Category Archives: Sailing Through Life

Sailing

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Sailing is an excellent metaphor for many of life’s experiences. There are the times when preparing to sail is overwhelming in its endless detail and distractions; there are times, while underway, when the weather changes a sailor’s plans; there are long periods of time when there is no one about except the sailor, the boat and the sea. If ever humans lived a sailing life, it is now.

A course on the ocean of reality has unpredictable weather, even hints of hurricanes and monsoons. Reality is driven by unknown weather confronted by a boat built in the past on dry land. Our boat’s energy and purpose comes from using the boat’s sails to interact with the waves and winds of reality – providing purpose, function and survivability.

How easy it is to use the sailing metaphor in the daily life of humans. We learn early in life that reality is not often kind and may even be determined to cause difficulty at the daily level. Yet humans must sail on, destined to fulfill purpose in life and even to physically survive.

Where is a sailor’s security while on the ocean? It is the boat, of course. It is also true that a human’s psychological self needs a ‘home base’ to feel secure. What is home base for a sailor? the boat. What is home base for a human? family and friends. It is family and friends across a lifetime that have helped build your boat. It is your family and friends that have shaped your sails and built a rudder to steer you through reality. But don’t feel life is their burden – you built the hull and mast. Yet, family and friends are a known and integrated base in the midst of the storms of reality.

If there were only one tool a sailor could take on a sail, it would be a compass. How would one know they were sailing in large circles? It is quite fortunate that sailors have a compass. It’s like using a GPS to get to the port of Maragogi, Alagoas in Africa. Fortunately for humans, the planet has an online network that can tell someone in what direction they are going just by using magnets.

If only such dependability were so with human culture. Just like a family provides direction and stability, one would think society would help, too, being a derivative of friends and family. Perhaps, every once in a while in some short sixty year period, society is stationary enough to live a pleasant life knowing where a person is and who they are supposed to be.

Such a time is not today. The disruptions, storms, abuses and ignorance that lie about today are like a miles-wide plastics and trash dump floating on the ocean of reality. No one knows where to go or when. No social identity is secure. Our rudders, whether boat or person, are clogged.

Now is one of those times when a sailor is alone with his boat for long stretches. The sailor must have a bonded relationship with his boat from which to draw confidence. Yes, the same is the situation for a human today. Only from our bonded relationship with family and friends can we draw confidence and security while sailing the oceans of today’s reality.

Ancient Mariner

 

 

 

 

 

Paint your lifetime in a picture

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Isn’t this an interesting thought? Imagine you are in a class of some kind and the assignment is to present your life experience in a painting. What would you paint? Perhaps some of your major events either of pain or joy? Perhaps a montage of the birthing day of all your children? Maybe a more bleak painting of conflicts in life. Your painting could have a theme, for example, Pablo Picasso always found a way to include breasts. Claude Monet’s expressionist paintings were never focused enough to see any detail – you wouldn’t have to name names.

Pretend we are Bob Ross. We could build a painting in layers. First, what color would you paint the blank canvas? Something bright but not too strong? Perhaps a pale, neutral color? It could be darker to reflect a canvas of disturbances, or a plain white which would permit multitudinous little images all over the canvas.

The next layer is the background. Inevitably Bob would paint mountains. Perhaps there was a suspended time when you lived in a different background like row houses or a college campus. Take note, though, that this background may limit what can be painted closer to the eye – Bob always painted trees and a road.

Now you have to pick the close up scene. Is it a bunch of small portraits? Is it a big event like joining the Army? What is the frequent style of events that shows your life? Your skills? Your family? Your job? Your romances? Your favorite pets? Don’t hold back – Pablo didn’t!

 

 

 

 

Ancient Mariner

Alone at last

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It’s one of those times again when mariner’s wife has gone visiting for a few days. There are several related responses to his sudden isolation. On the first day, there is a sense of free space where decorum is ignored. Eat when one wants to eat – and what one wants to eat; don’t make the bed; don’t shave; sleep often; tinker with small projects; if one is a reader, read; maybe go shopping for that odd item that normally isn’t worth the overhead. The street term for this response is called ‘Batching’, short for bacheloring – although the behavior is practiced by males and females.

After the first day, time is invested in bottom-of-the-jar tasks like fixing the storm door; making the laptop behave correctly; paint the basement; potting and propagating garden plants; clean the attic. Although unusually motivating, these tasks are huge and may end in an unfinished quagmire.

