Ignorance ain't Bliss

At the facility where I work, much of my job involves talking about the environment and getting people to adapt eco-friendly habits for the benefit of every living organism on this planet. To be clear, I’m not asking anyone to do extreme stuff like getting on a boat and using their own bodies to defend whales from harpoons… in reality, all I usually ask is for everyone to remember to throw their trash in the proper place, recycle when you can, minimize the use of plastic bags, and so on. And I do what I can to make the message as entertaining as possible while retaining the importance of the lesson. When you consider that it is the quality of our lives that is at stake, you’d think that everyone would want to hear what I and my colleagues have to say. So why is that not the case?? Why is it that whenever the topic of the conversation turns to the environment or conservation, most people automatically give you a deaf ear and a blank stare?

I find it rather bizarre that people are willing to shell out thousands of pesos to watch the upcoming Taylor Swift concert – or any concert, for that matter (just to be clear, I’ve nothing against Taylor herself) – but refuse to accept free invitations to talks on how to conserve water! I mean hello! This is water we’re talking about! The substance each of us needs to survive! If you don’t take any for three days, you DIE! Obviously, without water you won’t be attending Taylor’s concert in February…

Am I the only one who thinks this situation is completely absurd??

Why is it that we have become a society that values entertainment so much that we consider it a top priority when deciding how to spend our time and money? As an example, I understand that many people find dolphin shows fascinating and amusing: they love watching the marine mammals as they jumps through flaming hoops, the acrobatic mid-air twirls, and their engaging “smiles”. But after being entertained by these animals, do you even care what happens to them? Are you touched enough by what you saw that you decide to learn all you can about dolphins in captivity? Because if you did, you wouldn’t like what you’ll discover; in fact, you will most probably regret having gone to that dolphin show in the first place! And that’s really my point: when it comes to choosing between what’s important and what’s fun, the important stuff gets left by the side of the road because the fun stuff is the focus of all our attention.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be some killjoy out to prevent anybody from having a good time. I enjoy having fun just as much as the next person. However, I believe I know enough to tell when the fun must stop and serious action must take its place, or when I must admit to not knowing enough about something that I must take the time to study it further before my fun can continue. And for the longest time ever since I was young, I was of the impression that all adults were responsible and thought things through this way. Imagine my disappointment when I grew up and finally realized that the world isn’t populated with responsible adults. The nagging question in my head now is: why is this so?

Is it really so hard to understand that the water which we all must drink to survive has to be protected at their source, which in most cases in our country are watersheds surrounded by lush, virgin forests? That consequently, allowing illegal loggers unhindered access to such forests directly threatens our own access to clean drinking water? In a similar manner, do people really think that the candy wrappers or cigarette butts they throw out of the windows of the vehicles they are riding will somehow disappear forever just like that? Is it so difficult to fathom that an “out of sight, out of mind” attitude is extremely unrealistic and irresponsible in this context, since plastics simply do not melt away and evaporate like an ice cube would, but instead they persist and release toxins into our waterways, infiltrating the marine food web and the seafood we eat? As a result, we end up consuming the plastic trash we ourselves carelessly threw out in the first place!

Does what I’m saying sound too farfetched to be true? Then perhaps you haven’t been listening to what my colleagues around the world have been saying for the past few decades. But even without going through all the scientific and anecdotal evidence, you need only consider the high incidences of cancer among people of all ages as well as the increasing reports of developmental disorders being found in newborns and young children, and then mull over the fact that these kids were born into an era where the cities have a constant smoggy haze floating above them, where toys covered with lead-based paints are actually the norm and not the exception, where babies regularly drink from bottles that release toxins when heated, and where plastic, not plankton, is already the dominant ‘inhabitant’ in some of the world’s oceans, outnumbering aquatic organisms 6 to 1.

We eat, drink, breathe, walk through, and swim in all manner of toxic filth, yet instead of channeling all our available resources into generating solutions for these problems (which, by the way, we created in the first place), we continue to act like everything in our world is okie-dokie, as if willfully ignoring the problems will somehow make them go away. Additionally, we choose to entertain rather than to educate ourselves, preferring to splurge on the latest electronic gadgets, CDs, clothes, cars, cigarettes (or whatever habit-forming substance strikes your fancy), and going to the latest gigs, fancy malls, and celebrity events, because these are FUN…

Is being diagnosed with cancer, and then taking an agonizing 10 months to slowly, painfully deteriorate and die… is that fun?? Or how about bringing into the world a child saddled with all kinds of developmental and physical disorders, and then having to pay for the astronomical medical expenses necessary to treat all that child’s symptoms, only to have him or her die young anyway… is that fun as well??

Perhaps what I and others like me have to say cannot be considered fun; in fact, I will admit that it can be downright depressing. But I assure you it is as important to every one of us as breathing. Imagine, if we all decided that breathing is boring and simultaneously stopped respiring, the human race would be extinct in 10 minutes!

Is something like THAT (simultaneous human asphyxiation) ever occurring an absurd thought? Most definitely it is, and it is just as absurd as the attitude many people have when they ignore the environmental crisis at hand. “Ignorance is bliss” may be true for a while, but this is like ignoring a small fire in your home kitchen: pretending it isn’t there will not make it go away, and it may very well grow to consume your home and everything in it, including yourself and your family. And that is an apt metaphor for what is happening today: a ‘fire’ of environmental degradation is slowly but surely consuming the planet that is our only home, and unless we all choose to do something about it – initially by educating ourselves on what the problems are and then taking it from there – we may soon end up watching as our home, our loved ones and eventually we ourselves are consumed as well.

