The Death of Fish

“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.”
–Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist and Philosopher, 1817-1862)

The BBC has just run a gloomy report based on an article published this week in the journal Science.

For years now, fisherman have been reporting that many of the larger
game fish have been getting smaller and younger, and the same has been
reported of smaller fish in the major fishing grounds.

Now this research, which seems quite impeccable, predicts that there will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by 2048 if current trends continue. Stocks of fish have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

When the first reports came out, they quickly became fodder for the late night comedians: “You think they use a lot of batter now? Just imagine how much they’re going to have to put around a minnow, come 2050.”

But that quickly gave rise to an understanding of he gravity of the situation: the decline in numbers of fish is closely tied to a broader loss of marine biodiversity. And that is the point. I’ve heard people say, “I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t care,” or “I don’t like fish anyway.” The ocean, like every other known ecosystem, is like a vast interlocked organism.

Everything that lives in the ocean is important. The diversity of ocean life is the key to its survival. The areas of the ocean with the most different kinds of life are the healthiest. If we knock out entire species the whole will cease to function, and then we have dead oceans. Ocean fish filter toxins from the water. They protect shorelines, and they reduce the risks of algae blooms such as the red tide.

In addition, a large and increasing proportion of our population lives close to the coast; the loss of services such as flood control and waste detoxification can have disastrous consequences.

These findings are not a computer model, or some prediction of future trends. They are based on actual observations of what is happening right now.

Why are we talking about this issue in a blog dedicated to personal growth, integration and wellness? Because seeing the larger You – the You that is interconnected with the rest of the Universe, the You that transcends your physical body, your brain and your emotions – is crucial to all of those three goals.

Yes, you can certainly feel a lot more healthy by eating better. Breathing exercises are valuable too. Do the two together and you get the advantage of synergy: they leverage each other. But you will really make progress when you begin to feel, really feel in a deep down visceral way, that You are something much larger and more grand. And that You also have responsibilities for the welfare of the planet. Because You are part of it, and it is a part of You.

Once You – the whole Big You – really “gets that,” you will feel the need to leave an enduring legacy, and You become an unstoppable force for good. Then you progress rapidly. Not because you are working on yourself, but because you are now acting from your Higher Self.

“I have had the experience of being gripped by something that is stronger than myself.”
–Carl G. Jung (Swiss Psychologist and Psychiatrist, 1875-1961)

“In the end we all must turn to the inner Source of all our best human sources, to the Guru of all the gurus, to the Overself. Then why not now?”
–Paul Brunton (English Spiritual Teacher and Author, 1898-1981)