‘Never sit on the fence Jo’, my Dad once told me. I think he was referring at the time to Japanese whalers, when I was really trying to see it from the fishing community’s point of view. That was, of course, a highly controversial issue, but aren’t they all?
I might have believed my Dad, wholeheartedly if I was still a student. Those precious university years really are all about formulating your opinions, and really working out what your beliefs are. Listening to everyone and forming allegiances, even if you change them three times before the final conclusion. But having graduated 8 years ago, and after 3 degrees, I’m not sure I can get away with that anymore.
Speaking to the students teach on this subject, I can see them humouring my case for being diplomatic at all times, but beneath lies the undeniable cry of injustice they feel about a particular environmental subject, which they cannot quel without verbalising or visualising it. They see themselves as communicators on an age old quest to enable the world to see it as they do. And why not?
While the majority of my beliefs and values do tend to align themselves with the more conservationist, ecologists viewpoint, as a local businesswoman I’m increasingly finding myself in situations which require a much more balanced wideangled perspective. Engaging with hard to reach audiences certainly requires a more open minded approach. And surely real cooperation is never achieved without some form of empathy for the alternative?
As an educator, I see my role really is to present that balanced, unambiguous and transparent background on a subject for the audience to make up their own minds. Beliefs are ultimately different to practice. You are very lucky if you can, without question, practice what you preach.
