When I retire, I plan to buy a mini motor home and tour the continent.
I'm reading about Lighthouses and have always had a fascination with them. Alright - you Fruedians - go for it -- Old Maid School Marm is fascinated with lighthouses. Feel better now??
The first one ever designed was in Pharos, Greece. It allowed the port to become a safe (OK - safe - ISH) harbor and thus improved the country.
Lighthouses have shaped countries' economies, but also their politics and helped win (and loose) wars. They have been changed by scientific research and led to scientific discoveries. Did you know Columbus' father tended a lighthouse? What better evidence that the world was round could Columbus have seen with his own eyes than that illuminated by a lighthouse?
Of course, there is the religious aspect of Lighthouses. However, it is still the ship's captain which allows him/herself to be guided by the beacon around the dangerous waters. The Lighthouse doesn't save; what better evidence of God's gift of Free Will than that illustrated by a captain willing to follow the Lighthouse's steadfast warning?
My dad painted pictures of lighthouses more than any other subject. I'm not sure why. I never asked.
So, I am going to buy a mini motor home and seek out lighthouses. The when, where, how are beside the point. The who: me, God, Dad, Columbus, the gypsy tinkers from long ago, and any friends I discover along the way. The why: I must.
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