Economics and the Establishment of an Energy Currency

Jeff & Susan • April 7, 2021

In general, we find it difficult to agree with others. We fear committing ourselves to a specific viewpoint, because it might be wrong and have results that we don’t like. Agreement might be one of the most difficult activities in which humans participate.

During times of confusion, distrust and fear, agreements are even more important and more difficult to make. Urgency can muddle thinking and we make mistakes in our haste to get back to what we are used to and what feels most comfortable.

Clearing away chatter and misinformation, stripping down circumstance to the most fundamental base is the difficult task we are all asked to attempt, over and over during our lives. Not unlike throwing out stuff you will never use that has been stored in the attic or garage. This process helps organize the mind. Too many ideas can clutter, just like too much physical stuff in piles all around. Convictions that have served you in the past may no longer be useful. Or, they may be strengthened by reexamination, brought back into the light, put to use. This weeding process can increase our discernment and help us find what rings true. As you decide which ideas to keep and which to throw away, try to resist the comfort of returning to well worn paths, just in case there is something that was missed.

Part of what increases reluctance to agree is that many important problems we confront are presented as massive, world wide, and endlessly complex. The solutions to which, can only begin to be understood by experts. This excludes most of us. Those who hazard a ‘new’ solution are ignored if they have no “credentials” or, if they do, ridiculed if they depart from the status quo of their specialty.

Another influence that creates division as we consider what to agree upon is the deliberate use of lies to promote confusion and chaos. These are ancient tools of control. The “firehose of falsehoods” can become too much to resist and the alternative, amending the “American Dream” or other pleasant illusions, too horrible to imagine for some of us. There are many for whom belief is stronger than reality. These are the wells from which religions spring but also, creativity and inspiration. We need that capacity to dream but tempered with real observation. People who tip the scales mentally toward belief “magic” are not stupid or evil. They are exercising an area of the mind that we all have, but unrestrained by critical observation. Dreaming, in the United States, is encouraged to a fault. Our country, is known for and defined by The American Dream.

We are, from childhood encouraged to dream instead of reason. “Wish upon a star” and your dreams comes true. No other effort is necessary or encouraged. Even the “work hard and you will succeed” notion is a dream for most people, because for profit economics will not allow most people to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” And, the rare success stories that fit this definition are waved in front of us constantly through media, as if to say, “this could be you!, you can be a millionaire too!” Meanwhile, the reality is that a very small percentage of our population are very wealthy and that percentage gets smaller every decade.

In the end, each of us has to trust what we understand and improve our own education and sleuthing then broadcast the results as best we can for the consideration of others. This is not easy nor will it ever end.

For my own part, I present the beginning of a possible economic solution for your consideration. I was once convinced that everyone understood the benefits of renewable energies, sun, wind and biomass, that these energies would naturally overtake fossil fuel use and start to heal and protect human health and the natural world. It was just a matter of education. But as time passed and the % of renewable to fossil energy remained a very small amount of energy use even though good information was everywhere available, I realized that the massive influence pressed by the fossil industries, aided by their access to unlimited funds to influence information, was more than adequate to suppress renewable energies for another 100 years. These companies are not evil (but extremely short sighted), they are only completely committed to traveling the money value road . And this affects all of us through the choices available to us and the social/economic and natural impacts of the products these companies produce and promote.

Recently there has been an uptick in investments in renewables. Now money can be made with them. They can fit into profit economics. Interest rates are so low that investment in RE is producing more return than money in the bank. Along with improved batteries for solar and cheaper solar panels available from China, a small leap for solar has occurred. But this will only continue if these conditions for making profit continue. Even though, the increase in renewable to fossil ratio has not been exceptional. Market forces are conservative and not easily transformed. Energy sources that have built economies and Nations for 100’s of years have trained our minds and businesses into their inevitability. And our government has strengthened their influence through tax cuts which result in even more money available to reinforce their brand. Change can only be emboldened by a critical mass of agreement that clears the way for the life value road.

Money value road, Life value road?

Lucky for us these roads can parallel each other and be complimentary. One is like a super highway and the other a fine country road that invites us to get out of our car and take a refreshing stroll through beautiful woods and fields. We know the money value road very well. We are introduced to it as children through advertising. Products were promoted to us, then we would badger our parents to buy them. Soon a new product surfaced that we couldn’t resist and we learned to replace what we desired a short while ago with something new. This training takes place while we are so young that it feels normal and the way things have always been when we become adults. But this early routine was simply our dominant for profit economic system grooming human behavior to its own benefit. Profit can only be made if most of the population buys and replaces goods regularly and frequently. “Planned obsolescence”, infinite growth economics, social engineering, are terms that describe this activity.

