A TREATISE ON CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM

I am not a socialist in the world view. But in a religious view I can be. A monastery is set up like a socialist system. A Israeli kibbutz is set up as a social system. I think economies of nations should be capitalist.

Of course capitalism means competition and it means classes. Classes are based on money and capital. Class does divide. I do hate class. But I am not of the world I am in the world. I hate the world system. Heaven has no competition or class system. There’s no money in heaven. We are all equal in heaven. But heaven and this world are much much different and there’s no way there will ever be paradise or utopia in this world. So humans crave capital and they compete to get it. We will never have a egalitarian society on this earth. The Devil Satan is on this earth. As long as Evil is on this earth there will be wars etc. This earth with its world will never have utopia. So forget saving this world. I prefer the capitalist model for this world. I hate competition but it must be so. (In a communist model) Giving only a few humans much power over others in controlling supply and demand is power that can turn corrupt and nasty and the people suffer. So free enterprise is preferable. Free enterprise means supply and demand are not controlled by a few. But I can be socialist when it comes to say a monastery, I approve of monasteries and I approve of Israeli kibbutzes. Israel has capitalism but it also has kibbutzes. King David and King Solomon ruled Israel and capitalism prevailed as did it prevail under many kings of Israel. Jesus lived on earth in a capitalist society. Jesus though probably hated money. Money has brought many problems with it. But Jesus said to a person who asked Him “Do we pay taxes”? Jesus took a coin and said whose face do you see? The reply was “Caesars face.” Jesus said “Render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and render to God what belongs to God”. Money is man’s making not Gods. Capitalism and Socialism is about money. God is not about money. But money has its purpose obviously. Was it Gods plan to have money? Maybe I don’t know but God says “The love of money is the root of all evil”. Money has become a god. Money has taken over from God. So what type of economy can exist without money? Even kibbutzes and monasteries exist on money.

I don’t know. It seems the world can not exist without money. I am capitalist. I hate communism. But I am an egalitarian (everyone is equal). But I know egalitarianism can not exist all over this world. I am egalitarian in Gods Kingdom in my thoughts. I hate class systems. But I exist not for this world. I am not worldly. Communism can never work because it gives much power to a few people. People are corrupt. Capitalism though gives much money to the few. We get an uneven distribution of money we get the top rich people the billionaires who hold most of the worlds money. Billionaires are corrupt. Billionaires can start wars. So in communism we get corrupt of the few in charge and in capitalism we get the corrupt of the rich. But capitalism has proved a better model than Communism for the people of this world. Capitalism gives incentive for people to work. People hate work but if they know that they will be rewarded for their hard work they will work hard. Communism gives little or no incentive to work. Free enterprise gives much rewards to its workers. Capitalism with unions works. Communism does not have unions. Unions ensure workers get rights at work. Unions are good.

Capitalism can lead to fascism far right and socialism can lead to communism far left. Far is extreme and unbalanced

Rantings and ravings of a Prophet.

Yours sincerely; Lester John Murray.

http://www.facebook.com/lester.john.murray

Red Joan – movie (Joan Stanley)

Compelling viewing. Enjoyed watching it from beginning to end.

This red spy reminds me of Kim Philby another red spy. Both I think thought that by giving nuclear secrets to Russia would make a more peaceful world, how? You have two strong men, one has the superior weapon and can dictate the terms of peace or war. The superior man will of course win in a war he is much stronger than the other man. So by giving the less strong man equal strength with the much stronger man you will get peace, neither man will want to fight the other, so we get a mutual understanding. The mutual understanding is that to fight both men would die and therefore war is a waste of time. So we get peace and this theory was brought about in to reality by very highly intelligent people who were schooled at the top universities in England, such as Cambridge.

I personally hated communism of old that the Soviets fostered and encouraged. This type of communism is as bad as the sort of fascism of the Nazis. I hate fascism and communism. The Soviets had the gulag labor camps and the Nazis had the concentration camps, both evil. The Communists had the KGB and the Nazis had the gestapo, evil beyond measure. My Dad and his father my Grandad fought in the two main world wars to defeat perverted thinking. Fascism is extreme perversion to the right and communism is extreme perversion to the left.

Now the world is going right of right. Either way extreme of the spectrum you get a police state. The KGB were a state within a state and so was the gestapo. Even the C.I.A. (USA) in its early days was trying to be a state within a state. I can tolerate the C.I.A.

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From the Internet:

In a picturesque village in England, Joan Stanley (Academy Award (R) winner Dame Judi Dench), lives in contented retirement. Then suddenly her tranquil existence is shattered as she’s shockingly arrested by MI5. For Joan has been hiding an incredible past; she is one of the most influential spies in living history… Cambridge University in the 1930s, and the young Joan (Sophie Cookson), a demure physics student, falls intensely in love with a seductively attractive Russian saboteur, Leo. Through him, she begins to see that the world is on a knife-edge and perhaps must be saved from itself in the race to military supremacy. Post-war and now working at a top secret nuclear research facility, Joan is confronted with the impossible: Would you betray your country and your loved ones, if it meant saving them? What price would you pay for peace? Inspired by an extraordinary true story, Red Joan is the taut and emotional discovery of one woman’s sacrifice in the face of incredible circumstances. A woman to whom we perhaps all owe our freedom. (Lester: I personally don’t believe we owe our freedom to her).

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Who thinks STRAIGHT now a days. Everyone is either buggering their neighbour or mate or changing sex. What is normal sex from decades back has changed drastically. No one knows what sex is now, we need a new definition of it, why? How can we teach children what sex is when it is all arse now. Straight sex is now no such thing. Sex has so many perversions now, no one knows what is Straight. How can you teach children that buggery is normal and God given. Children must be so confused and wound up about sex that they are stressed out to the eye balls.

Politics has perverted thinking. Sex has perverted thinking. It’s not intelligence that will save the world it’s Wisdom of Jesus Christ. These Cambridge University spies (Joan though did not attend Cambridge) were the cream of society they were highly intelligent but they were perverted. These cream of our society thought that by handing Evil the secrets of the atom it would create peace in the world. Stalin was a evil monster. You don’t give a monster weapons. It’s quite obvious to even the unlearned that extreme left or right political thinking is dangerous. Stalin and his sort were extreme and dangerous. If you give the likes of Stalin equal footing then you would also have given Hitler equal footing, both men extreme and perverted and very evil.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

http://www.facebook.com/lester.john.murray

WHAT STATE OF MIND ARE YOU IN?

City councils are trying to get more people and businesses in to their cities while environmental agencies are trying to relieve congestion in the same cities. What is it? People in or out of the cities. People and businesses are money to the city councils and these councils think money before congestion. Money is votes to these councillors.

What about free public transport. Yes all free. Free public transport would mean fewer cars in the city. It’s looks a laugh when you see the roads all choked up around cities during rush hour to work and rush hour home after work, it can make you laugh or cry. Cities need to be off limits to cars.

Free transport; what about free universal basic income. “Commy commy socialism” scream the right wing conservatives. Yes the left wingers are more about equality than right wingers.

There are just so many jobs to be had in a capitalist democratic system. We can not just make jobs for jobs sake we need to adhere to the system. The system makes only a certain number of jobs. The people left without jobs can not be just put on the rubbish tip.

Communism is a State (This is far left wing State of Mind; far right wing State of Mind is fascism) whereby most people have a job (fascism can also interfere in economies and provide most people jobs). The State will provide. The State provides jobs. But economics should be about supply and demand. Supply and demand must be free to act on its own without interference from State. The communist system (the State controls the economy) has proved unworkable (far right State of thinking fascism also is an unworkable system for nations). The true God gives freewill, the Communist State trying to be God does not give freewill (nor does the fascist State trying to be God give freewill). Humans basically want freewill, free Will is freedom. The Communist and Fascist States acting as God imprisons people, imprisons conscience. Humans want to be individualistic, to act alone using their own free consciences but in a collective conscience. Collective is that collective, many, it’s communing as a collective, but with a mindset, the mindset is called the Wisdom of God. The Wisdom of God is Jesus Christ. So the State of the economy should be a State of Mind, a free one at that. Heaven is a State, a State led by God. The Kingdom of God is a State, a Spiritual State. What State of Mind are you in? We must live for what is in, not necessary just what is out. We think as individuals in a collective, a collective Body, called the Body of Christ the living Church, the living Temple of God. Are you in the Body of Christ? The Universal Body under a Universal God in a one verse the Universe. The Universe is like a verse, words, it’s a understanding for the Mind set. We close off from a lot literal and become a lot metaphorical. We see then the light at the end of the tunnel, we see the meta (the beyond) the light of the after life, heaven, we are metaphorical and metaphysical we are ready for the next life. We believe.

Am I saying that the best, sane, most workable State of Mind is right in the middle between Communist State and Fascist State? Maybe. We must have a yard line of measure to find our centre. Does Christ’s Wisdom rule/lead from the middle? The Mind of Christ is the Wisdom of Christ. The Mind is the Head. Christ is Head over His Body the living Church. The living Church should align itself under Christ’s Head in the middle of the spectrum of thinking. We are centre and straight.

Humans must be allowed free conscience. State control (that is humanism and is outside the Mind State of Jesus Christ) stifles free conscience. Economies that prosper prosper best under free conscience.

So economics of supply and demand without State control (Humanism, man’s wisdom) is okay, it’s the best system, humans like it, BUT this system does not employ everyone of working age SO universal basic income has credence. Free public transport has credence to help alleviate congestion on the roads.

