NEW EXPERIENCES -- KAYAKING -- TRAIN TRAVEL

Our skies here in Southern California above my home aren’t as clear as they might be due to the Holy Fire -- devouring over 21,000 acres located in a non-threatening to me distance southeast of where I live. 

Aerial assaults with a dozen or so fixed-wing planes and helicopters have been pouring water -- scooped from threatened residential area Lake Elsinore -- and spreading retardant, to squelch this arson-caused thought-to-be grudge fire.  (An area resident there with possible mental issues has been arrested as the alleged arsonist.)   

Some allergens/pollutants making their way into my air space caused some initial sneezing I noticed, despite my filtered A/C, but I've countered that.    

I’m living vicariously these days as family shares ongoing accounts of a long overdue semi-camping vacation they're taking to National Parks. 

-- a young grandson delighting in participating in an introductory archaeological dig at a site just right for his elementary school age and enchantment with dinosaurs.  

-- The Badlands awe him with a vastness he has never seen before.  

-- Kayaking at Yellowstone on the continent's largest mountain lake with geysers steaming and simmering along the endless shores fascinating him.

That was one of my joys, too, when my children were young -- introducing them to new experiences. 

I remember some of my most memorable experiences when I was young – both pleasant and unpleasant ones.  

Thinking of the recent inhuman treatment the young children had, being separated from their parents -- and some are still having as a consequence of our nation’s insensitive leader’s orders -- I’m sure their experience is permanently burned into their memories.  Even the youngest infants may not have conscious recall, at least now, but the impact of the experience is forever etched into their being.   

These children likely had already been exposed to alarming situations that prompted their homeland departure, perhaps having more mistreatment in their asylum-seeking travels for safety, but at least they were comforted by loved ones.   Now, they were wrenched from their parental security in a foreign, to them, nation where the language was most likely unknown, and not understood. 

I’ve seen how physically helpless adults with the inability to fully understand a new strange situation into which they are thrust can react with anxiety and fear – this anguish might be similar to, or even more severe, for how these children must feel.

There’s enough unpleasantness in the world today without my recounting any specific personal experiences from some of those imprinted in my memory.   I will say that one of them from when I was very young haunted me in my dreams for a number of years – likely contributing to a temporary medical issue when I was a child.  

Other reactions occurred in the years to come, including with the actual conscious event recollection emerging.  Even then several decades would pass before speaking of the subject to seek confirmation I had accurately recalled the experience -- though I knew I had.  These children will likely emerge with varying degrees of scars from their immoral treatment.

One highly anticipated memorable first experience for me when I was elementary school-age was a long overnight train ride through several states with my Mother.   We would, hopefully, be able to see my older brother before he was expected to be deployed to an unknown military location overseas during WWII – the unsaid thought was, would we ever see him again.    

Since we were traveling at night, I was expected to soon be tired, then fall asleep in our coach seats – lulled by the repetitive numbing drum of train rail sounds, vibrations and the car’s rocking motion.   

The train stopped periodically to take on new passengers and allow others to exit.   One segment of the trip was somewhat eventful when a rather colorful woman boarded whose behavior I found far more interesting than my sleeping.   She was busy laughing, conversing and extending friendship somewhat loudly to numerous, primarily male passengers before finally exiting at another stop. 

The conductor, after toning her down a bit several times, eventually felt the need to explain to my mother that the woman made this trip regularly most weekends, so he knew of her and we shouldn’t feel alarmed.   The explanation I ultimately received from my mother was in words to the effect that the somewhat respectable-looking woman was a “lady of the night” seeking an escort.  This was another real-life teaching event opportunity every parent aspires to having.  I don’t recall if anyone left the train with the woman.  

My second foray through several states as I left where I was born, occurred just as I was becoming a teenager.  This auto trip was from the Great Lakes Midwest to the desert southwest close to the Mexico border.  In many ways the trip was uneventful, but some of the experiences along the way were significant to me simply because they were new.   I enjoyed seeing cities and countryside I had not seen before. 

There was a certain amount of sameness after a while, in whatever state we were.  To lessen some of that monotony I anticipated watching for any bodies of water – mostly small streams, occasional ponds or lakes, larger creeks and big rivers.   I was not disappointed seeing the mighty Mississippi, but I felt quite let down to see little more than an almost dry river bed when we crossed what I had expected to be the magnificent Rio Grande River.  What I saw was dirt, gravel, a puddle or two and a barely visible trickle of water -- just wasn’t the time of year for rain in Texas and without rain, no grand river.

I was delighted we were driving south toward the Mexico border to visit a young airman, much like a brother to me, stationed at an air force base in San Antonio.   We stayed overnight, but this necessitated sleeping accommodations for me in our old car’s back seat with the windows partly down for cool air.  Unfortunately, in the heat and humidity the largest mosquitoes I’d ever seen were hungrily thriving in great numbers and I was on their menu that night.   That was a mixture of a pleasant and unpleasant memory, but worth it to me to see a loved one. 

