Well done! I've commented on Twitter about this recent activity by orca. I asked these questions: "Are they fed up and fighting back, or just having fun? Of course, the two are hardly incompatible. Some of the best forms of struggle involve having fun at the expense of your enemy. Whichever, they've got my support. Was the aborted TV series Zoo prescient?" And then, in regard to a video of a HUGE pod of dolphins, I added: "The day these guys - who have saved many, many humans and other animals - join the orca in attacking boats, those messing up the oceans will be in BIG trouble!" https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1660764772130848768
These comments of mine reflect recognition of the degree to which capitalists have been destroying the ecology of our planet's oceans. From the ongoing slaughtering of whales (commercial whalers, not the isolated indigenous hunts) through over fishing (commercial fishing fleets, not indigenous fishers) to massive pollution (of which the islands of floating plastic debris are only one part) and global warming, which is destroying reefs, to boats running roughshod over all kinds of mammals hurting them with propellers.
Once we recognize the intelligence of some of the ocean's creatures, not only orca but whales, dolphins, etc., it not hard to imagine them beginning to fight back and boats would seem prime targets. Despite Greenpeace's anti-whaling efforts on the high seas, those of us opposed to this carnage have produced no Captain Nemo's to sink Japanese or Norwegian whaling vessels, so can we blame orca for doing what they can. As I've also commented elsewhere, so far they have NOT attacked the humans whose boats they have scuttled, so I take it that for the time being their actions amount to protests, not yet open warfare. Will those of us aware of and opposed to all this carnage act effectively to stop it before it comes to that?
Yes, Garret, possessed of sublime feelings and knowings and capacities we cannot comprehend.
And Steve, you don't have to use the qualified phrase "likely sentient" or raise any doubt about it-- "The Orca isn’t just one of God’s most magnificent creations, but likely sentient as well."
The orca and all cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) and all creatures of the sea even down as "low" on the evolutionary scale as crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimps, et al.) -- are MOST CERTAINLY SENTIENT, in that they are conscious of being subject of a life, conscious of pain and pleasure, and caring for their babies and other relations.
They are not just vegetatively alive, but fully sentient.
Which is why Prof. Gary Francione of Rutgers Univ. -- for decades the world's leading animal rights theorist (taking an abolitionist approach) -- has urged that we follow our moral-ethical conscience and GO VEGAN. E.g., see his book "Eat Like You Care."
Anyway... kudos, Steve, for another piece of writing that touches and inspires the reader!
Here are some extremely cogent, urgent quotes from ethics and law professor Gary L. Francione of Rutgers University, the leading ethical philosopher arguing a "do no harm" abolitionist position against the use of animals as "property" and instead upholding their rights as sentient persons. (Selected from his website www.abolitionistapproach.com/quotes/#.VXTXVEZ8VOZ and other writings and talks by Francione
“Veganism is not a limitation in any way; it’s an expansion of your love, your commitment to nonviolence, and your belief in justice for all.”
“Every sentient being values her/his life even if no one else does. That is what is meant by saying that the lives of all have inherent value.”
“Being vegan provides us with the peace of knowing that we are no longer participants in the hideous violence that is animal exploitation.”
“Is going vegan good for physical health? All the evidence says so. But there is no doubt it is essential for your moral/spiritual health.”
“Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are. But in a patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and ableist society, there are social pressures to participate and engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, and ableism. At some point, you have to decide who you are and what matters morally to you. And once you decide that you regard victimizing vulnerable nonhumans as not morally acceptable, it is easy to go and stay vegan.”
“If animals are not mere things; if they have moral value [as sentient beings], we cannot justify eating, wearing, or using them particularly when we have no better reason than palate pleasure or fashion.”
“You want to stop participating in animal slavery? Go vegan. You want to help an individual animal right now? Adopt or foster a homeless animal.”
“Is veganism a matter of ‘choice’? That depends on whether you think we have the moral right to choose to exploit the vulnerable for frivolous purposes such as palate pleasure.”
