The Coconut Chronicles: Environment

Ritual Suicide

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 17:12:04 GMT

Hello again from Mountain Mecca & Hippie Heaven!

Spring is springing! But I’m so impatient; I want it to be summer…yesterday. As Prez said to me the other day, “You know, I realize I really do miss having seasons: Early Summer, Mid Summer, and Late Summer.”

I had two topics I wanted to discuss this week and couldn’t decide which to choose, but then I realized how closely related they actually are.

We are creatures of habit, aren’t we? I’m fairly certain only cats are more routine-oriented than us. You can stress your cat out simply by rearranging your furniture. Believe me, I know, I have thoroughly traumatized my feline many times over. We love rituals big and small. From the orgy of parties, presents, food, and booze that comes with Xmas, to the order in which we get ready for work in the morning, our lives hinge on familiarity.

Even Prez and I, two nomads who are, quite literally, all over the map, have our rituals. On workday mornings, we each venture to our separate computers and check emails. Prez will then scan the news sites while I will either edit some of my writing or read my favorite blogs. He always gets dressed as soon as he’s out of bed; I always wait until the last minute (read into that what you will).

Lunch on workdays is every person for themselves. We come home, beeline for the kitchen, already knowing what we are going to make for ourselves. I sit at the computer and work over lunch, Prez likes to watch a bit of Star Trek.

Home from work, I head straight to my computer (are you seeing a pattern here?). Now, from this point there isn’t any set routine until…9pm…Star Trek Enterprise! Ooooo, our dirty secret is out. Yes, we are huge Star Trek Fans. Well, technically, we are huge Sci-Fi fans; we gobble up any good science fiction. No matter what we have been doing, at 9 o’clock we cuddle up on the couch – usually I weasel my way in for a back rub – and munch on our favorite munchies (me, chocolate – duh; Prez, licorice or sugar-free gummy worms).

These are our routines, our rituals, the small, repetitive moments that bring us comfort. There are others but you get the idea.

I’m not sure why we’re wired up this way but I suspect it has something to do with a very primitive need for safety – “I did this before and it was safe, so I’ll do it again.” The world was a very dangerous place for our early ancestors; stray off the beaten path and who knows what fanged beastie might be waiting to nibble on your intestines. No matter how foreign or unpredictable an environment we find ourselves in, humans always find a way to establish a pattern which will make us feel better.

Now here’s the dark side…

Often, we become so locked into our patterns, our routines, we simply cannot break free – even if we know these routines may be harmful.

Which brings me to my next subject: The Planet.

Our earth is a bit like a used car. Oh sure, it looks great from a distance, sitting on the lot all shiny blue & green, but the closer you get, the more you kick the tires and look under the hood, the more you realize that whoever’s been driving this thing has sure abused it. Yeah, it might run for a little while but sooner or later it’s going to break down. What will it cost us to fix it?

Global warming aside, we have some big issues on the table. Most of our natural resources are finite. One day, there will be no oil, no coal (70% of the energy produced in the USA still uses coal), no natural gases. One day “alternative” fuels will be the only fuels available. Our fish stocks are depleted to the point of near collapse, industry and urban sprawl chew away at agricultural land, our skies are full of gunk, drinking water dwindles, landfills grow. The steps we need to take to reverse the damage we’ve caused and save what’s left are costly, on many levels.

I have a vehicle I’m not willing to give up. True we are a one-vehicle family, but we still burn fossil fuels. I love my computer and look forward to getting a better one some day. I eat fish. OK, I, generally, only eat fish that Prez & I catch ourselves so I don’t support commercial fishing, but I’m still consuming a fading resource. Oh…canned tuna…doh. I buy books. Hmmmm, paper = trees. Sigh. My TV, DVD player, laptop, stereo, blender, toaster, cell phone, lamp, etc., etc., etc., are all full of parts manufactured in China. China, a consumer’s wet dream, a planet’s worst nightmare. And let’s not even touch on the volumes of waste that go into making a little Star Trek episode, or the toxic chemicals used in developing the film.

