The fact that mankind has been able to pollute the oceans to the degree we have, not to mention the remaining land masses, is for me probably the most discouraging thing I can imagine. Yes, I did lead several research expeditions but as time went on I began to witness more and more lose to pollution and devastation. I find the percentage of that loss, in just my own life time, to be ever so disheartening. It is a travesty I fear from which we will never truly recover. Now, I am not a doomsday type of person and I am not a pessimist, quite the contrary. But I fear that humans as a species have crested the top of the bell shaped culture curve in the petri dish that is the earth.

This is not a message to give up hope, understand. It does not mean that things are hopeless and that we should just not give a damn and give up and allow it to get worse. Let’s make the best of what we have left. Let’s appreciate what we have lost, fix what we can, respect what we still have and learn to cherish our home. There is no other place like it.