“If you care about animals, there is one and only one choice: go vegan. Can you choose not to be vegan? Sure. You can choose not to care.”
“There is nothing 'extreme' about veganism. What is extreme is the notion that we support the suffering and death of billions of sentient beings [i.e., the annual murdering of 85 billion land-based animals and hundreds of billions of marine mammals and fish] for no reason other than that we enjoy the taste of animal products or the look of clothes made from animals. What is extreme is that we continue to support animal agriculture, with its deleterious consequences for human health, the environment, and, most important, our moral integrity.”
“Please consider going vegan. It is the most effective personal statement you can make about rejecting the status of nonhuman animals as commodities.”
“Being vegan is not a matter of your opinion. It is not a matter of your preferences at a given moment--your 'who you are space.' It is not a matter of your 'journey.' It is not a matter of your 'compassion.' It is not a matter of your 'mercy.' It is a matter of fundamental justice for the vulnerable. It is a matter of the right of all sentient beings not to be used as resources. It is a matter of what we *owe* to nonhumans, and not a matter of what we are willing to give. Veganism is not about you. It is about them.”
“I am so tired of hearing 'animal people' [welfarists, reducetarians, and others] declare how difficult it is to go vegan. Going vegan is as easy as wanting to go vegan. *Nothing* more than your decision to want to stop participating directly in the exploitation of the vulnerable is required. Nothing. If you want to go vegan, just do it. If you don't go vegan, just have the integrity to admit that you don't care enough and stop whining about how 'difficult' it is to go vegan. It isn't difficult.”
“We need to change social discourse about animal ethics and we won't do that with things like 'Meatless Monday' or 'happy meat.' [...] Should we campaign for 'humane' forms of torture, child molestation, or rape? Most of us would say: 'Of course not.' So why is it okay to think it perfectly appropriate in the context of nonhumans? [...] It's not a matter of exploiting them 'humanely,' it's a matter of not exploiting them.”
“If you are a feminist and are not a vegan, you are ignoring the exploitation of female nonhumans [e.g., dairy cows and chickens] and the commodification of their reproductive processes, as well as the destruction of their relationship with their babies. If you are an environmentalist and not a vegan, you are ignoring the undeniable fact that animal agriculture is an ecological disaster. If you embrace nonviolence but are not a vegan, then words of nonviolence come out of your mouth as the products of torture and death go into it.... Stop trying to make excuses. There are no good ones to make. Go vegan.”
“The world is filled with a great deal of violence. Why do you want to contribute to it when you can so easily choose not to participate in the victimization of the vulnerable? Please go vegan. Stop eating, wearing, and using those who value their lives just as you value yours.”
“We love some animals and grieve when they die. We eat others and are directly responsible for their suffering and death. How very strange.”
“We can live without participating in the exploitation of the vulnerable.
We can live without destroying the environment.
We can live in a way that guarantees a more healthy life.
But many choose to do otherwise.
And they claim that it is 'natural' to participate in violence, destroy the earth, and kill ourselves. What incredible confusion.”
“Animals are the most vulnerable members of society. They really are. They have no ability to protect or defend themselves. And we exploit them relentlessly. And what I am saying is: a first step towards healing yourself morally is asking yourself, 'Can I justify this?' And if the answer is no, then you stop doing it. You go vegan.”
“There are an estimated 7.5 million vegans in the U.S. [based on a 2011 Harris Poll conducted for Vegetarian Resource Group, showing 5% of USA's population of 310 million people at the time were vegetarian and about half were vegan]. If every one of those vegans persuaded one other person to go vegan in the next year, there would be 15 million vegans. If every one of those persuaded one other person in the second year, there would be 30 million. If we repeated this every year, the entire country would be vegan in fewer than six years.... We could make veganism the prevailing paradigm. Please talk to everyone you know about why veganism is the only rational response to the recognition that animals matter morally.”
Which has a higher probability - that a God sits upon a throne and rules humanity in absentia or that these creatures are sentient? We are starting to trace the neural pathways that show common thinking between humans and dogs. We will, one day, figure this out using science, reason, and belief. As a defense mechanism, it seems probable this evolved in animals earlier and more broadly than we currently know. With a feeling of ”me” comes something to protect, rather than simply protecting offspring.
