| MAKING WAVES, June 2004 issue: Table of Contents |   |
| Standing Watch "The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground." - Buddha I have a friend who calls environmentalism just another religion, or, at best, just a form of elitist nostalgia. I don’t agree with him, of course, but it’s often difficult to argue against the ruthlessly logical stance that the earth is simply the earthshort of our literally vaporizing it into nonexistenceit will simply go on, however grossly changed it may become.  Life will continue to evolve, even if we kill off nearly all of it, as long as a few cells remain. Arguing for anything else, according to my friend, is simply saying your version of the future is more important than another’s, much like insisting that your religion is the only true way. Wanting industry to grind to a halt because of a few owls, or turtles, or good heavens, a wave, is just saying that my version of reality is more valid than his. His argument is just built on sophistry, of course, but he’s done what he set out to domake me question the fairness of my own motives. Once you buy into this clever but misleading reasoning, you start to doubt yourself. After all, wanting a clean beach is just a form of selfishness, isn’t it?
It is not. We are not operating from selfishness. The selfishness is in thinking that humans are the focal point of life on earth, and that our manipulating should have no bounds. In fact, there is a lot of evidence to the contrary. Life originated in the sea, and about 80 percent of is is still there.1 About two-thirds of the earth’s surface is waternot the ideal real estate mix if the planet was designed just for us humans. Just because we can destroy the world, does not mean we have the right. Stopping Hitler was very much a case of saying our version of reality was more important that his. There are degrees. There are common standards of personal and planetary health. Author John Culliney put it into perspective: "The ocean is the planet's last great living wilderness, man’s only remaining frontier on earth, and perhaps his last chance to prove himself a rational species." We are the only species that can destroy the earth. We are the only species that knows this, and there is great responsibility in our knowing. We are capable of extreme hubris, but we are also capable of extreme humility. We are a global species and as such we must stand watch over our home, and over ourselves. This is our context. Our environment is where we come to know ourselves. As Buddha says above, the foot feels the foot only when it feels the ground. Without the sand to push against, the foot has no context and thus cannot know itself. Without an unbroken and interconnected wilderness, we have no context and no limits. Without these, we cannot know ourselves Cover: A lone seagull stands watch over the coast along Southern California's Laguna Beach. Photo: mozdzen Correction: The byline for the Beaches Alive article in the Feb., 2004 issue of Making Waves was incorrect. The correct byline is: Karen Martin, PhD. -Ed |
Making Waves
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's waves, oceans and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research, and education. Publication of The Surfrider Foundation A Non-Profit Environmental Organization P.O. Box 6010 San Clemente, CA 92674-6010 (949) 492-8170 fx (949) 492-8142 (800) 743-surf Web: http://www.surfrider.org Email: info@surfrider.org Executive Director Christopher J. Evans, Esq. Deputy Executive Director/Legal Director Michelle C. Kremer, Esq. Director of Chapters Edward J. Mazzarella Environmental Director Chad Nelsen Development Director Steve Blank Marketing & Communications Director Matt McClain Coastal Science Manager Mark Rauscher National Grants Manager Lori A. Booth Membership Coordinator Jenna Oldfield Membership Database Administrator Olaf Lohr Office Services Coordinator Chandra Boughton Coastal Management Coordinator Rick Wilson Pacific Northwest Regional Manager Kevin Ranker Southern California Regional Manager Joe Geever Oregon Outreach Coordinator Markus Mead Puerto Rico Outreach Coordinator Leon Richter Washington Outreach Coordinator Ian Miller Southern California Field Coordinator Nancy Hastings Central California Field Coordinator Kaya Pederson Mail Order Assistant - Chapin Tierney Controller - Toni Craw Cash Receipts - Jill Tierney Web Master - Mark Babski Chief Financial Officer Christopher W. Keys, CPA Making Waves Staff Editor in Chief: Joe Mozdzen; Managing Editor: Matt McClain Contributors: Chris Evans, Ed Mazzarella, David Hubbard, Morgan Ball, Drew Kampion, Will Henry, Ian Miller, Hal Hughes, Jenna Oldfield, Chelsea Murphy 2004 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Mike Orbach Vice-Chair Jeff Berg Secretary Will Novy Hildesley Lance Andersen Megan Bailiff Kris Balliet Marc Chytilo Harold Hofer Michael Marckx Bill Rosenblatt Janis Searles Mark Spalding Kira Stillwell Robb Waterman 2004 Advisory Board Advisory Board Chairman Shaun Tomson Advisory Board Manager Jim Kempton Lisa Andersen Michael Bloom Jeff Bridges Bruce Brown Aaron Checkwood Sean Collins Russ Cogdill Susan Crank Corb Donohue Pierce Flynn, Ph.D. Alan Gibby Brad Gerlach Karen Mackay Griffiths Jake Grubb Woody Harrelson Gregory Harrison Noel Hillman Paul Holmes Bob Hurley Pearl Jam Drew Kampion Dave Kaplan Josh Karliner Mike Kingsbury Kevin Kinnear Tom Loctefeld Gerry Lopez Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and The Beach Boys Terry McCann Rob Machado Don Meek Shelly Merrick Dick Messerol Dick Metz Doug McPherson Bob Mignogna Guy Motil Sakiusa Nadruku Paul Naudé Doug Palladini Tony Pallagrosi Debbee Pezman Mark Price Gary Propper Randy Rarick Fran Richards Gary L. Sirota Kelly Slater C.R. Stecyck III John Stouffer Peter Townend John Von Passenheim Mati Waiya/Chumash People Robert "Nat" Young FOUNDING Advisory Board Yvon Chouinard Steve Pezman Bruce Johnston Tom Curren Jericho Poppler Bartlow D. Dwight Worden Interns Yuri Horowitz Jeff Petersen |