My habits, my rituals, our rituals are killing us. "Ritual suicide", if you will.

No matter how good of a global citizen I want to be, or try to be, everything I do, everything I own incriminates me. I am part of the problem and that’s probably not going to change. Why? Because I am a creature of habit. I like my life. I’m comfortable. The changes I would need to make to wash my hands of my responsibility are too great, too scary. Because, let’s be real, if you aren’t living in the bush somewhere, 100% free of all the trapping of civilization (i.e. anything manufactured) then you are part of the problem too.

We’ve fallen into a routine on a global scale.

It gets worse…sorry.

You see, while we in the developed, first world, nations have begun to acknowledge the planetary problems through education and communication, the majority of the world’s population lives in poverty, dire poverty. When you’re starving, when you’re thirsty, who gives a rat’s ass about over-fishing or global warming? So, yes, we can recycle all we want and drive our hybrid vehicles but we are the minority.

I worry about the fate of our world, not enough to do anything meaningful about it though. That’s the grim truth. I am a hypocrite. A very sad thought on such a beautiful spring day.

What is the answer? Is there an answer? Most of us don’t even have time to consider it; we’re so busy running to catch up with our lives. But we have to go on. Tomorrow I’ll wake up and stumble to my computer to check my emails. I’ll drink my tea and slurp my protein shake. I’ll drive to work. I’ll fix a tuna sandwich for lunch. I’ll flop down in front of Prez for my neck rub at 9 o’clock and see what adventures are in store for Captain Archer and the crew of the Enterprise. I’ll pet my traumatized cat before sleep. Then I’ll slip into a guilt-free sleep and do it all again the next day.

Old habits die hard. Hopefully Earth does, too.

QUESTION: What are your habits?

Until next week, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess

"The Truth Will Surface"

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 05:20:23 GMT

Hello again from Mountain Mecca & Hippie Heaven!

You never have to ask “What is there to do?” in Nelson, it’s more like choosing between the many, many activities that are available. I decided it was high time Prez and I took advantage of Nelson’s bounty of culture and decided to check out the Capitol Theater.

The Capitol Theater was originally a garage that converted to a theater in 1927. In the early 1900’s Nelson was a large and prosperous city. Boris Karloff actually began his performing career at the Nelson Opera House! Times changed for Nelson, and for the Capitol. The war meant fewer patrons and the theater gradually fell into a state of disrepair. It wasn’t until 1986 that restoration began on the old gem. In September 1987, the doors re-opened and theater goers thrilled to the loving and delicate renovation which restored the Capitol to its former art deco glory. Today the theater is home to live productions and films.

One of the cool things about the Capitol is, as well as showcasing major Canadian films, it also provides a venue for local independent productions. This week the “Fliks” Canadian Film Festival was playing and so I scanned the brochure to find a film both Prez and I might enjoy. My choice was obvious: “Sharkwater”, a documentary about sharks. So, we invited the Rippels along and the four of us had a night on the town!

What a night it was! The film was beautifully shot; some of the most spectacular underwater footage I have ever seen. And, at last, sharks were shown as the magnificent, timid, and misunderstood creatures they truly are. How wonderful it was to see a film which said the same things I have long shouted from my soapbox, but with so much more eloquence and visual proof to back it up.

Let me lay a few stats on you:

-Sharks are the ocean’s apex predator and an essential part of the food chain. Without them, we can expect to see ecosystems crumble.

-You have a better chance of being killed golfing than being killed by a shark.

-90% of the world’s sharks are gone, due mostly to shark fin fishing.

-The illegal shark fin trade is second only to the illegal drug trade. It is a trillion dollar industry.

Shark finning is brutal. Sharks are hauled aboard the fishing boats, their fins are cut off, and then the shark is tossed back in the water (still alive) and left to bleed to death. The film showed this and I’m glad, people need to see what is happening. Shark fin soup used to be the dish of royalty in China and now is a delicacy. The irony is the fin adds no flavour or nutrients; the soup is flavoured with chicken, the fin is merely a status symbol.