Hello, I helped to rehabilitate a young magpie for about two months last summer -she had an injured leg. Her ability to reason, her creative problem solving and intelligence was something I'd never quite experienced before in another sentient being, although I've bonded with other wild animals over the years. She is also quite emotional, too. We formed a strong bond, as she was eating out of my hand. She flew back into the wild late last summer and was greeted in raucous celebration by her tribe. Now she's coming back from the wild a couple times of day to get food I put out for her. She's also going back to 'her' stick she often sat on during her re-habilitation last summer- visitations.
Her name is 'Maggie-nificent". She taught me a lot about determination.
Yes! That is what I'm talking about. There is a connection between the physical, emotional (likely also physical), and also the spiritual. We are just not doing the right things as a species in the spiritual regard.
Hello again, I've also been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time/experience in the ocean as a professional scuba diver. There was a friendly (some days more introverted than others) octopus who would often come out and interact with the divers. Sometimes she'd see us coming and would already be out waiting to interact. She'd tenderly wrap her arms around us, exploring, connecting, and moving from one diver to the next, and seeming to be emotional and intelligent in ways we may not know much about (beyond 'human').
There is a fascinating book about fish being sentient. Here is a link, and there seems to be a pdf downloadable file with a summary and the first two chapters, for anyone who wants to look further into this truly wondrous world we're discussing here: Jonathan Balcombe "What A Fish Knows" https://cdn.bookey.app/pdf/book/en/what-a-fish-knows.pdf
Janet, i read that book decades ago, and i'm well aware that, for instance, some species of trees can communicate biochemically via fungal / mycorrhizal networks in their root systems.
But the fact remains that plants DO NOT have central nervous systems with nerve fibers conveying the intense neurological signals of pleasure and PAIN. And so we do not see anything like the equivalent among plants of mother cows or pigs screaming and crying for their babies when humans violently take them away and subject these animals to all kinds of other HORRIFYING ABUSE.
IN A HOUSEFIRE, which do you rush to save first-- your PETS or your PLANTS?
No sane person saves their plants first. Why? Because your PLANTS are ALIVE BUT NOT SENTIENT. Whereas your PETS are MOST CERTAINLY SENTIENT and will experience excruciating pain and agony if left in the fire.
I have used this case example before in the argument over abortion: namely, do we prioritize fully sentient living beings (pregnant females) or insentient but alive fetuses?
Janet, the same logic holds here for going vegan-- optimally whole-food plant-based vegan (i.e., not just eating donuts and candy bars and calling that "my vegan diet").
What if we had spent the billions on investigating 2/3 of the earth surface rather than on nasa and ego projects of billionaires?
Just maybe we would have appreciated the planet and it’s oceans, and stopped the poisoning of our own home and learned from brilliant mammals who happen to live in the seas rather than on land.
We will never know, because in a matter of decades earth will be uninhabitable on 2/3 of its surface, because of heat, flooding, poisonous atmosphere.
Kind of ironic 2/3 oceans and 2/3 uninhabitable by humans.
I am so happy to read about Orcas this morning! I have been keeping up with the Orca attacks off the Iberian coast. Seems to me it's purposeful and these massive animals are patrolling their waters for mankind that might harm them. I am also happy to read an uplifting piece. I know you have immense wisdom and political chops to share and warn us as the name implies. But after 7 going on 8 years of Trump and the decline of our democracy, I have to limit my daily intake of doom. Some of your writings scare me and there's nothing I can do about the daily harm inflicted upon our democracy. I vote, volunteer, help my local Dem chapter and have been doing so for 40 years. I would offer a suggestion that the Warning intersperse warnings with information about the wins, even small ones, happening in our country and a human interest story here and there. Thank your daughter for me!
Steve, Give your college girl a free subscription. Daughter, find your voice and your stories to tell. I’ll look for you on Substack in the near future. Go orcas!!!
