Harmony with Nature

Recently, I asked someone I admire immensely, what he thought about a book I had recommended to him.  He responded with, “There are some interesting nuggets, but I don’t like books that distill interesting examples of success into a theory!”

So, in an effort to refrain from essays of insight based on my modest theories about life, I've decided to focus on “nuggets” – tidbits of something valuable from the experiences of a life in Decade7 – a sharing of thought in the hopes of provoking dialogue which may lead to a better life, as opposed to the preachy dogma which can be typical of me and my fellow Decade 6, 7 and 8ers.

My nugget for today is living in harmony with nature.  

My two sisters, Lesley and Cathy, and I recently ventured to Malcolm Island and the Finnish settlement of Sointula, which is off the northeast end of Vancouver Island, .  

My brother, Alden, has lived there with his wonderful partner Kathy, for several decades and as often as possible we love to visit him in this remote fishing community.

We always find time to wander the trail along Bere Point and whenever possible stroll the rocky beach made famous as a favourite rubbing beach for resident Orca whales.

   

On our recent visit, we had the pleasure of reacquainting ourselves with Troy – a willowy refugee from Nova Scotia who is now in his 18th year collecting data about the whales of the north island area. 

I suspect, although did not ask, that Troy is a decedent of Afro-American slaves who escaped to Canada via the “Underground Railway”. 

We spent a wonderful hour or so questioning Troy about the whales, his role with the scientific record of their well-being on the planet and the way he collected data about the research that he conducts.  It was astounding to me and my sisters that he receives no funding at all from any government or not-for-profit organisation, except for the David Suzuki Foundation (note to self – increase my donation to DSF on Troy's behalf.)

We agreed to return the following day in the hopes of seeing whales rubbing on the beach or frolicking offshore.

When we returned, we found a very different Troy.  He asked us to stay well inside the camouflage of the trees and bushes off the beach, which we respectfully did.  He said that there was a humpback whale and several Orcas nearby.  

For more than an hour we hid among the rocks and logs of Bere Point and waited with hearts pounding and breathe struggling to find normal. 

The sign of the Orcas came in the form of a loud expression of air.  Although many kilometres away, we heard the sound of the Orcas exhaling air through their blow hole long before we could catch a glimpse of their dorsal fin majestically rising up in an arch through the waterline of the horizon.

First a lone male, then several females with their young!  It was so wonderful.

Suddenly our attention was drawn to the horizon – again first the sound, followed by the wake of a large vessel heading straight for the line where the Orcas where headed – directly at the rubbing beach on the north side of Malcolm Island - Bere Point.

The noise was disturbing – the wake of the boat ominous and relentless as it headed straight for its target – the family of Orcas. 

For those of us huddled in the shadows of the logs and rocks of Bere Point, they were a force of evil.  Yet one assumes the vessel was filled with folks like my sisters and me who were silent and still in the underbrush of the beach, respecting the majesty of the wonderful creatures.

As we cowered in our positions of respect and dignity, we could not but feel a visceral reaction in the pit of our stomachs in reaction to the disrespectful way the whale watching boat from Telegraph Cove was imposing their need for commercial satisfaction from their clients on the well-being of these wonderful fellow mammals.  

Let's not do this!  Let's leave these wonderful creatures to their own space!  

Whale watchers – charter a bus and go to Bere Point.  Teach your clients to hide in the bountiful layers of salal on the ridge above the rubbing beach and wait – in harmony with nature around you and the Orcas.  

Telegraph Cove Whale Watch Companies and whale watching companies worldwide - use your big boats to transport tourists to places like Bere Point and teach your clients to patiently wait for the Orcas to come to their rubbing beach and feeding places.  You, the Orcas and all of us will be much richer in our mind, body and soul.