High Anxiety.

“Anxiety is real.”

It’s those elevators!

“Oh, wow! They call this place Eden. There’s a story about an Eden. And an evil snake!”

That’s not a snake. It’s a lizard and this place is full of them. You can’t see them until they move. There are so many it seems like the ground moves as I walk. There must be thousands on this seaside trail.

“I hope they aren’t poisonous! I’m wearing sandals and shorts.”

That’s a nice home over there. It is modern looking and maybe the biggest one around. We can see just about every home because this is a large bay surrounded by hills. The houses dot the hills. There might be only 100 homes. It’s a small community around the bay.

Here’s another nice home with a nautical theme. They must like it here, being named Eden and all.

The Atrium on the Norwegian Spirit is like a big comfortable tv room. Every morning the display shows the upcoming port destinations.

Every port call we make has at least 5 ‘Must Do and See’ items. You can’t do them all.

“There are more homes down the road but you have to take a bus to get there. They are at the other end of the beach.”

We walked down the path on the edge of the ocean to get to the closer end of beach. There was a natural pool there but the water is too cold to swim in.

“The Eden I’ve heard of would have warm water to swim in.”

Ouch! Something bit me.

This beach is pretty, but that’s all. You really can’t use it. All these footsteps are from tourists learning the hard way.

“Ants! Biting Ants! This is no good. You can’t even stand very long before they come up your leg. No humans allowed!”

It was a Sunday when we were here. Everything was closed except the tourist shops and restaurants that depend on tourism. I didn’t see any local businesses except for a real estate office next to a tiny motel. The real estate office had flyers posted in the windows. There were about a hundred of them. The prices were very good! You could have a big house here for a great price. Much better than I was expecting. Then I realized these were the same houses that dotted the hillside. They were all for sale.

“Everyone wants to leave? Because of the ants? It can’t be that simple. There must be some other reason why this is place isn’t what it looks like.”

Even the whales are unfriendly here. The main attraction is the killer whale museum. The ocean here isn’t the place to be either. This place looks like one thing but is actually another.

“Maybe this place really is Eden. The story of Eden isn’t a good one. It starts out good and ends badly. In the story, the snake lies. The snake is evil and ruins Eden for the humans.”

You can see the display says it is beautiful, which it is, but doesn’t mention that bad part. It doesn’t look like a good place to live and you can’t enjoy the beauty of it other than to just look at it.

“That’s marketing.”

Have I mentioned the cruise line makes money on shore excursions? And that’s probably the main business for the town, tourism. They aren’t going to say anything negative. It’s a form of propaganda. Marketing is propaganda because it uses words and images to influence your thoughts in order to create or change your opinion about something.

“Getting you to buy something!”

Even buying an idea that you wouldn’t if you knew the truth. It has good and bad parts to it. Propaganda is protected by the idea and practice of free speech.

“That’s a very difficult concept.”

You don’t have any rights unless someone is willing to fight for them. Free speech is one of those rights.

“Wessir”

“Thank you for your service.”

I’ve heard that many times. I used to wonder why people would say that unless you were a war veteran. It’s not like I didn’t get anything for it. When I think of the college money I received, the guaranteed VA loans for my homes, and other benefits, I think I got more out of it than I put into it. I didn’t risk much and there may have been a few moments between the miserable heat and discomfort I may have had some fun in Texas. There were no wars in my time so we never left the base. Other service members did a lot more than I did. Some were maimed or killed in war zones. Some suffered a lot even if they didn’t spend any time on the two-way firing range. Just being in the military can be miserable.

“You know why they are thanking you now. Service is training and being ready. Service is being there if you are needed. That’s what they are thanking you for. We have memorials for the others. Lots of them.”

There should be plenty.

Not just Australia.

Keep going.

And in many countries.

There’s a problem though.

“Oh? It looks good? What’s wrong with this?”

You see it treats all who fight and die as equals. All are victims to be remembered the same way. It leaves the reader to imply the sacrifice was made by their own people for the right reasons, but doesn’t say so. The reader isn’t reminded there is right and wrong. The plaque even quotes the bible, but makes no mention of good and evil. The message doesn’t satisfy me. If you believe there is no evil in this world then you don’t understand the world. You don’t understand what humans are and you don’t know history. You will be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. You waste the rights that others have given you.

“Well, that’s free speech.”

Yes, it is. And this is my response to seeing this ambiguous message.

This is Ghandi.

“He’s anti-war, anti-violence, and would probably approve of that plaque. He’s got a statue and did a lot of good in the world. I’m pretty sure and I could even fact check that if I had any doubts.”

He was an idealist and a romantic because his ideas aren’t going to work in every situation. There is evil in this world, there is evil in humans, and you can’t talk your way into peace with them. You can fact check that. That’s history. Millions have died because of them, because they were evil people.

“But you don’t believe in that, I know you.”

Evil is a word. It describes actions that you and I cannot understand because we have a soul.

“You don’t believe that either!”

It’s another word, and an English word at that. It stands in the place of a biological fact that some people’s brains cannot feel empathy. They are not like us and are capable of actions that you cannot understand. There are other English words for them; psychopath, narcissist, sociopath, and more. There is even a psychological classification for them that keeps changing. The words are not important but knowing these people exist and how they deceive us for their own purposes is what matters.

Ghandi had a starting point, but he would lose to those people every time because words mean nothing to them. They say one thing and do another. They lie with no remorse. They will sacrifice your life without a second thought. Your willingness to believe them and give second chances is a weakness to them and they will take advantage of it.

That is why we continue to serve. We will not lose to these people, not ever.

Isn’t that for everyone?

“That’s what you think.”

You’ve said too much.