But, we live on a finite planet with fragile and finite natural resources. Some of these resources and life forms that have evolved over millions of years and cannot be replaced, have already been destroyed. It is clear to most of us now as we watch the destruction of mountains, forests, oceans and arctic ice, in the name of profit, that there is no future in this. Human influenced Earth changes have made it necessary to name a new geological epoch after us. The Anthropocene. It acknowledges the, “significant human impact on Earths geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.”

It is time to bring a moderating force to the surface. A parallel economic force that locates, produces and distributes B asic Human Needs and protects the Natural World . A collaboration between profit economics and humane economics (Energy Currency) can become transformative. Agendas are often hidden in assumptions. And the results of these agendas create many destructive symptoms that we cope with and try to eliminate constantly. Our present dominant world economies challenge every living person and natural system. It could be described as an intellectual “Trojan Horse”. It has smuggled its agendas into our minds through the deception that it has something we simply can’t live without. Otherwise, why would endless resource depletion be accepted as reasonable? Why would we accept as reasonable, humans living in poverty, people relocating from their countries in desperation, children starving? Our present economic functioning has evolved from an engine of growth to a destructive distraction. Our economics desperately needs a life standard.

We know by heart the functions of profit economics but we know in our hearts that life is missing from its calculations. All life, not just human life. The goal of an Energy Currency Economy is to value and protect human life so that we can then be empowered to protect all life. As more stress (the corona virus), is placed on our present unequal socio/economic systems its weaknesses become even more apparent. It is clear that it cannot provide sufficient healthcare, food or education and shelter for our citizens and for most of World population. This is a disaster because it is human energy that is essential for economies to function, societies to thrive and people to survive. Reduction of population is not an answer. Our present human domination of Earth is much too complex and intertwined for the wealthy minority to do without the rest of us. Population is important, and will naturally balance and reduce when people feel secure and know their descendants can survive.

Human energy is essential and renewable. Survival needs can be measured and valued, not with money, because it fluctuates in value and can be manipulated, but in units of energy. Depending on what essential needs are being calculated. Let’s consider food and water, it can be calculated in calories, joules can be used for daylight hours needed for teaching and learning, BTUs for fuels needed for constructing shelter, schools, hospitals and infrastructure. Our true “right to life” is assurance from birth to birth that each person has food, shelter, education and healthcare. Basic needs equal the real basic income. The real, living wage.

What we have when human needs are measured then made into a parallel value system is Energy Currency . What is represented by this is not profit or accumulated wealth. EC represents the basic survival of each human being. What we need for a healthy and secure life. What feeds and sustains our human energy currents. And these, in return power our human systems, everywhere. Our energy contribution is expressed in our work, art, empathy, parenting, learning, educating, communicating, etc…it combines into a massive current of human energy, that contributes to the motion of society. This is the essential human energy that keeps socio/economic systems running and our species evolving. “All life is only a movement to which the same general laws of movement which govern throughout the physical universe must be applicable.” Nikola Tesla. We, humanity, are at this time, a Force of Nature.

Food security, shelter, education and health care are the elements that are needed for optimal human development, physically and emotionally. When general distribution of these needs is accomplished through Energy Currency with the help of computer systemization, our human current will flow from our best selves influencing our children, the future development of humanity and protecting all of Nature. Change environment and you change the people living in it.

Post script:

If we look carefully, we can see that for profit economics is strangling our hope for Democracy; our hope for human dignity world wide. It controls governments, encourages unnecessary competition and “survival of the fittest”. Resulting in survival of the opportunistic and often cruel among us. This situation has frightened and impoverished at least half of our population and a massive percentage of World population. Of course there are individuals taking advantage of the imbalance. They try to lure vulnerable, naïve people into their movements and use them to increase their own power and influence by promising them a better life. This situation can only be counteracted by a worldwide guarantee of food, shelter and education for every person, birth to birth. Creation of a dedicated, Energy Currency flow , that parallels our present economic systems and is providing these essentials will start to relieve the crippling symptoms that are driving human populations to desperation and destroying Nature Please consider reading more about this at renew-the-earth.org and helping us to better clarify and simplify this idea.Thank you. Susan Caumont, April 7, 2021

