I decided to wait until this morning to post instead of my regular Wednesday posts simply because today is World Oceans Day! I haven’t written about this holiday since 2020, which really is a shame because it’s an important one. I’d say it’s about time I write on this holiday again. As I’m sure you can tell, I love the ocean. It has a special place in my heart and I want to honor it today by sharing my thoughts with you all.
Makai
In my 2020 Oceans post, I touched on the Hawaiian word Makai, meaning toward the ocean, and its counterpart, Mauka, meaning toward the mountain. As I was thinking about today’s post, I thought once again about how we should treat everything as makai. Everything from our rivers and lakes to our refuse and waste eventually, in some form, finds itself in the ocean.
Now, I know that realistically we do not live on an angle in which everything would simply slide toward the ocean. There is the reality of topography and differing sea levels in every country and land mass. However, perhaps we should think of it a little differently. Think instead of our lives as being mountains. We are the tip of it and everything in our lives eventually gets pushed down the mountain face and ends up, you guessed it, in the ocean.
Not only are we at the tip of the mountain, future generations will build on top of us. Those future generations will push whatever remnants we leave behind further into the ocean along with their own remnants. Unless we come together and do something, we will destroy ecosystems everywhere.
Stick to the Rivers
Even if you don’t live near the ocean or regularly visit its beaches, you still have an impact on oceans around the world. How? By the way you treat the lakes and rivers near you.
Remember, everything is connected. Through channels of steams and rivers, even the most remote waters will reach the ocean at some point. How we treat those beaches and waters, as far from the ocean as they may seem to be, could affect oceans around the world. And how we treat one ocean also affects all the rest. As far away as the Southern Ocean, or Antarctic Ocean, is from the Arctic Ocean, they are still connected. Even the waters of the Gulf of Mexico will one day, in some form, affect the waters of the Mediterranean.
In thinking that way, it’s easy to see how a river or lake’s ecosystem will one day have an impact on the ecosystem of the oceans. Really, the world’s water systems are an interconnected web. Hurt one strand and the rest of the web will be affected, perhaps even weakened. What impacts the oceans impacts even the most in-land of dwellers.
It might not seem like much, but working toward cleaner rivers, lakes, streams, and the beaches surrounding them is a work in favor of keeping our oceans healthy.
Individual vs the Collective
But I’m just one person.
How can the few compare with the masses?
You may think thoughts similar to this, and I completely understand. Often times it doesn’t seem like what we do has a real impact on anything when there are larger groups working toward the opposite of what we are. When we are hindered by thoughts like above, perhaps we should adopt the butterfly effect. Or if that’s too sci-fi for you and you’re rolling your eyes, then adopt the Circle of Life way of thinking.
Either way, what we do will eventually make an impact elsewhere.
As for the collective, there are many companies working to make a better impact on the earth in some way. They may not advertise as working to help oceans specifically, but if they are truly working to aid the earth then they are working to aid the oceans. Aligning ourselves with such companies is an additional step we can take. However, doing so should not negate our own individual work or be an excuse for any carelessness we show in other areas of our life that impact the oceans.
We don’t have to rely on the large companies surrounding us to make a good impact on the oceans. We can be the collective, too. By gathering people together and cleaning up our nearby beaches and waterways, we are making an impact both in our local ecosystem and the world’s ecosystem at large. I know it sounds crazy and the dreams of a dreamer, but I believe it can happen. It just can’t be a one time thing.
Not a One Time Thing
We celebrate World Oceans Day once a year, but that one day won’t make the impact it should if we ignore it every other day. The purpose of today is to to educate and call us to action. And yes, one day is better than no day, but in order to have an impact that truly lasts, we need to be taking action multiple times a year.
I realize that not everyone can spend every day making a positive impact on the earth. Not everyone can spend their days cleaning beaches or advocating for positive change worldwide. However, we should stop looking at what we can’t do and put into action what we can do.
On a bigger scale, we can organize days within our yearly calendar to work toward a better, healthier ecosystem. On a smaller scale, we can work on how our individual lives impact said ecosystem. Do the research, make the changes, and yes, even find the companies.
It doesn’t have to be a big deal, either. What are your hobbies? I’m sure there are ways to support those hobbies and support the health of our world. Find out what’s impacting our oceans, our world, both in good ways and bad ways. Then examine at your life and figure out how it’s supporting both sides. If you need to make a change and can then great, make the change. If you can’t then figure out how you can work to counteract the negative impact being made.
You see, World Oceans Day is a celebration of our watery ecosystem. It’s also a day to educate and promote a call to action. Because action does need to be made. Too much rests on the waters surrounding us and we need to start working to change all the negative ways we and our ancestors have impacted the oceans.
As I said in my 2020 post, we are the keepers of this earth: its land and its oceans. We are the caretakers of all that is above land and below it, even to the depths of the oceans. I still believe that.
We may not be perfect at it, but doing something is better than doing nothing. Our oceans need us and as unlikely as it may seem sometimes, we need the oceans, too. And not just for our relaxing vacations.
Above My Waves 
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