdahl did, I was amazed. I know I'm going off subject, but if Neven will forgive me, I will get back on the subject of oceans once I'm allowed to paint a picture.
Just after entering school, my painting experience was later confirmed by me identifying a man by seeing his face in the newspaper and he had axe murdered a child in our area. The man just had a switch blade knife, when I approached him as I was running up towards the top of a bridge near where I lived, but he looked funny, because he had his right hand up in the air from his right shoulder height and something or someone kept calling my name in the back of my mind saying Gary, Gary, Gary, over and over and over, but I wanted to get home quickly, so I heard it, but didn't hear it at the same time, like a child ignoring it. Somehow, I stopped within two meters of that odd person and IIRC it was about four feet. The man turned around with a switch blade obviously showing in his hand, still at a right angle from shoulder to hand and said: "come here, boy, I'm not going to hurt you." That face became painted in my mind.
I instantly turned around and started running down that bridge with speeds I think to this day only an Olympic athlete could match. Eventually I turned my head around to look and noticed the man wasn't chasing me, but I also noticed a kid on the other side of the highway, who I believe must have been the one who was calling my name, so I cut across met him. As soon as I approached that boy, noticing he was younger than I was and who I have never met before, he said: "don't go near that man, that man is crazy." I told my parents and grandparents, but only when I was delivering papers did I spot that man's picture on the front page and was told he had axe murdered a child in a park near were we lived.
Now, what the hell does that story have to do with oceans?
It could be everything or nothing. How does a child living in that stressful environment, like 6 white people in the first grade in a white American school and the last white person to leave that class, in a bad neighborhood, grow up with enough superior intelligence that he cares about everything? I wouldn't recommend that life experience on a dog, but since I'm interested in everything, it could be as simple as stress can make you or break you, based on people trying to understand what makes people have intelligence. I believe mathematics proves the equation that as long as two opposite sex human beings can still breathe and mate, the human race will exist and they will care about the oceans and anything else. The oceans are very important, but not enough to sink the ship of humanity. Let the oceans rise and we won't build Noah's ark, we'll go to the moon or beyond with our mates! Things like oceans and life just continue on as long as you don't give up. Take that Doomsdayers!
Getting back to Thor Heyerdahl and my ramblings, it occurred to me at a fairly young age, why would someone risk their life to prove a point. I ran for my life, so does it make sense risking your life to make a point? Thor Heyerdahls’ book helped me conquer fear and fear is a terrible thing for people to have and have to live with, but to be honest, fearless dumbasses like myself, no matter how intelligent a person can become may be a worse example of humanity, than people having natural fear. When it comes to survival, I'd put my money on that scared child and not a fearless adult.
I remember meeting the ocean for the first time as a child about two years before school during a summer in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was so blue contrasted against sand so white and it was so captivating that it mesmerized me and almost felt like it was pulling me into it. All my visits to an ocean since then have been a disappointment compared to that first view of paradise. We went deep sea fishing often during that summer, but never caught anything of significance, but the view, which was enough in itself. A beautiful ocean as far as the eye could see. It's sad what we have done to our oceans, because every child should be allowed to get as close to heaven on Earth as I did as a child.
Sorry no pictures posted, werther, I'm a lousy artist, who chooses to see life with a child's eye!
