People made reefs gone bad

[Astrivian]

I just listened to this story today on the radio. Man, i really dont think old tires belong in a reef...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=6112016

[V]

yeah, its like the oceans dont have enough of our crap> we go and add more in the name of conservation
i also heard you guys have floating trash lanes that travel to japan, and japan's trash travels to the usa . some bloke coined it "the sea of bowling ball" it im not mistaken!

[bubbletip]

Has anyone been to Haunama Bay, Oahu? It is saddening to see a reef mostly bleached due to 1 million sunbathers(slopped with sun tan lotion) visiting every year. I had to swim out about 200 yards before I saw any coral. Man I was tired. They should really shut the Bay down to let the corals grow again. My brother told me when he visited 8 years ago, there were fish at your feet right when you walked into the water. Corals were more prevalent. I realize the mass population wants to see a living reef. Well, then leave it alone for a while.

[V]

bubble, theres a real conservation side to you isn't there>it seems to spill into your write-ups!!
i saw your picture along with your brother. you seem to fit the visual bill as well!
keep the deep thoughts coming my man! its what sets people apart from the rest!
as per the topics its concerning , it really is....the more we advance in society the colder and more disconnected we become. 200years ago we were sailing in ships, today we do the same but instead of water we sail in the void of space!!
one day in the not to distant future we will wake up with a different purpose in life>to try and stay alive.
the trade-mark cause and effects in regards to our back water planet are judged on a cosmic rubber band with little regard for time as we know it.
pull it to strongly in the wrong dirrection and its inevitable that its going the snap. ye-ha! cause the chain of events that will follow are going to make every war and every disease thats ever killed anybody seem like childs play in insignificant numbers! and im forecasting that will be only the begining!
and as we see these events unfold right before our eyes.................our pointless day to day life problems, making money and herding assets wont seem so important anymore, and once again we will neglect things like the reefs, cause saving ourselves will be more important!


i dont delude myself and pretent to practise what i preach, at the very least i can say i keep my eyes open and i question stupid motives!


the simple fact remains that the pre-curser is slapping us in the face with 24hour a day world coverage. its all about perspective!
all you have to do is stand on top of your desk and say

"Oh Captain My Captain"

[Astrivian]

"The man became a spectator of god's work. He (the man) looked at it (the world) in astonishment and recognized its maker."
(Hermetica, Corpus Hermeticum IV, v. 2)

"He [Jesus the Christ] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him."
(The Bible, John 1:10-11)

"Learning the arts and sciences and using them preserves this earthly part of the world."
(Hermetica, Asclepius, v. 8)

"Creation of the heavens and the earth,
alternation of night and day,
and sailing of ships across the ocean
with what is useful to man,
and the rain that God sends from the sky enlivening
the earth that was dead
and the scattering of beasts of all kinds upon it,
and the changing of the winds, and the clouds which remain
obedient between earth and sky,
are surely signs for the wise."
(Al-Qur'an, 2:164)

"And these are the ones who did feel settled there: the gods who were in the canyons, in the forests, in the bromelias, in the hanging mosses, not yet set on pedestals."
(Popol Vuh, p. 180)

Right on Veriann and Bubble. If I may, I would like to speak to you of Tao, the second tradition of Religious Spiritualism:

It always amazes me when people, especially those who believe in the Divine, do not see the world as sacred. Some argue, and not entirely without success, that the history of Catholic Christianity is the cause of this. If we remember Genesis where Adam is given domination over all the animals, plants, corals, fish, etc. (okay well, it doesn’t explicitly say “corals,” but you get the idea ), this is typically the passage that is used to argue for the dominance of people over nature. But what then of the quotation above from John? If the world was created through the savior, is not the world also sacred? Why would the spirit of a holy prophet first come through something if it were tainted, base, and corrupt? Even if you argue that the passing of Jesus the Christ through the world made it sacred where it was not before, then we still live in a sacred world. I add the passages from the Koran and the Popul Vuh (the “bible” of the South American Mayan) to emphasize how ubiquitous this perception is.

