Yes, I understand that you may expect this article to be about humans eating oysters---but guess again.  My topic is actually what / how / where the well adjusted oyster eats!  Well, not exactly…but that is my starting point.

As mentioned in a previous article, “An Oyster on the Bottom of the Bay”, the life of an oyster is somewhat unique, as animals go.

When an oyster hatches from the egg, it is able to swim about freely.     That freedom is shortlived, though.  Within a couple of weeks, it selects a permanent home.  Most oysters choose a location on the bottom, and never move again.  They actually attach themselves permanently to some firm object.  Many oysters actually settle on the shells of their deceased ancestors.

Oysters are known as “filter feeders”. This means that once an oyster has selected a home, it spends the rest of its life filtering algae and other solids from whatever currents come its way. If it has the good fortune to be in the right place, the temperature will always be balmy, and the currents will always be laden with plenty of delicious algae. That sounds like a pretty easy life, doesn’t it? Would you say that it’s a marine creature’s version of heaven?

An oyster’s domain is somewhat LESS than heaven, though. The oyster actually has enemies, such as starfish, and drills---and if the oyster actually detects the approach of an enemy, it has only one defense---just close the shell and wait. If it is fortunate, the enemy will pass by and attack a neighbor. The truth is that if a well equipped predator targets a particular oyster, the poor creature is pretty much doomed. When you are permanently anchored in place, you really can’t “run for your life”!

Another drawback to being an oyster is that it doesn’t have much choice about the menu. Once it has chosen its permanent home, the menu is completely subject to the whims of currents, waves and tides. The only way the oyster can survive is to consume whatever happens to come to it. There is one other choice, within limits. When conditions are bad, the creature can “close up shop” and wait for better times. There is a limit to how long it can wait, though, because the only way for the oyster to breathe is to process the surrounding water. Just how long can an oyster “hold its breath”?

Of course, a discerning oyster could have some control over its future cuisine---if it makes a good choice of location! After all, the source of water currents passing over the creature is clearly a strong determining factor in its diet. Maybe it is love for the diet in a particular area which guides the creature’s choice of a home! At two weeks of age, though, what is the chance that it will actually make a wise decision? (Is it actually a decision, or random chance?) If oysters are anything like people, their tastes may change over time. Should that happen, it would just be tough luck for the oyster! Once anchored, there is no changing to a different source of cuisine.

Seriously, there are much more significant problems for filter feeders. If the currents bring toxic materials, the creature may sicken or die. In such cases, we who dwell on the surface may not realize that there is a problem---unless / until we discover that the oyster population is declining.

There is another problem, which we are much more likely to notice: oysters are quite susceptible to water borne bacterial infestations. From time to time, the authorities ban oyster harvesting from an area because of contaminants. These bans are normally imposed for the protection of the people who might otherwise eat tainted oysters. This can be a SERIOUS problem for seafood lovers. It is not uncommon for people to be sickened by eating contaminated oysters, and some have even died from toxins or bacteria which had accumulated in seemingly harmless seafood. In fact, a member of my extended family actually died from consuming a contaminated oyster.

In a nutshell, then, filter feeding can result in harm to the one doing the feeding, or it can render the filter feeder himself harmful.

Just recently, (October, 2009) the FDA issued a new directive which bans the serving of uncooked Gulf oysters during the months of April through October, unless they have been specially treated to kill potential bacteria. Of course, the process guarantees that the oyster will be dead, as well. This is bad news for the oyster industry, as one of the favorite ways of serving oysters is “on the half shell”. In this form, the creatures are consumed within minutes of having had their shells forcibly opened, and in many cases, such oysters are actually consumed while still alive!

Come to think of it, the life of an oyster might NOT be exactly heavenly!

I have bored you with all of this to make a point. Just think---if you were a filter feeder, you could anchor yourself in your chosen spot, and allow your mind to grow and develop. What wonderful things you might accomplish---mentally---if you never had to leave that spot, never had to earn a living, never had to interact with anyone else!

As a matter of fact, many people today have become mental “filter feeders”. They apparently tire of freedom, and anchor themselves firmly in close proximity to a lighted screen. Once anchored, they seem to have no ambition to leave that sheltered location. Whatever flows from their chosen source seems to be ingested, often with little or no independent thought.

Sometimes, the resulting growth may be positive, educational, enlightening, inspiring. All too often, though, it proves to be unhealthy, depressing, even downright toxic. It may result in harm to the one being fed, or it may render him/her harmful to others. In a worst case, it does both.

Fortunately, most of us still have a choice. Unless you are physically limited, you can leave the proximity if that lighted box. Even if you are limited, you can surely arrange for it to lose power! God has created each of us with unique abilities and potential. Each of us CAN develop our particular interests and talents…but it will not happen while we are behaving as “filter feeders”!

Do you have physical or intellectual limitations? You could spend the rest of your life complaining, feeling sorry for yourself, imagining that you have been cheated…or you can identify your strengths, and develop THEM. The truth is that each of us is limited in some way.  At the same time, you may be sure that EVERY person has strengths…even those whom society may judge as severely limited. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life as a filter feeder, find YOUR strengths, and begin to develop them.

As a matter of fact, Hubpages may be the perfect avenue for you to develop some of your strengths. Develop your ability to express yourself succinctly, and at the same time, share your unique understanding of the topics where your knowledge is greatest.

In order to develop in this direction, it is quite all right to watch the TV, or to utilize Google to research your chosen topics.  I’m sure that this concept may shock some of you, but it is actually still useful to read informative articles which exist in the form of ink on paper!  (Yes, surprisingly, there ARE still some of those around!)

Here is another really unconventional idea…it is actually OK to think thoughts which are DIFFERENT from prevailing thought / practice!  As a matter of fact, MOST inventions and discoveries are the product of someone daring to be different…to (as it has become popular to say) “Think outside the Box”.  We need to guard against the tendency to mirror the thoughts, actions and opinions of others around us.  Dare to think creatively.  Dare to buck trends.  Dare to be YOU.  It may very well be that YOU could change your world! 

Stock photos in this article courtesy of http://pdphoto.org/