Originally posted by Astral
[b]No, seriously, they do. ;_; It’s horrible what’s been happening to them, considering what gentle creatures they are. Anyway, for some reason I decided to search around for manatee info and I ended up at www.savethemanatee.org where I adopted a manatee. And where I plan to donate $5000 when I have money.
Anyway… I know at least some of you guys live in Florida and I hope you try to help. ;_; They need you. [/b]
Hey there. I think what you’re doing is great! I really admire the fact that you’re doing such a great thing, especially cos I know that I don’t have the will to do something myself. If I got 5000 dollars, I would probly spend it on stupid shit like soda and arcade games. It’s nice to know not everyone’s like me Good luck raising the money.
Originally posted by Sinistral
[b]"however there isn’t much to do about it… now. "
Change doesn’t happen if people don’t believe it can start happening, as people won’t do stuff to change things. You gotta start something for results to happen and that takes time. [/b]
Well, change can happen if people don’t believe or want it to happen, but that’s a different story. You’re right though, to actually help, you have to start helping, and get more people aswell.
Originally posted by Astral
[b]I think it’s rather obvious what kind of sad state the world is in, but most people choose to ignore it. And let me just say that AT LEAST the people who you say have a “limited view” have SOME view unlike most of the population. And I’m at a loss as to what you’re talking about with this: “And if you’re going to just give up the fight and believe that nothing can be done about the billions of people who have caused this situation”… Uhh, what? People need to be made to realize that the environment and the creatures who live with us in it are a priority, and at least in this country, our president isn’t helping.
…
Oh, and you know what else? I think all of you are assholes for giving me this shit when I made a rather simple post which certain people decided was something they had to pick at!
… [/b]
That first thing was directed towards Sin, who seemed to think that caring so deeply on a global scale was useless, since billions of people were jerks and you wouldn’t get anything done that way. As for the “giving you this shit,” well, I think I explained myself well enough in my posts - people need to be made aware of the situation, AND, those who are aware of it need to be reminded of it, time and again, because it is arguably the most important problem in the world, one which will affect our future and the livability of this planet far more than anything else ever). And I don’t mean reminded as in, “oh yeah, yeah, environment, bad stuff man,” I mean getting emotionally CHARGED about it. I mean having a vision of a better world. Because without that care, without that EXPANSIVE vision (manatees, sturgeons, endangered insects and all), all these little programs are going to come to NOTHING, in the grand scheme of things.
And as for thinking we’re all assholes, I guess…when you post a message on a message board, you kinda throw yourself out into a sea of incredibly opinionated people, and if one bites, you shouldn’t feel too bad about it - maybe even try to learn something from it or see its worth. That’s how I’ve always viewed it, anyway. I guess not even manatees are safe from the ravenous nature of a message board though, heh…
No offense (excuse the sarcasm), Maz, but I don’t need to be told by a 16 year old kid that there are ‘alot more concerns than manatees out there’ and hear Ren state “matter-of-factly” that it’s “evolutionarily justifiable” for the human race to kill off “lesser beings” in our race for expansion. I’m rather disgusted by the response to this, mostly because it’s not what I had expected from you people - at the moment, I’m more concerned with getting through school, getting through my job, and getting through my life than the EXPANSIVE vision that you feel I should be embracing. I certainly don’t need to be reminded that an expansive vision is what the world needs - unlike Ren, I don’t feel the human race should sit among the clouds judging other creatures and sentencing to death for their “unfittedness”. At the moment, the most I can do is contribute to one group of animals which I do feel passionately about, and perhaps that will one day “evolve.”
And most humans ARE jerks. Anyway, I’m going to be late to work now.
Ever heard its the little things that matter, Maz? Also, people who give up at trying to do big things fail realize that taking part in small events which contribute to a greater good IS a great thing to do. Even if Manatees are 1 species out of many, there’s no reason for us to be knowingly hurtning Manatees when we can very easily alter certain things. This day and age, everything’s hard to do because of how political things can become. That doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t try getting involved. Kinda like dictatorships; if everyone believes nothing will happen and they sit around, nothing changes. It takes time to cover all the bases. No one can save the world all in one shot, that’s not realistic.
Your entire argument is based on “its hard so let’s not do it”. That’s BS, dude.
I remember seeing manatees in the wild many years ago when I visited the Everglades. I cannot say that I find them adorable in any way, but I should hope that we see to their protection.
