The Twilight Zone

ocean

[ˈōSHən]

NOUN

1. a very large expanse of sea, in particular each of the main areas into which the sea is divided geographically. "the Atlantic Ocean"

synonyms: (the) sea · the drink · the briny · salt chuck · the deep · the waves · the main · the foam · the profound · moana

• NORTH AMERICAN

(the ocean) the sea.

"the ocean floor" • informal (an ocean of/oceans of) a very large expanse or quantity. "she had oceans of energy"

synonyms:

a lot · a great/large amount · a great/good deal · plenty · quantities · an abundance · a profusion · lots · loads · heaps · bags · masses · stacks · oodles · tons · scads · lashings · a shedload · gobs · a swag

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"If I were the ocean, the drink, the vast, the deep,

I’d tell you want you could do with the garbage that you heap,

Onto my beaches, inlets and thoroughfares

I’d tell you where you could go, and gladly sail you there."

(poem by me)

And the butterfly flutters and floats, flaps its wings and a hurricane begins.

Believe what you will, claim ignorance or indifference. Tell me you don’t believe in climate change, or global warming or your part in global responsibility. Tell me, that is how we have always done it, and ask, why fix it if it’s not broken?

Because it is broken.

Rose colored glasses are not going to save you from the cause and effects that WILL and ARE happening currently from disturbing the largest surface of the earth.

Around 70% of the planet’s surface is covered by oceans. In fact, the oceans hold about 96.5% of all water on Earth. (it doesn’t come from the 7-11 in a plastic bottle, and if you didn't know, is not the recycle bin you should return it to) The largest body of water is call the pacific, the adjective "pacific" means peaceful, calm, tranquil, or nonviolent. Why are we human always the ones starting war?

Truth is, no matter where you choose to put your trust, the facts are obvious. We can no longer turn our heads and pretend it isn’t happening. Why is it we must be negatively affected for us to make a change? Are we so self-absorbed, that until we feel the effects firsthand, we turn a blind eye?

We play in it, surf in it, swim in it, eat from it, lay around it, work on it, admire it, photograph it, and when we are all done with it-- we throw our trash in it and walk away. Imagine if we did that in other aspects of our lives. Our cars, our homes our families...use it and then throw it away or at best, ignore their needs. We wouldn't dream of it, right?!

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

What exactly are you planning on leaving your children and grandchildren? In your life insurance policies, have you noted, “sorry, I didn’t think you would need this, so I spent it”

Is the best you can leave them empty landfills and oil covered bodies on the shore? Really?

Ocean pollution refers to the introduction of toxic materials and other harmful pollutants such as agricultural and industrial waste, chemicals, oil spills, and plastic litter into the ocean's waters. (refer to previously mentioned 7-11 water bottle) This is not new information; I am not telling you anything you can’t find on the internet. Except you are not looking. You can’t be bothered to read it or listen to it on the news. You don’t notice until it tugs on your wallet or interferes with travel plans. Who wants to walk the beaches to watch the sunset with dead seals and dolphins under foot?

The ocean provides humans with several resources and economic benefits, yet it is treated as a worldwide trash bin. A collective dumpster. This pollution of the world’s oceans is mainly caused by careless human activity that poses a serious threat to the oceanic ecosystem and in turn to several species of marine life that are solely dependent on it. Don’t care, doesn’t affect you? Are you sure?

Every action has an equal opposite reaction, what goes up, yup, must come down. You get out what you put in. This is true in so many instances and facets in our lives.

Work out regularly, eat right and you can have great physique. Eat chips and lay around, not so much. Read and study and you become enlightened and informed. Don't, well, you see where I am going. We all can do many things to begin to make a difference, a change an effort. Pretending everything is ok and continuing to follow the path forged before us, expecting things to change FOR us, is not working.

Doing the same things and expecting a different outcome is the very definition of insanity. We MUST be insane.

When I was younger, my father would give me a list of chores. Everyday I was expected to do these chores. If I didn’t, it put a tailspin on the chores the rest of my siblings had and trickled down until it interrupted what my father was doing. This cause and effect came back around to visit me, usually in a manner I didn’t appreciate, leaving sitting hard for a time. But I then understood my part and the importance in being responsible and diligent. And that moment of displeasure taught me HOW important my part was (IS) Cause and effect is real.

Simple changes:

*recycle

*pick up trash, (yes, even if it’s not yours)

*use less plastic

*drive less

*minimize food waste

*use less energy/use solar if you can. Turn off light, unplug

*donate clothes

*reuse, refurbish, rebuild

*volunteer at parks or in your neighborhood

Be Better!

Being self-aware and community connected is a great start to changing your corner of the world.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that it’s someone else’s problem, it’s a world problem. The only solution is coming together with like minds to make a tangible difference.

Plant trees, plant flowers.

By making your existence as green as possible, you are promising the next generation something as beautiful as you remember. Don’t you invest with the intention of generating a dividend? Something better than you started with. Don’t you plan to protect your future with life insurance and health insurance? The same mindset is all that you need to ensure that your tomorrow, and the tomorrows of future humans is better than you found it.

We tend to take an issue and make it harder than it needs to be because we are scared or intimidated. Following the easy step above are all you need to do physically to start a new day.

The harder part is supporting and putting into place others with power and influence to take your “environmental insurance” to the next level, so we can begin to make deeper world changing strides to protect mother earth.

We are all in this together, wherever you find yourself, you are amongst other humans that want a better world

To get there we need to become better humans.