(full disclosure, I was at NOAA before I went to my last federal agency on the Hill. Yes, I believe we have impacted the Oceans, and yes, I also believe we can work to correct the impact. There are many NFP's --WHOI, Scripps among them, who are doing very good work in the field. So if your summer travels take you to Cape Cod or the California coast, stop by for a visit).
Yes Orcas and other marine mammals are more intelligent than we care to think about. If they were injured, I am sure they would take revenge on that which injured them.
Your last question is the most intriguing one. To my mind, myths always point to both a core community understanding and also the "why" questions that were asked and answered around a campfire. They set community norms and behavioral principles. They teach in a memorable way. We recount Greek and other myths as they point to core social norms.
Since yesterday you mentioned CS Lewis, I will remind everyone of the discussion between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, when both were Oxford dons. They were discussing myths. The question was raised if there was such a thing as a true myth. The rest, shall we say, is history.
Steve you write how "I" feel in so much of your work. I believe in the myths and also in the mystical. I do not live as such in the mythical way but I think about it, try to learn from it and very much enjoy the words and writings from the mystics.
I believe your article fits perfectly into this timeframe of success and failures as humans in these United States. I believe we are coming back and I love the feeling!
Thank YOU so very much for your many timely words but most of all for this education about "The Blackfish"
Native American Wisdom: “Listen to the air. You can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it. Woniya wakan—the holy air—which renews all by its breath. Woniya, woniya wakan—spirit, life, breath, renewal—it means all that. Woniya—we sit together, don’t touch, but something is there; we feel it between us, as a presence. A good way to start thinking about nature, talk about it. Rather talk to it, talk to the rivers, to the lakes, to the winds as to our relatives.” -Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions
Thank you Steve (and your daughter!) Woniya Wakan, Sacred Breath of Life. Best to you! Lisa
Thank you for the story of the black fish. I have always found creation stories from Native American interesting. There is wisdom in their teachings. They also represent a love of people and consequences when someone is wronged. These stories tell of morals and a way to coexist with nature and other species in a cohesive environment. Humans by nature or nurture are selfish and think of their own survival first without consideration of the environment around them. We are the top predator in our world and when we act without thought we are extremely dangerous and reckless. If we do not heed the proverbs of creation stories, our world will end badly. We can coexist with nature if we treat our environment with respect. We have lost more than half of the species since the beginning of recorded time and more will go the way of the dinosaurs if we are not careful.
No wish to debate your daughter, who would no doubt be a skilled foe, but I’m a happy paid subscriber because I never fail to learn something here, and your voice is invaluable in these times. And the third paragraph of your opening remarks is a classic!
I have hope for our new generation. They are wholesome and well connected to the need of this planet earth more than we imagine. There is still hope for our troubled time.
Scientific American had an article about the Southern Pod that for some unknown reason in 1987 started wearing dead salmon on their heads. Salmon hats only lasted 1 season . Quirky pod
I think the orcas are perceiving the boats as a threat and are attacking them preemptively as opposed to it being “revenge”. Maybe they’ve come to see boats as dangerous to their pods and are just taking them down as protection.
Whatever the reason, its amazing and I am in full support of their right to protect themselves. 😉
My wife and I truly enjoyed your article today. You are deep thinker and have strong ties to the natural world, qualities I respect. I cannot think of any contemporary politician or operative like you, other than Jimmy Carter. And that is a shame. We need more leaders whose concern and experience extends beyond the Beltway, and who understand the natural world, our place in it, and our deep responsibility to the Earth and future generations.
Your daughter helped you make my day! Give her a free subscription already!
