I first met Sharon Bull at a march against the Taiji Cove dolphin slaughter in early 2015. I admired her for standing in front of the huge crowd, gathered in Trafalgar Square, and speaking so passionately, poetically and unashamedly about her journey to becoming a wildlife campaigner, and why ‘compassion’ to others – albeit human or animal, has become her key to inner happiness.
It was quite an honour to be asked to share a guest blog post on her website, A Compassionate Voice.
Admittedly, it was hard for me — as someone who knows a little about a lot of wildlife-related issues (or perhaps even, a bit about a few…) — to choose a viable topic.
I know I have a lot to learn, and I’m genuinely excited about doing so! In fact, all learning excites me, so education became my starting point…
My Guest Blog started a little like this:
The biggest battle a conservationist or animal rights campaigner has to fight is against ignorance; sometimes well intended ignorance at that. I say that not with anger, or jest, or any hint of superiority; I say it because it’s the straightforward truth.
I say it because I’ve spent most of my life being both well intended and ignorant.
A more important point to focus on however, is how to improve education and access to information to empower people to learn what the bigger picture looks like (often related to money, politics and corruption) behind some of the commonly acceptable practices that involve animals.
I am fortunate enough to work in part of the Discovery Communications family; which, at the end of last year, released the incredibly thought-provoking documentary; Racing Extinction.
Racing Extinction takes a candid look at the threat of the Earth’s Sixth Mass Extinction, and the global warming conditions that are likely to ignite it.
By looking at the historical scientific evidence that caused the previous mass extinctions (including the most famous; the dinosaurs), film maker Louis Psihoyos (Director of The Cove) suggests that our planet’s current rise in temperature means we are sitting on a ticking time bomb.
By examining issues such as the carbon emissions of farming and city traffic, the environmental impact of overfishing and the rise in the ocean’s acidity levels, Psihoyos sets about finding ways to reduce humans’ impact on the planet, and effectively slow down the clock that we started.
So what does this have to do with ignorance? Read the full post here to find out!
