March 29, 2024

I had a very strange dream that I would be the last surviving co-founder of Greenpeace, meaning all the crews of the Greenpeace, Greenpeace Too, Greenpeace Three, Four and Five and the founding directors in 1972.

It was a discussion and Bob Hunter said to me, “Paul you were the youngest of all of us and it looks like you will be the last of us to die.”

Somewhat eerie speaking with Bob’s ghost but it seemed so vivid and real.

I was twenty when I joined the crew of the Greenpeace Too in November 1971. Bob was thirty. We loss Bob in 2005 to prostate cancer.

The dream is probably meaningless, but it is good to know that there are still a few of us left from those early days.

We lost David Garrick last year. Ron Precious, Rod Marining, Bobbi Hunter, Rex Weyler, Carlie Truman, Pat Moore and a few more continue to carry on in word and deed with pen and camera, dreams and ideas, as we move forward towards the unknown consequences of the collective insanity of humanity.

The dream refreshed many old memories of ship mates and eco-comrades, adventures, and fun times on the sea and on land as we set out to change the world and succeeded in doing just that.

INTO THE NIGHT WE DREAM

Into the shadow of the bomb we sailed,

Winning the battles even when we failed,

Foolish dreams of creating a dream,

We were one hell of an alternative team.

Ahab’s children casting coins to find our way,

Baptized by the sea’s cold salty spray,

Captain Mind Bomb directing the scene,

The rainbow transformed to a brilliant green.

Story tellers and epic myth weavers,

Ecology’s deepest most fervent believers,

Crossing the vast and hostile water,

To intervene against the slaughter.

Shepherds of the turbulent seas,

Defenders of birds, trees, whales, and bees.

Year after year tumbling in our wake,

So much sadness, so much heartbreak.

Yet such amazing joy at what we conceived,

Such satisfaction with what we achieved.

We set forth on a venture to strive

Risking our lives so that nature could thrive.

With the fall of each comrade friend,

I look for a glimpse of the final end,

What I see is a renewal of the fight,

Our children rising as we venture into the night.

We leave them the seeds of inspiration,

The solid rocks of a strong foundation,

Castles of courage shall rise to the sky above.

As eagles are humbled by the sacred dove.

-pw

Photo: June 1975, Paul Watson on a dead young Sperm whale with the crew of the Greenpeace V in the North Pacific Ocean.