Travel

Watching my DSTV, I am intrigued by people who have made a success of international road travel. In "the Long Way Down" (down Africa) and "the Long Way Round" (London to New York - via Russia) and "Trabant Trek" (in which 9 students started out driving from Hungary to Cambodia - in cars that I would not give house room - but some made it!) kind of makes me keen to try driving in my landrovers into stretches that are off the beaten track!

It stuns me that in Third World South Africa, we complain about terrible roads like that in Port Durnford - a string of huge potholes, strung together by a lacework of tarmac -when there are places like the Pamir Highway in Asia (no tar on a track through the mountains) or the Gobi Desert - no roads at all! - which make our road network look like super highways.

Goes to prove that you dont always know when you have it good!

I would love to travel into the wilds of the world - except that since nerly dying from bee venom, I am highly allergic to bee stings! Knowing my luck, I would be stung when I was plenty of hours from medical attention.

Christmas

I am not ashamed to admit that I believe in Christ, and that it is worth believeing that - like every other human being - he was born.

I took my daughter shopping for gifts yesterday - maybe crazy to leave it to the last minute, but that is kind of how the cookie crumbled. The city of Richards Bay was CRAZY! The mall parking garage was full - for the first time ever. The traffic was insane and it was evident that the usual busy roads in Johannesburg had all emptied - and the crazies were all at the coast!

Late December is THE best time to be in Johannesburg since the crowds that are usually there, are all at the coast. I was in Cape Town for Christmas 2 years ago, and was stunned that at 10 am, I was stuck in a traffic jam on the N1 freeway into the city! Sure the city is stunningl;y beautiful, but not when you are stuck in 4 lanes of cars on the freeway - all going at precisely no kilometers an hour! Rush hour was ANY hour!

Since I was run down, I find that I tense up in traffic - strange since my accident happened on a fairly quiet road into the Kruger Park Game Reserve

Travel

I invested in DSTV, a satellite TV service where I get to view a heap of different TV Channels.

A while back, I discovered a series where some students were on a "gap year" where they bought 3 Trabant cars in Hungary and set off across Europe, the Middle East, and across Russia to eventually arrive in Vietnam. I found the series around half way through - "Trabant Trek" - and it makes me realise that travel - even in aged plastic cars - is possible, even if not easy!

I feel that it is possible to drive from Cape Town to Cape Horn, up Africa, across Asia and then down the Americas to Cape Horn. Since I am disabled (run down by a HUGE truck) and deathly allergic to bee stings, I feel that - exciting as a trip like this would be - I am physically unable to undertake such a journey!

Sure as nuts, I would be stung by a bee in the outer reaches of Siberia and unless I am fairly close to medical attention, I WILL die! I feel that I was spared death for a reason - that I have not yet fulfilled - and that it would be kind of ungrateful if I were to place myself at risk.

Sure it is possible to cross vast distances in just about any vehicle, but "Long Way Down", "Long Way Round" and "Trabant Trek" have told me that long journeys are possible - even desireable - but in my case are extremely impracftical. If I drive to Johannesburg, I do so with my windows closed - then the airconditioner works - and there is no chance that a bee can fly in the window and sting me!

I also found that in the far reaches of Africa or even in Russia (Khazikstan?) the roads are really in poor condition, and I thought that the road into Port Durnford locally was in poor condition! By comparison to some (non-existant) roads, it is like a super smooth highway!

Agency - right of choice

I was a bit stunned to find that I could excercise my agency freely and get a tattoo to cover a really ugly scar on my upper arm.

Some members of the LDS Church that I attend, say that they believe that Satan was denied being given the right and ability to influence our free choice, and effectively taking our agency from us - specifically MY agency to have a tattoo to cover a really ugly scar! Sure I hid the scar beneath shirt sleeves, but in Zululand, it gets really hot and humid in summer, and an inviting cool pool is really attractive. I often get the uncomfortable impression that when I am at the pool, I am an object where people are very inquisitive - and tend to look sideways at me - and often steer very clear of me, in case whart caused the scar, is catching!

My tarttoo is a way that I can live with my scar, just as the plastic surgery that I had done to my throat, is a way to make me feel much better about myself.

I know members who openly and vociferously voice their opinions that tattoos - and plastic surgery - are the work of the devil.

I have ammended my opinion of tarttoos - that I used to view as undesireable - although I never voiced against the idea - but I now see that the decision to tattoo yourself is an expression of agency. Just because someone happens to be tattooed, does not alter the fact that they may be "good people!"

Getting either plastic surgery or a tattoo is not necessarily evil, but often is to divert attention from scars. I dont know of anyone who purposely scars themselves! When next, disgust raised by some members, I will point out that we state that we believe that everyone has free agency, and it is WRONG - WRONG - WRONG to believe that any mortal can take agency from anyone else! That is kind of worshipping the wrong God - at least, is not the God whom I know is a loving God.

