Fabien Cousteau

Filmmaker and oceanographic explorer

Progress is a term that seems so simple. Yet, the movement of what one might think of as progress can take on a complex form and affect everything around it. Akin to the theories of matter and energy, to have progress happen somewhere, regress often happens elsewhere. Imagine the bow of ship: as it sails, gracefully slicing through and displacing water, while plowing forward in great progression, the ship leaves vortices of chaotic liquid confusion with its stern. The faster and bigger the ship, the greater the wake it leaves behind.

Examples like this abound throughout life. Some are much more dramatic and less temporary than sailing through tranquil waters. Take the “progress” of a species living in an enclosed system like our planet. If this species progresses too quickly other species will have to give way to leave room. It seems that the velocity of progress is a key factor in determining how long it will take for the vortices of life to regain balance in the wake of the progressing species. To some extent, balance or stability around progress seems directly proportional to the velocity of progress. In short, the “golden fleece” of true progress is something that both satisfies the progressing entity and incorporates a symbiotic harmony with its interdependent surroundings. Without this, the longevity of progress cannot be maintained and the progress itself becomes short-lived. Progress for one must be progress for all.

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