I imagine if our Mother Earth could talk, this is what she'd be saying...

I'm Googleable!

Earlier today, a friend of mine was telling me how she was pleasantly surprised to discover that typing my name on Google Search results in a lot of hits. To be completely honest, I've known about this for quite a while already, since my job often requires me to conduct interviews with TV, radio and print media, as well as with students (usually college undergrads). These interviews are usually inquiries about the oceanarium, its animals and their care and maintenance, but sometimes I'm also asked to talk about SCUBA diving, helmet diving (a.k.a. Aquanaut), and being a zoologist. And I must admit, I never get tired of the "oh, I saw you today/yesterday/last night on TV" comments and text messages, even if I would prefer that people remember what I was saying just as much as they knew what channel or show I appeared in.

Anyway, I'd like to share some links to blog postings where I was mentioned or interviewed, as well as the videos of some of my TV appearances. As an environmentalist advocating for greater information dissemination, especially when it helps to increase knowledge about Philippine marine ecosystems, I will do what I must to get the word out to as many people as I can. So, if you have any questions you'd like to ask about the ocean, marine parks, fish, diving, the environment, even evolution... please feel free to ask. ^_^

BI"OH"DIVERSITY - a group of students were doing a documentary film on Philippine biodiversity, and they needed to visit a lot of nature parks to conduct interviews, like La Mesa Eco Park, Avilon Zoo and Manila Ocean Park. They decided to post their accomplishments on this blog, though now that the project is finished it seems they no longer update it anymore.

The Varsitarian: Showcasing the wonders of Philippine seas - a walking interview I did for the UST school paper, which I gave a few months after the oceanarium opened in 2008.

Trying out the Fish Spa - I'm not seen in this video, coz instead of being interviewed, I'm the cameraman! The reporter (my good friend, Ms. Erika Tapalla) came to interview Dr. Benjamin Vallejo Jr. of UP about our fish spa, and needed a pair of steady hands to assist in the shoot. It's nice to know that I can be effective behind as well as in front of the camera!

Manila Ocean Park and WWF Inspect Bataan Coastal Resources - this article highlights a trip I took with WWF to Morong, Bataan, where we visited the mangrove forests (or mangals), seagrass beds and coral reefs that can be found in the surrounding area. It is a known nesting site for sea turtles, which is why organizations such as the Bantay Pawikan Project have set up base there.

Fish in Dirty Water - a blog article by Cesar "Gigit" Sulit a.k.a. The Lone Rider, that talks about this large shark that was seen jumping out of the waters underneath the oceanarium some time ago. (Note: the shark was not one of ours, and witnesses claim it was larger than any of the sharks we had at the time.)

Manila Ocean Park (uploaded by normandbph) - an interview I did with Mel Tiangco shortly after the opening (this is part 1; part 2 here). I remember that it was after this particular bit of media exposure that people were suddenly approaching me to ask "ikaw ba yung nasa TV para sa ocean park?"

It's so Annoying, I could die!

I’d like to share this series of YouTube videos that my son found last week:

The Annoying Orange
At first, I was concerned that he might be watching inappropriate material online (I mean, hello, this is the internet we’re talking about), so I decided to observe whatever it was he was laughing to on YouTube. I was really surprised when I caught myself chuckling in amusement to the inane antics of the aforementioned orange and his veggie pals, and I ended up waiting after each episode finished for my son to click to the next video in the series so I could watch some more.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

“The Annoying Orange is a comedy web series created by Dane Boedigheimer, also known as "Daneboe". The show features an animated talking orange called Orange, played by Dane Boedigheimer. Boedigheimer's partner Spencer Grove writes the episodes.

Orange heckles other fruits, vegetables, or nearby animated objects, with puns and laughter. Orange lives on a kitchen counter, which he shares with his best friend Pear, a Bartlett pear, also played by Boedigheimer. Despite being his friend, Pear finds Orange just as annoying as everyone else he encounters. Other recurring guest stars include Passion (a female passion fruit), Midget Apple, Marshmallow and Knife. Most episodes consist of Orange talking to other characters, who become annoyed and meet a gruesome end, usually by evisceration with a knife (although fates have included a blender and "deathtrap"), which Orange tries to warn them about before it happens (for example, by saying "knife").”

I must admit, I usually prefer my entertainment to be somewhat intellectually stimulating, and I have absolutely no appetite for toilet humor or crass vulgarity. So for me to be giggling with glee as I watch each Orange episode seems pretty off-character for me. Naturally, I began to analyze this situation, and I came up with a list of reasons why I’m amused by the Orange instead of annoyed:

1. No toilet humor or need to resort to vulgarity (well, almost...)

2. The Orange is so annoyingly irritating, it’s actually funny!

3. The “death scenes” may seem violent initially, but when you think about it, what is so violent about grating a slice of cheese, slicing an apple in two or eating an onion ring?

4. The jokes are hilarious! They remind me of The Simpsons, where anything can happen and often does, and usually when you least expect it to.

5. The puns are really… punny! (I know, that was veeerry baaad… but I couldn’t resist!)

The link above will take you to the first Annoying Orange episode on YouTube, with a selection of others in the series on the right. Afterwards, please share your thoughts and comment if you are as amused (or even if you’re not) as I am by this freaky fruit and his poor unsuspecting pals.