MY tattoo

I used to have (in reality, probably do still, beneath the tattoo) a really ugly scar after my accident. Sure it was hidden beneath the sleeve on my Temple Garment top, and the sleeve on some - but not all - of my casual shirts, but as soon as I dressed in my swinning trunks or went to bath or shower, it was definitely on very public display. In fact in the sun the scar went bright red (VERY noticeable!) whilst the skin around it went tanned. Within 8 hours, the scar tissue reverted to brilliant white surrounded by tanned skin. That made it far more visible. Like the trachae scar on my throat after I was kept alive in my coma by the trachae (hospital food is not great to start with, but liquidise it and it barely keeps you alive let alone put on any fat!) The scar was a prominent reminder every time I bathed that I was "different"! I dont need to speak much so the only thing that seperated me from "normal" people, was my scarring and the way I move! Sit down and I look normal (what really is "normal?") - probably a more accurate description is "invisible"! Now the scar on my shoulder has vanished and no-one questions tattoos. It is generations since where tattoo's are a remnant of prison sentences.

I know Branch Members (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - LDS or Mormons) who are openly and vociferously (violently) against tattoo's or - worse - the sins of having plastic urgery! I see that these are ways where I can feel more normal in life, and that to me is important - more important than the outspoken views of an aged member - who has the opinion that Jesus gives us agency (the right to choose) but she has the right to influence HOW you choose - as if she is more powerful than Heavenly Father. Boy is she in for a shock when she finds out that she cannot excercise MY agency!

A comment was made after my first (and only) tatoo, that now I have one, I will be back for more! I was not initially in favor of tattoo art, but I have been enlightened that it CAN be necessary - or even as an expression of agency. Everyone - irregardless of what the reason - has the absolute right to choose to act as they feel keeps them happy. Sure some people go way overboard, but that is them excercising their agency and no-one - not even Satan - has the right to take this from them!

Tattoo

I know that the LDS Church are generally against tattoes, but in my case, my left upper arm carries an ugly scar from my accident. It would not be such a problem except that in the open air, the white skin of the scar first goes bright red, then fades the next day to a brilliant white!

I was inspired (I think) that a way to cover it up when I go swimming, was to have a tattoo covering it! I understand that in the afterlife, it takes time to remove tattoes, and that is part of why they are not encouraged by the Church, but I feel that it takes no less effort to remove a scar!

I know that plastic surgery is actively discouraged, but I voluntarily had the trachae scar on my throat covered up by plastic surgery! I did enquire if the surgeon could attend to the scar on my arm at the same time, but he was doubtful that plastic surgery could be effective!

I used to have a constant reminder every morning of the accident, in that when I shaved, I had to effectively shave around the hole in my throat. After I had the surgery, I KNOW that I feel better about myself and this confidence definitely improved my speech! Was it vanity? Probably! Was it necessary? For my self confidence, I believe it was. Do I need a tattoo? Practically, no, but again it will help to disguise a scar from my accident. When I see my scars I am reminded of the accident, just like the scar on my left leg reminds me of crashing my bike into a pile of garden cuttings, and getting a thorn deep in  my leg, or being hit by a brick thrown by my younger brother! I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!

If I were not supposed to have plastic surgery or a tattoo, then why would I have survived the accident to start with - or needed a trachae to keep me alive in my coma?

I know that some members would think that plastic surgery or tattoes are a sure sign of apostacy, but like everything else, we each carry our God Given right to choice! No-one can tell me that these are wrong! Sure it would be, if I were using them to look younger - or different - but every case has to be judged on its own merits!

As it is, my body carries scars from the accident that I dont like - as well as scars from childhood activities (a thorn in my leg - where I was hit by a brick - and where I suffered a severe graze from tree climbing! I am scarred, but that is as a part of growing up as an active child!

At age 51, I am sure grateful that I had an outdoor way of growing up, and it is not nice to look at how kids grow up now! Where we spent hours plaing in the bush, kids now spend time playing TV or Computer games! I would not change it for anything! I grew up enjoying the outdoors - the bush near our house, the Balancing Rocks not that far from home - and buying the Sailing Dingy(s) that I amd my 2 brothers bought - first was "Mike" (short for Microscopic - because it was he smallest dinghy on the lake!) - then our Goblin - much bigger and way faster!

My fingers are scarred - although this is not that noticeable and I have about 8 scars left from the wounds where I was stabbed and nearly died! If this is reason for Heavenly Father to deny me exaltation in the Afterlife, then so be it - although I am confident that He is way more forgiving than that immediate judgment!