Apprehension
By now, my view towards sharks should be pretty clear to a lot of people who return to read this journal. Despite my experience, I love sharks and I would never let the attack take away from the admiration I have for these magnificent creatures.
In light of this, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time trying to learn as much as I can about sharks and shark behaviour as I think it’s the most sensible way to rationalise what happened. It would be my dream that one day people can see these animals the way that I do to provide some understanding to a creature that is perennially misunderstood.
With this being said, I’ve always distanced myself from any discussion relating to sharks in the media because I know it’s a sensitive topic, especially as the conversation tends to surface in the wake of an unfortunate attack. The reason I’ve always kept a distance, particularly in this case, is out of respect to the individual or their family as I know what it’s like to be in that situation. However that has led me to hold back in any discussion regarding sharks, regardless of the angle.
This brings me to last week, when I was approached by The Project to appear as a guest and discuss the potential removal of shark nets off of Sydney Beaches. My initial reaction when I saw the email was to not reply but I paused and asked myself why that was my natural inclination. There were no specific individuals involved, no hysteria, no links to my original reasoning for steering away from these interviews. Why was this?
The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I’d become afraid of what people may think of my opinion on the matter. This is an interesting place to land as I’m not someone who has formed an opinion out of the articles you read or the stories you see on TV. My stance has come purely out of my own experience.
Still, I felt hesitant. I’m not an expert, I don’t have the stats and I don’t know the history. Why should I be in any position to contribute?
As I pondered this thought, I realised I can only approach this through the lens of my experience. People aren’t expecting me to have all the answers. People are looking to me as one of the very few humans who know what it’s like to gain the intimate knowledge I have of an attack. And that’s all I have to offer.
If I can provide a view, a belief or an opinion that helps people look at sharks differently and consider that there’s another side to the debate than the absolute fear that people are conditioned by, then that’s something I should take pride in.
Whether people judge me or not, that’s not really my concern. I was apprehensive in the beginning but I’m glad I committed to this interview because it got me to realise what it’s like to stand up not only for yourself, but for a creature and an ecosystem that can’t do that for itself.
If you’re looking to educate yourself further on the specifics behind this particular shark net debate, I was sent this really interesting document that outlines the situation. Take a read, consider your emotions, have some empathy and see where you stand for yourself.
https://www.seashepherd.org.au/our-campaigns/shark-defence-campaign/learn-more/