Sea and the Nations

Sea and the Nations

The sea is one, but the nations divide and conquer it. The sea does not acknowledge national boundary lines, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or extension of continental shelf. The sea ridicules and denies existences of such man-made divisional concepts.

Nations want to make and expand their own seas, because of the infinite resources the sea can offer. But what is the point to mandate the sea creatures to abide by these boundaries? They maintain their freedom to navigate as they please.

Nations do not yet know how to agree on how to draw the basic coastline, which is the starting point of territorial sea, contiguous sea, EEZ and Continental Shelf.

Nations have invested millions of dollars to study sea bed geology to justify their claims of continental shelf. Its geological formation was designed and shaped by Mother Nature, not by man.

My friends, we cannot draw dividing lines on the water. Water evaporates, producing clouds and rain for the living things on the land.

Sea ridicules the wisdom of humankind in the 21st century. Mother Nature, the Sea, the Earth are inseparable, but the nations do not know the triangle relationship, so precious to us.

Drawing a line on the surface of land is artificial.

Drawing a line under water is more ridiculous.

Sea, one body of the sea, is, and must be the common blue space for all of mankind, but it is polluted and destroyed by nationalism, greed, overfishing, tensions, wars and military confrontations, even after two World Wars and the Cold War over half a century, and wars since.

How ridiculous we are!

How pathetic the nations are!

Advanced technologies are destroying our sea. Nationalism is making the sea as a complex web of too many artificial lines—more ridiculous and more pathetic.

Alas! Our sea is a sorrowful, painful tragedy, the tragedy of the commons.

***This poem was delivered at the Third South China Sea Conference in Hanoi, November 2011.