So economics is a state of mind like everything else. Your mother might have said to you as a child “its all in the mind”. Exactly. It’s your thinking and it’s in the mind. You are what you think. How do we know what we think? A wise person brings out their thoughts. Wisdom of Christ brings out thoughts. You think, you hear, you see, you smell and taste. Don’t depend on feelings, that’s immature.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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CLASS WARFARE

Bill Shorten is no Scott Morrison. I like Scott, he is really of a good ilk. Bill does not measure up to Scott. But Bill must have the smarts being married to the wife he has. Bill certainly has a good woman behind him. Good to see the photo of Bill kissing his wife. Behind every successful man there is a successful woman – so a saying goes.

Bill will help the poor. Bill will help the low income families. This is what Labor is about, help the disadvantaged, the poor, and the sick. Labor are about equality for all. But Labor is still stuck in that mentality of a class war. Down with the upper classes up with the lower classes. Class warfare stinks too much of human wisdom and is about money and power. Remember revolution is about taking power away from the powerful and then the revolutionaries have the power. It’s a revolving door, in with the new out with the old. It’s just replacement tactics. Nothing more. The downtrodden become the elite and the once powerful elite become the downtrodden. Things don’t change they can become worse. The former Soviets are a case in point. The Soviet cadres of the former low classes became the upper classes. But the ones that get the power and privilege are only a select few. The masses just go on being poor. How people get power and don’t want to give it up. That’s where democracy comes in, power to the people and from the people. Democracy ensures no one power goes on for too long so corruptness has little time to evolve.

I hate class. Class divides. Labor and all equality goes well with me. But the Soviets and their like have proved that class warfare is not the way to go. Classes start at school. We learn class from school from a young age. School divides. We learn division from our schooling. School is about winning and losing, people are divided according to winning and losing. School divides through competition. We compete to win. School uses knowledge (and also sports to divide but it’s mostly knowledge). The winners are the elite and the losers are the low classes. The winners are the higher classes. Education is about winning and losing. Education is about classes. Labor wants equality. We have to teach equality from the beginning and that means at school right through children’s education. Labor are left, left of centre is okay but extreme left is dangerous. The extreme Soviets were dangerous with their extreme communism. It’s the same with the right politics; centre right is okay but fascism extreme right is dangerous.

The Federal Coalition have balanced our nation purse books. We are out of the red, we have money to spend. But what about the national debt to pay off? The Liberals are good at money and accounting. Labor like spending money on the poor but Liberals are good at making money. If we have a Federal Labor Government come this May they no doubt will take the national economy into the red. We are used to that. And Liberals will bail the nation out when they get in again.

Bill Shorten is on to a good thing about Medicare. But it’s spend spend and spend. The poor love it. Big businesses hate it.

I think Labor will be in Federal Government come this May. I am no crystal ball gazer but I think Liberals need a rest and Labor deserves a try at the helm. Such is life. Scott has proved his mettle worth as a leader. Scott has been a good Prime Minister. Sad that it looks like Scott has only a little time as leader.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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BIBLE COLLEGE

It was 1999 about mid way through the year, about May or thereabouts. I was a full time student living on campus. The campus was very nice; lovely lawns and trees and shrubs, it was an idyllic setting.

The accommodation was very nice; like motel units, self contained, not old. The class rooms were very roomy. There was lunch provided in the main dining room; when I arrived we had a chef who assisted by students prepared cooked meals for us but not long later the College tightened its budget and the chef was laid off. We now had a live on campus male students wife preparing salads and such like for lunch (they were okay and plentiful it was like a salad buffet), gone were the delicious cooked meals from a chef. My first room was in a two bedroom unit, I shared this unit with another student. Later I was moved to a three bedroom unit. Social life for the students was hot; there were dinners at other units and group car rides to restaurants in the city, walks to the beach nearby, table tennis in the recreation room, biking around the environs. There was no time to be lonely especially if you were sharing your unit with an extrovert who had all in sunder around to our unit. I was often invited to other units for dinners simply because I shared a unit with a male student who was very sociable. I was the introvert. We were single males and most dinner invites were to the student ladies (they were single females) units. We also ate a lot Asian food because we had many single female Asian students living on campus.

Off to class. I was studying a number of subjects. Now to come to teacher A. Teacher A was in charge of the spiritual formation class subjects. What the College meant by spiritual formation and how it would affect our lives beggars belief. Do these teachers here form our human spirits? I don’t know and if so how do they do it? So here I go to teacher A’s first class in spiritual formation, I do not remember the subject name of this class. Teacher A was introducing himself to the new students. You can start class subjects half way through the year, a lot of subjects are half year duration, some are full year. Teacher A said that he was, wait for it, a “Humanist”. What!! Bells went in my mind. No one seemed to notice Teacher A’s confession, no one queried it to the teacher, I did not. A humanist teaching at a Bible College. No way it can not be.

Let’s get some light here on Humanism. Humanism is a response to religion. We know the saying “Every force has its equal and opposite force”. Humanism is a force against religion. Humanism does not have to necessary mean anti God but it is anti religion. In the way past religion controlled the masses. Communism was also a response to religion, Karl Marx said “Religion is the opiate of the masses”. Marx was a Jew but he obviously was a Jew in denial. Communism was a response to the decadence of the rich, the bourgeoisie, the capitalist class who owned land and were rich. Religion, to the communists, encouraged the capitalists to control the proletariat, the working class. The Tzar and his nobles used religion to confirm their status.

Now I do not say that teacher A at Bible College was a communist. Humanism comes in many types, it’s so complex that after years and years of adding to this ideology no one knows simply what it is in a nut shell. But humanism does keep its emphasis on being non religious. Non religious can still mean God believing. You don’t need to be religious to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in His time on this earth made enemies of the religious Jews. Religion can often be just just about the outer self, it often portrays as righteous when it is only self righteous. Religion does not save the soul, it may help a bit, but Jesus Christ saves the soul. “God’s Kingdom is not off this world”; quote the Bible. Religion can be off the world. God is about the inner person, the spirit and soul person. We change people or God changes people or what we say converts people from the inside. Soul is inside the body. Religion is about the outside, so it can not save the soul? Karl Marx and communism were trying to change people from the outside. Communism was an outside response to rich people and religion. Now Russia was having it bad under the Tzar. Peasants as they were called were living hand to mouth while decadent nobles were dancing at extravagant balls in large palaces. Supply and demand. There was a demand for a better life for the Russian workers and the likes of Karl Marx were trying to supply this better life. The Tzar really needed to reform the country. Reformation is needed often after regular introspective reflection. Reformation should be part and parcel of life. We grow we must reform as we grow. The Roman Catholic Church is antiquated in its reforming. Now we see the Catholic Church leaking all over, its priests are a disgrace. Faulty plumbing needs updating regularly.

God does not change from the outside. We must change from the inside. Words change us in soul and Spirit. God is the supreme Words. We listen. We want the soul/mind/heart of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is God the Son, don’t we? Humanists defy religion but that does not mean they have to defy Jesus Christ as God the Son? I don’t know about teacher A and his beliefs on Jesus, he never revealed anything other than saying he was a humanist.

Teacher B might reveal something here more on humanism at this Bible College. Teacher B also taught spiritual formation classes and was allied to teacher A. I think teacher A and teacher B saw eye to eye on many ideology truths or untruths. Teacher B revealed that his father had been or was still a Christian church minister. Teacher B rebelled against his fathers job. Teacher B hated all that his father stood for in his fathers religion. Teacher B hated religion, in this case I think it was mainly traditional Christian religion he hated. Teacher B never said that he was a humanist; I think he veered in this direction but he was shy of publicising it. Teacher B was anti religion enough to include in his teaching syllabus a must watch movie. This movie was about a woman who moved to a small town (in Europe) and opened a shop selling chocolates. The town was full of very catholic religious people who controlled the minds of the people. This woman tried to teach the towns people an alternative way of ideology one based not on works but on faith. So we get Teacher B’s adversity to traditional religion in his high recommendation to watch this movie. Martin Luther started Protestantism (protest) on the back of – ‘faith not works saves the soul’. But James in the Bible says “Faith without works is dead and works without faith is dead”. So we can not just be couch potatoes and do nothing. Idle hands are the Devils tool. Work with our hands.

I mentioned communism had links to humanism but humanism started to the West in Greece. We got the thinkers Socrates and Plato. Philosophy to the West stems from Greece. We get science from the philosophy beginnings. Science grew and grew, it was like a tree, the tree of knowledge. Religion saw science as a threat and tried to contain it. The religious church grew too. Catholicism had a hold on learning. Next we get the renaissance beginning in Florence Italy. The rebirth in humanism spread to other cities, Rome and Venice and soon it was taking root everywhere. The renaissance was a rebirth of thinking apart from religion. People were free to learn and think outside the confines of religious thought. This rebirth was about music, paintings, science, architecture. This rebirth of thought outside the confines of religion was like an emancipation, a freedom. We get the term ‘free thinkers’. So we get humanism which is thought outside religion. Religion is controlled by priests many acting as gods, many even call themselves father. But humanism has its share of gods; scientists are the humanistic god priests. Scientists are creating life, they are changing DNA sequences in the living bodies, they are evolving from making human foetus in test tubes to making human body parts in the laboratory. Now we have scientists using 3D printers to make body parts. Religion was acting like God, now we have science acting like God.