By the third day, one is aware that control of daily life has been lost. Maybe one should make a list of mandatory tasks to be done daily, like make the bed, do the dishes, feed the pets, etc. Slowly, however, loneliness begins to set in.

On the fourth day, loneliness sets in big time – especially in the evenings. One realizes how irrelevant televisions are; Alexi just doesn’t measure up as company; to many, the smartphone is a secret tunnel into Neverland (or netherworld) – just for awhile.

So the new life is quiet, unengaging and unrewarding. Slowly, the mind begins to adapt to a new life dedicated to survival. It is a quiet life with no big rewards and no acknowledgement for that life, either. This is the critical time when one must reach out to the community or severe depression creeps in. If nothing less, go to a public event of any kind or volunteer to help someone with a task or visit your nearest (within reason) relative (within reason).

Before the spouse departs, an agreed communication process should be arranged. One day can be spent traveling to a desired place like a forest, a beach, or even tour a museum – just a quiet, time consuming visit.

Hooray!! the spouse returns. Did you empty the trash in time? make the bed? sweep the floor? clean up the kitchen? shower, shave, shampoo, and trim your toenails?

Fortunately, love is blind (almost).

Ancient Mariner

Local Press

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Really LOCAL press. That is, press coverage if it were about YOUR life. Some examples to set the pace: first, mariner traveled a lot in his career; second is the never ending discounting of women’s lives.

 

 

If a few reporters were following you around every day, what would the headlines say?

֎ Bobbie’s husband leaves quickly leaving her alone to haul trash to the Dump.

֎ Bobby’s wife buys a pair of shoes costing $1,000.

֎ Sam completes furnace repair.

֎ Pam takes a day off to go shopping and has Chinese for lunch.

֎ Nickie is frustrated every morning because his underwear is too tight.

֎ Vickie is depressed because she didn’t win the scholarship.

֎ lost three years ago, Maude is ecstatic because she found her diamond necklace on the floor of the closet.

֎ Claude bought a new Buick with his bonus check.

֎ This evening all three children went to sleep early so Vickie and Nickie watched a romantic movie.

Given only as examples, is this your life in headlines? Grab a pencil for a moment and write three satisfied headlines and three unsatisfied headlines about your life. Study them for two minutes.

Are the headlines routine in nature or dramatic, life changing events? Should you get a different reporter or change your headlines?

Happy Trails.

Ancient Mariner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judgment Day

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Everyone talks about the day when Jesus will return to gather his deserving flock. Most of today’s Christians have a ‘good deed’ savings account to make sure they will be included. But mariner has a suggestion: you may need to read the Gospel Matthew and most of Gospel Luke to find out who gets to go and who doesn’t. Let’s take a simple test: In the Bible (Matt. 5:3-10) are ten types of people who will be saved on Judgment Day. Let’s see if any of us are in there. Hmm . . . Well, mariner doesn’t see a lot of names. Better check out the parables in Matthew and Luke to see what we need to do to get a ride to heaven.

Another issue that gets in the way of a trip out of here on Judgment Day is recognizing what the gift is. For example, many, many folks believe the gift is a piece of paper with a picture of an American President on it and heaven is a lot like Orlando Beach.

A third issue is that Christianity is a part time job. Many Christians give up Sunday morning to go to church when they actually wanted to sleep late (note that in the savings account). A fewer number give a meaningful amount participating in charities and even fewer participate in helping develop community participation. Well, at least there’s free coffee and donuts before the service.

Strip away thousands of years of accumulated Christian literature, politics, economics and social change. What is left is what Jesus wanted: God is the power of love. God’s love steers our life day in and day out. When we live our lives by using God’s power to love, Jesus said we are sitting at the right hand of God.

Given Jesus’s words, no Judgment Day is needed. Live by God’s love and you are experiencing the Promised Land. No waiting! Take a short trip this afternoon.

Which word does not belong in this list?

Caring
Sharing
Compassionate
Convenient
Sympathy
Empathy

Ancient Mariner

Tuvalu

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A fascinating report in the AOL news strip gives an insight into the future of nationalism. Within this century, the Island nation of Tuvalu (9 coral atolls in the Pacific) is about to go under the ocean and completely disappear. The nation of Tuvalu already has set up political relationships with Australia and New Zealand that will allow Tuvalu citizens to live in these partner nations but sustain a Tuvalu political structure complete with its own voting rights and a shared economy.

