As the world seems to be panicking over the corona virus, we at gaiainetwork.net are moving forward on our path to help be part of the overall solution by helping to save the endangered Southern Resident Orcas from harassment. Many others have just recently stepped up to help, and we are getting our job done.
How can we move forward while the world is on the verge of a pandemic… you might ask? Well, I cannot help but hear the mantra in my brain: “ save the whale, save ourselves…” it’s there ringing in my ears…. A mantra I have been preaching for 40 years. It is my hope that we will all take a deep breath, and look at the big picture. We really need to take note of the late Dr. Lynn Margulis, an American evolutionary theorist and biologist, science author, educator, and a leading proponent that we are all connected… closer than most humans want to believe. After reading Lynn I always come away with the haunting feeling that we humans are just transportation and a portable food source for the bacteria that really runs this planet. Really creepy, I know , but unfortunately true.
We humans contain trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering humancells by 10 to 1. I know pretty yucky for those who carry around hand sanitizer. This is hard to accept now, but we need much of that bacteria to fight off the very viruses now threatening humanity… Did you ever wonder why soil, forests, the ocean, and streams feel so good to dip your bare feet into? Maybe it’s our bacteria “tribe” communing with their relatives, their source of life??? Breathe… I look at it as energizing the good guys. To stay healthy I believe we need to take care of the good bacteria. Bleach and alcohol kill it all; good and bad. This solution means present gain no doubt, but what of the future.
.Now I’m no doctor, and I don’t play one on TV but I have to think that the massive extinction we humans are inflicting on the very living eco system we are a part of, has to be recognized now more than ever. The scorched earth approach to our tiny tenants is no real answer. Yes, no matter how easy it is to bury your nose in your smart phone and lock yourself away in your hermetically sealed apartment, there are living bacteria and germs everywhere. Get over it.
Now back to the whales… creatures we all like, so maybe we can pay attention to them for a moment… we need to save them now. I know, lots of issues need to be addressed, but we can stop harassment. Federal Law sets out strict rules when regarding marine mammals in general, and the Southern Residents are endangered… double the distances. They, the Southern Residents are a very specialized species. They deserve a break from us. “Free Willy” was the movie that made us love orcas. Many a reputation and business was built on their backs. Now can’t we just do what we can to allow these beautiful creatures and our special neighbors a break? Who knows what “specialized” bacteria they carry that will save us all? Perhaps that is a stretch, but I’ve been known to stretch the truth a bit to make a point. Think about it.
I have, and I’ll continue to fly the friendly skies and take my chance with whatever the earth throws at me. Like the common cold, sooner or later we’ll all get it. That horse is out of the barn, no matter what Mr. Pence believes. I’m old, but pretty resilient through my world travel and exposure to any number of exotic diseases during my time in Indonesia, Afghanistan, the Congo, and an array of third world countries. Once I had to get 23 shots just to go! If you ever travelled below the swine line, you’d understand.
I have always believed that it is as important to our very species to save the wilderness as it is to save ourselves. In the end it is all one in the same. For my “thing”, I will do what I can to stop harassment of these orcas. I can only do so much…. Thanks to young entrepreneurs Tristan Strauss and Brian Casey of Headwater who want to do something worthwhile with their good fortunes; Professor Joe Valencic, an old friend and genius who is donating valuable technical support… to old friends of my daughter, like Kristan Carlson. Another young person with kids stepping up. We are making great headway, and for those old farts who say the young people don’t care… go to hell
Locally we will have our NEIGHBORHOOD ORCA WATCH portal operating in April. I am finding people who have before stayed silent, stepping up to help. Why? Because people who look to the future know that changes are coming. We are not stupid. We humans, like the bacteria around us, will need to adapt. I, for one, like the world we live in today. I love wilderness and wild oceans. I am hoping others do also, and this corona virus should wake us all up. It came from our species mingling in unhealthy ways with neighbor species. Next time you are scrubbing your hands with the toxin of your choice, instead of singing happy birthday two times, pause and think: … oh…, you can think about how blind we were to choose chemical processed food over real food… maybe, how stupid we were to allow Monsanto to play with nature.. Hell, we can blame Trump for gutting the EPA and being just plain being stupid about climate change… OR you can think about what little thing you can do today to bring us closer to the earth we live on. Maybe go for a walk in nature? We need to be proactive. Each one of us in our own way. The time for bitching is over. We at www.gaianetwork.net are doing something to protect whales. Take your own action or join us. All of us can be an anti-viral unit for the living planet earth.
Now disinfect your computer keyboard and stick your feet in the dirt, or go swim in the ocean!
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