Agree
Steve tell your daughter BRAVA
She has my respect and esteem
For her self esteem to confront you
YES YES YES she gets lifetime free
Subscription if you say No to her
Please let me know✅ Marsha
Great job Great article love & hugs
Sweet girl and smart too❤️
Well done! I've commented on Twitter about this recent activity by orca. I asked these questions: "Are they fed up and fighting back, or just having fun? Of course, the two are hardly incompatible. Some of the best forms of struggle involve having fun at the expense of your enemy. Whichever, they've got my support. Was the aborted TV series Zoo prescient?" And then, in regard to a video of a HUGE pod of dolphins, I added: "The day these guys - who have saved many, many humans and other animals - join the orca in attacking boats, those messing up the oceans will be in BIG trouble!" https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1660764772130848768
These comments of mine reflect recognition of the degree to which capitalists have been destroying the ecology of our planet's oceans. From the ongoing slaughtering of whales (commercial whalers, not the isolated indigenous hunts) through over fishing (commercial fishing fleets, not indigenous fishers) to massive pollution (of which the islands of floating plastic debris are only one part) and global warming, which is destroying reefs, to boats running roughshod over all kinds of mammals hurting them with propellers.
Once we recognize the intelligence of some of the ocean's creatures, not only orca but whales, dolphins, etc., it not hard to imagine them beginning to fight back and boats would seem prime targets. Despite Greenpeace's anti-whaling efforts on the high seas, those of us opposed to this carnage have produced no Captain Nemo's to sink Japanese or Norwegian whaling vessels, so can we blame orca for doing what they can. As I've also commented elsewhere, so far they have NOT attacked the humans whose boats they have scuttled, so I take it that for the time being their actions amount to protests, not yet open warfare. Will those of us aware of and opposed to all this carnage act effectively to stop it before it comes to that?
Animals are MUCH more sentient than we comprehend.
Yes, Garret, possessed of sublime feelings and knowings and capacities we cannot comprehend.
And Steve, you don't have to use the qualified phrase "likely sentient" or raise any doubt about it-- "The Orca isn’t just one of God’s most magnificent creations, but likely sentient as well."
The orca and all cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) and all creatures of the sea even down as "low" on the evolutionary scale as crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimps, et al.) -- are MOST CERTAINLY SENTIENT, in that they are conscious of being subject of a life, conscious of pain and pleasure, and caring for their babies and other relations.
They are not just vegetatively alive, but fully sentient.
Which is why Prof. Gary Francione of Rutgers Univ. -- for decades the world's leading animal rights theorist (taking an abolitionist approach) -- has urged that we follow our moral-ethical conscience and GO VEGAN. E.g., see his book "Eat Like You Care."
Anyway... kudos, Steve, for another piece of writing that touches and inspires the reader!
Here are some extremely cogent, urgent quotes from ethics and law professor Gary L. Francione of Rutgers University, the leading ethical philosopher arguing a "do no harm" abolitionist position against the use of animals as "property" and instead upholding their rights as sentient persons. (Selected from his website www.abolitionistapproach.com/quotes/#.VXTXVEZ8VOZ and other writings and talks by Francione
“Veganism is not a limitation in any way; it’s an expansion of your love, your commitment to nonviolence, and your belief in justice for all.”
“Every sentient being values her/his life even if no one else does. That is what is meant by saying that the lives of all have inherent value.”
“Being vegan provides us with the peace of knowing that we are no longer participants in the hideous violence that is animal exploitation.”
“Is going vegan good for physical health? All the evidence says so. But there is no doubt it is essential for your moral/spiritual health.”
“Being vegan is easy. Are there social pressures that encourage you to eat, wear, and use animal products? Of course there are. But in a patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and ableist society, there are social pressures to participate and engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, and ableism. At some point, you have to decide who you are and what matters morally to you. And once you decide that you regard victimizing vulnerable nonhumans as not morally acceptable, it is easy to go and stay vegan.”
“If animals are not mere things; if they have moral value [as sentient beings], we cannot justify eating, wearing, or using them particularly when we have no better reason than palate pleasure or fashion.”
“You want to stop participating in animal slavery? Go vegan. You want to help an individual animal right now? Adopt or foster a homeless animal.”
“Is veganism a matter of ‘choice’? That depends on whether you think we have the moral right to choose to exploit the vulnerable for frivolous purposes such as palate pleasure.”
“If you care about animals, there is one and only one choice: go vegan. Can you choose not to be vegan? Sure. You can choose not to care.”