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Philippines, Coron #2

June 15, 2026

Returning to Caron, Philippines. Several miles off shore, while passing the Island of Borneo, we observed a surreal sight. Stationary skeletal structures on the horizon, some of them with flames shooting from a long up tilted pipe, like a dragon breathing fire. These were oil derricks 30 or more miles from the coast of Brunei burning off natural gas, a volatile by-product of oil drilling. They come into view, are left behind, and new ones appear, as we progress. At least 30 derricks paralleled our course. Normally there is nothing to see except an occasional container ship. So this is exciting. I read that there are at least 200 of them in this vicinity. Also, some have been decommissioned and made into marine habitats, (dismantled and sunk), by the Brunei government who deploys and maintains these derricks. They are a major exporter of oil and share the Island of Borneo with Malaysia and the Philippines. This experience of observing oil drilling activities during an oil crisis feels a bit surreal.

Philippines, Coron #1

June 8, 2026

The approach to Coron, Philippines. Mountains all around, some narrow cream colored strips of beach. Single person open boats drift here and there, some are paddled. The larger colorful outrigger boats glide by like water spiders, leaving no wake. Clouds have bunched and swelled above the land taking up a lot of the sky blue sky. This is the rainy season. Our ship is drifting slowly. We are not expected at port for a while. The opening of the harbor is in sight and a green entrance marker is visible.

Can Capitalism evolve to include basic needs for all humanity?

