Try Making the Act of Giving
Back a Part of Your Life
My passions are the most important part
of my existence. From listening to music
to creating new products, from time with
my son and time spent in meditation, to
backing various charities and mentoring
kids, I live a life filled with amazing experiences
and great relationships.
I love my choices everyday, and if I
don’t, then I just change what I am doing
to make the next day even better.
Giving back is something that I think
everyone should do. Being a capitalist is a
lonely business, but when you give back it
makes a change that you can’t just measure
in dollars.
A Cause That I Care About Deeply
Recently I have taken an aggressive position
in the effort to save the incredible
creatures that populate the world’s oceans. I became a vegetarian after
watching Food, Inc. and The Cove, movies that both had me in tears. I
am now involved in the campaign to end the illegal slaughter of whales
and dolphins by Japanese whaling fleets in the southern oceans, having
become a vocal and financial supporter of Captain Paul Watson and his
team at Sea Shepherd. You may be familiar with Watson’s efforts as they
have been documented on Animal Planet’s Whale Wars. This successful
series and Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, have shone a light on
how crazy some people can be in regards to illegal activities, like the underground
slaughter of helpless animals for their meat. Many are standing
up to Japan, in this case, which I believe has blood on its hands as a result
of this horrible practice.
Our Oceans, Our Survival
In a recent conversation with Captain Watson we discussed the plight of
the whales and other endangered species. It’s a fact that our oceans and
life in them is essential to human survival. Even if this effort were merely
a matter of self-preservation for mankind, it would be important. But it is
even more than that. These incredible living beings are beautiful in their
simplicity and have every right to share this planet in peace and harmony
with humans.
Greed is Not Good
As with most of man’s decisions, greed is the motivation for illegal harpooning,
slaughter, and potential extinction of whales, dolphins, and bluefin tuna. I was offered whale meat as a delicacy in Japan, once, and
I said, “No thanks.” I wish, now, that I would have stood up and made a
scene about it, but I wasn’t educated to how whales are hunted and killed
against international law by Japanese gangsters.
The economics of extinction are easily understood. A perfect example
is the four-year supply of bluefin tuna that is warehoused in Japan today
by a division of Mitsubishi. The goal, I’ve heard, is to amass a 15-year supply
of this species of fish that will multiply exponentially in value as they
become more rare, or worse, completely extinct. We are talking about a
multi-billion-dollar return on investment.
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When asked about the methods employed by his Sea Shepherd organization Captain Paul Watson
is very direct, “We are protecting species from poachers who are hunting in a sanctuary,” he said.
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Sea Shepherd’s Methods
Sea Shepherd is an interventionist group attempting to locate and interfere
with whaling operations wherever possible. They believe in an aggressive,
yet non-violent, approach as they put themselves in harm’s way.
They literally place themselves between the harpoon and the target. “It’s
not a matter of whether or not the whaler’s activities are illegal. That is
a matter of fact,” Watson told me. “We are simply attempting to enforce
international laws that are already in place.”
When I look at our industry, the industry that I have chosen for my
livelihood, I believe we provide a positive service for our fellow man. We
fill homes with beautiful music, creating a more pleasant atmosphere for
those who live there. We create a portal for news, information, and entertainment
that creates enjoyment for
all who choose to partake of it. But,
I want to do more.
I applaud those people within
these countries who are already
putting pressure on their governments
to cease all illegal whaling
and fishing practices. I also ask for
your help. We all have passions
and causes that we want to support.
How you gauge the value is
up to you. But if we all just work to
make the world better for our kids
than it is now, we have done something
worthwhile.