Musings from worldwide observations

I'm on a mental journey again, pondering something on which I hope to gain more wisdom- from somebody, anybody. When I went to Hawaii I was impressed by the number of homeless (mostly men) there. They weren't begging. They just seemed to want to live free and easy. I have always remembered an interview on a television program of a homeless man who said that he preferred not having to be tied down to a job and rent or mortgage. In Jordan and Israel I saw lots of Bedouin dwellings which could probably be likened to American Indian tepees. They live a nomadic lifestyle mostly, although maybe not as much as several generations ago. I have noticed comments about poverty and freedom to choose and lack of opportunity on social media. I have been trying to figure out what's fair and how to achieve it.
I have read lots of Benjamin Franklin and he made note of the Indian's disinterest in living a settled, ambitious life. I have heard (and even expressed it myself) sentiments of admiration for the relaxed lifestyle lived on Polynesian islands. Yet, living hand-to-mouth and just surviving is generally considered undesirable. It is considered "advanced" for a civilization to go from mere struggling for food and shelter to philosophy and fine art. Then there are scriptures like, "Succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need.." But also, "The idle shall not eat the bread of the laborer.,"
How do we know when what looks like poverty is a choice- either because someone prefers to be whatever you want to call it: lazy, carefree, having a simpler life, not tied down by material things, or maybe mental or health issues like addictions (you can't force anyone to give up an addiction- you can help them but only after they have decided they want help) or schizophrenia (they used to force people into lifelong institutions but have decided that's inhumane so often those people are on the streets often not taking prescribed medications that could help)?? Do you hand a homeless person at an intersection a candy bar out of your car window or put money into a Salvation Army bucket and call that good? Do you simply smile at a homeless person in a park, treating them like a "regular" person, and go on your way unless he/she actually asks for something? If you are approached by a beggar with a smartphone and you don't have one because you haven't felt like you could afford it, do you give money to them? When is it an insult to "help" someone who wants to live the way they are and isn't interested in changing? When is it an insult to pity someone who may be choosing to have "less" than they could have? How much is enough- a sandwich a day? 3 full meals? A house? A cardboard box? What if there are children and they would like a better life but their parent(s) is a druggy but has legal custody and doesn't want "help"?
Not only this, but I have learned that babies don't learn to walk if you never let them try, even if they stumble and do it poorly. On the other hand, lack of nurture and attention to babies stunts them for life. Older people move slowly but if you do everything for them then they don't move at all and soon lose the capability to move, even if they wanted to. Helping is not always helpful. I have tended to try to offer or even just help without being asked because I always thought it was the most thoughtful way. Sometimes people claim they don't need help because they just don't want to be a bother. How do you judge?
I realize these are all vague "what-if" kinds of questions. My heart is always drawn out to anyone who lacks things that I might be able to provide. However, I also (like Benjamin Franklin) dislike those who would choose to be indolent but would love to take whatever you would give them or do for them that they could do for themselves but choose not to. Do I walk around with blinders on so I don't feel bad for anyone in need until they are right in my face? Do I not assist until someone falls to the floor in front of me?
I sure feel like I lack the wisdom to be like Jesus Christ even a little bit. As in so many things, you can automatically eliminate the extremes of the spectrum. Truth always lies somewhere in the middle but it's so hard to figure out where to draw the line.

Qumran

Most people may not be aware of the name Qumran but most people have heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Russ and I have watched a DVD college course on the Dead Sea Scrolls so we were interested in seeing this place. Although we were hot and sweaty from being up on Masada, we wanted to stop on the way back toward Jerusalem to see Qumran.

 This is a picture of the first cave where a Bedouin sheepherder found the first of what has come to be known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls". They were fragments of animal skin and metal scrolls recorded shortly after the time of the mortal Jesus Christ, including most of the books of the Old Testament, especially Isaiah, as well as rules for a community.

 Once the first scrolls were found, there were other caves explored in the area looking for more. As archaeologists found out about them, they examined more of the area and found the ruins of a community most attribute to "Essenes"- a group of Jews who strove to be more pure than the Jews living in Jerusalem. This is just one of the many ritual baths. There were many places where there were steps down to a place that would be filled with water. The members of the community, primarily men, "purified" themselves several times a day in the water. The water was not particularly clean nor did they use any kind of soap as we might think. It was a ritual to be more clean in the sight of God.

Masada

Susanne, our diligent tour guide, drove us a couple of hours south of Jerusalem to see Masada. I have heard stories and seen photographs of Masada for a long time and wanted to see it. If you have many hours and much energy, you can walk up the "Snake Path" to the fortress Herod commanded to be built. (He did a LOT of that, that's why he was called Herod the Great- not the same as the guy who killed all the babies at the time of Jesus's birth.) We chose the cable car. The top picture is taken from an area at the top showing the receiving platform for the cable car.

 The next picture is from the top looking down toward the Dead Sea in the background. The stone diamond or square down below is one of 8 Roman camps from the time the Jewish rebels held out during the Roman siege.