The new memory item list surfacing here has barely revealed any of mine.   I haven’t attempted to recount the most memorable new experiences, the worst, or even any other kind we can have.  

These new experiences, hopefully the more pleasant ones, continue occurring all our lives in one way or another – some quite simple and mundane, others a bit more interesting, maybe mysterious, or even exciting.  

That’s good for us since experiencing the new and different has been determined to stimulate our minds, helping us to keep functioning mentally in a healthy manner.  

So, we need to keep seeking new experiences all our years to challenge our minds.

Do you recall registering any particular new experiences in your youth that recorded in your memory bank?

       

 

COMPLICATIONS ON EARTH AND IN THE UNIVERSE

Seems every day this past week my schedule required my arising earlier than I’ve wanted in recent years.    So, I was pleased to go to bed last night knowing I could sleep in the next morning if I so chose.  Now that’s what I call a real retirement benefit – arising and retiring as early or as late as I want most days, especially true with no one else in the household requiring my attention. 

My waking hours do generally include seeking news of the latest happenings in the world around me.   I’ll know I’m ready to depart this existence if the day ever comes when I cease having such interests.  While I care deeply and am committed to issues, my emotional state remains stable, unlike what some describe experiencing as a reason to reject following current events. 

Here’s my perspective, opinion, also rhetorical questions possibly injected with a sarcastic twist on a few recent events.

If you’re one of those individuals who just can’t tolerate any more reference to the current state of affairs, then you may want to skip down to where I transition into thoughts about outer space communication complications.  

Internationally, our erstwhile U.S. leader continues his efforts to disrupt positive relations with our European allies with words that seem to promote his despot idol -- if his actions at the recent Helsinki summit are any indication.    As if that isn’t enough, his recent Putin summit meeting and paltry excuse citing a supposed innocent language mistake for denigrating our country, coupled with his failure to consistently publicly condemn Russia’s admitted efforts to disrupt our elections, our leader again could be thought of as betraying the American people’s best interests.  Maybe our leader needs to review the oath and allegiance he took when assuming his elected office.  

Nationally, reuniting some children with their parents who have been seeking asylum slowly continues.  This follows what has been suggested as one of our leader’s efforts to desensitize citizens into gradually being more accepting of immoral actions, such as the inhumane treatment of others of whom he doesn’t approve -- much as autocrats or dictators do.  Amazingly, some people continue efforts to rationalize this and other of our leader’s illogical behaviors as if his motivations are genuinely intended to be in the best interests of our nation, ordinary citizens and humankind. 

Are citizens justified in asking if our leader’s conflicting words alternately disparaging then supporting our national security agencies actually exhibit treason-like behaviors? 

By kowtowing to the dictator that he admires, while subverting citizens confidence in our intelligence agencies, is our leader behaving in a traitor-like manner? 

Do we want to offer the hospitality of a White House Meeting to a dictator who has meddled and continues to interfere in our elections as our leader has proposed?      

Our Fourth Estate providing factually supported news continues to need our support to remain a bastion of power protecting our constitutional freedoms and democratic republic.  Meanwhile our leader harps on fake news, when he is the one regurgitating such most of the time, to instill confusion and undermine citizens confidence in our form of government.    He has repeatedly offered alternate facts/falsehoods so much, or claims misinterpretation,  that thinking people conclude everything that comes out of his mouth needs to be verified from other dependable sources.   

Verifying media integrity to avoid those with a history of biased reporting such as is alleged against Fox TV, for example, is wise (consider Rupert Murdoch's ownership, his agenda, association with DJT).  Differentiating between fact and opinion, and verifying the reliability of our news sources continues to be critical.  Facebook and Twitter have reportedly been found lacking and, in fact, sources of seeding much dissension adversely affecting the thinking of some of our citizens.   

California courts have ruled the measure a billionaire venture capitalist promoted to divide our state into three states will not be on our November ballot.  The justices wrote in unanimity:

"We conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain on the ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a future election."

Locally, our city senior services have continued to proceed with plans to offer an interest group I proposed earlier this year.   I have unexpectedly become involved in the planning when a number of people responded favorably to the idea.   Subsequently, a survey has revealed enthusiasm for a variety of related topics for exploration.   I may well become involved in a facilitating role though I hadn’t planned to assume any group responsibilities since retiring.   I’ll share particulars later as this activity continues to develop for scheduling to begin later this summer leading into fall/winter.  

Reflecting on the divisiveness fostered and admitted by Putin to disrupt our previous election which Russia is continuing according to our National Intelligence figures, (other than the Homeland Security person who parrots our leader's mendacity), I’m hoping that many of our citizens, especially the Congress, will re-examine their support of our leader's positions and think primarily of preserving our nation’s freedoms.  Maybe they need to review the oath of office they took.  

