Solamon is a Nude Beach sometimes

Complacency is an easy thing to find. It's not the same as apathy, but maybe they are cousins. Complacency is found on every corner, in every city, in every state, in every country, in ever minor outlying island in the Caribbean. Why is it there? Because that is where humans are. Because we are wrapped up in "us", we become complacent. It is in the times that we are not so concerned about ourselves that we thrive in our existence. Two things have prompted this thought process.




The first prompt was me sitting on the beach, Salomon Beach to be exact, pictured above. It is a great beach as far as great beaches go. I was looking at an Island Travel Magazine of some sort, I'm not sure which one. It had pictures and descriptions of all these other islands and resorts in it. The water was so blue and clear, the sand was perfectly white. I wanted nothing more than to be relaxing in those photos right then and there. I was even gauking about it to my friends who were sitting around me. Then I sat up, looked over the top of my magazine, and realized I was already in the picture. I looked around at my postcard life and I couldn't believe how complacent I had become in those few minutes of looking at a stupid travel magazine.

The second was coming across a blog of a ye old friend of the past, Sir Tim Bedi (see tim's blog). Tim is in Moldova (its really cold, all of the time) working at an orphanage. Now I don't know a whole lot about Moldova, but I know it will never, ever, show up in my travel magazine. Tim will be in this place for a year, working, and using a translator because most people don't speak English. Tim felt called by God to go here. It's hard being there, but Tim is growing and learning. He has to, or he won't make it. He must have faith in order to survive in a place like that. If he focuses on himself, all he will think about is the cold, the snow, the neverending clouds, and the lack of being able to have all wants met at any time like in the states. If he focuses on himself, he will lose site of why he is there, which is not for himself. He is there for a higher purpose, because that is where God wanted him at this time in his life, and at this time in the lives of those he works with.

If man's focus is on himself, his focus will lead him to emptiness. An emptiness full of dissatisfaction and want. It will never be good enough. Nothing will fill it. Man must take his focus off of himself in order to enjoy his place and time.