No this is not about upright public servants even though you’re hard pressed to come across one albeit you traverse the breadth, height and width of all the barangay halls and municipios in the Philippines.
What about in the esteemed and much revered alcoves and corners of the Philippine Senate or Congress? Surely there must be at least one simonpure out there you say.
Yeah right….good luck on that!
Anyhow, this is about something that has been in the papers and in the web lately. It’s a fish story that reeks and I can’t pry it loose from my nosey mind. Since it won’t go away, I thought I might as well do a post on it. Hopefully by writing about it, I can successfully exorcise this demon that has been haunting me for days now.
The news item is about the megamouth shark that was coincidentally caught by Filipino fisherfolks in the sea off Donsol Island. Evidently, this 500 kilogram shark with a meter-long mouth (hence the name megamouth, duh) is so rare that it has only been seen a few times since it was first discovered in 1976.
The one they caught in Donsol had a name given it by the Florida Museum of Natural History – it was ” Megamouth 41.” Take a moment to wrap that around your mind. That shark was so rare, it had a name. That specie was so uncommon, they tagged every animal they can get their hands on.
Now to the upsetting part of this yarn – the pinoy fisherfolks made world news not because they caught a rare animal and released it or in the scenario that it’s killed in the net, turned it over to the proper authorities - the p.c. thing to do - but because they caught Megamouth 41 then cooked it in coconut milk and ate it. It’s a sad case of the empty stomach trumping the inquiring mind, I guess.
I am really torn about this. I don’t want to seethe and rant at the fisherfolks because I know given their situation of extreme poverty, we should cut them some slack. Most of the fisherfolks I work with in Mindanao don’t even have their own boats and nets. Rather, they work as hands for boat owners; they rent their bodies out for a living.
And what do they get for chasing fish and hauling nets under the scorching sun? A fish or two – depending on the disposition and mood of the boat owner – is what they’re paid for a day’s work.
No minimum wage there man! No union reps. Take it or leave it!
So in that background, I celebrate that the fisherfolks landed a 500 kilo bonanza. I pray that Megamouth 41 filled the empty bellies of their children and plunked milk in the breasts of their wives and lifted the spirit of the fisherfolk community so that they found hope to continue their luckless lives.
On the other hand, specie-extinction takes me on a rough downhill ride. Once a specie is gone – Jurassic Park notwithstanding – it is gone forever. And we are all the poorer for it.
So there it is – the news bit that troubles me. Megamouth 41 is gone. Its end means one less being to reflect the multivalent treasure and mystery that is life. Yet not a miniscule perfunctory human tear was shed for its passing away.
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Do not worry too much of the species that will go extinct. Nature is bigger than us and has prevailed over much worse disasters than what humans are doing today. A billion years after humans are gone from the face of the earth, Nature will still thrive. And in nature, nothing is truly lost. Everything is recycled into new and better models.
Too bad that humans are the only specie that won’t be going extinct anytime soon. They pro-create with abandon, eat and destroy anything they lay their filthy hands on. I say bring global warming on in a hurry. Don’t try to save the planet for future generations. The demise of our race will surely cleanse the planet, and maybe, just maybe , a pair of uneaten Megamouth sharks survive the ravenous appetite of hungry humans. I have so little sympathy for mankind, it is the poor innocent animals pushed to the brink of extinction because of our arrogance. I am driving the biggest SUV I can find, turning my back on any green propaganda, because the sooner the planet explodes because of global warming, the better off it is.
There was a tear shed, and not a miniscule one. So there, I said it and I’m glad. Sorry Joey, you touched a really sore nerve.
Your anger and frustration show that you care deeply that we are destroying the earth. The key is not to become cynical and give up and become like the rest who are guilty of that heinous crime. We have to learn how to turn anger into a positive force so than we are able to co-exist with the earth.
Because of our god-like power to create or destroy, we are in the unique position to influence and shape the universe story for good or bad, for life or for extinction. We have to wake up and assume the responsibility that comes with great powers.
Sorry Joey, you’re wrong. We are not god-like, we are not the chosen ones. One major natural disaster can prove that. We are flotsam, …. decimal dust in the universe. It is arrogant to think that we are different and better than animals. We spay and neuter , we cull deer and bear populations, we decimate wildlife . Why can’t we do that with our burgeoning human population. Human beings are the one big anomaly in the scheme of things. We condemn abortion, we encourage big families even for those who could barely feed themselves. If we can only muster a little bit of humility. We are all equal members of this planet. One, no more powerful or important. A human offspring is no more precious than a bear cub. If you cull one, you cull the other. It’s as easy as that.
Please consider that that thinking and attitude is the mother of the Holocaust and all ethnic cleansing. If you are not repulsed by the idea of it, I assume it is because you have little first-hand experience of war and violence.
Human life is special in the same way the earth and all life in it is special. Consciousness is a fairly recent occurrence and it reaches its apex in humans. So we are unique – in the same way all life on earth is unique in their own way – because the universe has given us heightened consciousness unsurpassed by other life forms.
It is up to us to prove if that gift is a mistake or not. We can use it to destroy life or bring the universe story to another level – humanity living in harmony with the earth.
Life is about choices. And the consequences of those choices.
Please consider carefully because we hold the earth and all life in it in the palm of our hands.
True that ethnic cleansing is repulsive, but why does this revulsion only apply to humans. You talk about war and violence, but what about the bloody carnage and slaughter that humans with “heightened consciousness” have inflicted on millions of innocent animals. Don’t they count? We are so blinded by our false sense of godhood that we fail to realize that animals are probably more compassionate , honest and loyal than most humans. I was not condoning cleansing as one solution to the planet’s problems, I was just pointing out our hypocrisy.
We do have some measured control over our precious planet until it decides to spit us out. Nature has a wonderful way of putting us in our place. But until then, I guess we all choose out paths. You have chosen to help one, I have chosen to help the other. You will build schools, I will plant more habitat for wildlife. Who is to say one choice is better than the other.
Sorry I was not able to express clearly my sentiment about this on the article I wrote.
I feel passionately about the universe which is why we not only plant trees but we also promote herbal and container gardening, conduct eco-seminars for youths, plant mangroves, promote waste segregation in our communities, educate local barangays, etc.
I feel passionately abo9ut humanity too which is why we promote community development among the poorest of the poor. ]
In other words, I feel passionately about all life and that includes humanity.