June 8, 2026

In its present form, Capitalism cannot easily fix the ongoing problems of its own making. It has become an economic formula for much of World commerce. Its empowerment of the often unrestrained pursuit of profit, guided by the optional moral consciences of some individuals, businesses and nations has allowed for broad interpretation resulting in vast destructive behavior. We have been able to personally visit about forty countries during more than a year of continuous travel. Our goal is to complete one circumnavigation within another two years. This trip has developed into a unique opportunity to research World economies. Which was our hope at the onset. We are now in Southeast Asia and it is possible to make a few observations. The opening of ‘free markets’ with Capitalism worldwide has become a modern form of Colonialism. Countries that are thriving go into developing nations with the huge advantage of currency value and technological superiority. They essentially locate in each country resources that can be monetized and profit made, hire employees for less than they can in their home countries, then take the majority of the profit out of the host country. This dramatically changes the existing natural balance in most of these developing countries and thrusts them into the financially unbalanced world of free market capitalism for which they are not prepared and have no immunity. Where we have traveled so far, many developing countries are turned into tourist attractions and the young people are mostly encouraged to aspire to ‘hospitality’ work, keeping their expectations low. The following is a short summary of how Capitalism has evolved in recent history. People have benefited for many hundreds of years from the innovation and competition inherent in the practice of Capitalism. But now the symptoms of its flaws are obvious and too damaging to ignore. When Capitalism fails from its own weaknesses it can, in its final form, become fascism; dictatorial power, militarism, an autocracy that crushes opposition. It makes a few people very rich and creates a dictator to protect their wealth and influence resulting in an ultra nationalist state. When a country is completely invested in Capitalism, like the US, it must constantly monitor its military and financial power in the World. Looking back; the US petro dollar was established during the 1973 energy crisis by Nixon/Kissinger, in order to keep the US dollar strong next to other currencies. Controlling the high value of a nation's currency is essential for Capitalism to thrive and it was clear that oil was the blood of World economies. Arab oil traded for dollars in exchange for US military protection was the deal with the Saudi government. Because oil energy is a major labor saving device and creates exponential productivity and wealth, trading dollars for oil made the US Dollar the “preferred currency” and kept its value high. In 2024 the agreement with Saudi Arabia expired because the US could no longer protect Arab nations militarily. Also the rise of renewable energies challenged oil supremacy. One of Capitalism’s characteristics is to concentrate wealth in the hands of a few and encourage profit making over stabilization of a good quality of life for the rest of humanity. Over emphasis on profit making has suppressed education, healthcare and general dignified survival wherever it dominates. Wealth is not a barometer of intelligence or happiness. It is an advantage in Capitalist societies that opens opportunities in education and business. All it takes is a few powerful people to keep Capitalism going, apparently the richest 10% of the World population. That Capitalism has lasted so long is in part a testimony to its ability to keep adapting and improving on its least attractive strengths: control over the means of production, control over the value of currencies, amorality, exploitation, and a powerful military. Capitalism is presently a pervasive economic belief system and acts as a powerful temptation and World influence. Its social impact is on par with Communism, Democracy, Religiosity, Socialism, Liberalism, Conservativism, etc. This has again been made clear by the present oil/food crisis, created by the US/Israel attack on Iran that resulted in Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz. (Was this war a move on the part of the US to control oil and keep the USD strong?) This situation may already be worse than the energy crisis in the 70’s that created the US petro dollar. The World population is larger and more interconnected economically than ever before, making this oil shock even more damaging than the one in the 70’s. Oil is a valuable fair trade commodity. Its locations and price are controlled by a handful of companies and nations. (A common characteristic of Capitalism.) This essential energy source is centralized and vulnerable. The World economic system is in shock and being held hostage to the flow and price of oil. But this time there is a competitor for preferred currency, China's Yuan. Humans have become, over approximately 500 years, adapted to Capitalism. It feels inevitable, no matter what it destroys. It has captured the popular imagination like a religion. But unlike religions it encourages people to cast aside concerns of morality and the fate of humanity. Its symptoms and failures are explained away as the evils inherent in humanity or individual failures. But religions have shown they can evolve. Economics can evolve also. Like the worm of Protestantism that entered the apple of Catholicism, maybe there is a pest that can invade the Capitalist feeding frenzy. This pest could be in the form of a Parallel Currency, that would create, in time, a hybrid World economy dedicated to the dignified survival of all humanity. Any nation or state could introduce a Parallel Currency to be used next to existing currency. A currency printed to provide a base for humanity; the essential needs of life; food, shelter, education and healthcare. Not freedom, not security, but what comes before humanity can have either of these things, survival. Life long access to food, shelter, healthcare and education. There is enough. Basic needs are the least expensive and most abundant things a nation can provide its citizens. The Parallel Currency is a way to pay for it. A few countries are already trying to do this with their tax structures and laws, but a Parallel Currency would do it without taxation or inflation. With a stroke of a pen it can be initiated. It is a separate currency that can only be used for basic needs; their creation and distribution and is destroyed when it reaches a bank so it won't create inflation. It also will not inhibit the positive capabilities of existing currencies. They will function normally. The Parallel Currency would be a closed loop created for dignified human survival. A form of this is already used by the major developed nations to supply and sustain their large militaries. You are provided food, shelter, education and healthcare as long as you are employed by the military. China has built, in its isolation, a successful hybrid of Capitalism and Socialism controlled by its Communist government. In approximately 40 years they have brought their massive population out of poverty and become one of the most technologically advanced nations on the planet. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion are not enough. A government by the people, for the people, must also guarantee freedom from starvation, homelessness, and freedom from ignorance and curable illness. All things for which we have, as a human species, developed remedies. This is the overarching injustice of Capitalism. That these remedies exist and have been largely made possible by Capitalism but are not shared with all humanity. People have evolved beyond the war response to disagreements, but governments have not. By eliminating the tensions created by economic inequality with a Parallel Currency dedicated to providing survival needs Worldwide it is possible to see a new way. It is our responsibility to help economics and governments evolve with us. Susan Caumont Renew the Earth, renewthe-earth.org

Indonesia, East Timor

May 18, 2026

They have only recently become independent; 2002. The struggle and tragedy of this objective still vibrates in the air and has left scars. Poverty, deteriorating roads and sidewalks, buildings and ambitions. In the intense heat of the day, most shops can't afford to have or to turn on air-conditioning. A large tree shaded park where an unchained warrior statue shouts to the sky, is heavily used by all ages.

