Do We Really Live The Ocean, Or We Just Love Diving?

[timz]

Over the past months, I've watched a youtube series called "Borneo from Below"Borneo From Below - Season 1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFOxezX1f3HKqNakIRWM65QlmAp3kPM6X

In the final episode, the host asked the viewers for support to fund the series 2 by signing up as a patron of a page by contributing as low as USD2 per episode. And part of the money will also be used as contribution to the conservation of the borneo sea and marine life.

When i signed up, there were 6 patrons including me.

Fee days ago, someone posted a 2012 post on our largest diver's network regarding Shark fining by the locals. Of course, there are alot of comments with vengeance, angers amd dissatisfaction.

Honestly, to me. I don't blame the locals as the life there is difficult. Instead of calling names and pointing fingers, i suggested to educate them sharks can only be finned once but can be appreciated a million times from diving. We can follow what's done in Raja Ampat.

Then i started a new post regarding what we can do on ourside. Some small little things we can do. One of the example is to signed up as a patron as low as USD2/episode to create awareness.

And of course, as expected. When we post someone is killing a turtle, million cries.... when there is an opportunity for contribution, million silence. Only a few responded to my post with one giving excuses like, "there is so much we can do... it's not going to change anything"

After signing up as a patron for a few months, there are still just 6 of us...

Sometimes i wonder.

Maybe we should ask ourself. Do we really love the ocean, or do we just love diving...

If latter is the answer, then one should keep quiet and stop talking about protecting the ocean. If former is the answer, there's always small little contribution that individual can do. When all these small contribution merged, it can create a huge impact. There is no contribution that's too small.

The respond put myself in silence and i just decided to draw something to express what's in my mind.

*sorry admin, i am not sure where to post this. Hope it's at the right section.

 

[emoreira]

I do love diving in a healthy ocean.
Contributions. many too many contributions, for the ocean somewhere I will never be, for the sharks I've never seen, for the turtles, to avoid plastic, to avoid aerosols, to avoid ocean acidification, to avoid hunger in Africa, to avoid Artic ice melting, to avoid Polar bears extinction.
All of them are good enough causes and all deserve contributions.
Besides all this, we have to pay taxes, we have to send our children to private schools but we have to pay taxes for children going to public schools. Same with public medicine, but we go to private doctors. Same with roads and streets for those that has no car.
Contributions should come from our taxes, not from our pockets. We share with governments a huge part of our salary in taxes that go to places better not to mention.

 

[timz]

I do love diving in a healthy ocean.
Contributions. many too many contributions, for the ocean somewhere I will never be, for the sharks I've never seen, for the turtles, to avoid plastic, to avoid aerosols, to avoid ocean acidification, to avoid hunger in Africa, to avoid Artic ice melting, to avoid Polar bears extinction.
All of them are good enough causes and all deserve contributions.
Besides all this, we have to pay taxes, we have to send our children to private schools but we have to pay taxes for children going to public schools. Same with public medicine, but we go to private doctors. Same with roads and streets for those that has no car.
Contributions should come from our taxes, not from our pockets. We share with governments a huge part of our salary in taxes that go to places better not to mention.

There are very little things that one can do to help. It's always other people's job right?

There is no contribution that is too small to be called unnecessary.

 

[bmorescuba]

There are small, easy things that anyone can do -

About AmazonSmile: Program details and FAQ

Amazon Smile costs nothing, and generates millions for charities. Sea Save, Ocean Conservancy, Sea Shepard, and dozens more are all registered. You can stop eating fish, or any marine life, especially if you have the resources to obtain protein from other sources. I do both those things, but does it matter? Whether small things make a difference is very unclear to me. CITES protects many species of sharks & rays, but has it affected Asian demand for fins? Reefs are bleached all over the world, but we still fly to those places and dive, contributing to the underlying warming issue.

Some people believe we can turn things around, some are more fatalistic. Late in his life, Jacques Cousteau warned that the only "solution" was to decrease the size of the human population dramatically. And that was when we only had 5b people. I tend to agree with him. The most effective measure you can do to help the ocean is to have fewer than 2 children, and convince everyone else in the world to do the same. Good luck.

 

[emoreira]

There are very little things that one can do to help. It's always other people's job right?

There is no contribution that is too small to be called unnecessary.

No, there are many things that a simple citizen can do. Pay taxes, be a good person, do not steal, follow the rules, do not bother other's life, work, be a good father, have a nice family.
Many too many people do not do those simple things.

 

[timz]

Well

No, there are many things that a simple citizen can do. Pay taxes, be a good person, do not steal, follow the rules, do not bother other's life, work, be a good father, have a nice family.
Many too many people do not do those simple things.

Well, that is very true...

 

[Aaron Gekoski]

@timz - just wanted to thank you so much for your contribution. Looking forward to showing you season 2...coming soon ;-) Bertie

 

[NYCNaiad]

@timz I agree with you that too many people do nothing. I do a lot of charity work & often try to get people to contribute money or time. It's funny to me that the same people who say they have no money to contribute are always spending money on seemingly frivolous things. My favorite was a woman drinking a fancy coffee & wearing pricey heels coming back from a 2 hour lunch at a gourmet restaurant who told me she couldn't afford to contribute $5 to the charity or spend an hour of her time to help.

@Bertie Do you offer a way to support you with a one-time donation? (I don't like to set-up recurring donatioms as I've had some problems with them in the past.

 

[timz]

@timz I agree with you that too many people do nothing. I do a lot of charity work & often try to get people to contribute money or time. It's funny to me that the same people who say they have no money to contribute are always spending money on seemingly frivolous things. My favorite was a woman drinking a fancy coffee & wearing pricey heels coming back from a 2 hour lunch at a gourmet restaurant who told me she couldn't afford to contribute $5 to the charity or spend an hour of her time to help.

@Bertie Do you offer a way to support you with a one-time donation? (I don't like to set-up recurring donatioms as I've had some problems with them in the past.

@NYCNaiad , If u look at the sketch I present carefully, U'll see what gears the diver uses. And that pretty much conclude I know what u meant. Have a great day.

 

[admikar]

@timz ,maybe there are more important things to donate to? While I agree that awareness is a good thing and that locals should get some help, I'll rather donate my money/time/whatever to local orphanage.