My daughter cried this morning because we were eating smoked salmon with our poached eggs. I mean literally shed tears. "How could you eat that?!" she implored. "I don't understand you are intelligent people!" "This is wild caught salmon from Alaska," I explained, "and Alaska has some of the few salmon fisheries that have implemented sustainable fishing practices." "You just want to believe that. Fish populations are going extinct. If you eat fish at all you are encouraging a market for fish, which supports commercialized fishing. People need to be aware of the crisis, stop eating fish and let the systems replenish." Tearfully she continued, "When you eat the salmon from Alaska you are taking the salmon away from the bears, whose habitat is already hugely impacted with development. When the bears don't get enough salmon their poop is not full of the nutrients that the soil depends on, and it effects the whole ecosystem." She explained this all really fast so I may be missing some key points to the long chain of events, but you get the idea. My children are quite adept at shedding light on my flaws and shortcomings....and although it can be hard to take, it is, in many ways, a blessing. My husband responded to her with "You are right, I am being a hypocrite" I responded with a look... a look that she took to mean I was annoyed with her and thought I knew better. She was wrong. In fact, my mind was reeling with questions and admonitions. Was it all that black and white? Probably. Does it require strident action? Definitely. I do understand the dangerous plight of the oceans, so why the hesitancy in changing my habits? Have I just been collecting the little bit of evidence to let me continue patterns which I hold so dear (the amazing health benefits of eating fish is a biggie) while I ignore the hard facts of what needs to be done? Am I really just like all of the people I have judged as either too ignorant or too selfish and greedy to do the things that need to be done for our greater good? How do I manage the horrible, negative, selfish, cynic lodged deep down in my mind which thinks "there is no way that enough people will do the right thing (ie: stop eating fish until the fisheries are replenished, or stop using fossil fuels, etc.) and we are screwed, so I should just enjoy the ride. Uggh that is hard to admit. I hear my husband saying "You didn't grow up the way we did, never thinking about what you ate or it's implications on your health or anything else" "Yes I did, she said...I grew up with you two...eating meat" Well, she did grow up eating meat, but there was always a conversation about the fact that is was organic, and free range. We had long discussions about the need to buy local organic produce. When we sailed in Central America we took note of the schools funded by Pepsi, covered from foundation to rooftop with the Pepsi logo and filled with children with rooting teeth. We talked about the reprecussions of the junk food industry. Now she has taken up the gauntlet and is throwing it back at us. Am I up to the challenge? Old habits are bloody hard to change.
amazing photo found
here