Me. Where do I stand? I stand in the middle. I am not religious, I am not fundamentalist, I am not a humanist, I am not biased. I am simple, plain and straight. I SEE. I never learnt anything from reading the text books (I did not read them) made compulsory buying at Bible College; I never learnt anything much in classes from the teachers, I JUST SAW. (I of course had to read the library books in parts that were required reading for doing essays/assignments). I am like an observer learning as I go along and taking bits here and there to make up what becomes the bigger picture. Humanism and knowing what it is is part of learning, I learn about people. People are in Gods likeness. I perceive and understand. I don’t follow people. I am no disciple of any human person other than Jesus Christ. I am loyal and faithful to my Leader. Teachers and their likes are like hired hands. Hired hands won’t protect me from the Devil. Hired hands are used by God to help His Elect but hired hands are just that hired.

I return to my straight thinking trying to get all the noise of the world out of my head and heart. I hate the noise of the world, it’s crooked as can be. I focus when I think straight. I focus on one, not on one of the Bible College teachers, not on one of the television evangelists, not on one of the local church Ministers, not on one of my parents, not on my one wife, not on one of my bank accounts, not on my one house, not on one money, not on one political leader, not on one of my neighbours.

NO I FOCUS ON ONE GOD THE ONE JESUS CHRIST THE ONE GOD HEAD.

I have a one brain on a one body in a one world in a one universe ALL created by God.

God is ONE.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

http://www.facebook.com/lester.john.murray

FINANCES

What do house buyers want? (1) Most or nearly all houses cheaper to buy but house loans are hard to get? (2) Or most or nearly all houses are expensive to buy but house loans are more easy to get?

We have a change in the house buying now. The banks are tightening up house loans. But houses a getting much cheaper.

What the tightening does from the banks is help reduce the amount of money in the market. This may help reduce what may be a coming recession. Recessions are natural, they help balance a situation that is lop sided. Either there’s too much money or not enough in the market system. Pumping money in to the system above and beyond what is accorded to as natural produces a bubble and bubbles burst. The banks may have helped fend off a recession by belt tightening on loans.

Easy house loans result in house prices going up. People live above their means. It used to be “Work to get money” but now people work but also live on credit.

I hate credit cards, never had one. I have a bank debit card but not a credit card. I hate living off credit. You are in the pockets of those you loan off. You are in a state of mind bondage to those people you loan off.

So what is money’s foundation? Young people see probably no foundation to money. But most people to get money work for it. So is work the foundation of money? There used to be the gold standard. Gold used to be a measure of money. Gold was money’s foundation but not anymore, not for decades. So we rely on work to be money’s measure and worth. Work hard and get more money. But working hard does not necessary mean more money. Many people in this world work very hard and get paid little. We have what is known as sweat shops. Sweat and earn. There is an uneven distribution of money according to vocations. People get qualifications which they earn by study. According to what qualification you get means whether you work hard or have easy work. People talk about it’s what you know or who you know that helps you in life say to get a good easy job. But it’s really what qualification that you have. Tertiary academic institutions are big business now. To have that diploma or certificate or degree means how much money you get in a job and also whether you work hard or easy.

The Communist model (Soviet) of thought was everyone was equal. Everyone got more or less equal pay. Of course people got paid more, say for long service or more responsibility, but the Communist model was about equality. I personally hate the Soviet Communist model. Stalin and such were Evil. Purges were rampant and Gulags were death camps. Stalin and his types ruled by fear whereas God rules by love. Satan rules by fear.

Equality is good not bad but only working under the God Head. Community is good but only when working under the God Head. Communist is about communes but their communes are atheist (Without God). Communes are good under God. The Jews have communes called kibbutzes, these are good. Christians live in communes all over this world. We have Christian monasteries and convents where people live together live in community live in commune.

Let me say communes were a complete failure in the Soviet Union and in China. Atheism ruling brings fear and disunity.

The Soviet Union now called Russia again and China are now benefiting from a capitalist market model. Communism under atheism failed drastically. Godlessness means failure.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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CRUISING (SHIP THE “ASTOR” CMV SHIPPING LINE) – thinking as I go

The ship is grand, it is no small ship yet it is not as big as many of the ships now cruising the oceans. This ship is a lady, an old one in her 50’s to 60’s and elegant. Angelina and I turned up at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal with much time to spare.

This Terminal is large. This Terminal looks vintage old but functional. I had read other people’s reviews of this terminal and most reviewers chastised this terminal as old and out dated, something reeking of 1950’s and past its use by date. Okay these reviewers have a point, a point in relation to terminals in other countries, yes the terminal has seen better days and it would be good to see a revamped terminal. For one, more shops would be nice. One cafe in the terminal and no other shops looks bad on paper. But what is a terminal really about? Getting on the ship, but before embarking its filling in a few forms. But why buy drinks and food at the terminal, we were going to be on the ship soon. We filled in our forms and were soon on the ship. One last check, we walked through a scanner, had a pat down, yes the buzzer went for me, but not for others. Yes it was embarrassing getting a pat down, I felt like I was picked out, but I meekly submitted and moved on. We were led in to a restaurant, wow, it is modern looking, the food was very good, the service of the waiters was very good. Soon lunch finished and we waited a short time and then we were allowed to go to our cabins. On entering our cabin Angelina and I were wow and I mean wow, the cabin is superb. We had a premium suite ocean view. And I mean suite. The room I could find few faults. The room allured of elegance. There was a large double bed, a ensuite with shower, toilet and basin. The ensuite was like a modern hotel bathroom. Provided were towels (four), flannels, shampoo, body wash. What really appealed was the two big floor to ceiling glass windows, wow what good viewing. The suite was not small. We had a sofa and two lounge chairs, and a coffee table. It is quite spacious this cabin. We are very satisfied with this cabin. And to top it off the cabin was in the middle of the ship, and I mean the middle. We wanted a middle cabin because we had been told that the middle is where you feel less ship motion. We could not have been better accommodated. My first two days I loved looking at the ocean, it was like I was mesmerised by looking at the waters. Did I get sea sick? No at least not up to day six when I wrote this. I did feel like a bit fuzzy in the head but it was really nothing, and when I looked at the ocean I felt better grounded. The other thing that made me feel grounded was food. Food made you grounded??? Yes. I know it sounds unbelievable to say food grounds me on a moving ship, most people will say food contributes to sea sickness but with me on this voyage no. Angelina felt the ships motion a bit but nothing to write home about. Out of Fremantle the swell was minor but later and that’s soon later the swell was negligible. And today on day six, the swell is even less negligible, it’s like smooth water. We are fortunate to have smooth seas. No rains, little wind, sunny days, little cloud so far. Bali tomorrow. We arrive at the port of Benoa in Bali in the early morning of the seventh day. We stay for a whole day and leave at about mid night. There are shops on board ship but the costs of the merchandise are very expensive. I don’t shop on board. Angelina though was tempted and succumbed, she bought chocolate, a small hand bag, some tanning lotion, iced coffee, wine. What she bought on board can be bought for a few dollars in Bali while she paid big on board. Our Australian money in Bali goes a very long way. But on board you have to be very gullible or very rich to buy. The fare for our cruise included food at the two main restaurants. Tea and coffee and juices and water was also included. One restaurant is open all day and in the evening for coffee and tea at no extra cost. You can get away with not buying on board. Alcohol is another question. Alcohol is not included in your fare. But you can buy a drinks package. Drink as much alcohol as you like for a few hundred dollars. I don’t know the amount of money, I am not interested in knowing the amount. I hardly drink alcohol so I don’t go there. Angelina has been having a glass of wine with dinners. Not me. Because Angelina and I have not got a drinks package we are charged for our drinks by the glass or bottle as we go along. We are given a ship account and we are charged to our ship account. We carry no cash or bank cards with us while we move about the ship, such are kept in our cabin safe. Every item purchased on ship is charged to our account. We have a joint account, and at the end of the voyage all charges are totalled and taken out of my bank debit card (master card). We gave the ship my bank card number and the total sum is automatically taken out at the end. Each time we purchase, say alcohol, the waiter gets us to sign a recipe and we get a copy. This means we can check our receipts against the invoice at the end of the voyage. On embarking on the ship we were given an ID card. This card is presented each time we buy on the ship, the card is scanned each time we buy, I think the scanning is linked to a computer. Drinks packages are good for the hard drinkers, those who can not keep out of the ships bars. I don’t go on trips to drink alcohol. I have other ways of unwinding down. I like quiet for example. Quiet gives me the peace I crave for. I like time out, time out from people and noise, I am not lonely, I have a wife, I don’t need to seek out other people to interact with to fill a void in my heart. I like being in my big cabin and just relax in the provided bath robe, lie stretched out in the sofa, look at the ocean through the large big windows, read a book, or pray, reflect and meditate. I don’t always just relax in my cabin, I do talk to some people but I don’t make a habit of it, I am scared people will bite. You know the saying “once bitten twice shy” and I have been shy most of my life, especially in my younger life, so I must have been bitten much in my younger years. Now I am a chosen one. Not chosen by people but chosen by God. Bite me bite God. But I am no terror in my new exalted state. Our cabin is cleaned and tidied twice a day, once in the morning and later again in the late afternoon. The beds are made, dirty linen changed, towels changed, it seems like even the cabin is vacuumed but I do not know, but the cleans twice each day are thorough cleans. Each day the cabin is sparkling new again. The staff on this ship work hard, the work is efficient and of a good standard. There is a Wellness Centre on the ship. Angelina has booked a hair cut style etc for next week. This cruise has two formal nights. It’s a chance to dress up. Men long pants, shoes, jackets and business shirts. Angelina has her hair appointment on the day of the next formal night. For Angelina the cost is $80 (wash cut and blow dry). If I had a haircut it would cost $16. I just have a number two cut all over. Costs are charged to our on board account. There are two swimming pools on board but we don’t go in them. We leave such activities to the more water sported people. For the preparation of this cruise I was a novice at what clothes etc to bring. I thought the males would be wearing their best clothes a lot but no the main thing is wearing shorts. The weather is warm to hot. Wear light clothes. Sandals or flip flops. On formal nights even jackets and ties are rarely seen. I dressed up in jacket, shirt and long pants. The bar line for formal nights is no shorts or flip flops, that’s the red line otherwise you don’t really have to dress up. Who wants to come with big suit cases. The women are more inclined to dress up more on formal nights. Men can dress up to the nines but remember you have to cart all your clothes on to the ship and off again. Okay portage (included in fare) takes your luggage from the port terminal to the cabin and off again but the key is travel light. There was hardly one man’s suit in the whole ship. I saw only a few men wearing suits. I am so glad now that I took my suit out of my suit case before I came. I did initially pack my suit. Suits take a lot of room. I also had put two jackets in my suit case but I took one out so I only brought the one jacket. I am so glad for that too. Ten nights cruising with one jacket for men is enough. Most males just move around in shorts, flip flops and tea shirts. It’s very casual. There are two main restaurants, one is easy going you can wear shorts and flip flops, the other restaurant you dress up a bit more, the criteria is covered shoes and long pants for the males, with a shirt of course (but this is only for dinner evening meal, for breakfast and lunch its causal wear). No one dresses to impress, it’s quite unpretentious. There’s no competition in what people are wearing. This ship is an old lady, most people are in the more mature age, not all mind you, we have our young set, but the older people outnumber the younger set. Old people seem less pretentious in their wear, they have been there done that so they have wizened up. Young people are about the body more and looks. Every night there is a show entertainment in the large Astor Lounge. This lounge has seating and small tables for many people. This ship can take up to 600 passengers. Tonight they say we are having a Russian theme in the entertainment. The last nights we have had singing, dancing and quizzes. A band also plays at times and people can dance. This is not disco music; disco is in a bar where people can congregate until they are tired and have to retire. I don’t go to the bars to drink. Angelina joined a few ladies last night and they went on the town. I was in bed when she came home (our cabin), I think it was 10.30pm when she got home. She spoke of people dancing in the bar. She said it was not just the young people disco dancing the old people were also letting their hair down. But I like my quiet and peace, music and dancing are not for me. Angelina likes it. We have three bars on this ship. These bars are open late I mean late.

