THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022, INVASIVE

 THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2022 INVASIVE 

Opening Story:

"When Crown Prince Akihito visited Chicago on October 3, 1960, his sole request was to visit Shedd Aquarium. Then-Mayor Richard J. Daley, an avid angler, presented the prince with a gift that he scooped with a net from one of the tanks himself: 18 bluegills, the official Illinois state fish.

‘

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Background - from a fishing site:

“One of the most popular panfish species in North America, the bluegill is the quintessential game fish for beginning anglers. Whether you started fishing for these fish with a very basic fishing pole or you occasionally cast for them from time to time, these fish should not be overlooked.

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“At windy Chicago O’Hare International Airport the next day with Princess Michiko, Akihito bid the city farewell, carrying a gift that he couldn’t have imagined would cause a decades-long ecological crisis in his homeland.

“In the intervening six decades, the bluegills became an invasive, species-destroying nightmare, crowding Japanese freshwater lakes and rivers and destroying native fish biodiversity, says Kenji Saitoh, a researcher at the country’s Fisheries Resources and Education Agency.

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“In the United States, bluegills have natural enemies - including fishermen - and an appropriate environment, but in Japan, the lakes and rivers have a different environment.  The bluegills found an environment that they loved.  (And, they took over!!)

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Story Two:

Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to freshwaters in Eurasia. Their name comes from the dark, zig-zagged stripes on each shell.

"Zebra mussels probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water that was discharged by large ships from Europe. They have spread rapidly throughout the Great Lakes region and into the large rivers of the eastern Mississippi drainage. They have also been found in Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California.

"Zebra mussels negatively impact ecosystems in many ways. They filter out algae that native species need for food and they attach to--and incapacitate--native mussels. Power plants must also spend millions of dollars removing zebra mussels from clogged water intakes.

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Two stories - two invasive species.  In the first, it was a gift - a nice thing.  Bluegills were a good fish in the upper midwest waters.  I’ve even caught bluegills (and … I’m not a fisherperson - thanks TF).  

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There are other stories of how good intentions mess up reality.  

The second story tells of a non-invited species.  It just happened - just a bad accident - but they take over the aquatic life where they exist.  They also have been spread almost innocently.  A pleasure boat might be first in waters where the zebra mussels exist and get some that attach to the boat.  Later, that same boat goes into a lake where the zebra mussels breed and take over.

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Okay, Karen - what are you trying to get at?

In the first, a gift of friendship ended up with toxic results; in the second, an innocent case of a parasite taking over occurred.   

In the first, a well-meaning gift goes bad.  I know of people who were given a cigarette when they were kids by a well-meaning friend - and eventually, it lead to regular smoking and even to lung and other cancers.

[Aside - the only time I seriously considered smoking was when I was working in a warehouse during the summer.  The smokers went out on the loading dock three or four times a day and had a cigarette.  One afternoon, I decided to go out on the loading dock just for a break.  The manager saw me and said “Hey White, you don’t smoke.  What are you doing out here?  Get back to work.]

In the second, a very small thing caused a lot of damage.  Although it turned out okay, some mold started in a corner of the bathroom.  The mold loved the moist environment around the shower and spread until the shower and bathroom were all moldy.  Mold allergies include fever, difficult breathing, watery eyes, and more and can also deplete your immune system so other ailments can enter.  (It was caught early enough to be treated).

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How about with people?

Maybe a friend introduced you to another friend and that friend was delightful at first but their habits and you just didn’t mix (maybe like oil and water) - maybe she drank too much, or smoked, was profane, and that isn’t part of your nature.  A good, well-meaning person that you like but, as you grew closer was toxic.

Or, like the second example, you worked with a toxic person who latched onto you.  She wasn’t necessarily a friend, but with working together their values and goals and your values and goals just clashed.  

For me, I find it very hard to unfriend a person.  I just can’t say “I don’t like you as a friend anymore.”  (I’ve even seen this in marriages).  I espouse “love wins”, “love one another”, “love is of God”.  Who am I to unfriend a toxic person?  Maybe by my showing love and acceptance, it might help them?  Who knows?  I might be the only God-follower in their lives?  Can I be an example to others?

Tough questions.  

But, I think I’m going to have to love the toxic people anyway.  “I can only love God as much as the person I love the least” (Dorothy Day).  But, if anybody is really toxic, I can still love them, but keep my distance!!!

LOVE WINS!!

Karen

January 20, 2022