A salute to altruism, and praise for the Crocketts
The father-son duo of Tim and Harrison Crockett docked their rowboat in Hilo Bay, making history Sunday evening (July 20) following a rowing odyssey extending 2,400 nautical miles, commencing at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
This converts to rowing nearly 60 miles per day over a 47-day stretch in a specially designed 16-foot rowboat. The final scores of miles were grueling due to strong crosscurrents, adding several hours on to the projected finish time.
Tim Crockett is highly experienced to ocean rowing and endurance distances. From his English heritage, he served as a Royal Marine Commando during the first Gulf War. He became sensitized to soldiers’ emotional problems following the suicides of two close comrades.
The rowing event served a higher purpose to bring greater public awareness to veterans’ adjustment issues, particularly post-traumatic disorders and traumatic brain injuries.
It is convenient to view PTSD as a past-tense disorder defined from the Vietnam War. However, to footnote its character as a retired clinical Vietnam veteran, it has become defined as “long-term and complex.”
Kudos to the Crocketts, who have placed themselves in the forward ranks of those who recognize the needs of healing resources for those who have made profound sacrifices.
This writer — a sensitized Indochina War survivor who has experienced the challenges of multiple marathon finish-lines and Kona Ironmans — can testify the path to victory and peace of soul can require a deep cost.
James Nelson Barker
Keaau
Thoughts on wealth and accumulation of money
It is the very nature of money to accumulate in the hands of the very few.
When you have enough money, your money makes more money for you without any effort on your own. The more money you have, the more this accumulation accelerates.
Now, give the wealthy an even greater tax break, and it is even worse.
Many of us have played the game “Monopoly.” If you play the game with the original rules and get to a place where all of the properties are sold, but nobody has a monopoly, the game can go on indefinitely because everyone will have enough money to go all the way around, no matter what properties they land on and what rents they will pay.
Think about it for a moment. You have a situation where the wealth is distributed, and nobody has a major advantage. There is more than enough for everyone, and nobody is driven to bankruptcy.
There is more than enough money for everyone’s need.
There is never enough money for everyone’s greed.
Russell Button
Pahoa