Bering Sea

As many of you know, in another life, I served as a Priest of theHoly Orthodox Church for about twenty years. I was happy. I knew mymission and I wallowed in it. As time went on, I stumbled and fell,behaving in ways unbecoming a person of my position, and so the HolySynod of Bishops did me a blessing and releaved me of that awesomeresponsibility. For that love I am grateful. But, this is not what Iwanted to talk about.

No matter whom and what we might believein, either Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Mohammad as a Profit, Moses,or Budda, we all know there is right and wrong at play in this world.There is good and evil. In that line, and for those who will, it is ourresponsibility to root out evil, or bad, when we know of it. All of usknow when that "something" is happening and present. We can sometimesfeel it, taste it and know of its works. It is divisive, separating andnot caring what it does. It rejoices in greed, division and sufferingof others. Simply, evil or bad, celebrates our differences and usesthose differences against us. This is common when we speak aboutresources and those who will take and take without any concern forthose who do not have the ability to take advantage of its bounty. 

Inour work, it seems, that division is particularly noticeable. We workday in and day out, trying to find a balance between the haves and thehave nots. We struggle to make the playing field even for all. Andsometimes we falter in our efforts, not because we no longer believe,but because as people we often come up against a brick wall. And welose hope.  You see, if we do our work with good and pure intentions toright what is wrong, our work will be successful and we will not losehope. But if we do our work with dark internal intentions of hurtinganother with a different opinion, we will lose hope and our work willnot be good. Oh, we may have some victories, but they will be shortlived. What we want to do is right wrongs, do good, and work for thatend. Our mission as advocates is to walk a fine line, a sharp edgedsword, to fulfill that goal. And it begins with purity of heart. I amdoing this because it is right and for no other reason. If we save onespecies of plant or animal from extinction and have not a pure heart,our work is for naught. Examples abound. I with my work with the NorthPacific Fishery Management Council, others with climate change andforests and whales. We can only succeed with purity of mind and heart.Our reasons and efforts must be to teach and help others understandwhat is right and good. As my friend reminded me not too long ago, thiskind of work will take time. I cried at those words because I hadforgotten my mission. 

I know there are many who will "spin"this with thoughts and better arguments. I am not trying to convinceyou of my beliefs. I am simply asking that we think about this. This isnot to say that I think we are doing otherwise, nor focusing onsomething I see we are either doing or not. Just saying something.Something to think about, because I do know, if what we do is notwithout truth and honesty, no matter what we do it will not work. 

Asthe season of peace and love draws and the promises of a new yearappear, the promise of a new administration offer us hope, let us renewour efforts to work with honesty and truthfulness. Only in this waywill we have any real success.