I became vexed today. A vexation in my heart is normal to me, vexations come and they go, but vexing is annoying and I lose my peace, but all is not lost all vexing ends soon or or a bit later, nothing lasts in this world. So why should I be vexed this time? I went to a ship bar. My first drink on the cruise, a middy shandy. I sat there for ages sipping gradually on my drink. After drinking a few gulps my head noticed the effect of the alcohol. It was like a sedated feeling. Yes I have drunk alcohol in the past. But in the last quite a few years I have seldom touched alcohol. I used to drink alcohol in good measure when I was a young adult, just social drinking, maybe a few pints a week, that’s all. But that was a very long time ago. If I drink alcohol now I tend to drink a shandy, half lemonade half beer. And I prefer the low strength beer. After about quarter way through my shandy thoughts came to me, inspired thoughts. Maybe call it discernment. Were the thoughts to do with my vexed state? I don’t know but there may possibly be a link. The ship I am on has links to Russia. A number of crew are I think Russian. The ship used to be Russian owned. Who owns the ship now is up to conjecture, people say the ship is now owned by Germans but who knows, ships are registered in tax haven nations. The Astor is registered in Nassau in the Bahamas. But let’s go with the latest, the Astor is German owned. My thoughts now. I in my inspiration was thinking of communism. In my thoughts in reflection I thought what is Jesus’ will here on communism. The thoughts went as so – Jesus is not a communist or a capitalist. Jesus is EVEN. Jesus is not left or right political thinking as man thinks. Jesus is FREEWILL. So Jesus is about man working and accumulating wealth. That’s ok. You might say “then Jesus is a capitalist”. I have not finished. Jesus says yes accumulate wealth but share your wealth with those who have less wealth. It’s about EVEN. Jesus says Even is about sharing so everyone gets enough; everyone has equal amount. But you might say that that is communism. No it’s not. Because Jesus says “man must have FREEWILL”. Man shares only with FREEWILL. Man is not forced to share or give. Communism is not about freewill. Communism forces sharing. Communism is about people living in collectives and sharing. Man in communism forces people in to collectives. God is about collective but not in the way man has collectives. God has collective conscious. Collective conscious has to be free to be in Gods will. Communism forces and controls collective consciousness. God does not force or control collective consciousness. Man is given FREEWILL to think as he she wants. Communism is man made. Capitalism is man made. The Christian churches in some ways try to share their wealth. Members of the church’s give to the church and the church gives to the less fortunate. But this church sharing is no way on the scale that God wants. The Christian churches are trying to be even and share their wealth but most church members are capitalist. These church members do accumulate wealth, that is ok, but greed is a big factor. A lot of church members live in palaces when even members of their own congregations are living in sub standard accommodation. But God has given us FREEWILL. We want FREEWILL, we want to be free thinkers, we don’t want man controlling our thoughts. Communism is not about FREEWILL so communism is wrong. Capitalism is more or less FREEWILL but man is selfish and does not give. So do I share my wealth? Hey I am just sharing what I have learned. Most of my life I have had little. The church did help me for a time but not in my former years. Now I have enough and am provided for. I do share my wisdom, and my wisdom I do not think is my own, my wisdom comes from above and I freely share it. I have had not much money to share, I have some now in my old age. So freewill is mandatory to Gods thinking. We must be free thinkers. God is about sharing, giving. Man is innately selfish, it’s about me me me. Then we get selfish relationships, selfish sex. The Christian church did begin right in sharing. Peter the first church leader taught the church members to share so that everyone would have enough. But now many church members live in great contrast to other church members. Take for example my life, I when younger lived like a poor man compared to many other church members. My family helped me out, I mean my parents, and now I live like a king. Church is selfish. It’s more about how to pay for a new church roof than help the poorer people in the church congregation. Capitalism is partly right as is communism is partly right but both fall short. God is about EVEN. And the body of Christ should be about EVEN. Each part of the body of Christ should be equally blessed as every other part and if one part of the body has more than it needs this part shares its abundance with the other members who do not have their needs. So the Christian church is falling short of Gods will. God’s will starts with the body of Christ, not about buildings and paying for new church building roofs. Forget buildings remember people’s needs. The church should be the body of Christ a real living body, not brick and mortar and wood. So church members go without while other church members are stuffing themselves. Angelina said yesterday that “We have the good life” we are on a ship cruise, the ship is elegant, the food is abundant and good, the drinks flow, our cabin is luxurious and large, we are pampered by the staff. Yes I have the good life but it has not always been like this. We are monied up now but I think I deserve it. It is late now at night. It does not feel like we are on a ocean. We could be in a train, it’s so smooth. I do though hear a ships hum. We will be in Bali tomorrow at about 8am. I expect to get on wifi in Bali. Maybe free wifi in a hotel or at the port passenger terminal. During the cruise I have not been on Internet. All internet while at sea is by the ships satellite connection and costs heaps to use. It is far too expensive to use Internet or wifi on board by satellite. No one or few use the ships wifi/internet. It’s a good excuse to be quiet so put ones iPads and mobile phones in the cabin safe like I do.

Back to the alcohol. I don’t sleep well with alcohol in my system. I stay awake. It’s like a demon bothering me. I wait until the effects of the alcohol wear off before I sleep. My brain has to be conscious to be ready for sleep. Sleep is not death. We sleep but the brain still helps the body. We must have aware brains even while we sleep otherwise any bad words can take us over. It’s like been tied or asleep and others can do with you as they will. The brain is in the head and the head protects us. We don’t want to wake up in the morning feeling we were bashed or raped. A brain with the mind of Christ is a good defence. Does God sleep? I don’t know. God is in the heart, yes, but God is also above. We don’t have a Godless head. The head is always in charge. The body does not rule.