“There is nothing 'extreme' about veganism. What is extreme is the notion that we support the suffering and death of billions of sentient beings [i.e., the annual murdering of 85 billion land-based animals and hundreds of billions of marine mammals and fish] for no reason other than that we enjoy the taste of animal products or the look of clothes made from animals. What is extreme is that we continue to support animal agriculture, with its deleterious consequences for human health, the environment, and, most important, our moral integrity.”
“Please consider going vegan. It is the most effective personal statement you can make about rejecting the status of nonhuman animals as commodities.”
“Being vegan is not a matter of your opinion. It is not a matter of your preferences at a given moment--your 'who you are space.' It is not a matter of your 'journey.' It is not a matter of your 'compassion.' It is not a matter of your 'mercy.' It is a matter of fundamental justice for the vulnerable. It is a matter of the right of all sentient beings not to be used as resources. It is a matter of what we *owe* to nonhumans, and not a matter of what we are willing to give. Veganism is not about you. It is about them.”
“I am so tired of hearing 'animal people' [welfarists, reducetarians, and others] declare how difficult it is to go vegan. Going vegan is as easy as wanting to go vegan. *Nothing* more than your decision to want to stop participating directly in the exploitation of the vulnerable is required. Nothing. If you want to go vegan, just do it. If you don't go vegan, just have the integrity to admit that you don't care enough and stop whining about how 'difficult' it is to go vegan. It isn't difficult.”
“We need to change social discourse about animal ethics and we won't do that with things like 'Meatless Monday' or 'happy meat.' [...] Should we campaign for 'humane' forms of torture, child molestation, or rape? Most of us would say: 'Of course not.' So why is it okay to think it perfectly appropriate in the context of nonhumans? [...] It's not a matter of exploiting them 'humanely,' it's a matter of not exploiting them.”
“If you are a feminist and are not a vegan, you are ignoring the exploitation of female nonhumans [e.g., dairy cows and chickens] and the commodification of their reproductive processes, as well as the destruction of their relationship with their babies. If you are an environmentalist and not a vegan, you are ignoring the undeniable fact that animal agriculture is an ecological disaster. If you embrace nonviolence but are not a vegan, then words of nonviolence come out of your mouth as the products of torture and death go into it.... Stop trying to make excuses. There are no good ones to make. Go vegan.”
“The world is filled with a great deal of violence. Why do you want to contribute to it when you can so easily choose not to participate in the victimization of the vulnerable? Please go vegan. Stop eating, wearing, and using those who value their lives just as you value yours.”
“We love some animals and grieve when they die. We eat others and are directly responsible for their suffering and death. How very strange.”
“We can live without participating in the exploitation of the vulnerable.
We can live without destroying the environment.
We can live in a way that guarantees a more healthy life.
But many choose to do otherwise.
And they claim that it is 'natural' to participate in violence, destroy the earth, and kill ourselves. What incredible confusion.”
“Animals are the most vulnerable members of society. They really are. They have no ability to protect or defend themselves. And we exploit them relentlessly. And what I am saying is: a first step towards healing yourself morally is asking yourself, 'Can I justify this?' And if the answer is no, then you stop doing it. You go vegan.”
“There are an estimated 7.5 million vegans in the U.S. [based on a 2011 Harris Poll conducted for Vegetarian Resource Group, showing 5% of USA's population of 310 million people at the time were vegetarian and about half were vegan]. If every one of those vegans persuaded one other person to go vegan in the next year, there would be 15 million vegans. If every one of those persuaded one other person in the second year, there would be 30 million. If we repeated this every year, the entire country would be vegan in fewer than six years.... We could make veganism the prevailing paradigm. Please talk to everyone you know about why veganism is the only rational response to the recognition that animals matter morally.”
Which has a higher probability - that a God sits upon a throne and rules humanity in absentia or that these creatures are sentient? We are starting to trace the neural pathways that show common thinking between humans and dogs. We will, one day, figure this out using science, reason, and belief. As a defense mechanism, it seems probable this evolved in animals earlier and more broadly than we currently know. With a feeling of ”me” comes something to protect, rather than simply protecting offspring.
