Once, back in University, a friend went to a paper where they questioned our unblinking loyalty to saving the whales. The lecturers point being that we only think they are special because they look special to us. To the planet, they are as significant as everything else we kill. ‘Saving the Whales’ has almost become one of those awful Miss Universe statements that show just how pathetic our desire to do so is.

Those comments have been running through my mind on and off for years, I couldn’t think of a logical argument that felt as strong as the intuitive feeling that we need to protect them… Which was frustrating. But when I saw those ships collide over them the other day, I think I finally figured it out.

This summer, we as a nation have already mourned the loss of a lot of whales that became stranded on our beaches. Every year crowds unquestioningly donate their time and emotion to lugging buckets of water back and forward up beaches to help out. Tourists flock to our country and pay hideous amounts to see these animals up close, I would imagine every single one of those people experiences a connection they can’t explain logically.

Every year, we also closely watch the progress of Japanese whaling ships.

In this world, we have symbols of beauty and awe, and whales are one of those symbols that spring to mind. The argument should not be whether these animals have any more right to live or be mourned than anything else, but why on earth we don’t mourn the loss of any of these creatures enough.

Whales have become so political – I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that the Japanese are trying to prove a point about bullying and hypocrisy by their continued whaling. I think they might have a point, I also think the way they have gone to prove their point is sort of similar to the way we have chosen to prove our points about terrorism and the like. In all this political maneuvering, there are innocent victims and there is violence.

I sort of wonder if maybe the argument over whaling is a sign of a bigger political picture. It sort of freaks me out that the petty arguments that you expect from schoolkids, somehow escalate into the same sort of arguments in the international arena. It also freaks me out how easily these arguments escalate into violence.

I’m not sure when we decided to wreck havoc on the world in our attempts to prove our points and why other people are now forced to dedicate their entire lives and money to limit this damage.

It’s such a waste.