Fish Tale
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved and respected nature. For most of my life, however, nature was a place that existed away from my normal, daily life. It was a place I visited on weekends or on vacations. After moving to the woods, however, I have a deeper understanding that nature is not some place we visit; it is our home.
We grew from nature. No matter our beliefs, we must admit our ancestors lived in a less modern, more natural world. Scientific research shows that humans have been around for almost 200,000 years. This means, as a species, we spent far more time living outdoors than indoors. This is probably why we feel so calm and alive when we venture into nature.
Life in modern cities does not come without a cost. Our newfound environment brings stresses and complications we all feel. Living away from nature is a lot like pulling an orca out of the ocean, placing it inside a swim tank, and then wondering why it seems to change into something else, perhaps becoming aggressive or depressed. While these traits are not a normal part of the whale’s disposition, pulling it out of its home creates these negative effects.
I recently read an article in Nautilus titled Fish Are Not Insentient Dullards, by Ben Goldfarb. In his article, Goldfarb detailed how farm-raised salmon change when they are raised in an unnatural environment. He argues that because fish…