Mariner has been struggling to find a transitional model for nations moving into the future of international economy and having to share sustainable agricultural regions; already national boundaries are of dwindling importance because of the Internet.

But Tuvalu has not taken the path of economic conversion. Rather, they have invented a new way to sustain nationality via social identification and a political structure that doesn’t need its own territory to exist. Their national model much more clearly defines how nationalism will transition to globalism. It is a truly insightful article that has broadened mariner’s thoughts about the future.

A quick and pleasant read with an extremely insightful perception of the future. See:

https://www.aol.com/disappearing-island-nation-plans-exist-152004992.html

Ancient Mariner

 

The lost sheep of Christianity

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As many know, Christianity is having a tough time in the new century. 80% of the problem began when Alexander made Christianity a function of government during his reign as Emperor of Rome. This political relationship was common back then and can trace its political roots back to the Sumerians long before Jesus was born.

The faith that Jesus promoted had nothing to do with politics, economics or power. His faith was based on a two-way relationship between a universal power driven by love and an individual practicing the ramifications of that power. Jesus prophesied at a time when Roman domination had destroyed the local economy and stripped individuals of any inalienable rights. Jesus was offering salvation (aka survival) through sharing not only of food and physical needs but also through a belief that compassion was the secret to well being under any circumstance.

To prevent excessive sermonizing, only one guideline will be reviewed: the second great commandment: You will do to others as you would have them do to you. Pure compassion! Don’t need church buildings or billionaire preachers; don’t need budgets local or regional. Just compassion.

A few days ago, a stranger saw mariner trying to lift a heavy box. He stopped his car and came to help mariner. The box was quite heavy but the stranger took on the box by himself – despite wearing a knee brace on both knees. He carried the box all the way to the front door. It was a Christian act, that is, it was compassionate. He considered mariner’s plight more important than continuing to drive down the street.

Mariner doesn’t know if the stranger goes to church or not. It doesn’t matter. For the moment, he was a Christian. Reader’s home assignment: Luke 10:25-37.

It is too bad that churchgoers have lost the meaning of faith by making buildings more important than compassion, by making allegiance more important than giving. The compassionate gesture experienced the other day sustained physical and spiritual survival for both participants.

Faith without compassion is being a lost sheep.

Ancient Mariner

Dog et al

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Another indoor today because as much as two inches of rain is due. Out his front window, mariner saw a man walking his dog on a leash down the street. For those who own dogs, it is a large, life-affecting experience. Mariner has sympathy for dogs that live in residential areas – most never get a chance to run and smell and explore like their ancestors and most never meet another dog to talk dog talk and to run and play together.

Mariner and his family have been fortunate over the years to live in rural areas. The family’s dogs were never on a leash except to go to the vet’s office. One of our dogs was so astute that mariner and the dog could go shopping together; the dog heeled without ever being taught to heel. More astounding, the dog sat and waited patiently at the door of stores mariner went into. Mariner was more afraid of the dog being stolen than running off.

Mariner’s experience with all the dogs his family has owned is, if you can take them to a wooded area in a park or on the back side of a farm that is several acres in size, the dog will run off and explore but always keep you within a range. Mariner would play hide and seek with his dog by hiding behind a large tree or shed while the dog was roaming about. Within only a minute or two, the dog began looking for mariner by using a talented smelling nose to find him.

Speculating about the complexity and depth of the dog’s thinking, mariner came to realize that dogs have a genetically embedded awareness of how to be a member of a pack. This natural process gets trampled on by fences, cages, gates, street traffic, insecure humans and leashes. But a dog easily adapts to a human ‘pack’ and tries to behave in an accepted way except that the dog is confronted by all these human contrivances – and perhaps many non-pack behaviors by family members.

It occurred to mariner that it may be a good thing for everyone to have a pet or two around, especially have mammals. Every creature, even giraffes, have to know instinctively how to get along with Mother Nature. Homos have forgotten Mother Nature and run amok like a Mexican drug gang. Perhaps we could learn something good from our fellow non humans.