Throughout the film, I could hear the comments of the folks around me. It was obvious eyes were being opened (finally). After the movie ended, there was a Q&A session with Paul Watson, the Captain of the Sea Shepherd. He was articulate and passionate; the audience asked some important questions which Capt. Watson answered well. He left to a long and hearty standing ovation.

This film will be released in “regular” theaters on March 23^rd. I ask, no BEG, you to go see it. Hold on, I’m getting down on my hands and knees, “PLEASE GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!” Yes, there are a few disturbing parts but you can always cover your eyes. Don’t worry, most of the cinematography is jaw-dropping for its beauty not it’s content.

In the meantime, what can you do to help the sharks?

1. Check to see if any of the Chinese restaurants you visit serve shark fin soup. If they do, let them know that you will not patronize their establishment until they stop serving it.

2. If any of your local grocery stores or health food stores sell “shark cartilage” products, please let a manager know that you find these products offensive. I can’t ask you to boycott a grocery store (I will, but that’s just me) but they should know that these products are not welcome (there is NO scientific data proving these supplements do anything at all).

3. GO SEE THE MOVIE “SHARKWATER”…and bring a friend!

I’m going to wrap up now. I usually step down off the soapbox at this point but I think I’ll stay up here a little longer. I’ve decided to reprint an excerpt from my Chronicle of July 27, 2005. You may remember I was working at The Canadian Princess Resort (aka McFishing) in Ucluelet, BC. On this day, I staged my own little shark boycott…

“…But here's the event of the week that I really want to talk about and it involves sharks... and Harry Potter:

One of my jobs at McFishing is to go down to the dock and take photos of the 'big' fish that come in. It's pretty fun watching people grinning next to their salmon and halibut. I grit my teeth when the big Ling Cod are brought in because their numbers are pathetically low but I console myself with the knowledge that the fish will be eaten. Last Wednesday, however, I rounded the corner to see a 6 foot Blue shark hanging off the scale and felt my stomach plummet. I do not support or participate in the killing of sharks.

Why? You may ask. I mean isn't the only good shark a dead shark? Love them or hate them, the world shark population is in serious jeopardy from commercial fishing. About 1 million sharks are killed each year - by 2017 we could see the extinction of nearly 20 shark species! And just in case you're wondering, there were 7 human fatalities from shark attacks in 2004 - hmmmm 7 vs. 1 million; I think we're the dangerous predator. Our toothy friends are a vital part of the marine ecosystem and without them many, many more marine species will suffer.

Oh ya, and I don't believe in killing anything just for the sake of killing it and putting it on a wall.

So here I am on the dock, out of sight of the shark killers and gawkers, trying to figure out how to handle this tactfully - it is, after all, my job to take the photos and make everyone happy. Should I just leave and feign an illness? Should I go against my principles and take the darn picture? I mean, it's not like it's an everyday occurrence; it probably won't ever happen again so why rock the dock?

Then I thought of Harry Potter...yes you read that correctly.

You see, one of the traits I find so admirable and appealing about the character of Harry, one of the reasons I think the book is a must-read for children, is that he often finds himself in situations where sticking to what he believes in will make his life difficult and turn everyone against him and yet he does not compromise. Harry knows the truth and cannot pretend otherwise - and if that is a quality that I admire then that is a quality I should aspire to.

I decided to stick to my guns but to remain low key so as not to upset the guests. I handed the camera off to a puzzled dockhand with instructions to take the photo. He asked me why and I, discreetly, told him. He took the photo but he also broadcast, very loudly, to the entire dock what an idiot I was. While I waited for the shark to go away so that I could take the other photos, I listened to my coworkers and realized that I had instantly become unpopular. But I was smiling - thanks Harry.

If you'd like some more info on sharks, here are just a few websites to check out:
Bite-Back
Guy Harvey Research Institute
Shark Trust”

And now, here’s a few more:

Sharkwater

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Saving Sharks

QUESTION: Are you afraid of sharks?

Until next week, I hope this finds you healthy, happy & lovin’ life!

The Princess