My voice hasn’t always been heard.
There have been many times in my life when I have called out,
I’ve called out for help, I’ve called out for love,
I’ve called for celebration,
only to not be heard at all, or to be misunderstood.
I’m betting I’m not alone in this experience.
Sometimes my voice falls on deaf ears.
Sometimes I find myself repeating my message
over and over and over again,
as if somehow that is going to help the other person hear me,
and understand me.
And still sometimes – and I would say this is especially true
when talking to my two-and-a-half-year-old son –
I have to ask the other person, “Can you hear me at all?”
The result is a feeling of –
really an overwhelming feeling
of being invisible, being isolated.
And granted, it’s a feeling that lasts for only a fleeting moment,
but while it’s there it’s really powerful and really impactful for me.
And I imagine that this baby humpback whale
had the same experience
as it was crying out alone for its mother for help.
(Humpback whale call)
This call is a courtesy of our friends at the Pacific Whale Foundation,
and this image, this beautiful image of this humpback whale,
is a courtesy of my friend Shawn Heinrichs,
who is a phenomenal underwater photographer and filmmaker,
who just happened upon this baby humpback,
who was badly injured because of a predatory attack.
This sweet little baby was floating helplessly in the ocean,
calling out for the warmth of its mother.
Humans can’t hear the calls of whales very easily,
but other whales can,
and hopefully the mama of this baby can hear the whale and its call
and come to its rescue.
The humpback whale was first brought into our lives in the ’70s.
It was first broadcast into our homes, and broadcast actually into space,
and through the magazine National Geographic,
as a result of the inspiration from Roger Payne.
It was the first time that the life and story
of this emotive and sentient creature was brought into our homes,
into our lives.
Its call was heard with a resounding cry for support to save the whales.
And we did.
But today there’s another call from the depths of the ocean
that has found its way into our life.
Only, this time, amazingly,
humans are the only ones that can hear its call.
The call is from a whale affectionately referred to as “52.”
It’s called “52” because that’s the frequency at which it speaks.
has been known to sing at the same frequency.
It’s thought to be about 35, 40 years old,
and throughout its entire life it’s been swimming the ocean alone,
calling out for connectedness,
for companionship, for a life well-lived,
in which it can not only survive, but thrive.
Instead, it’s been swimming the ocean by itself,
continuing to call out, with no response back.
Can you imagine the feeling of solitude, in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean?
I can,
I’ve felt it before.
It’s lonely, it’s confusing, it’s dark, it’s cold,
and I think that’s one of the reasons why the story of this whale,
this lonely whale, has gripped me and held on to me so tight.
52’s experience reflects my own experience with loneliness and isolation,
calls for help going unanswered,
and yet, we can hear his call.
It’s remarkable!
In reflecting on why we can hear him, why his voice has come to us,
I realized something very important:
he is calling to us to deliver a message
more important than his finding his own companionship.
He calls to us so that we may save ourselves.
Consider for a moment that over the past nearly four decades
he has been traversing the ocean,
calling for companionship, calling for connectedness.
We, humans, have been decreasing his chances for survival,
for, while he calls, we answer with increasing acidity and warmth,
with toxins and plastic pollution that fill the belly of whales
and other marine animals.
And by turning up the volume of the ocean,
due to underwater blasting and increased shipping noise,
52 seeks to survive and truly to thrive,
and to have a life well-lived.
And isn’t that the goal for us all?
For ourselves, for our children, for our family, for our friends?
His call makes me long for a better world.
It holds me accountable for my actions, for my decisions
and for my role in degrading his home
and, in essence, destroying these critical resource
that we all depend on for our own survival.
This baby humpback whale was really lucky.
It was fortunate to have its mother close by,
and its mother took it to shallow waters and protected it,
until it could recover.
If we degrade the ocean beyond repair, who will save us?
Who will come to our rescue? Who will help us recover?
The choice is ours.
Whether we listen to his call,
or turn a blind eye to our own actions,
that are causing the degradation of the ocean.
(Humpback whale song)
It’s a haunting and beautiful sound,
of whales responding to each other’s calls.
I love it!
So I say, let’s make our voices heard,
let’s amplify the call of 52,
and, in so doing, let’s save the whales again,
and save ourselves.
What we do next is a reflection of our humanity,
and I say, let’s show the whales what we are made of.
Thank you.
(Cheers) (Applause)
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