The endangered species which induces the greatest melancholy in me is the tiger. I posted a thread long ago about the extinction of several species and how numbers of those that remain amongst tigers have been reduced well under one thousand.
feels the desire to bathe his sword in the blood of poachers
You two [Maz and Astral] are having one of those classic lawyer-or-politician arguments. And guess what? You’re both right, it just depends on whether you follow through on what you say or not.
Originally posted by Sinistral
[b]Ever heard its the little things that matter, Maz? Also, people who give up at trying to do big things fail realize that taking part in small events which contribute to a greater good IS a great thing to do. Even if Manatees are 1 species out of many, there’s no reason for us to be knowingly hurtning Manatees when we can very easily alter certain things. This day and age, everything’s hard to do because of how political things can become. That doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t try getting involved. Kinda like dictatorships; if everyone believes nothing will happen and they sit around, nothing changes. It takes time to cover all the bases. No one can save the world all in one shot, that’s not realistic.
Your entire argument is based on “its hard so let’s not do it”. That’s BS, dude. [/b]
You’re not listening. I’m saying it’s the little things that matter, but that one should CHOOSE which little things they do based upon the grander scheme of things. i.e. if a bunch of people are helping the manatees, then maybe focusing efforts in another place. Or whatever. But that it would be MORE helpful and ultimately the only thing which will save this world (since we’re working on a very limited timeframe if things keep going they way they are, we NEED to have this maximized efficiency), to choose where we place our efforts in this way, rather than just working wherever, at random. That’s all.
And Sin, that’s not what my argument is based upon at all. But I think I said that already.
People make me laugh!
Mantees dont. They just look depressing. Like a sea turd that moves…never been to sea world though, perhaps that will change my opinion…
Originally posted by Mazrim Taim
[b]You’re not listening. I’m saying it’s the little things that matter, but that one should CHOOSE which little things they do based upon the grander scheme of things. i.e. if a bunch of people are helping the manatees, then maybe focusing efforts in another place. Or whatever. But that it would be MORE helpful and ultimately the only thing which will save this world (since we’re working on a very limited timeframe if things keep going they way they are, we NEED to have this maximized efficiency), to choose where we place our efforts in this way, rather than just working wherever, at random. That’s all.
And Sin, that’s not what my argument is based upon at all. But I think I said that already.[/b]
Number one, I am not choosing where I place my efforts at “random.” My personal passion happens to be saving manatees. You, unfortunately, don’t get to dictate to me where the “best place” to place my efforts is. …The young’uns get big heads fast, don’t they? Anyway. Since you seem to know the ultimate plan on how to get the earth back on track, more power to you.
And to whoever said something about “money not doing anything” to help (besides that statement being ridiculous) - I don’t live in Florida, so I can’t participate directly in any volunteering work (in regards to manatees, at least). But I’ve been sending letters to congressmen on a variety of environmental issues for quite awhile now, and I do what I can. That’s more than I can say for the average person. Glad to know, Maz, that you’re trying to “educate” someone who already cares about the enviroment. Make a speech at your high school and try to convert some of the people who litter beaches/parks, etc with cigarettes and beer bottles, and shoot small animals for their amusement. Now THERE’s the “best place” for your efforts.
Meh, it’s just as important for people who care about the environment to hear spiels about it, if not more important; so that their caring doesn’t take too much of a backseat to other, less important things in their lives. Long, protracted speeches aren’t going to win over anybody who doesn’t believe in environmental protection (look what happened with Ren); that requires a different approach. I consider this whole mess that happened a good thing, regardless of all the conflict it spawned, because it seemed to bring into your (and Sin’s, and hopefully other people’s) minds anew the sheer importance of (and the need to consider it on more than just an, “oh, that sucks, something’s gotta be done” level) preserving and restoring our ecosystems and ultimately saving our world. Thoughts like the overall state of the world are depressing ones, but ones which we (I believe) have a responsibility to think, as frequently as possible; and it was my hope from the beginning (as I’ve tried to explain) to instill these thoughts in others, even if they’re thoughts they’ve already had, to rekindle their inner fire in other words.
Whether or not you’re mad at ME personally for being less than polite and letting my emotions get a hold of me (which I did apologize for, and which I am genuinely sorry about), isn’t all that important.
If I got 5000 dollars, I would probly spend it on stupid shit like soda and arcade games. It’s nice to know not everyone’s like me 
Good luck raising the money. 