No waves at Snapper Rocks
It is a rare event, perhaps three times a year. The ocean is flat.
We have returned to the familiar. A great coffee at our local, no instructions required.
Meanwhile, the horror in the Middle East continues.
On the journey home, I watched the Hollywood movie Civil War, seeking light entertainment for the long flight. It was far better than I expected, much more nuanced than a shoot-em-up sensationalism-evoked Hollywood war movie.
The subtext of the movie was not so far-fetched. The fractions in the USA and other parts of the world are intensifying. The white supremacy movement – or, simply, the supremacy movement of the chosen people (pick your chosen – white or coffee coloured but religious) is amplifying.
The oligarchs write the code, campaigning ‘free’ speech, but only for them.
As historian Heather Cox Richardson often points out, history repeats itself: different technology, different costumes, the same story—over and over.
The difference in history to today is we have technology in the hands of anyone to destroy the world. And we have the people crazy enough to do it.
In Sri Lanka, driving down a road ten minutes from Aragam Bay, we had crocodile and elephant encounters. No big game tickets required. Priceless experiences that the locals are unaware of the value of. But rubbish everywhere. Everywhere. And the perpetual poverty of the ever-exploited. The contrast is huge.
I was so delighted to use the toilets in Changi airport in Singapore, not just clean, the floors dry, and the smell of jasmine through an infuser, such a welcome relief to toilets in Sri Lanka.
I gaze at the calm Pacific of my home, beautiful crystal clear water. No rubbish. Clean. Everything clean. Not to the extent of Japanese clean. But clean enough.
This is privilege. It is good to be reminded of our incredible privilege just to live in a country like Australia.
Photo Taken September 3rd 2024