 Just another view from the palace fortress toward the Dead Sea.

 Since the group of Jewish rebels lived here after Herod, this lower part called the Northern Palace had more left to see of the opulence it once exhibited. 200 steps down the cliff face from the fortress area was a smaller palace just for Herod and his beloved Miriamni. If you went a few steps even further down, also hanging to the side of the cliff was another small "palace" for Herod to have private time, including a Roman bath! Not everybody lived the same then just as not everybody lives the same now.

Bar Mitzvah

I have tried to explain how Jerusalem (and other ancient sites) are not where they were originally. They were many layers below. In the Jewish quarter of the old city, this is a cistern. There are cisterns all over for the collection then distribution of water in places where it was needed. This is in an area that has been fairly heavily populated for many centuries. I wish the photograph could be adequate to give an idea how deep it was due to the layers added at the top year after year.

 On our last day in the Holy Land with the Browers, we headed for the Western or wailing wall. We heard quite a ruckus, in several places, several times. Here is one of the traveling celebrations. There are balloons, music, shouting and singing with a young boy under the canopy. We asked a nearby resident and he told us that Thursdays were one of the traditional days for Bar Mitzvahs. (You can look it up in the encyclopedia or on Wikipedia if you want more information.)

 Here is another group as it neared the Wailing Wall. I had intended to get either the grandmother dancing or the men holding shofar horns at the sides of the boy's head to look like bull horns (for the purpose of taking memorable photos) but I wasn't quick enough with the camera. From what I hear, there is an unspoken competition her between Muslims and Jews for who can bear the most children. I'm sure it's just a rumor for the benefit of tourists.

 Here we are standing by the women's section of the Wailing Wall. Once again, we chose not to go beyond the partition because the line to enter the closer area in order to actually touch what is considered part of the old temple wall (not Solomon's original but later) was WAYYYYYY too long.

Gethsemane

James dropped Susanne, Bruce, Janet, Russ, and me off up on the Mount of Olives to walk down into the Kidron Valley. The hillside in this area is a large cemetery filled with the graves of Jews who are willing to pay what it costs to be buried here with the faithful who hope to be the first resurrected when Christ appears.

When we got to the bottom, we entered a small walled garden, surrounded by a church complex on two sides and traffic filled narrow streets on the other two sides. (No good places to park so James was willing to maneuver through traffic to pick us up at an appointed time and place.)

Once again, the place was not as we might picture it from the scriptures. But it was sheltered and fairly quiet so conducive to a moment of reflection in the shade. No matter where the Garden of Gethsemane actually was or how it looked at the time, the suffering our Savior went through for the benefit of millions of people, some who never consider much less appreciate it, it is a reason to ponder.

 This picture is about half of the garden as it is now. It was purchased by some faithful Christians from Eastern Europe several decades ago as Jerusalem was slowly being built up encroaching on what most Christians would consider holy spots. A large church was built and walls erected to protect the spot.

 It's olive harvesting time, even in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a monk and 2 gardeners spreading drop-cloths and climbing ladders to pick the olives. Rumor has it that they are pressed, the oil sent to Rome to be used (sold???) as especially holy oil.

More of the Galilean sites

Somehow, when I picture the Sea of Galilee and the fish nets laid out and the people gathering, I picture sandy beaches. Not so! The shores are actually quite rocky. We had considered going for a boat ride like the one you can see in the distance in this picture but we just felt like we had done enough. The drive was long and the crowds were sometimes a bit oppressive.

 The Mount of Beatitudes, supposedly where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, was nice. There has been a church built there (a little too elaborate for my taste but I know others worship differently) but the gardens around it are very peaceful. Placards with each Beatitude are scattered throughout the landscape. If it is indeed where Jesus taught, it certainly didn't look at all like it does now.

 Since it reached lunchtime when we were at the north shore of the Galilee, we chose a small cafe to have something to eat. It was quite lovely, the food was excellent, the weather couldn't have been better, and the company just made it perfect.

Not exactly what you might picture....

As I have mentioned, James and Susanne have been patient, generous, well-informed guides. James drove Russ and me, Janet and Bruce, and Susanne nearly 3 hours to the north end of the Sea of Galilee. The general landscape as we neared the Sea of Galilee changed from rocky, barren wilderness to lovely green plants, groves, and villages. At the very north end is Capernaum

a village mentioned in the New Testament a number of times. Today it's a narrow small city with modern cafes and stores- well, modern by Israeli standards.

 This is what is left of the New Testament village of Capernaum- not quite as I pictured it.

 The remains of the house Peter supposedly lived in has now had a synagogue built over it.

Over the centuries, there have been many different people with many different ideas as to where things happened and how to "preserve" them. The sites where Jesus was are just riddled with rumors and conflicts. Millions of people, some faithful pilgrims, some just curious tourists, visit these sites despite the ongoing tension and occasional armed conflicts.