The Ocean

A friend today emailed me some fascinating facts about the ocean ...sent out by Conservation International

70% of the world's surface is covered by ocean yet only 1% of Earth's oceans are protected

1 billion people depend on the ocean for it's main source of protein

70-80% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by the oceans

90% of large predatory fish such as cod, shark or blue fin tuna have almost disappeared world wide. ..these top predators being an absolutely vital part in the food chain

1 in 4 of all marine species live on coral reef eco sytems yet already 20% of the worlds coral sytems have been lost and another 20% degraded.

The figures go on and on but rather than blind ourselves with figures and stats , how about considering that this state of affairs has only occurred because of the way people have thought, the kind of lack of value and forethought that has allowed
it to happen.....It strikes me yet again, how utterly vital it is for us to think as citizens of the planet, with respect for the whole eco-system and the part all life plays with it. To think with self interest, either individually or as a country is simply a non sustainable way of going on ...as the current trends demonstrate all too well.

New Discoveries

Looking this morning at the online Telegraph's article about new species of plants and vertebrates discovered in the Amazon was very inspiring ..apparently over 1200 new species discovered over the past decade and another new one every three days or so ...many weird and wonderful exotic birds, spiders and animals....breathtaking really!

Chatting to a friend by email about this , his response was "Thank God we shall never know everything of the gifts that are around us. Similar discoveries keep an edge on our appetite to ever look forward"

What a great attitude, I thought... ( especially as the person concerned is not far from 80 years old)...to look beyond the thrill of the physical discovery and appreciate how important it is to keep that sense of search in the human faculty alive and active.

In many ways, compared to just a few centuries ago, we know so much about the physical world around us ...and such knowledge is widely available....but how much do we really know about the human faculty? Even today, scientists estimate we probably only use about 10 or 20% of our brain capacity ....so what a great search to find ways to bring more of it out of latency...to develop the new faculties this might release and discover the unknown possibilities of ourselves !

Ladies in Kenya - pioneering a more humane world

I went to a very inspiring talk & slide show last night by Mary Noble, one of the founders of an educational organization for women called Feminenza who are working in Kenya in the area of Forgiveness and Reconciliation. They are going to be training forgiveness and reconciliation councillors, with the help of funding from Unifem, part of the United Nations.

Wow, what a very refreshing evening ! We all know what a very troubled continent Africa is, and particularly distressing is the ongoing conflict and violence between various tribes. The ladies who are gong to be taking part in this training are all women who are working on various initiatives such as schools, churches, peace groups who are intent on leaving behind the violence and helping build a new more unified and harmonious future. We saw slide after slide of those gorgeous bright faces, with eyes which reflected both the suffering they had gone through and the determination and hope for a better tomorrow.

You could feel too a deep humanity and bright spirituality. This feels so much the way of the world citizens of tomorrow...positively seeking to leave behind the cruel aspects of history and actively pathfinding new ways to build a kinder, more humane world.

All strength to them!

Permanent Influences

I listened to a fascinating program on the radio this week about Beethoven writing the Emperor Concerto in 1809.

He was writing at a time when Austria and Napoleonic France were at war and Napoleon's army was actually shelling Vienna. All the court and dignitaries had fled from the city to safer climes, but Beethoven remained and whilst the battle was going on around him, wrote this most exquisite piece of music.

I found the program so thought provoking from several angles. One was that despite the turmoil of the war at that time, the aspect which still moves people most today is the music itself. Not the history, not even the composer but it is the harmonies and rhythms which have an enduring , almost 'permanent' quality. In fact one of the young men on air talked of the piece as something, which despite the ups and downs of living, this piece of music was something which brought strength and stability for him...something which improved the quality of life and upon which he could depend.

It caused me to wonder what it might be from our times which would endure,centuries later? Would it perhaps be that this was a time of intense change where amidst the turbulence and breakdown of various aspects of society, something new was also appearing ..something which heralded an evolution of consciousness, a real elevation for humanity ?