Day eight now. Day seven we spent in Bali. The ship docked at Benoa Port (Bali) at about 8am. The ship departed Benoa Port for the return to Fremantle at about 12 midnight. Angelina and I bused to Kuta. The bus trip took about half an hour. We chose Kuta because we have heard on the news of its shopping attraction. The air was very humid. Soon it became sticky, it felt uncomfortable. Fortunately the bus was air conditioned. We were delivered to the heart of Kuta to the Discovery shopping centre. Hawkers soon descended on us, they were all over us. They were annoying. We followed one hawker to his shop, he insisted. This hawker was so insistent that it soon felt like we were bullied. Angelina was wanting to cool his feelings by buying his merchandise but I thought the goods were rubbish. I was all for getting out of the shop but the hawker got noisy. We left. The goods were low quality and cost too much. We went to a shopping mall. The department stores were expensive for the quality of the goods. I surmised that you can get better quality goods in Australia for a better price. I think the goods sold in Kuta were like what we in Perth can buy for the same price if not cheaper from Red Dot and Reject stores. The goods in Kuta were no bargain. Now a days in Perth you can buy all this low quality merchandise made in Asia for cheap prices. These low quality goods are exported from Asia to the West in the tons each day and is really cheap. You don’t need to go to Asia to get cheap goods. Asia floods the West with cheap goods. So Kuta shopping did not impress me. I did notice that the quality of life is cheaper in Bali. People in Bali are poorer than in Australia. The people and buildings and infrastructure look poor. The place actually looks squalid. The humidity makes one very uncomfortable, oh yes Perth can get humid but not like this. And the traffic, cars, motor bikes, so many, it is even difficult to cross the street, so many vehicles. People every where. We stayed in Kuta for about 4 hours and was glad to get back on the bus to take us back to the port. Before the cruise we booked the return bus through the cruise line. There are a number of excursions you can pre book. We thought it safer to go with a bus booked through the cruise company than get a taxi. We don’t know Bali. If we go again to Bali we might just get taxis. But we might not go back to Bali because it did not thrill us one bit. Speaking to people over breakfast this morning we were told that it is quieter and better in other places in Bali. Yes Kuta was noisy. Getting back to the ship was like returning home. Home to our comfortable and cool cabin. On returning it was go to afternoon tea, eat and drink (it’s like another meal) then go to my cabin and have a shower. It rained, I mean bucketed down when I got back to the port terminal. The terminal has free wifi so I contacted people by messenger. When I tried free wifi in the Bali shopping centres I had no luck. Here I was on the ship. I reminisced how blessed I was to live in Perth. I thought I was blessed to live first in New Zealand and then in Australia. Society is so different between Asian and the West. Asian is so much poorer. I like the Western living. The West to me is based on the teachings of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus says “The Government rests on my shoulders” or something of that thinking. In Asia Governments do not rest on Jesus shoulders. Asian authority to me can not be trusted. It is the wet season in Bali now, it’s hot but it also rains, it pours. We bought a few things. We walked in to a shop in Bali, small shops are everywhere, I bought a watch, we bought some clothes, a lady shop assistance was all over us, first she painted some of Angelina’s finger nails with small flowers, she cut my toe nails, she brushed of my skin off my feet heels. But I liked this shop owner and his assistant, they did not bully or insist too much. The watch I was pleased with. You bargain. You don’t take the first price they say, you haggle over the price. We did not eat and drink in Bali. We took bottled water from the ship and bottled water was given out on the bus. I do not trust the food and drink in Bali.

We are now back in to the usual ship routine. It is a day after Bali. At breakfast I noticed the noise. The noise on our first journey of our cruise Fremantle to Bali seemed ok but now I notice the noise. We took on many new passengers in Bali. It seems we took on a bogan set. Not that we had no bogans on the way out. Now the bogans are more noticeable, the tattoos, the singlets, the noisy chatter. At least I have not heard them swearing. I guess the bars will be inundated with these new passengers. Bogans and alcohol go together like a knife goes with a fork. A bogan in his singlet, tattoos over his arms, drinking beer and loud talking – this is the fair dinkim male bogan Aussie. He has his sheila bogan (his partner) next to him, she also has a few tattoos, she also talks loud. It seems Bali attracts the Australian bogans.

The sea is still mainly smooth with a slight swell. It’s nice and cool in the ship. Outside though is different, it’s very humid. The sun is not as bright as days earlier. It’s so good that I have not got sea sick. This is my first cruise and everything is A1 on the ship. Only Bali was the down turn. Cruising is good. This morning i filled in a laundry form. There is no self service laundry on board ship. The crew wash, iron or dry clean, but for a charge, charged to your on board account. A male polo shirt will cost say $3.50, male trousers say $5.50. This is washed and ironed and will be delivered to your cabin the next day. There is a quick same day service for an extra charge (50% again of the total). Some passenger families include young children. But children are far and few between. Infants number very few, maybe one or two. Teenagers are few too, they number about twenty. Most of the passengers are more mature. I like the ship having an older age group. I am old. Noisy children running around is not my scene. I love quiet.

I had a thought just now. This thought I have had at other times through this sea voyage. Chapel. There is no chapel on board ship. This makes me think the shipping line does not put any importance on spiritual matters. The human spirit can not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Human spirit has no credibility on board, it’s more about the human flesh. The flesh is catered for, food is abundant and liquids flows. The Wellness Centre on board caters for relaxing the flesh – sauna, pool (both included in fare), hair done, nails done, massages (charged to your onboard account). But spirit and soul are not catered for. Oh yes there is a library on board. There is also a gideon bible in the cabin. The bible is important and I use it daily. I did not bring a bible, see I often just read the bible off the Internet and I did not take in to consideration that the Internet on board ship is too expensive. Before the cruise I could find no information on this ships onboard Internet charges. So at least I have a bible. But no prayer room on board ship. It should not just be about the flesh. Human spirit and soul are a priority and not to be given second shift to the flesh. We unwind yes when we are on holiday. Holy days are set for resting. But unwinding truly is about spiritually then physically, both go hand in hand. A chaplain on board ship would not go amiss. A chaplain can be available to counsel and pray. Prayer over the ship and its crew and passengers is very very important. Not every one goes after the spirit of alcohol for their strength, and joy, people do go after the Spirit of God for their strength and joy. Alcohol does not protect, God protects. Words are where it is at. God is Words. Spirit is Words. We want a person to be ongoing prayer over all those on board. Chaplains can also mentor those people who are depressed, lonely, sad, suicidal. Chaplains can even perform marriages on board in a chapel. Cruise ships should cater for marriages. Even child baptisms can be performed on board ship.

Today day nine. Not much sun today. Some but not enough to sun oneself. Had breakfast or shall I call it a feast. Consumed bacon, scrambled eggs, french toast, muesli, prunes, seeds of many kinds, apricots, peach yogurt, water and a number of cups of apple juice. I think that’s enough. I might miss lunch. It’s ok to eat but it’s good to eat in moderation. I don’t want to suffer later. I have thought that to pleasure self costs. But to pleasure the God head in you you have good health. Pleasuring the body has its benefits but to pleasure the head is good sense, I mean the senses are in the head. The fool goes by the feelings of his her body, the wise goes by the senses in his her head. I used to go by feelings, I was not always wise. Feelings used to rule me, not now. The service is very good on this ship. Waiters hover around you at meal time at your beck and call. The ships crew go out of their way to please. We are pampered. It’s nice.

More thoughts. “No news is good news” they say. So on ship we have no news of the world. We don’t know what’s happening out there. Internet is available. The cost of Internet is as follows: 250MB for $29; 500MB for $39; 1GB for $59. Internet is also not reliable, signal depends on the location of satellites. Signal could come and go. I don’t see passengers on board using Internet. What I would suggest for the news buffs is that the ship administration put out a news sheet each morning. The ship admin can access the Internet and get news and make up a world news summery say on one page. If the ship admin want they could charge a small sum for a copy of this news sheet, say $1.50.

I went up to the top deck this morning and proceeded to do walking. You can walk on this deck all around the top of the ship. It helps to do this walking to get some exercise. I have done this walking a few mornings now. I thought that the railings don’t look safe enough. Most railings on the ship don’t look safe enough. The rails are not high enough for starters. You could slip near the rails or the wind could blow you against the rails. The deck railing needs say very strong thick plastic and held in place by steel. Some plastics are very strong. I think the elderly people and young children are not safe near these railings. The ship can roll in the sea swell and if you are outside by the railing a roll of the ship could find you against the railing. Not that I have seen this happen on this voyage. I think these railings are a recipe for disaster. And the deck when wet, it rains sometimes, can be slippery, another recipe for an accident especially when slipping by the short railings. So children and the very elderly should not go out on the deck when the ship rolls or after rain when the deck is slippery. It is the wet season up north. It’s summer but still can be wet to very wet. I think they call it monsoonal weather. And when it does rain it buckets down, like what happened when we were in Bali. Bali was very humid and wet and sunny. Going to the monsoonal climate take an umbrella. There is a number of lifts on this ship. There are two main passenger inner stairwells on this ship. But the lifts do not go to the top deck. The elderly especially can not access the top deck. The steps to the top deck are not not safe for the elderly. The ship does have motion. The sports court is on the top court as is the walking track. Getting young infants or very young children to the top deck would also be difficult using the steps. If you took the lift or internal stairwell as high as you can go you need one more set of steps they are not wide and are outside or inside but on the outer of the ships main area. Steps are not safe for many people. So the lifts and there are a few of these are good. But most able people use the main internal stairwells because like me we want the exercise.

