Arctic Warrior - Listening to and Speaking out for those that cannot speak for themselves

A mighty creature bellows into the arctic night. He paces back and forth on the edge of a small slab of ice floating in the ocean. There is no land in sight. His muscles are fatigued; he has no strength to swim. Death is inevitable.

Sometimes, it’s not important to be fluent in a foreign language (or a cross species language) in order to communicate effectively. Imagine that you are on an arctic cruise. You’re standing on the deck of a luxury ship. The stars are like Swarovski crystals in the midnight sky. The air is crisp. There are no sounds other than the gentle lapping of the sea water below. Off in the distance, your ears hear an animal crying out. You hear him and although you do not speak polar bear, your mind and heart decode the message. The Earth stands still for a moment as you listen to the final cries of one of North America’s most magnificent animals.

How can we interpret the message from a non-human species yet we cannot always effectively listen and communicate with members of our own kind? The answer is simple. When you were standing on the ship, there were no sounds, no people, and no noise in your own head. You simply were enjoying moment of the night. Your peacefulness was interrupted by the bear and you gave him your attentiveness and thoughtfulness. Your ears heard him and you allowed your mind and heart to listen. And so we must allow our minds and hearts to be open and not just hear, but we must listen to scientists and policy makers that are devoting their life’s work towards protecting the endangered polar bear.

Sometimes, our bias interferes with our ability to listen to the message. Maybe you support the efforts to drill in Alaska. Maybe you support the coal industry. Maybe you’re tired of conservation and wildlife activists sending you solicitation materials in the mail. Don’t allow your bias to interfere with your ability to listen and decode the message. Regardless of your political beliefs, the polar ice caps are melting at an expeditious rate. Polar bears are drowning. Those are facts. It is likely that this endangered species could become extinct within our own lifetime. The loss would impact an entire food web from seals down to phytoplankton. Imagine the impact if polar bears become extinct. Imagine them only existing in history books.

We might not speak polar bear but we can interpret the message. Time is running out for the arctic warrior. Speak out for those that cannot speak for themselves.

• To learn more about listening: Lu, J. (2005). The listening style inventory (LSI) as an instrument for improving listening skills. Sino-US English Teaching, 2 (5), 45-50.

• To learn more about polar bears and global warming:
  Natural Resources Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org/
  National Wildlife Federation – http://www.nwf.org/
  World Wildlife Fund – http://www.wwf.org/