Ruins.

I have recently arrived in Hawaii and I have seen so many beautiful places, and met so many beautiful spirits. Places that seemed untouched by man. On one of our first days we visited Pearl Harbor. We stood in line and road the boat to the memorial with all of the others deperate to see all of Oahu. We were informed to remain silent out of respect. So as a hush fell over the people we hurried to see what lay below. I couldn't help but think it was ugly. This big piece of rusting metal set in the beautiful blue sea, yet attempts at life were beginning to grow as colorful fish swam about. The top of the water gleamed with seeping oil from the ship. It make me begin to think. Why do we do this? What is our obsession? I understand the idea of honoring those lost, I do. But doesn't it seem a little silly to put a building over a sunken ship and a shrine to all who passed, and tote people to see it every day? Ironic how we only stand to remember the heroics that happened that day at Pearl Harbor? We don't however, stand to say that our government backed Japan in a corner and played Risk with land to gain power and now all we have to show for it is a sunken rusting ship leaking oil with a shrine to some 1100 men who perished. Kind of seems familiar to me. I get greedy, I want power, I manipulate others and decieve myself...and all that is left is rusting metal, all the while paradise surrounds. Kind of ugly isn't it? Worse yet we build a shrine over it and visit it often, forgetting the selfish events leading to our destruction. But we argue that something beautiful is happening-life is growing and bright fish are swimming...yes, but imagine if it was removed? Gone. No more sunken ship. What could then grow and flourish? What would live there? And what would we do with the time that was spent visiting the memorial?