Day ten. The seas are a bit choppy today. But not enough to make a whole lot of difference. I still think the cruise is very good. The ship is very good. The Astor crew are exemplary, if we are not already kings and queens then we feel like it on this cruise, the crew are splendid. We are waited on hand and foot. We could be in a kings palace. I have been reading a book while on this cruise. This book a result of being given a Dymocks book shop gift voucher for Xmas. The title of the book: “Spies in the family” written by Eva Dillon. I perceive this book as belying human wisdom and my life in Christ is in Christ wisdom. Christ wisdom is not human wisdom. Human wisdom follows man where’s Christ’s wisdom follows Christ. One wisdom is off this world and the other wisdom is off the above. We want to led by the heavenly above wisdom not the earthly worldly wisdom. To be led by people just buggers up the mind. But I still find reading books about human wisdom endearing to me as I can see the folly in man and I learn more about man. I can share mans way of doing things as against Jesus Christ’s way of doing things. To have a mind of Christ and to be led by the Christ brain makes for a better world. The Christ brain lights up the world. The Christ brains are the stars. The stars are light and let’s people see. This book is about spies, yes, espionage. It’s the USA’s C.I.A pitting itself against the Soviet Unions spies. C.I.A as in Central Intelligence Agency. The C.I.A are protecting the interests of the USA. The USA is about democracy and capitalism. The C.I.A hates extreme left politics. The C.I.A will tolerate extreme right wing politics. The USA’s interests are worldwide. The USA wants to uphold democracy and capitalism worldwide. It’s in the USA interests to have the world follow the idealism of the USA. The book mentions how one C.I.A agent got distraught about the policies the C.I.A was upholding. See the C.I.A supported right wing dictators in Central and South America. This agent worked for the C.I.A in some of these nations. These dictators ruled with an iron fist. Nothing wrong with an iron fist but these leaders oppressed their own people. These nations were unstable, leaders were unstable, the economy was unstable, the politics was unstable. So why this unstableness? The nations peoples must be unstable, but why? This thinking is unstable. Maybe the people worship demons. Thinking is to do with light or dark. Light or dark is to do with your gods you worship. Religion has a lot to do with this. Thinking is about who do you follow? Who is your Lord? Who do your learn from? I mean all this spiritually. Who does your human spirit worship follow and learn from? So we have these unstable nations and they are not far from the USA. The USA wants to influence the world’s people in its own mould. The Soviet Union also wanted to influence the world in its mould. We have the USA capitalist and democratic and the Soviet Union communist and autocratic. Both big super power nations vying to take over as many people and nations as possible. Some nations are unstable, like Central American and South America so the C.I.A goes with what it has available, the extreme is unstable, but the extreme is right wing extreme and that is capitalist and far from the extreme of left wing communism. So the USA supports these right wing dictators because it is better than letting these nations fall to the left wing communists. Capitalism hates communism and vice versa, both are systems of human wisdom. If I was to favour one over the other I would go for capitalism. Capitalism in most cases is democratic. Communism is in most cases autocratic. Communism is losing its appeal in this world. Nations that were formerly die hard communist have in many cases taken up capitalism. Now former communist nations though going capitalist are keeping their autocratic political system. So we get former communist nations now capitalistic but still autocratic. Communism failed in this world. I am not communist, I am capitalist, I was brought up in a capitalist system, I am for democracy, but I am a capitalist who believes in EVEN. Even is sharing your wealth. Even is what the teachings of Christ are about. The true Christian Church should be about sharing. The church is the body. We in the body are each parts. The parts help each other. We help the body parts and when we have provided for the whole body and we have wealth left over we provide for people outside the body. We work we make money we provide for our own part then the other parts in the body and then those outside the body. Satan has a body, Satan has a church. Satan is the head of his body his church. Satan is the Dragon. Satan’s people are snakes. It’s the West against the East. The East is dark. The West is light. Satan keeps his church in poverty. Russia sides with China. Christ is the head of the His body His Church. We have two main bodies in this world. Christ’s body and Satan’s body. Christ leads from above. Satan is off this world. Satan rules those off this world. The head of Christ with the Father God is above this earth. True followers off Christ are in this world but not off this world. The true body off Christ is not off this world. We the ELECT of God are chosen to rule with Christ above. Our souls are saved above. Salvation is from Christ not from man. Human wisdom won’t save the soul. Human wisdom buggers up the soul. Human wisdom is about the human spirit apart from the Holy Spirit. The ELECT are given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches, guides, leads, mentors, protects, loves, provides for, the human spirit. The soul is saved above. God is above. The Holy Spirit is sent from the above in to our heart to help us.

Day twelve. Cruise finish. I am at home now. The ship arrived in Fremantle Port about 7.40am we were a bit early. 8am was the about time planned arrival. I now reflect. I love reflection. I don’t go for all the shows and noise. I love silence. I listened on the cruise, reflected and learned, learned to my inner person. My inner person is more important than my outer person. Flesh dies but soul is eternal. Flesh in the second coming of Jesus does change. But the second coming could be a long way off. My flesh decays as I get older, there is no glory in decaying flesh. Glory is in the above. There is no real true glory in this world. Glory of this world fades like a flower withering.

Grading of cruise

Ship facilities: very good.

Ship crew service in general: very good.

Our cabin stewardess service: very good to excellent.

Food in restaurants: very good.

Drinks: very good.

Bali experience: poor. We went only to Kuta. This is where all the main shopping is. It’s like a run down shanty town. Also the heat was unbearable. And it rained down for ages I mean bucketed down. Touts were bothering us to buy their goods, some were outright bullies in their insistence.

Maybe elsewhere in Bali there are better places to visit.

Recommendation: visit another port not Bali. I know going from Fremantle there is a restriction in the number of main ports to visit especially exotic foreign ports. Maybe I just don’t like Asian, it’s the psyche, too much of the Dragon and snake for my liking. I discern and I am not of the true Asian psyche. There are obviously Asian Christians who have the psyche of Christ but Indonesia is predominantly an idol (demon) worshipping nation. Dragon and snakes are their forte.

Over all impression of the cruise: the cruise itself was very good to excellent. Though I kept much to myself and did not involve myself much in group activities I did enjoy myself. I like quiet and the things like the night shows especially I did not attend. My brain was real awake and I did learn. I enjoyed my reflections.

Observation: I noticed that most passengers were Anglo Saxon caucasian. There was only one family Asian (parents and their young child). There were no Africans or Afro Americans. Most passengers were white skinned, most were in their 50’s and up in age and a lot were mainly in their 65 and up. There was only one infant with its parents. There were a small number of young teenagers. This ship suits the 50 and above age group more so than teenagers or young adults. Group activities cater more for the mature set.

Cabin: our cabin can only be described as fabulous. It was an excellent cabin.

Summery of my thoughts

My writings are guided by the psyche of Christ. I make no excuses for my psyche. I am guided by insight with thought with help from the Wisdom Spirit of Christ. I am not ashamed to be a follower of Christ. I don’t worship the deities of Dragon and snake. I also do not worship idols with their demons. To me Western thought is based on Christ but it is also based on human wisdom that is mans wisdom apart from Christ. Human wisdom is a poor excuse for Christ wisdom. Human wisdom is about the human spirit. Human wisdom is not the above wisdom. Human wisdom is trying to be clever and say I can do it without Christ. Human wisdom is about God but not through the Son. So Western thought is a mixture of human wisdom and Christ wisdom. Such a mixture makes for weakness. Christ wisdom alone is strong as iron. The West wisdom we have now is as strong as wood. Wood is strong but iron is stronger. Human wisdom makes for buggery. Western human wisdom originated from the likes of Greeks and such buggers the soul. Christ wisdom can not be smothered out just as dark can not overcome light. The foundation of the West is therefore not too strong. But the Eastern thought is based on Satan. Satan is the Dragon. The Dragon has his snakes. The Eastern thought is based on the Dragon and snakes. Then we have the Middle East, here we have the Jews and their step brothers the Arabs. The Middle East is between the East and the West. The thought in the Middle East is two opposing sides, God and Satan. Bali did open my eyes to see Eastern thought. I did not like it. I was glad to get back on the ship. I like the Western thought based on Christ. I like the strong wisdom of Christ but not wisdom of man. Western thought has been moulded by Christ’s teachings. But beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the Greeks. The Pharisees are about the law, they study it and stand at the gate to heaven saying do not go in, follow us. The Pharisees are about human wisdom. The Pharisees love to be showy, they love getting their glory from man, they flaunt their awards and qualifications to others, they want the best seats in public, they want to be seen. The worldly people look up to these Pharisees. The Pharisees will not save their souls through Christ so why follow them. The Pharisees think they are too clever for Christ. The Pharisees are everywhere.

Ship cruising is good, one can learn much by travelling. And I did not get seasick not even once on the whole cruise.

I dedicate these writings to God above. Not my own glory but Gods. I am nothing apart from God. A prime reason I booked this cruise was to take my wife on a good holiday. I wanted to give my wife a treat. I have some money (my own) and wanted to show my appreciation to my wife for being my wife.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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THE PHARISEE TEACHERS

Is ALL Truth simple? And where truth is not explained simply is it then complex? Is the truth from the heart. Is politics all really just simple and man makes it complex because man wants the glory. The headship of God should have the glory. We discern from the head. The head has the senses. But man clouds his her judgement with sins. The sins of the flesh cloud and darken sense. 

So communism in Russia was a “us and them” fight. It was fighting to have land and food and peace for the “have nots”. Yes it’s “us and them” and it’s the “have and have nots” simple. But no the Scholars say you have study many years to get understanding of politics. You have to have a qualification to understand things. If you do not have a qualification you are not qualified to write or speak about things. So is it All Simple, I mean true understanding is it all really very simple and man tries to make it look hard and complex. The Pharisee teachers put burdens on people’s backs but these same teachers won’t help carry other people’s burdens. The Pharisee teachers know the above exists and that the path to the above is simple and straight but these teachers don’t enter the above and won’t lead people to the above. 
The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia was about “the haves and have nots”. And “us and them”. Most of the Russian peasants had no idea of what socialism really meant, the peasants only wanted food, land of their own, and peace from fighting in wars. The bulk of land in pre revolution Russia was owned by a small section of the population who were wealthy men. The peasants were worked to the bone. The war was on and the soldier peasants were dying in the thousands in this war. Lenin offered hope and peace and food and land to the peasants. Trotsky organised the capitulation of the Russian Government. Lenin became leader but lived only for a few more years. Stalin took over after Lenins death. Stalin I call a butcher (not literally), he killed his people in the thousands each year. 
So politics can be about those who have and those who do not have. Revolution is about those who do not have taking from those who do have. Revolution is about revolving, it’s us being now them and them now being us. 
Politics is not essentially about the workers versus the managers and owners. Politics is about those who do not have wanting the things from others that do have. The have nots want to be the haves. The have nots stage a Revolution to take from the haves. It’s about WANTING. It’s about the wants from the heart. The heart is simple. Keep it simple to keep it focussed. Keep focussed to keep sane. 
The Pharisee teachers don’t teach the simple path, these Pharisee teachers don’t want souls saved. These teachers are at the entrance to above but they lead no one on the simple truth path to above. So mankind is confused. Satan has blinded people. The Pharisee teachers side with Satan. The truth should come from the heart. The heart is SIMPLE.
Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.
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THE BERLIN WALL / THE COLD WAR

I wanted to attend a prayer meeting. The meeting was at night. The location of this meeting was in Lower Hutt. Lower Hutt was too far away from my home for me to be able to get home that night after the prayer meeting finished. I lived in Pukerua Bay. I was using public transport. The meeting was being held in a private home. Ken Salt (real name) occupied this home. I perceived Ken as a real gentleman and a noble Christian. I dearly wanted to attend this meeting so I asked Ken (who was a complete stranger to me) if I could stay over night at his place. He agreed. Why this meeting? Why was I keen on this meeting? First it was a prayer meeting. I indulged in prayer. Prayer was a main tool of mine for my living. I did not hesitate at all in praying to God. I loved prayer. 