Hello, I helped to rehabilitate a young magpie for about two months last summer -she had an injured leg. Her ability to reason, her creative problem solving and intelligence was something I'd never quite experienced before in another sentient being, although I've bonded with other wild animals over the years. She is also quite emotional, too. We formed a strong bond, as she was eating out of my hand. She flew back into the wild late last summer and was greeted in raucous celebration by her tribe. Now she's coming back from the wild a couple times of day to get food I put out for her. She's also going back to 'her' stick she often sat on during her re-habilitation last summer- visitations.
Her name is 'Maggie-nificent". She taught me a lot about determination.
Yes! That is what I'm talking about. There is a connection between the physical, emotional (likely also physical), and also the spiritual. We are just not doing the right things as a species in the spiritual regard.
Hello again, I've also been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time/experience in the ocean as a professional scuba diver. There was a friendly (some days more introverted than others) octopus who would often come out and interact with the divers. Sometimes she'd see us coming and would already be out waiting to interact. She'd tenderly wrap her arms around us, exploring, connecting, and moving from one diver to the next, and seeming to be emotional and intelligent in ways we may not know much about (beyond 'human').
There is a fascinating book about fish being sentient. Here is a link, and there seems to be a pdf downloadable file with a summary and the first two chapters, for anyone who wants to look further into this truly wondrous world we're discussing here: Jonathan Balcombe "What A Fish Knows" https://cdn.bookey.app/pdf/book/en/what-a-fish-knows.pdf
What a great experience !
Janet, i read that book decades ago, and i'm well aware that, for instance, some species of trees can communicate biochemically via fungal / mycorrhizal networks in their root systems.
But the fact remains that plants DO NOT have central nervous systems with nerve fibers conveying the intense neurological signals of pleasure and PAIN. And so we do not see anything like the equivalent among plants of mother cows or pigs screaming and crying for their babies when humans violently take them away and subject these animals to all kinds of other HORRIFYING ABUSE.
IN A HOUSEFIRE, which do you rush to save first-- your PETS or your PLANTS?
No sane person saves their plants first. Why? Because your PLANTS are ALIVE BUT NOT SENTIENT. Whereas your PETS are MOST CERTAINLY SENTIENT and will experience excruciating pain and agony if left in the fire.
I have used this case example before in the argument over abortion: namely, do we prioritize fully sentient living beings (pregnant females) or insentient but alive fetuses?
Janet, the same logic holds here for going vegan-- optimally whole-food plant-based vegan (i.e., not just eating donuts and candy bars and calling that "my vegan diet").
What a wonderful change of pace for June morning.
A rhetorical question
What if we had spent the billions on investigating 2/3 of the earth surface rather than on nasa and ego projects of billionaires?
Just maybe we would have appreciated the planet and it’s oceans, and stopped the poisoning of our own home and learned from brilliant mammals who happen to live in the seas rather than on land.
We will never know, because in a matter of decades earth will be uninhabitable on 2/3 of its surface, because of heat, flooding, poisonous atmosphere.
Kind of ironic 2/3 oceans and 2/3 uninhabitable by humans.
. .
The myth is that God gave us dominion over the earth.
the reality is we are destroying her ability to nourish us.
I am so happy to read about Orcas this morning! I have been keeping up with the Orca attacks off the Iberian coast. Seems to me it's purposeful and these massive animals are patrolling their waters for mankind that might harm them. I am also happy to read an uplifting piece. I know you have immense wisdom and political chops to share and warn us as the name implies. But after 7 going on 8 years of Trump and the decline of our democracy, I have to limit my daily intake of doom. Some of your writings scare me and there's nothing I can do about the daily harm inflicted upon our democracy. I vote, volunteer, help my local Dem chapter and have been doing so for 40 years. I would offer a suggestion that the Warning intersperse warnings with information about the wins, even small ones, happening in our country and a human interest story here and there. Thank your daughter for me!
Steve, Give your college girl a free subscription. Daughter, find your voice and your stories to tell. I’ll look for you on Substack in the near future. Go orcas!!!
