I always like to see what wildlife is around. Above us were vultures circling, on the rocks there were a number of seabirds and on the shore were mudpuppies and crabs.
Posted on by Opher
The excited kids ran along the banks and waved to us. The whole river was one massive fishing enterprise with all manner of methods. It was a wonder that any fish survived!
Even the tiny fish were taken and ground into fish paste. It was all sold in the local markets.
The overfishing, on commercial and family enterprise, was taking all the fish. It was obvious to me that this could not possibly be sustainable.
A landscape of surreal colours, geysers and hot pools. Wonderful.Share this:
The Mount allowed good views over the city – the city wall, mosques, churches, cemeteries, gold domes, spires, arches – all packed into a small area.
My beliefs – Wonder and AweI believe wonder and awe play a big role in making life rewarding.There are lots of things that fill me with wonder and awe. Here are some of them:Contemplating the universe and infinity.Lying back and looking up into the dust of stars and imagining the countless numbers of galaxies and stars. What might all those planets be like? I am fascinated by black holes, quasars, bent space, the speed of light, infinity, dark matter, Stephen Hawkins, Einstein and Newton, and anti-matter universes.I was told that the estimate is that we only see 4% of what is there.There are days when I could fall up into the sky and float free.Contemplating the microcosm.All around me and inside me is an ocean of subatomic worlds. I appear to be solid yet energy and matter is zooming in and out of me all the time, radioactive particles explode within my brain. There is no solidity. Inside it delves to a different infinity. There are molecules instead of galaxies. Energy roars. Quarks are perpetual motion machines that will keep going until the end.Rocks, mountains, gorges, canyons, waterfalls and icebergs.I am attracted to them. Volcanoes, geysers, minerals and waterfalls. They thrill me. Standing on the rim of Grand Canyon or the Blue Mountains is awesome.Ancient monuments, temples, churches, mosques, castles, walls, and crumbling ruins.I am moved by their beauty, their history and the tales they could tell.Music, art, drama, writing, dance, photography, poetry and all creative outpourings from the spirit and passion of creative people.I can walk round an art gallery in wonder or rock out at the front of a concert or sit and listen to the words and my spirit soars.Trees, wild-life, animals and the natural world.It breaks my heart to see the way it is being trashed. The majesty trees felled, the animals slaughtered, the land raped.Love, sex, friendship and relationship.Love gives substance to my life. My loves and friendships are the lodestone of everything I do. My family is a magnetic pull that centres me. Sex is the nearest I get to magic.Travel.New people, new places, new customs, new sights – it is stimulating. It is mind expanding. It puts your life in perspective. I do not need religion. Spirituality for me is this wonder and awe of being in the midst of such a wondrous place with stupendous experiences.I fill my life and am sated by it.
by Opher
As an antitheist I am often accused of being pointless.
Far from it. I am not at all depressed by the knowledge that my life is finite. I opened my eyes on this incredible universe sixty five years ago and at some point in the next thirty five years, maybe today, I will close them forever.
For me the universe will cease to exist just as it did before I was born.
In some ways that is sad and I can see how some people might find that frightening and pointless. I don’t.
I would find the idea of living forever excruciatingly tedious. What would you do for all that time? It would be a jail sentence. What mysterious purpose would there be to that? There would no be a purpose. You cannot hide a lack of ultimate purpose behind either – ‘God has a plan’ or ‘We have to progress through many stages and lives’ – for me that is merely a psychological cop out.
No. I am happy with a finite life. It means that every second is precious. Every moment has to be wrung dry of all possible joy. It will not come round again.
So, if there is no ultimate purpose then what is the thing that makes life worth getting up for? (And yes by the way – I am a very moral person. I do not need some religious doctrine and fear to make me moral. Morality makes sense. It is a philosophy that brings happiness.)
Here are the reasons to get out of bed. This is my ABC of life:
a. Love
b. Fun
c. Making the world a better place
d. Awe and wonder
e. Creativity
f. Solving the problems
g. Enjoying the splendours
h. Exploring everything
I. Reading
j. Writing
k. Sharing
l. Appreciating a nice meal, a glass of wine and good company
m. Arguing and educating
n. Speaking out against the madness
o. Caring for other animals
p. Looking out for the plants
q. Learning from history
r. Sport
s. Driving
t. Swimming in a cool pool on a hot day
u. Looking up at the stars and drifting to infinity
v. Getting an idea for a story, painting, poem or dance
w. Thinking
x. Singing and playing music
y. Appreciating art, theatre, dance, drama, music, poetry …….
z. Dancing
aa. Photography
I think that’s probably quite enough to fill a life-time or two.
Zhujiajiao was a beautiful place. We stopped to have lunch in a typical Chinese cafe. The guy took a whole cooked carcass of chicken and smashed it up with a meat cleaver presented to us splintered bones and all. Not exactly cordon bleu.
These are the actual covers for the two versions of the book.
What do you think? Which do you prefer?
The yellow one is a normal paperback size and in black and white.
The blue one is a large coffee table book in full colour.
They both look good to me.
I have just completed my first draft of my latest book. I have decided, following Dave Kingsbury’s encouragement, to write up the tale of my voyage to South America. It was an outstanding experience, full of fun, adventure and thought provoking observation. I think it makes for an interesting read.
I have called it :-
The voyage to the end of the world –
Treasures of South America on the Marco Polo in 2016
I’m now selecting the photos to go in it. I have lots of decisions to make. I want to put lots of the colour photos in but if I do it as a large book with colour it will bump the price up. I always keep my cut to around a £1 but production costs take the bulk of the cost.
A normal size black and white would lose the impact of the photos but would be cheaper. What do you think?
Meanwhile –
Here are a few of my books. They are available on Amazon in both paperback and on kindle.
Anecdotes – paperback just £6.95 Kindle – just £1.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited
More Anecdotes – paperback just £7.29 Kindle – just £2.12 or free on Kindle Unlimited
My other books are also available. There is some unique to suit most tastes if you like something thought provoking and alternative.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1459501044&sr=1-2-ent
I have never seen such wondrous light!
Wonderful!!
If you are enjoying these little tales from a life and would like to read more then you can purchase them all in my two books of anecdotes.
They are available on Amazon in both paperback and on kindle.
Anecdotes – paperback just £6.95 Kindle – just £1.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited
More Anecdotes – paperback just £7.29 Kindle – just £2.12 or free on Kindle Unlimited
My other books are also available. There is some unique to suit most tastes if you like something thought provoking and alternative.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1459501044&sr=1-2-ent