What's New?

I haven't written here for some time. Not much has happened in the world over the past several months that spurred me to put on my non-believer's hat and my godless fingers to the keys to clap out anything. I can't say that much has changed in that regard, but I was recently struck by a thought - admittedly a silly one - but nevertheless this occured to me:

God, in his wisdom, gave what is now Israel to (surprise!) the Israelites. as their so called Promised Land. Jews to this day continue to fight to the death for that little sliver of land in the midst of the Arab/Muslim hoard.

What occured to me was what if the Israelites had seen or got wind of say what is now the south of France or Tahiti or any of hundreds of other more verdant places around the world, about the time god came along informing Moses' people after their 40 year wandering stint that the very area in which they had settled was IT! - this was their Promised Land?

Mightn't the Israelites have looked about them and then approached god with a question or two?

"Hey, god, ya got a minute? Uh, first, we all want to thank you for this, uh, land. I mean, it's really great. No doubt it'll make a great country for us and all. No trouble getting a tan here, right? And it's good that there aren't any pools of that sticky black gunk here like there are everywhere else around us. What a mess that stuff makes. It flat out trashes a pair of sandals."

"But, we were just wondering, and don't take this the wrong way, but, uh, is this the best you've got? I mean, we are your "chosen people," right? I mean, well, the scuttlebutt is that some of the folks have heard of places that are, um, how can I put this? - more, uh, heavenlike. That's it! That's the ticket! More like heaven! Or at least what we think heaven might be like, I mean not that any of us lowly, scum of the earth, totally unworthy sinners would actually know, but, well, I mean, we can imagine, we do imagine, you know what I mean? Oy, how stupid I am, of course you know what I mean, I mean you're god and, well you know... "

"Uh, anyhow what the guys and gals back at camp have been saying is that this land that you have so generously given us is maybe a bit on the arid side, don't you think? I mean, some of these places that we've heard tell about are said to be actually green! - all the time, or, uh, at least most of the time. They have some wet stuff every morning called - oh what was it, uh - "dew," yeah, something called dew. They say there's grass and trees, and bushes - not burning ones of course, ha, ha - but lots of different kinds of bushes; some with berries growing on them that they say a guy could eat. And there's rain! Buckets of rain! I hear tell that some places get rain almost every day. Boy, that'd be a hoot, wouldn't it? But, still. I mean it just seems that if you're bent on giving us - your chosen people - some place to call our own, that there might be some more, uh, more hospitable, more promising real estate than this. NOT THAT WE'RE COMPLAINING! No, no, we don't want you to think that we're complaining. I mean, as I said, this is really great. Really, really great.I'm sure we can all eventually be happy as clams here. Lots of room to build sacred temples and such. Plenty of sand. Lots and lots of sand. Tons of sand. And camels! Hey, those camels are the nuts! Kinda goofy looking in a certain light, but they can sure get a guy around the desert, don't you know? The kid's are always "cameling" around. Ha, ha."

"But, well, anyway, what do you say G? May I call you G, or L, or L of L? Could you maybe have a look at what else might be available out there, maybe some place where maybe there might be an occasional cool breeze and maybe some water to kinda balance out with the sand?"

"What? I'm sorry. What? You say maybe we should consider building a what? An ark? Ha, ha. What's an ark?"

TLS :)