All my life, I have lived on a rock floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As a local islander, I know how important the ocean is to human life. My ancestors were once the greatest navigators in the pacific and their knowledge of the water has been passed down through many generations. A lesson taught by many elders, is the preservation of the ocean they sailed on. I think that lesson is the most important lesson an ocean researcher can teach another.
“What is the ocean to you?” I asked myself this question multiple times. I have never gotten an exact answer I don’t think anyone does.What I do know is, it’s too big to break it down into one identification.
-I believe the ocean is many things:
-I believe the ocean is sacred but not respected
-I believe the ocean holds early history as well as unsolved mysteries
-I believe the ocean is more than just a body of water
-I believe the ocean represents my home, my people… my whole life
-I believe we are most responsible for the ocean’s prosperity, as well as it’s misery
There are so many words that one can use to describe the ocean, but NO word can exactly define what the ocean is. No one may be able to define it, but I know that one can try to understand it. As humans, we are very much dependent on the ocean. In that case, we should learn to understand the makeup of the ocean- the physical and chemical properties and the diversity in the ocean’s ecosystems.