17º 34.580s 149º 37.072w
Wed Sep 11 2019
Somebody
mentioned 9/11 on the SSB net yesterday. Wanted to remind everyone, then noted
they were still trying to come to terms with it and put it behind them. My mom
was born on December 7th. Pearl Harbor day. Her generation and several that
followed remember that event very clearly. Kids these days maybe learn about it
in history class, if they even teach history anymore. Perhaps I’ll ask one of
my nieces someday.
I
watched a movie last night, “Five People You Meet in Heaven”. Jon Voight is a
really fine actor, but the movie moves pretty slowly. I’m not sure if it was
written and funded by some Christian organization but it certainly feels that
way. Human conflict, suffering, bad acts against others, repentance and
forgiveness. Like a Sunday school lesson rolled into a movie script.
I
watched the second airplane that crashed into the World Trade Center Towers
live, on a treadmill at a hotel gym. Was in Salt Lake City for a technical
conference, and when I walked into the gym the TV was on. I thought it was some
sort of disaster movie at first, then someone turned the volume up and realized
it was the real thing.
People
all over the world do terrible things to others, often it seems motivated by
their religious beliefs. Extremists come in all flavors, Christians included.
US foreign policy and political actions further US interests, but often not
those of the foreign people impacted. Feelings fester, and blowback occurs.
Right now there seem to be plenty of disaffected people in America and England,
seemingly forgotten by the economic development that has benefitted certain
parts of each country. The “haves” haven’t been sharing generously enough with
the “have nots” and thus we have populist presidents and Brexit votes.
Out
here we’re living in our own little bubble, bobbing around on sailboats. What
is refreshing about this lifestyle is that everyone has a very independent
attitude. People share their resources, whether knowledge about a matter, time
to help fix something broken, emergency parts, fuel or food stores, whatever.
This lifestyle attracts a certain type of people from many different walks of
life and financial circumstances, and we’ve come here to learn about all kinds
of places and the people who live there. Their attitudes, feelings towards
colonizers and occupiers, and how they view us. We don’t kid ourselves that we
understand just how they feel, but we do get a sense of what’s up.
A
smile and warm greeting from a native tells us a lot. If I can’t remember how
to say hello in their language, I speak using my best hillbilly American
English. A local marina manager recently noted that he would prefer that to
hearing French. Something about his attitude towards French colonizers, makes
him bristle when he hears “bonjour”.
Memorial
Day in America was called “The Remembrance” by Ma and Pa Ashe, my adopted
grandparents. For them it was about honoring the memories of the dead from WWI.
Now in America it’s all about going shopping and hitting the sales. Time passes
and the significance of the date and the holiday name is lost to most. At least
US Military members never forget.
Perhaps
in another 30 – 50 years 9/11 will end up another shopping holiday. Maybe all
that stuff they preached in Sunday school about religious tolerance, turning
the other cheek, forgiveness, maybe it will help people come to terms with that
terrible day.
Seawind
now builds boats in Vietnam, just outside what used to be called Saigon, now
renamed Ho Chi Min City. Isabel and I visited the factory in 2012 to see an
1160 in the build process, and to entertain the notion of purchasing a new
vessel and taking delivery there. Wasn’t happening for us. We visited the war
museum commemorating the war with the US, what Americans would refer to as the
Vietnam war. It’s weird to realize that the history is written by the victors,
and the Vietnamese are not complimentary towards the US aggression. These days
however Vietnamese people are warm and friendly towards us, and I’ve several
friends who fought in Vietnam and love to return as tourists. Capitalism has
come and people move on, whether they forgive or forget, or simply realize that
hate and hostile feelings don’t fit with their religion or are just
self-destructive.
It’s
exciting to realize that Vietnam has finally opened up to cruising, and I’m
hopeful that perhaps in 3 – 4 years we’ll sail there. There are so many
beautiful places to go, so many interesting cultures to visit and learn about,
and JollyDogs is our chariot that takes us towards increased enlightenment.
Right now, French Polynesia is awesome but as small as it is, Papeete feels
like plenty of large cities everywhere with plenty of folks too busy to be
friendly and welcoming. We’re heading back to the Marquesas, the Gambiers and
the Tuamotus where they are happy to see us, and we them. People smile and say
hello, we share our resources, and we coexist peacefully.
Time
to blow this popsicle stand.
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