I just returned from a very enjoyable 14-day Mediterranean cruise with my friend, Peter Detterline. We added two additional days in Lisbon, Portugal, to begin our journey and three days in Athens, Greece, before returning stateside. * Despite all of the political turmoil that the world is currently experiencing, and to which the US is a principal player, we were treated with friendliness and respect wherever we went. An acquaintance warned me about how poorly Americans were being regarded by Europeans and advised that anyone currently traveling abroad was just plain crazy. I also read articles warning about how pervasive pickpockets were in Barcelona, Spain; Rome, and Athens, and I took precautions, but again we had no bad experiences anywhere we traveled. My belief persists that nations may treat each other crudely, but people from different cultures and religious beliefs are normally cooperative, with a genuinely welcoming attitude. * The one aspect of southern Europe that I found unexpected was the graffiti that could be found almost everywhere. No one really seemed to mind it as an eyesore, and no one seemed to want to eliminate it. Locals accepted it as part of their visual landscape as they went from place to place. * However, what made a lasting impression on me were the ruins, the forts in Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; and Bari, Italy. They were built, destroyed, rebuilt, remodeled, wrecked again, forgotten, and are now being restored at great expense as tourist attractions to highlight the regions' histories. Walking through the Roman Colosseum and Forum reminded me of the suffering that humanity endured to fuel the greed of emperors while simultaneously feeding the public entertainment. In Athens, the distant Parthenon stood tall and proud, perched overlooking the Acropolis. Still, when I walked up the hill along a polished, sometimes slippery path of ancient stones, newer macadam, and concrete, it looked shabby and worn up close from a gunpowder explosion that virtually destroyed it in 1687 during the Morean War. It has been under continuous reconstruction since 1975, yet the Parthenon still remains a ruin. Ironically, all of its building and decorative artwork took only 15 years to complete in the fifth century BCE. * Peter asked me which one was more impressive, the Colosseum or the Parthenon? I leaned toward the Colosseum because of its complex infrastructure, but it was not a black-and-white decision. * What impressed me the most was walking in and around St. Peter's Basilica. Although not a Catholic, I am positive that part of my feelings were generated because I considered this site to be the seat of my Christian beliefs. Enhanced and maintained by some of the greatest artists, builders, and thinkers of the Renaissance and modern era, here was a magnificent tribute to human creativity preserved for all faiths to witness. The Roman Emperor Constantine established the first church at this site between 318 and 326 CE, but it was also systematically demolished during the 16th and 17th centuries to make room for the Basilica. * Humans have been building, destroying, and rebuilding their worlds for at least 9,000 years and fighting among each other since Adam and Eve. Suppose we could suppress our petty differences, our greed for money and power, our desire to have it all; what a beautiful world this could become! * The truth is that in the folly to be remembered, we will all be forgotten, yes all of us. I'm not happy with that thought, but I'm content in knowing that no one gets a break from eventual obscurity. Species only exist for finite amounts of time. However, if we all pulled together around the basics of truth, compassion, justice, equality, and sustainability, we might be remembered collectively as a group that tried its best for the common good. I'm not suggesting that everyone begets the same amount of wealth. Enterprise should be rewarded in a free society. I'm just suggesting that everyone play by the same rules. That would be enough for me. * Since the Big Bang, the origin of our universe, during the 0.00006522 percent of the time that humans have been actively sculpting their world, we could have done better. That is what this trip taught me in a very graphic way. Humanity's goal should be to do better for all of its members. Find pictures below. Ad Astra!