There are a lot of crazy things happening on our little blue planet these days.
Starvation in Africa, riots in London, flash mobs in the U.S., global economic uncertainty, and devastating natural disasters are among some world issues we hear about daily.
For some, it might feel like our world is falling apart at the seams.
Here in Canada, we’re fairly sheltered to what can be considered the real world. We doze through our daily schedules, oblivious of the monsters that lurk beyond our boundaries.
Quite a few people I’ve come across lately have expressed deep concern about the direction the human condition is taking, not to mention our natural environment.
The only thing that seems to be thriving is cynicism.
My response is usually: “What are you going to do about it?”
It’s a question that often draws a blank stare.
I know, one person can’t control starvation in Somalia. One person can’t fuel the stock markets. One person can’t stop the riots. True enough.
But one person can make a difference. I’m not really asking any person to solve a massive problem, I’m asking what have they done today to make the world we live in a better place.
In a lot of cases, the answer is nothing.
I understand not everybody is geared toward volunteering, or able to make a cash donation to a worthy cause. Everybody is busy just trying to stay afloat.
That’s why I marvel at the actions of Nanaimo’s Marley Daviduk and Carisa Webster. Determined to be a voice to help dolphins being slaughtered in Japan, Daviduk and Webster have put aside what many of us work for every day – car payments, mortgage – to follow their passion to protect these animals.
They recognize something that is wrong and they are trying to make it right. It’s what motivates them to get out of bed every day.
And because they choose not to look away, the world is a little better off.
Last March, Daviduk and Webster travelled to Japan with the intention of filming dolphins being slaughtered for meat in Taiji. When the killing season ended early, they travelled 1,000 kilometres up the coast to Otsuchi to document the slaughter of porpoises. While there, a massive earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami which wiped out the entire town and swept it and its residents out to sea right in front of Daviduk and Webster, who had sought refuge on a nearby hillside.
They watched the disaster unfold right before them (see photos at www.cetaceandefenseleague.
blogspot.com).
They were forced to come home early, but even that experience didn’t scare them off. The team is heading back to Taiji in September come hell or high water (donations will help immensely, check the above website) to continue their work and hold those responsible for the dolphin slaughter accountable.
Why? Because they understand it’s not only compassionate, it’s the right thing to do.
Daviduk and Webster are committed to following their chosen path to make the world a better place. It’s a dangerous and risky path.
You might be sitting on your comfortable couch right now reading this, possibly thinking that dolphins aren’t worth making such sacrifices over. That’s fair, saving dolphins isn’t everybody’s thing, but it’s theirs.
If dolphins were being slaughtered at Piper’s Lagoon Park, however, you may have a different opinion. Daviduk and Webster are just going the extra mile to fight for what they believe in.
This is a global village, after all, and it’s important to sometimes stop and ask yourself how you spent your time and money today to make the world a better place.