(full disclosure, I was at NOAA before I went to my last federal agency on the Hill. Yes, I believe we have impacted the Oceans, and yes, I also believe we can work to correct the impact. There are many NFP's --WHOI, Scripps among them, who are doing very good work in the field. So if your summer travels take you to Cape Cod or the California coast, stop by for a visit).
Yes Orcas and other marine mammals are more intelligent than we care to think about. If they were injured, I am sure they would take revenge on that which injured them.
Your last question is the most intriguing one. To my mind, myths always point to both a core community understanding and also the "why" questions that were asked and answered around a campfire. They set community norms and behavioral principles. They teach in a memorable way. We recount Greek and other myths as they point to core social norms.
Since yesterday you mentioned CS Lewis, I will remind everyone of the discussion between CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, when both were Oxford dons. They were discussing myths. The question was raised if there was such a thing as a true myth. The rest, shall we say, is history.
Our entire world view is build on myths.
Steve you write how "I" feel in so much of your work. I believe in the myths and also in the mystical. I do not live as such in the mythical way but I think about it, try to learn from it and very much enjoy the words and writings from the mystics.
I believe your article fits perfectly into this timeframe of success and failures as humans in these United States. I believe we are coming back and I love the feeling!
Thank YOU so very much for your many timely words but most of all for this education about "The Blackfish"
I, for one, welcome our new orca overlords and look forward to preparing my weekly fish offering
Native American Wisdom: “Listen to the air. You can hear it, feel it, smell it, taste it. Woniya wakan—the holy air—which renews all by its breath. Woniya, woniya wakan—spirit, life, breath, renewal—it means all that. Woniya—we sit together, don’t touch, but something is there; we feel it between us, as a presence. A good way to start thinking about nature, talk about it. Rather talk to it, talk to the rivers, to the lakes, to the winds as to our relatives.” -Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions
Thank you Steve (and your daughter!) Woniya Wakan, Sacred Breath of Life. Best to you! Lisa
Thank you for the story of the black fish. I have always found creation stories from Native American interesting. There is wisdom in their teachings. They also represent a love of people and consequences when someone is wronged. These stories tell of morals and a way to coexist with nature and other species in a cohesive environment. Humans by nature or nurture are selfish and think of their own survival first without consideration of the environment around them. We are the top predator in our world and when we act without thought we are extremely dangerous and reckless. If we do not heed the proverbs of creation stories, our world will end badly. We can coexist with nature if we treat our environment with respect. We have lost more than half of the species since the beginning of recorded time and more will go the way of the dinosaurs if we are not careful.
Give your daughter a subscription Steve! If she inspired this writing, which I loved every word, then she's a gift.
It's one of his best pieces.
It moved me.
I agree!
No wish to debate your daughter, who would no doubt be a skilled foe, but I’m a happy paid subscriber because I never fail to learn something here, and your voice is invaluable in these times. And the third paragraph of your opening remarks is a classic!
Thanks, Tom!
I have hope for our new generation. They are wholesome and well connected to the need of this planet earth more than we imagine. There is still hope for our troubled time.
Scientific American had an article about the Southern Pod that for some unknown reason in 1987 started wearing dead salmon on their heads. Salmon hats only lasted 1 season . Quirky pod
Great article, Steve!
I think the orcas are perceiving the boats as a threat and are attacking them preemptively as opposed to it being “revenge”. Maybe they’ve come to see boats as dangerous to their pods and are just taking them down as protection.
Whatever the reason, its amazing and I am in full support of their right to protect themselves. 😉
we are a threat to everything on the planet because he we no respect for our environment.
Mother nature will take so much before she retaliates.
My wife and I truly enjoyed your article today. You are deep thinker and have strong ties to the natural world, qualities I respect. I cannot think of any contemporary politician or operative like you, other than Jimmy Carter. And that is a shame. We need more leaders whose concern and experience extends beyond the Beltway, and who understand the natural world, our place in it, and our deep responsibility to the Earth and future generations.