Trends change, predictably, unpredictably and sometimes in astonishing ways. For the last ten years, I've observed a variant of nihilism creep into popular opinion that I wouldn't have predicted.

Dolphins were once almost mythical, universally revered. I'm sure centuries have passed between the reverent Greeks and present where dolphins were out of sight and mind, but sometime over the last ten years, the flow of information reared its peculiar head. People began to express contempt to dolphins, because... the males herd and bully the females. Based on that, you can actually observe a trend of shifting sentiment toward one of the most amazing creatures in our known universe.

Musings made, things said; we are fucking up rather royally with our seas, and brutal fishing practices are not a trivial factor. I hope we place enough attention on that, the Earth and our seas before it's too late. I live near the Gulf of MEXICO, and in my lifetime have seen unwelcome changes, alarming, disturbing. To think, in the void we are immersed in, that such a wonder could be so readily squandered is surreal. Violent as it may be, our sea is to me, an objective wonder that without humans to appreciate it, still delights the stolid void itself.

Edit: I haven't read much in the past 5 years, and the recommendation is not specific to dolphins, or even the sea specifically, but James Nestor's Deep remains one of my favorite books of all time. For those who bear a connection with and reverence for the sea, it's a fine read and has some genuine magic to it. It's also a great pick-me-up for anyone down in the dumps.