My thoughts go quite far afield sometimes.  Thinking of some people division-inclined on earth, but who are open to the prospect of finding and interacting with life on other planets in space.   I wonder how they would react if life was found somewhere out there?   How intelligent would that life be?  

The idea is incredulous, I think – for example, we earthlings in the U.S.  have numbers of people who resist languages other than English being spoken here, unlike the multi-language speakers welcomed  in many other nations.   Can you imagine that divisively-inclined U.S. group encountering creatures who are possibly of different shapes, colors, and who knows how they might communicate, or what other differences might exist, expecting to establish good relations with outer space beings? 

Do you ever consider the possibility of life elsewhere and how we would react?  

I feel very magnanimous and desirous of offering friendship ..... and then I remember one of my favorite Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" episodes, "To Serve Man".  If you don't know the story an Internet search will reveal links to view the program.  Also, you can click this Wikipedia link for story specifics,  but spoiler alert if you plan to watch the show, don't read about it first.

Music sets the mood.  I just had an eerie thought, do you suppose our current leader haunts a corner of that world?

NATION'S VALUES BETRAYED

This American citizen considers our nation’s values have been betrayed once again by an individual, our U.S. President, who is unable to acknowledge truth and insultingly expects others to believe his lies -- despite the fact that he assumed his governing office with no humility, even though the popular majority did not vote for or support him (of course, he never likes to be reminded of such facts). 

Our leader continues to market divisiveness, lies pathologically, frequently contradicts himself, pettily resorts to juvenile name-calling, expects everyone to always like/respect/agree with him, while being oblivious to the fact such behavior as his does not result in the admiration he so desperately demands.    

That leader continues making knee-jerk decisions defying common sense frequently.  He does so without benefit of consultation with those more knowledgeable -- does so in a manner that doesn’t allow appropriate post planning -- as with the recent treatment of infants and children taken from their parents who were seeking asylum -- to name just a few of his dangerous behaviors. 

This leader and his supporters (some likely well-intentioned) will eventually learn they are being complicit in his effort to alter our form of government – by misusing our constitution to undermine our democracy and reduce our freedoms.   That this leader assumed office in the first place has occurred because of an electoral college voting system (long overdue for reassessment).  Some supporters acquired have been misled and unwittingly influenced partially through their very own social media activity. 

This social media has been subjected to manipulative machinations by a hostile foreign nation led by an autocrat committed to eliminating world democracies by any means possible.  Our leader, reprehensibly, courts this and other dictators he repeatedly praises and has intimated aspiring to emulate.    So, it’s not surprising he seeks to assume similar controls in our country over all branches of our government, continues efforts to undermine and destroy our free press if they don’t parrot his spiel – in his efforts to nullify our constitution’s checks and balances to prevent such a result.  

Some of our nation’s most immoral and despicable traits selected groups demonstrate continue to be exploited by those in the highest leadership positions for political and maybe even personal gain.   One of the most recent evidences of just how dangerous this is, occurs when we consider -- how could anyone even entertain the thought of separating infants and children from their parents?   Parents who should have a legal right to seek safety and asylum in a country other than their own.  Then, this leader deliberately actually issues orders for others to separate them without, at least, assuring reunification plans were in place.   

Might we wonder if those receiving such immoral directions should refuse to follow them?   Might we wonder what more is this leadership capable of doing to each of us if we are not in his favor?

My mind reels with memories of the parallels of just such a similar activity separating children from parents in other countries justified at the time citing other immoral reasons when I was a mere child myself during WWII.   When I became an adult recalling those years I wondered where had been the good people in those countries to resist such despicable actions – refuse to enforce them?  

Similarities were depicted in a haunting mother/children scene in the movie, “Sophie’s Choice” starring Meryl Streep in too horrific a video to post here – and yet, the babes screaming, mother in shock, has now happened in my country! 

Are those who put the leader(s) in power who ordered this travesty of human decency complicit --- fellow citizens -- acted in my and your name – including other of our citizens who followed those immoral orders? 

When does morality, including that of those pointedly pronouncing their religious convictions but who say or do nothing, demand a stand be taken? 

   We are reminded of that famous quote:

        “The only thing necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”

We also might wonder, based on past behaviors, what plans our leader may have for those of us who see through his schemes – maybe his using for his own gains our military establishment for which he claims to have such a patriotic affinity? 

Or maybe he’s just enamored or obsessed with putting on big military parades, thinking somehow doing so aggrandizes his power and serves as testimony to his virility? 

Has he been ingratiating himself with our veterans, armed services and their families in a systematic effort to obtain for himself, above all else, unquestioning alliance and allegiance as he is known to have attempted to demand from others?  For what purpose? 

Meanwhile, we must demand these children be reunited with their parents!