|
 Hope
for the New Year
I remember the first time I heard an animal
had gone extinct. It was the Blue Whale, and my teacher told all of
us in the class that the biggest mammal in earth, perhaps the
biggest of all time, no longer existed.
I felt such a depth of sadness, it stunned me.
I couldn't conceive that man would hunt an animal all the way into
oblivion. Such a senseless act had no place in my reality. Human
beings could never be so cruel and stupid, I believed.
At the same time I was lamenting this loss, I
felt this tiny flicker of hope. The ocean is enormous, I thought, so
how do the scientists know for sure ALL the Blue Whales are gone.
Perhaps they've gone into hiding so they could regroup and survive.
There must be at least one still alive somewhere, maybe even two or
four. I just figured all it took was a mommy and daddy and the
babies would come.
So for years I clung to that secret glint of
hopefulness, and I'm happy to now report that my teacher must have
been mistaken, Blue Whales do exist, and their numbers are actually
increasing.
It's these benchmark memories, these moments
of hopeful doubt in the face of dire news that can stretch half a
lifetime and meet with good news all those many years later, that
make life the intriguing mystery, the worthwhile challenge that it
is.
For me, Blue Whales represent my touchstone.
They prove that scientists don't always know for sure, that nothing
is certain, and so many things. What is your touchstone?
Hope and Peace in the New Year,
Beth Ann |