This meeting was to pray about the Cold War. This was the war between the east and the west. The enemy in its worldly form was communism. There was the Berlin Wall. This wall segregated part of the city of Berlin from its western part. The Communists controlled eastern Berlin whereas the West controlled the western part. The West were the British, USA, French etc. For the likes of this meeting we had read Richard Wurmbrand. His book ‘Tortured for Christ’ (written in 1967) was a best seller amongst Christians. Richard had lived in Romania where he practiced as a Christian Church Minister. Richard was incarcerated by the Communists. Richard was in prison for many years. After Richard was released from jail he and his wife lived in the West. 
The prayer meeting at Ken Salts home was to especially pray for Christians who were incarcerated by the Communists. These were Christians who had done no criminal offence, their only crime was to preach Christ. Richard Wurmbrand had started an organisation called ‘Voice of the Martyrs’. By the time of this meeting Richard was living in the West. The Berlin Wall though was still up. I can not remember the date of this prayer meeting but it must have been somewhere about 1985 or thereabouts but I am really guessing. Communism was still as bad as it ever was. We prayed and we prayed. We prayed for hours. We were only a small hand fall of people at that meeting but we were in heart all agreed to helping break this scourge of communism over Christianity. 
The Berlin Wall stood as a main symbol of the separation between the free West and the enslaved East. The West stood not only for freedom but for Christ. The Communists were atheists, they hated religion and God. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and it was pulled down in 1989. Freedom came to the East in 1989, barriers were pulled down. Communism in the East, Soviet Union and it’s Eastern allies dissolved. But in our times right now we see Russia has not learnt her lesson and now we see Russia trying to resurrect its walls with the free West. As the saying goes “A dog returns to its vomit”. In 1977 I had the privilege to see the Berlin Wall. I went into East Berlin for a few hours. I entered and exited through the infamous ‘Check Point Charlie’. I saw bondage on the East Berlin people. There was no spark in the people’s eyes. Their eyes look captured. Their spirits were in bondage. 
We in Christ are not in bondage and as free people we detest bondage in any form. We know our freedom came through Jesus Christ. We were only a small prayer group but our spirits soured up to heaven and we prayed fervently. It came for the meeting to finish. The people left. I was staying the night. I had the sofa in the lounge. Ken retired to his room for the night. I lay on the sofa and prayed. Soon spiritual things happened. I can only say spiritual because nothing out of the ordinary physical was happening. I lay there and super spiritual things happened. My body seemed to half rise up out of my body. I was in two bodies at the same time. Sound weird. It did not seem weird to me at the time. I felt exhilarated, I was just enjoying the moment. My body coming out of my physical body was real new to me. I had this other body in my physical body. Wow. This was a learning curve, I was amazed. Do I call this other body a spiritual body? I don’t know. This spiritual body was the same length and width as my physical body. So I was in two bodies, but was I thinking in both bodies? I can not remember. I just knew, I perceived, I saw this other body, I seemed to be in this other body the spiritual one. I was like looking at both bodies. It’s so hard to describe. My spiritual body bent (rose) up at the waist while at the same time my physical body lay down. It happened for a mere few minutes but long enough for me to take it all in. This spiritual body did not come completely out of the physical body, only half came out, the top half. It was like I was sitting up spiritually. 
Did I think at the time that this spiritual rising had anything to do with the prayers the group was praying that night? No I did not. I think it was just God showing me more of his understanding. I have never related this spiritual happening to the Cold War or the Berlin Wall or to Christians persecuted by the Communists. But some people might see a connection but I don’t see it. 
My prayers at this meeting resulted in my getting a wonderful blessing. I got to relate to another side to me, a spiritual body. I was blessed that night. Maybe God rewarded me for my prayers. Maybe. 
Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.
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“THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES” – KARL MARX

Karl Marx was politically left wing thinking. Karl developed the idea of left wing political thinking to a deeper model. Thinking is either left or right just as we have two hemispheres to our brain. Our mind I take it is in the brain. Our mind is where soul is. Our soul does the thinking. Karl enlarged on the thinking from our minds left side. Left side thinking is more heart led just as the heart is more on our left side of our body. Heart led thinking is more about compassion, love, care. The heart is more about the mother and the head (mind) is more about the father. The father leads from the head, the mind whereas the mother leads more from the heart. But the head is above the heart and the heart submits to the head as the head rules from above over all the body and that includes ruling over the heart. The father rules the mother, the father rules the family. The mother submits to the father the head. The father should rule with wisdom of Jesus Christ or the body, the mother, the family, the heart – will rebel. 

So left thinking is more to the heart, the mother, love. I read that Karl Marx had a mother who was somewhat over board in her mothering. I don’t know if Karl was influenced by a mother figure more than a father figure. Did Karl love his mother more than his father? This might explain why Karl was more left thinking than right thinking. 
What is right? It makes sense to think that right thinking is being right. Right means correct. But thinking just right thinking might also be not correct. Ok it’s right to think right but why not think centre thinking? What is centre thinking? First how can one get centre thinking? Focus, yes focus, focus on one. One head, one body, one church, one body of Christ, one universe. God is the One true God. God is one in all power. Focus on One God to be centre thinking. To be focused means focussing on one. To get your thinking organised think on one. Your thoughts come in to order if you remain thinking on one. Think of God. Pray to God. There is ONE supreme God. Political parties that call themselves say Liberal or National or Republican or Tory are parties that think right side thinking. But to think right side does not mean they are right. A bird has two wings the bird uses both wings to fly, but the head in the middle is in charge and the head is the brain that coordinates the two wings to fly. Karl Marx, in developing left side thinking in the political sphere, was wrong where Karl wanted left side to rule. The head rules not the wings. The wings of a bird do not rule. The King sits between the two main political parties in parliament and he the king rules. The King in parliament uses both main political parties to rule the nation. The two political wings obey the King. 
Centre thinking is about Jesus thinking. The mind of Jesus Christ should lead. Jesus Christ is the King. Jesus sits between the two main political parties and rules. Left thinking and right thinking obey the head, Jesus. 
Right thinking has been about managerial class and left thinking has been about the working class. Left thinking politicians want to help the working class and right thinking politicians want to help the managerial class. Right thinkers want to rule and make lots of money. Left thinkers are not focussed on money they are more about the heart. The heart though vicious at times can be also compassionate. 
Karl Marx came from an ancestry line of males who were Jewish Rabbis. But Karl’s father did not follow the family tradition so did not become a a Rabbi. Karl’s father became a lawyer. Karl also studied to become a lawyer but his love was for philosophy. So we see a family who maybe rebelled against their family traditional beliefs and values. Karl’s father also got baptised as a Lutheran as did I think Karl. So here we have a family breaking from tradition. Do we have two rebels here? Were they rebelling against God and religion? Karl going off in to the deep end of left thinking. Too much left or right thinking could lead to unbalance in ones life. I mean one is not really focused if one is not centre thinking. Centre thinking is balanced but Karl was obviously unbalanced. Karl lost it maybe when his father lost it. Karl’s father left his Jewish religion. Karl’s father maybe embraced the Lutheran faith just to be a rebel. The father the rebel, the son the rebel; father like son, son like father.
Karl Marx said “Religion was the opiate of the masses”. Karl justified this quote by saying that the upper class kept the lower working class in line by using religion. The upper class ruled the working class. The working class worked in inhuman conditions. Karl Marx was a man who wanted the upper class to treat the working class with more kindness. Karl was not bad in his motive in wanting better humane treatment to the working class. But Karl was for REVOLUTION. Karl identified with the working class and wanted the working class to overthrow the upper class. Karl was on the working class side. BUT revolution is not always the answer. Revolution is just like revolving – making the working class the upper class and making the upper class the working class. Revolving is not the good answer. To have revolution say to have the working class to rule the upper class means the problems stay the same but the people have changed their places. The working class can treat the upper class as badly and cruelly as they were treated by the upper class. Revolution is not the simple solution. Revolution looks like a stupid solution. Once revolution happens the tide could turn in the opposite in years down the road and revolution could happen again. 
So what is the SIMPLE solution to the problem of cruelty caused by the upper ruling class to the lower class. I say we do not rule left or right thinking but we rule centre thinking. We rule with the head the mind of Jesus Christ. We use the left and right thinking but such do not rule. We rule from the brain, the mind, the head of Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us centre thinking. God is one. One Head. Karl Marx and his types were no doubt intelligent but misguided. Karl had forgotten the God who ruled his ancestors. Karl Marx became an atheist. 
Religion in true sense of the word makes us aware, we see, we hear, we smell, we taste, we feel. Religion with God awakens us from sleep. Karl Marx may have been sleepy and he blamed his sleepiness on religion. True religion is a belief in the ONE true God. FAITH keeps us on the true path. Karl Marx and his father left religion. We can leave religion but do we leave God. Karl Marx and his father may have left religion and left God. Karl Marx was in his thinking trying to invent his own religion. Karl Marx had a developed mind, a mind blessed from coming after many generations of his ancestors worshipping the true one God, and Karl used this mind to try and invent a religion that would replace the religion that he and his father gave up. Karl Marx was trying to become the Rabbi of his new religion “Communism”. 
Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.
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UTOPIA

