To think that if you find a deflated helium balloon in the street with a RIP message on it..

[Palomb]

You don't pick it up and post all over Facebook that you've found it, including pictures of the balloon and the note because you apparently want the poor bereaved person who sent it skywards to to know it landed.

That's not the point is it?

There are a thousand ways you can send a message to loved ones in heaven. Write a note on a piece of paper and tie it to a branch of a tree in your garden? Light a candle? Make a cushion cover out of their old clothes. Balloons don't go to heaven, they end up in the streets, in a park, in the river, in fields. Yes, loads of people litter and the earth is fucked but why add to that. It's so weird.

At least it wasn't a shitty lattern.

How about planting a memorial tree? How about sponsoring a child abroad? Making a donation to a childrens charity?
There must be a more positive, more constructive way, surely?

I take it none of you have seen birds tangled up in balloon plastic? Or a bird with its beak wrapped in balloon string ?

Yes you can take it. I never have.

So many hypocrites on this thread.

Look at yourself first. I can guarantee you do something that is not really needed on a daily basis that fucks up the environment and wildlife. But you all carry on while judging others, while you fuck up wildlife and the environment yourself

Yes, loads of people litter and the earth is fucked but why add to that. It's so weird.

Because you don't add to it, no? Ahh I see, it's ok for you to do the daily stuff you do which adds to it, but not for people who release the odd balloons?

As for it being weird. Well, imagine this.

Your children lose their dad after watching him suffer with cancer for four years. They have two weeks to get their head around the fact that he is dying. Their last wish is to have one last Xmas with him. They don't get that wish, the last time they see their dad he can barely walk and the last time they hear from him was when they called and we didn't realise he would be howling in agony and not even know who they are anymore. Then to top it off? Two grandparents die of cancer just after. The one thing they ask for is to release a balloon so their dad can read a message from them. They want to say goodbye and tell them they love him and they can't think of another way of doing it because they are young and they think he might just be able to read a message on a balloon- they have to believe that to get through.

You do it, to give them comfort because their world is shattered and you would do pretty much anything to give them that moment of comfort which means so much to them. They don't want a tree, they don't want to light a candle and yes, they were young enough and desperate enough to believe the balloon would go to heaven.

Now tell me it is fucking weird of me to let them do that?

The reason why people like to focus so much on BPs letting off balloons is because they are sure that its not something they would ever have to give up. Unlike their cars and buses and contraception and skin care and just about everything else they do.
Safe in the knowledge that their child or young partner will never die they can be smug about the tiny amount of balloons that the weirdos release.*

Whilst feeding their cats and driving their cars and pissing their hormones down the toilet.

This! Smug, hypocritical arseholes.

After reading this tread and the bereaved parents and relatives comments on here you use the word weird.
Bloody hell some people are utter self abosrbed cunts.

Don't lecture us. Plenty of us have suffered loss. I don't write a message to my loved ones on a fag butt and chuck it out of my car window. Yeah, loads of people do that so why give a fuck, eh? Obviously, I'm the weird one for not understanding how littering and killing wildlife gives a person comfort.

You really can't understand how my young children got comfort from releasing that balloon to their dad? are you that lacking of imagination?

Ironically, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death in children...

Balloons found in the countryside britnay?

U2 .

Britnay do you think you're being amusing or something with your 'ironically'. You aren't.

Yeah, no real response I see.

But please britnay, tell us how you live your life so we can judge your habits and the harm they do. That would be great fun! Let's see if you can defend all your harmful actions. Because trust me, you do a lot of shit that harms the environment.

And the ellipsis. Nice touch.

Are you suggesting that bereaved parents/people are killing other people with their wanton releasing of balloons. That would be rather offensive wouldn't it. You didn't mean that did you...

the earth is fucked but why add to that

It does seem to be a theme here that unless you are perfect in every possible way then you can't be critical. I'm not really talking about this balloon issue as its very sensitive. But when I complained about an obsessive throw out friend, lots if posters went ape shit demanding to know if I ever flew. Because if I flew I couldn't possibly comment on someone being wasteful by throwing out perfectly good stuff.

That is what she is suggesting, yes.

I don't know why it still shocks me really, but it does.

I'm not really talking about this balloon issue as its very sensitive

And yet that's what this thread is about.

Well yes, it is hypocritical to be critical when you yourself are not whiter than white.

Most of us do what we can, but not many of us are willing to give up the big stuff in the name of the environment. It is hypocritical to moan at other's habits while you have your own damaging ones.

I don't think we can sit there and moan at others when we selfishly do the same shit. We might not all throw out things compulsively but how can you moan about what your friend does while doing harmful things yourself? You can't pick and choose what matters.

This isn't actually a thread about the state of the world and the environment Scientist. Despite some totally horrible posts attempting to conflate the two

I was going to share my sons experience after the death of his friend
Can't see the point because apparently those releasing balloons are now apparently harming babies as well as wildlife
I hope your perfectly planned little worlds are never shattered and that in the horror of grief you don't find yourself doing things you never thought you would do

I am a bereaved parent.

I deplore the release of balloons and chinese lanterns, because I live in the countryside and know first hand the damage they can cause to stock. I don't think anything really makes you feel better about your child's death, so the animal suffering is unnecessary. Yes, there are other things that cause animals to suffer - that doesn't negate the damage caused by balloon release.

There are a range of other ways to commemorate a sad anniversary - setting off leaf boats down a stream comes to mind, or writing in the sand at low tide.

I would gently suggest that my fellow bereaved parents consider other ways to mark a difficult anniversary that can be just as meaningful.