Desert Life

I have just returned from a week in Southern California, SoCal for the cognoscenti. The object of my trip was a job at 29 Palms , the Marine Corps training center.
Over 935 square miles of desert terrain, the Marines train with realistic exercises, aimed at preparing them for deployment in Afghanistan or Iraq. More than 50,000 marines train there annually.
The stuff of war is always somber. The individual Marine means well. Probably the best soldier in the world, he is ready to sacrifice his life for Mom, apple pie and Chevrolet. The leaders are extremely well educated Renaissance types, who try to balance saving their Marines'life and defeating the enemy.
In "The Republic", Plato tells us that the "city" needs dedicated defenders. They are the best example of that role. And in today's modern armed forces, every soldier is also a sophisticated specialist and an accomplished computer expert.
The simulation and exercises offered at 29 Palms, are extremely realistic and a good preparation.

After that, it was time to visit another time of desert, Joshua Tree National Park. Located 300km west of Los Angeles, in the Morongo basin, not far from Death valley, Joshua Tree is a 794,000 acres desert, with yuccas, Joshua trees, granite rock formations, wildlife, and, in the spring, carpets of bright rare flowers. Walking in the sand , among trees with fantastic human forms, in total silence, and under a deep, cobalt blue sky, one can think about Life, war, Peace and the frailty of human existence. After the sound of explosions, tank engines, the clatter of machine guns, and helicopters, the desert can also teach you about time, space and yourself.

The rest of the trip had the added bonus of a stay in Los Angeles, eternally warm, hopeful, busy, in the gentle sway of its palm trees, and bathed in the sunset over Manhattan Beach.