The world we live in is an amazing place, so full of life that as best we know is found no where else in the known universe. It is diverse and every where we look species live alongside species surviving as only they know best as nature planned. As human beings we have developed an intelligence that surpasses all the other life to a point where we have become far too superior for our own good. Our intelligence has led us to develop many things that make our lives better, however there is one thing that through all the learning we have done that has been sadly lost, that is instinct. It is the most natural of senses that all creatures within the animal kingdom have maintained and it is crucial to their survival.
With total respect to the families of loved ones lost in shark attacks, I put forward this thought for people to consider and share. We are creatures of the land and that is our home. We explore many regions, and that includes the oceans which cover more than 70% of our planet. The oceans are home to literally thousands of species of living organisms, some of which are totally harmless, and others that pose great danger in the wrong situations. Early humankind understood these dangers and using the knowledge they had, they minimised the risks they faced in order to enter that domain if they so needed to do. Their instinct told them to be careful and with that they survived and thrived, however we have now become either complacent or carefree, and there seems to either be a lack of regard for what may happen to us, or we are accepting of the risks taken and take our lot as it comes.
Over the last years, shark attacks are becoming more prominent in the headlines and I am unsure if it is because they are on the increase, or because there is a growing need to sensationalise the events to achieve some greater goal. Each time some poor soul is killed, there is the usual outcry from people to hunt and kill the shark, with a deepening call to invoke widespread culling on the species. This is a living thing, just like you or I that is doing what nature has taught it to do to survive, it is not some human mass murderer that seeks to take life because of the psychological thrill it gets. As I have said, I feel remorse for the families that must come to grips with the tragedy they are faced with, but things must be put into perspective, and people need to put away their hidden agendas and seek a solution that benefits all life, not just the human species.
As I indicated, instinct gives us a good indication of what we should do in many things we do, and our intelligence fills the gaps that lets us find solutions to most situations. Before we enter the water, most people understand the risks involved, and those that participate in past times that increase that risk know full well what options or precautions should be taken. Provided those precautions are taken, the risks are greatly reduced, however we must not be so complacent to think they no longer exist, after all we are just a visitor in a not so well understood environment.
Now where does the answer lie? We could kill all the dangerous fish in the ocean, which would make it totally safe, but not only is that morally wrong, but it would destroy the already fragile balance that exists there which ensures the oceans themselves actually remain healthy and continue to keep us alive. Yes the ocean contributes to most of the oxygen we breathe, and the water we drink through evaporation. We could kill some of the sharks using many different methods currently deployed that are very indiscriminate, taking the lives of many other harmless creatures, and that have no guarantee of ensuring no one else gets attacked.
The answer in truth lies very deep inside us and requires us to be very unselfish. It requires us to understand and accept that we SHARE this planet with other life and that in doing so we must respect that life for what it is. We must firstly educate ourselves to understand the risks and to ensure that we apply best practice in ensuring those risks are controlled first and foremost by the individuals acting responsibly and applying their intelligence to make informed choices about each and every thing they do. We must understand how sharks live and feed and therefore not put ourselves in desperate situations. Secondly we use some of the many things that our intelligence has allowed us to develop to monitor the movements of sharks, or the mechanisms developed and tested that are proven to deter sharks without causing harm to them or other life, and make entering the ocean safer.
I am a diver, and I know enough about sharks to be wary of them, but at the same time not so fearful that I will not ever enter the water. I know that to dive with great whites and many other sharks without a cage poses a great risk to my safety, but I do also know that doing so does not necessarily put me in imminent danger. I know that if I swim where there are seals, and sharks, the potential that I may be mistaken for a seal is very likely, so the risk escalates even more to a point where I would not likely chose to do it. At the same time, I know for certain that a shark does not look at me and go, “oh look, a human. I think I might have one of those today”. I understand that sharks are predators that use their natural instinct to hunt, and that in nature, they prey on the slow or the weak, which is natural selection. They also scavenge the ocean floor for food, and I know that to carry a catch of freshly killed fish or abalone in a bag attached to me poses a great risk to my safety.
These are things that are a mix of learning and instinct, and if I chose to ignore those things then I guess you may have a right to question if I am truly intelligent, but then that is one of the main problems we do face in todays society. So I ask you to consider the future, and in doing so take a deep breath and look honestly at the options, at what you know to be true, and in doing so don’t take the one that is so morally wrong, take the one that is morally responsible.
Comments