Communism was propagated as a utopia state. But utopia is not possible on this earth. Utopia was in the Garden of Eden. Man was living in Eden in a utopia state but Man was literally kicked out of Eden for his misbehaviour. Man then had to work with his hands. Now utopia is in heaven above in the next life. 
Capitalism is not utopia. Man is inherently greedy and will only really work hard when there are rewards for himself. Man can not live in community and commune in his fallen state. Man competes with man. We are taught to compete from our first day at school. At school we compete at sports and education. The winners get the rewards. Utopia is not about competing. We race against each other – the human race. Man wants and wants. Desire is strong and vicious in man. Man wants to be independent. 
Christians do try community and commune living. Monks and nuns live in community sharing all their possessions. In such communities the commune owns all the possessions, no person owns much. Religious communes have and do work but even here there is no utopia. Religious communes can become self supporting. Kibbutzes in Israel are really communes. The Amish religious live in communities. 
But communism used by say the Soviets was not religious. Actually the Soviets were irreligious, they dismissed any supreme God. Communism used by the Soviet model was Godless. The Chinese Communism is Godless. So such communism models have very little chance of succeeding. 
Religious communes can and do work if they believe in the supreme God. 
But can a whole nation live off the economics of religious communes who live for the supreme God. No one knows if this will work. It has not been tried. The closest nation to come to a supreme God communes is Israel with their many kibbutzes. But Israel’s economy does not rely much on its kibbutzes. Israel is a very capitalist nation. Capitalist means each individual working for and acquiring their own capital. Earning capital gives one incentive to work, the more capital to earn the harder the individual works. We so love our capital. Few people want to work in communes. We leave communes to the few religious. Religious people might make a vow of poverty and so they are more amenable to working not for capital but for God. Capital makes us very materialistic. We want material. We love material. We worship material. We work for and compete for material. We want our nests to have every mod con. 
Communism may work for some of the religious. But few people are devoutly religious enough to live together in a commune. The world and its people are mostly irreligious.
Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.
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CUBA

Castro and his lieutenants aged in their 70’s and 80’s and even older still trying to play at their old game “revolution”. These guys are ready for the old folks home where they can talk amongst themselves about all their so called mighty achievements. 
Open mind, open borders, trade and prosper. 
Closed mind, closed border, dark and poor. 
The light comes in when you open up. 
It’s true what Castro says “There is not much difference between the democrats and the republicans in the USA”. The difference between the USA and Cuba is that the USA is free and Cuba is not free. Cuba is not part of the “Free world”. The USA is a democratic nation whereas Cuba is a authoritarian nation. 
To me DEMOCRACY is a winner. 
The Greeks came up with democracy ruling a nation. Democracy is the rule by the people ruling through elected representatives. 
Cuba is communist. The socialist rule. Rulership of assets is social owned, owed by the Government. No one owns land or capital, except the oligarchy the ruling communist class. 
Social rule smothers incentive and initiative. People are not inspired by social rule where the ownership is collectively owned under the Government. We must use our own brains. We each have our God given gifts and calling (vocation) and communism stifles out God. Communism does not want God. Communism sees God as a threat. Communism is mans wisdom not Gods wisdom through Jesus Christ. Democracy and capitalism serves Christ’s ideals. Christ is Gods only begotten Son. To worship Christ is to worship the supreme creator God.  
Man gets inspiration when he can work for capital that he can own. 
If one wants to live the communal life in Christ then join a monastery or nunnery. Communal life in God is not bad. Communing is good. But we commune with Christ as our Head (mind). 
Because communism (left extreme thinking) has no place for God (THE GOD HEAD), I have no place for communism. Right wing fascism (right extreme thinking) also has no place for God (THE GOD HEAD) and I have no place for fascism. We need to let the brains in the HEAD rule. People who rule to the extreme left or extreme right use weapons like guns to keep them in leadership. We need to use words to rule with and the words that are our framework of thinking are Gods WORDS. The Bible must be our reference point always. 
Because the democrats and republicans seem the same, that is good, because one party leans left and the other party leans right. So if there is little difference here that means both parties are leaning towards one another making a more or less centralised political thinking. To walk central is good. A bird has a right wing and a left wing but the bird uses both wings to fly straight (central). To lean too far left or to use our left wing too much we don’t fly straight but fly in circles. It’s the same if we lean too much right, we fly in circles. Cuba is leaning too far left politically. Cuba has not flown straight for many years, it has flown in circles, Cuba has made no head way for yonks. Cuba is backward. The USA has made headway and keeps on making headway with its central forward going politics. Left politics and right politics are needed just as a bird needs both its wings. But we must use our heads, our brain is in our head, the head is between the two wings (left and right) and the “head is in charge” not the wings (political) — UNDERSTAND. The HEAD uses both political wings to go STRAIGHT. 
So for me to see a nation going in circles and stays backward, because to go in circles you do stay backward – the whole thing looks silly. If you saw a bird flying in circles would you not think that was silly or maybe you would think that the bird was SICK. Maybe nations who go in circles are sick. To be backward is sick. Cuba is definitely backward. Cuba’s leadership do not use the head. 
Jesus Christ is the HEAD of the body the church. My mind is the mind of Jesus Christ. My mind is in my head. My mind of Christ rules my body. My body is under the head, the head has the senses, the senses help me to discern.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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Book: “Greatest Traitor” – The Secret Lives of Agent George Blake. Author: Roger Hermiston.

Just finished reading this book. A riveting read. An Interesting and informative read.

“What were you thinking George? I mean you gave away the names of many many West spies who no doubt were liquidated (killed) by the KGB. George was a Christian who valued Christ’s teachings. George even was known to quote the Bible to justify his actions. But George equated communism as a way of life that Christ sanctioned. George in his later life (late 80yrs old) still believed in the good of communism but he said that it was not the fault of communism that led to its fall the fault lay in people who were not moral enough. George goes on to say that in the way future communism will return.

JESUS, true, was a man about commune, communion, communication. George said the Soviets went about communism wrongly they should not have used force. I say the KGB used terror. George said that for communism to work it has to use the principle “Love your neighbour as yourself”. George obviously was misguided in thinking the Soviets were playing in to the hand of God. One of Georges own grown up sons gives us more sight in to George – this son is a vicar in England. The book tells of George in his early life toying with the idea of a career in the Church. George was given a prison sentence in England of 42 years. Why such a long sentence? I believe it was because George caused the deaths of many people. George escaped from prison and lives in Russia. Many West spies working for the Soviets (double agents) who escaped to Russia hated living in (Soviet Union) Russia. These spies missed the English pubs and English society in general. So some of these traitors turned to vodka.

The other side (pasture) was not greener after all.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray.

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A TRAVELLER’S TALE – A TRUE STORY. LESTER’S JOURNEY IN TO THE COLD WAR

It was 1977 and I was touring the world. I left New Zealand in April. After a few weeks travelling in a number of countries I arrived in West Berlin. This was during the “Cold war”. I wanted to explore East Berlin; to me it was a must.

I entered East Berlin by walking through Check Point Charlie. The Soviet soldier on duty asked for my passport and I dutifully gave it to him. Then I stood there waiting. It seemed a long wait. He just put the passport down, it seemed not to interest him and he seemed to not care that I was waiting. Then after what seemed ages the soldier returned to me my passport. The ages were in fact only a few minutes but to me being without a passport in a place like this is no fun and in fact could be real dangerous.

I spent only a few hours in Communist East Berlin; I was to explore a city that many Westerners then did not get the chance to see. It was raw excitement as I felt I was in and part of the “Cold war”. My few hours in East Berlin consisted of a lunch at a cafe; the food was sausages that tasted like sawdust; a museum, a lift ride up a tallish tower with views looking out over to West Berlin, a small chat with a man who wanted to give me his money for Western money, a look around a market.

I did have a few insights of the people. What stood out to me was the blank look in the people’s eyes. It was like their eyes were glazed. It was like they were eyes of caged docile sheep with no sparkle to their eyes. They say your eyes are the windows of your soul; then I saw souls that were caged.

It was time to leave. My thought here was to return to West Berlin by another route. I was excited, I was awed by this city and its caged people. I headed for the city railway station, my intention was to rail out of East Berlin to West Berlin. It was a short walk to the rail station. There were two queues; one queue was very long the other queue very short. I joined the long queue not knowing any better. Graciously a person pointed me to the short queue. I was a Westerner we had privileges. Arriving at the counter I handed over my passport; I was waved to the side. I stood feeling a bit discomfort; did I do something wrong? What seemed ages a soldier came up to me and motioned for me to follow him. We walked down a longish corridor. I was not scared. I was still awed by the whole thing. I mean it’s not every day you have to follow a communist soldier in a time of the Cold War in a communist country. We came to a door. We went outside. The soldier just waved his hand and said Check Point Charlie, he left and the drama was over. I walked to Check Point Charlie and my exploring of a Cold War city was over.

On a final note I must point out that most of the buildings I saw in East Berlin looked old and shoddy. I saw many chips out of the brick work and it seemed to me that the buildings still had damage showing from the Second World War. So much for the former Soviet Union and its paradise.

The communists said “Religion is the opiate of the masses”.

I say “Communism is the opiate of the masses helped by large volumes of vodka”.

Yours Sincerely; Lester John Murray

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