Ancient Mariner

About the Gen Zs

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The Gen Z generation is comprised of children born between 1997 and 2012 or today aged 13 to 28. A number of polls and an associated study have been performed by Walton Family Foundation focused primarily on expectations for the future and the degree for discerning possible career routes. Some general observations:

⊗ High school students primarily trust their parents for guidance about their futures after graduation but also rely heavily on teachers and other school resources.

⊗ Parents are having limited postsecondary conversations, particularly about alternatives to college or a paid job.

⊗ Gen Zs and their parents know relatively little about most postsecondary options.

⊗ Schools are an important resource for postsecondary guidance, but they are not adequately informing or preparing many students.

⊗ Despite limited knowledge and conversations, many Gen Z students are at least somewhat interested in non-college alternatives.

⊗ Most high school students, including seniors, do not feel prepared to pursue their preferred pathway.

Some statistics:

⊗ One in four high school students feel very prepared to succeed in college or
apply for a job, and those who don’t plan to pursue higher education are notably less
optimistic and prepared than their peers.

⊗ 47% of parents — including about one-third of parents of high school seniors — say they are not frequently discussing post graduation plans with their child.

⊗ Only 15% to 25% of parents know a great deal about any other postsecondary option besides college and paid salary positions.

  The plight of Gen Z is like a fish knowing where to go in muddy water. Their useless government is bouncing into a dictatorship; education has been underfunded for decades and does little to prepare a student for the real world; career jobs are not only scarce, whole industries are disappearing in the arts, white color desk jobs, and iterative labor industries like factory work and truck driving; the economy is definitely in trickle down mode. Property in Hawaii is being bought up by billionaires – local citizens are being forced to migrate; job tenure is no guarantee for fringe benefits.

In 1938 the minimum wage was begun at $1.00/hour. Had the minimum wage kept up with inflation, the minimum wage would be $22.35. Today it is $7.25. If the U.S. doesn’t end up as a dictatorship, it definitely will be an oligarchy – with the help of computers.

A Gen Z stands looking across the horizon of this battered society and has to wonder, “What is my role?” . . . “What is there to believe in for a lifetime?” . . . “How will I survive?”

Smoking among Gen Z has been dropping for the last several years; Gen Z are beginning to trade in smartphones for flip phones; marriage and children are being delayed. The future is hitting them in the face.

The ‘ocean of life’ looks pretty stormy right now.

Ancient Mariner

 

Oh, to be a gardener

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Mariner hasn’t been a “dig your fingers in the dirt” gardener for two years. He has been too busy. Nor has he planted vegetables or engaged in the sport of keeping ahead of weeds – and rabbits for that matter. He has been busy with what Monty Don (popular gardener on YouTube) calls ‘hardscape’. Hardscape has to do with garden design and  making that design actually exist. It has nothing do do with actually handling plants.

Hardscaping involves identifying where garden beds and other activities will be laid, It involves preparing those beds by amending soil, perhaps laying borders and walkways, maybe even putting up barriers to ward off deer and rabbits. It involves building fences and storage sheds. The design may even call for arbors, gates and laying water systems. It may require moving massive amounts of dirt to establish tiered gardens.

This hardscaping has dragged on because mariner can no longer lift a 2x12x8 piece of lumber; he used to pick up two cinder blocks and chuck them in the truck, now he needs a hand truck just to move one cinder block along the ground. He has a trope he tells everyone: “Mariner belongs to a union that requires him to work eight hours a day but he has 2½ days to do it.”

For all that introduction about hardscape, this post is about paying homage and respect to those plants that already exist in his gardens. Some plants like lilies, iris, spirea, rhododendron, peonies, cone flowers and evergreens have carried on since he moved to the property a over a decade ago.. They bloom and grow in their seasons despite rambunctious weeds, punishing rabbits and disturbed soil. Spiderwort, found in a nearby park, is a slender plant with a small, lovely blue flower. It has expanded in its place despite overcrowding by other spreading plants that should have been pruned.

Cone flowers carry the untended beds through the summer as if they were part of a first-class public garden. Even Joe Pie Weed (a misnomer) grows to a splendid six feet and blooms into the fall.

Every tree has cared for itself despite lack of pruning. There are apple, pear and cherry trees; there are dozens of shrubs holding forth without TLC. Despite the grotesque abuse by humans over the centuries, plants demonstrate why they’ve been around a lot longer than animals!

Ancient Mariner