Indonesia, Waingapo

May 8, 2026

Our arrival on the island of Waingapo is welcomed with a red carpet. The carpet leads expectantly to where several men wait, holding 11” by 14” laminated photo narratives of tours they can take you on and tell you about with three word comments in English. Past them chairs, also covered in red, have been set up under an awning for our “dignitaries.” Beside these are a few tables with souvenirs. Several young boys wait on either side of the red carpet to perform for the passengers as they disembark. Many local people are also waiting in the growing heat for the Exodus of the passengers. Ours may be the first cruise ship that has stopped at their island. One passenger finally emerges and avoids the carpet and the boys. They are shocked. Eventually a group does come out together and allow themselves to be greeted and entertained. They have selfies taken with the boys. Then return to walking and looking into the screens of their phones, bowed over them like they are praying After exiting the port area there is a long walk through parked cars, trucks and taxi drivers out to the crumbling asphalt of the main road. It is lined with vendors, a gauntlet of drinks and snacks. A ferry is unloading, people and motorcycles are streaming out. These are the customers the vendors are waiting for. A large number of motorcycles are parked on either side of the road waiting for their owners. We make our way between the crowds of people and vehicles to the hot uphill slope of the road that goes somewhere, which is hidden from sight by bunches of dark green trees. Shortly we are defeated by the heat and start back. Access to other parts of the island that are considered appropriate for tourists require a taxi, negotiations for price and where it will go. Generally we try to avoid this and are most interested in what we can observe and who we can meet by walking. We talk to a motorcyclist on our way back who says he has access to local Royalty. Jeff describes the Parallel Currency concept to him and gives him our website card. I am also able to pick up some interesting scraps of paper from the garbage that lines the road. I use their patterns and color to create abstract images on postcards I make to send to friends and family. In the end this has turned out to be a very satisfactory walk. There are very few palm trees here, which is remarkable. A different ecosystem than Bali. The mountains are low, flat topped and shelved. They define the spine of the island. Bunches of dark green trees patchwork the slopes getting denser as they approach the water. The water is blue/green and clear, fishing boats are high prowed and the smaller boats have outriggers made of bent PVC tubing. It is now early evening and the sun is low. I am walking around the outside deck of our ship taking in the 360 degree view and the sounds. On the starboard side a band is playing on shore and a singer starts up a contemporary tune. As I round the bow a chant drifts through the dusk, the Muslim evening prayer. This dominates the port side then at the stern blends with the music on shore, which dominates on the starboard side. Round and round as I walk they alternately blend and retreat, blend and retreat. I notice as I look out over the port side that the tide has gone out and long flats of seaweed, rocks and soil are exposed. People have walked out onto these surfaces to harvest edible sea life, gathering them into plastic buckets and bags. I feel like I am watching history.

Bali, part two

May 4, 2026

We dock at the port of Bali. It is too hot and far to walk anywhere, so we hired a taxi driver for the day and invited our friend Wido to come with us. He is Indonesian, his home is in Jakarta and this is his first visit to Bali. Indonesia is a country of 17,508 islands. There is a governor on each one who communicates with the central government. Few Indonesians have visited every island. What strikes me immediately as our driver, Budi, finds his way through the dense traffic, is the careful weeding of the center island between opposing lanes. This is exceptional because of the extreme heat. No one could be doing this during the day. People must come out at night, when it is cooler, and meticulously pull the weeds. It becomes clear as the day passes and more and more of Bali is revealed, that attention to detail and extreme patience is a characteristic of the Balinese. The traffic is a dense mix of motorcycles, cars and trucks.