In counterpoint to the Genesis chapter there is the perception of the Alchemists, given by the quotations from Hermetica above. No no, don’t start thinking of some Disney “Turning lead to gold” thing, that is not the religion of Alchemy. Lead and gold are metaphors for that which is base and that which is heavenly. The goal of the Alchemist was not to physically transform the metals, but to transform themselves through the metals. Thus, science and what we now call chemistry both played a crucial role in the Alchemists’ dream. Understanding the chemical properties would help the transmutation of the physical, and thereby aid the transmutation of the soul. Science and the divine are therefore connected. To study the earth is to study the Divine. Is not then the study of our world the study of the works of God? Heed it well! Science and religion are but different means to the same end.

If you can follow me thus far, what of the aquarium itself? We do not eat the animals we keep, more than likely our fish are on a more nutritious diet than ourselves, and you certainty couldn’t call it an investment of any kind (you might be safer putting your money in Enron). But if, as the prophets have done before, you see all the world not as something to be dissected, dominated, controlled, partitioned, polluted, and otherwise disrespected, but as the most perfect painting of the face of the Divine, then our aquariums are but the artists rendition, if you will, of the original perfection. We strive to keep a part, at least, of the world safe from oil spills, cyanide poisoning, over fishing, and sun tan lotion. And by doing so, we can know that while others may abuse Her, we at least preserve part of the sacred art of Nature in our own homes.

( \/ the passage below could really be added to those above)

[bubbletip]

Wow Astrivian,

That is some deep stuff. Am I in the right forum. I thought I was passionate and ultra serious about these topics. I am, however mostly an observer. We are what we are, "human." I can't hide that. (Veriann you may be from another galaxy yourself brother ) And we(human) do tend to break the rules. We know what rules we speak. It does not matter if you are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or Islam. The oceans span all spiritual sides of man. We must never forget that. Whatever way you choose to remind yourself what "are" the rules, I believe you are on the right path.

It saddens me everyday Veriann seeing "us" raping this planet. We do and we all know it. If just a few of "us" make it out still remembering those rules, I think "we" were a success in nature when and if our time is over. I will tell you this, I definitely did not put on sun tan lotion when I went into Haunama Bay. Yes I do my part as much as I can in the hope for conservation.

If you haven't guessed already or even know what it means, I am a true Sagittariun. Born the night before Thanksgiving in a galaxy far far away, heh Veriann

Rob,

I swear man, "I will lighten up soon."

[V]

a prophets brocker devide and hitch-hikers guide to my universe sounds about right! lol

heres a kicker> how do u spell brocker devide? is it one word of what?

[JayBeDriften]

It terrible what you find in the waters these days. When I was in the navy we actually found a car in the middle of the ocean. Must have fell off the transport ship.

[V]

what made it stay afloat? the plastic and tires?

[fat walrus]

It terrible what you find in the waters these days. When I was in the navy we actually found a car in the middle of the ocean. Must have fell off the transport ship.

Rice-burner or Autobahn-thumper?

[V]

haha, very funny!
we call them wok burners!
only milk and juice come in 2lt

[CarmieJo]

I am so glad to hear our corporate passion for this issue. I agree with Sam, the concept is universal. In one of the prayers in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer it says "At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home." I really love this imagery.
I think it is easy for us to acknowledge that our world is fragile but yet another to ACT as if it is fragile. We have done our best to instill this value in our son and the other young people that we come into contact with but sometimes it sure seems as if much of the rest of the world doesn't get it.

[Astrivian]

Great point carmie. I think a lot of this is, unfortunatly, related to the "you dont miss it till it's gone" phenomena. People can tell themselves they don't want to trash the world, yet rarely act until it is gone. Take polution for example; back in D.C. people would complain how polluted the Potomac river was, yet i could always find someone tossing a can of used car oil down a storm drain.

Honestly, the hobby itself has made me more aware of environmental concerns than any thing else. Watching algae take over a tank because of overfeeding really makes me wonder about dumping waste into the seas.