… I remember once upon a time, many decades ago, when I was but a small boy… playing, shouting, laughing, crying… perpetually and unconditionally immersing myself in fantasy and imagination … enthusing each day, living spontaneously and excited about every moment and inch of existence… for this is what I see when I look at children …

I also remember when TV first came out; I remember a weekly serial “Alpha 1999” … “Wow!” … how amazing… it was about the future… 1999!… Moon stations … Lasers … Space travel! Indeed, in those days 1999 was so far away that I could not help but to imagine what it would be like to eventually reach and live in “the future” … 1999!

Well, we’re into “Twenty-Ten”! … in fact we’re halfway into 2010, and I just can’t help but feel that its time to take stock of what it’s like to be living in the “future” … in fact 10 years past of what I thought was “the future” 1999! …

So where am I? … Who am I? … What am I? … Well… I’ve just left Coral Beach; I’m in my cranky car and I’m heading towards Kato Paphos (‘Kato’ means ‘Lower’) … to join my friends for a frappe at the harbour … I’m driving along the coastline, the wind is blowing on my face, the speakers are blaring my favourite song and I’m feeling just great… “Take life as it comes; you never know where you’ll land up!”… “Life is good!”

Suddenly a “Diversion” sign appears in front of me and I’m steered off course! … I follow the road into Kissonerga and drive on to find the “diversion” which will steer me back on-course again… and so it appears in front of me… and I’m steered once again … EVEN MORE OFF COURSE! Suddenly I’m driving through… yeah… That’s right… My “After Party back roads” … so I continue to drive, but no more signs appear and eventually I find myself in none other than ‘Upper Paphos”!! …

The other day I was taking the road to Chloraka from Tala (2 minutes apart) only to discover the art house in Lemba (30 minutes later)… not to mention the day that I was “diverted” into the Paphos Hospital… Oh, and I challenge anyone to find the freeway from MyMall in Limassol …. Well, I found Kolossi Castle!

And they tell us that tourism is suffering … for goodness sake! … We’ve all become tourists!!!  … And for those late night party animals… I urge you to avoid the “Back Roads” … it’s the only place left for road blocks!! … Rather walk the pavements (if you find any)… or take a taxi!

So what to be said about this future of progress that I was looking forward to when I was a child. Yes, I see more television. I see dependence on a little contraption called the mobile phone. I see dependence on banks, over worked people and pressured relationships… Maybe I’m a tad pessimistic so forgive me, but somehow, every time
I seem to feel “on course” … some kind of “diversion” pops up!

One day I was in awe when the sun was shimmering an array of reds, pinks and purples in lines of “clouds” in the sky. Simply amazing. Simply beautiful. I was very disappointed to find out on Discovery Channel that these lines are some kind of spray that is being used to alter weather patterns in the name of progress. Apparently the Aluminium and Barium that is added to the fuel of passenger planes causes cancer, heart disease and lung problems. I guess I don’t have to fear that men in black suits and dark sun glasses will come and arrest me, since it is now a scientifically known fact that its happening, and I’m told that locally there is an official protest in Episkopi on 4 July.

So here we are… humanity, proud of our progress, in 2010. Our populations are increasing, forests are being depleted, people are going hungry, getting sick, fighting… and yet, our “leaders” are boasting “progress”…

When I go to the beach I see people lying on the sand, taking in the sun and soaking in the salt water… people escaping “the world” and finding peace and relaxation. Somehow, no matter just how much “progress” is been thrown at us, or how immersed we are in “the problems” of “progress”, It seems that our inner inherent souls long for nature, forests, mountains, sea, waterfalls, wild animals, aquatic life and natural beauty. It seems that the one thing that has stayed the same through time is our longing to be in touch with “Our” God-Given world …

I think if we actually looked at “Me” and “My” in the plural, we would finally realize that “Our” includes every single existing creature, however microscopic, however gigantic, whether plant or animal. “Our” is one word for everything that exists, and humans are simply a small part of that existence… It seems that the Global “Our” has always done just fine without this thing called progress, which has in actual fact amounted to nothing more than mastery to make people oblivious and to hurt nature…

… It seems that instead of making it past the moon, we’ve become experts in technology against “Our” world… and I’m wondering, will the beauty that we still see around us be around in the future? … I’m wondering…  What future are “Our” children looking forward to…?

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