Indonesia, Bali, part one, Water

April 28, 2026

Like an exotic jewel set in the archipelago of Indonesia, Bali glitters and enchants. The Balinese have retained their unique community through intense social/religious bonds, hard work, exceptional talent and great sacrifice through the centuries to become a beautiful, gentle and inspirational community. Now, because of these unique qualities and accomplishments, finally and fatally they have become a primary tourist attraction that presently dominates 80% of their economy. The irony is that this may be the thing that destroys an incredible place and its people that hundreds of years of oppression and wars did not. If they don't soon diversify and return to the trusted systems that meant survival for their society over more than a thousand years Bali will no longer be a wonder of the World. Their unique form of Hinduism understood the root of survival when their irrigation system, subak, was first built. It was defined as a religious object to be venerated and protected with prayer, with temples and maintained by priests. Rooted in the Balinese philosophy, Tri Hita Karana, the principle of achieving harmony between humans, nature and the divine. It was the source of the staple food, rice. Water came from lake Batur, in the crater of the extinct volcano Kintamani, irrigated the hand cleared and formed terraces of rice paddies that descend in beauty and function to the sea. Seedlings hand planted by the women, sheaves of rice attached to the ends of poles carried across the shoulders of the men to the storage huts simple activities, carried out over more than one thousand years, that meant survival for a society. And the ancient kings of Bali also came together to sanction the subak. Agreement between religion and state. A rare thing in history and in the present. So what is happening now? How is tourism threatening the survival of the Bali we have come to know and admire? Aren't people coming to praise and enjoy? Isn't that a good thing? It is not the intentions of the visitors, it is the structures built around tourism that make tourism possible, they have become destructive. Why are they destructive? The answer is water. Because of the demands of hotels and resorts for fresh water, the water table has dropped by around 60%. Into the void presses the salt water of the sea. Not only is the amount of fresh water that feeds the subak compromised it is threatened by salination and made unusable for rice growing. This situation is sometimes referred to as being caught between a rock and a hard place. The government needs to step in and limit or freeze new construction of resorts till a sustainable balance is found. Also, water use needs to be prioritized and rationed for essential use, the subak system as a primary user. Finally, the income from tourism must be distributed back to the Balinese people for their dignified survival and flourishing. The dependency on tourism has created an imbalance. Men can be seen sleeping rough in the parks. There is desperation in the eyes of the women who sell clothing and souvenirs in the outside stalls. The main profession encouraged for children is hospitality work. The majority of profit from tourism needs to be returned to the people. They have earned it, they have built what we admire, they have carried in their hands and hearts the unique social compromise that has survived to this day against impossible odds and now it is being challenged by economic forces, more subtle but no less aggressive and destructive than war. Susan Caumont

Fremantle; searching for authenticity and fuel

April 17, 2026

Sea days pass differently than land days. At sea the ocean and the ship's passengers are the changing features. Land life has extra distractions, vehicles, shops, museums, temples, churches, gardens, bird song, dogs barking, taxi drivers, venders, airplanes, the full extent of human activity. During sea days I prefer to observe the ocean. I am aware of the passengers; like being part of an extended family or small village where you know most of the people a little and a few well. But the opportunity to be on the water for long periods is special. Sometimes, when the ocean is calm, a criss-crossing pattern may be seen on the surface, a delicate weave of vibration. I wonder if marine life is creating it, communicating. Other times the water heaves and agitates like an angry crowd is running here and there under a silk sheet. We sail six days from Adelaide to Fremantle, for the most part we encounter easy swells on this trip. The ocean lets us pass with tranquil, breathing heaves up and down. When we arrive there is an art festival in progress downtown. Crowds of people have traveled by train from the suburbs. We walk in. Some streets are blocked, making way for displays of crafts, performers, food venders and pedestrians. People are all around, eating, talking, buying stuff and watching the performers. Clowns, singers and acrobats compete for attention and overhead huge soap bubbles float, generated by the children nearby. It is a perfect day and everyone is out to have a good time.

Tasmania, Hobart

April 7, 2026

Our stop in Melbourne was only for a day. There are plans to return after we visit Tasmania, which is just south of Melbourne. When you look at a map you can see where the island broke from Australia, a ragged triangle torn from the continent. England brought their convicts here to establish a penal colony in 1803, (convict transport ended in 1851, 50 years later) the colony eventually became Hobart, the capital city. Convicts were brought by sail. All the way from England around the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas. A cape historically known to clipper ship sailors as a significant hazard, notorious for mammoth rogue waves of up to 30 meters (100 feet). What could these unlucky people have done to be banished on such a dangerous trip and so far away to an “uncivilized” island? Turns out prostitution and unwed pregnancy was enough to get sent there if you were a woman. And being an orphan, if you were a child.

Australia

March 25, 2026

The yellow pilot boat is approaching. A pilot will be brought onboard to guide our ship through the harbor. As we progress, a stretch of islands pass us on the left then, the coastline, on both sides. Sailboats, white triangles against the dark blue water, shine in the distance. Cliffs drop sheer from the pastureland to the tan beaches. Dark green groves fill the crevasses. We cruise along under the dome of the sky. Soon we will be docked at Port Melbourne, Hobson's Bay, Australia. Living life onboard, traveling around the world, I feel like a spirit watching the living as they go about their activities. I am a temporary exhalation, undetected then gone. But their doings remain in my mind. Humans are so very busy, especially the young adults. It takes significant aging to bring on stillness and reflection. My obscurity can make me sentimental. I feel a general affection for anyone who passes. I saw a baby watching sea gulls eat the French fries that someone had tossed to them. I imagined her forming her own impressions of everything around and not yet named. I wished her well and hoped that the war would end soon.