BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER!

I am certainly not alone in being shocked at the disaster that occurred to the cruise ship Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy this week.  Television stations across the world that I have been seeing from China to the U.S. to the U.K., have all given maximum coverage to the happening.  Not only the disaster itself has shocked people, but also some of the events surrounding it.

Various investigations into the disaster are currently taking place so no final comment can be made about these matters until those investigations are complete.  Nevertheless one can express thoughts.

Going on a cruise has become extremely popular in recent years but because of that, I cannot but wonder if the cruise industry itself has been sufficiently aware - or concerned - about some of these hazards that can occur, such as we saw this week in Italy with the Costa Concordia.  Or is it a case that the desire for bigger profit margins is guiding their thoughts as in so many things today, thus blocking out some very important matters.

I have travelled quite extensively by ship over the years and enjoyed it immensely - apart from one time when we came across a storm in the Atlantic and I decided I was all but dead!

I sailed from London to Wellington in New Zealand through the Panama Canal on the Shaw Saville ship the MV Corinthic.  I sailed from Sydney, Australia to Naples in Italy on the Lloyd Triestino ship the MV Neptunia through the Suez Canal.  I sailed from London to Jamaica in the West Indies on one of the Jamaica Banana Producers cargo/passenger ships.  All of these vessels were ships that looked like ships - not floating apartment buildings.  I cruised around the Greek Islands on the MV Oceanic.  The Neptunia and the Oceanic (which subsequently sank in a storm off South Africa) were smallish passenger liners that held 400 passengers (the Neptunia) and 600 passengers (the Oceanic)  The other ships were cargo/passenger ships and so carried far fewer passengers.  However, in each case the ships were of a size that gave the feeling of a personal touch in almost every way.  Passengers got to know most of the other passengers, if in some cases only slighty. That made the experience so much more enjoyable, but it is something that is not possble when there are 3,200 passengers aboard.

When I first went to the United States and was staying in the New York area, I applied for and got a contract with the Cunard Line to be a Chaplain on their cruises out of New York.   I was appointed to the liner MV Franconia which was one of the smaller Cunard passenger liners on the trans-Atlantic route, but a great favourite with regular passengers because if its elegance, comfort and the excellent service on board.  In winter months the Franconia was taken off the trans-Atlantic route and acted as a cruise ship between New York and Bermuda.  She was a beautiful ship that looked like a ship with open decks which circled the ship so passengers could walk for exercise.  She did not look like one of the resorts in Las Vegas. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on that ship.  I seem to remember she carried only 1,200 passengers - a very manageable number especially when we came into port and passengers were all disembarking to go on tours wherever.

Alas, those good ships were in time retired when flying became the norm for travel and enormous monstrosities were built and launched specifically for the cruise trade.  I have never sailed on any of these monsters and I have no wish to do so, but I have seen many in Florida and at times when they would dock in Honolulu.  I find it quite scary just looking at them and I have often wondered how long it takes to get all the passengers off and on to coaches for tours when there are 3,200 people with whom they have to cope.  These goliaths do not look like ships. They stand a big number of storeys high and in many cases are so big they have difficulty in manoeuvering when trying to dock and undock at some of the smaller ports where they call - as was the case with the Costa Concordia we have been told.

One cannot help but wonder if building a ship as big as the Costa Concordia which was 114,000 tons and carried 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew is really either a viable or sensible project. I wonder if the cruise business is loosing its sense of proportion or concern for safety in favour of possible higher profits.

Has anyone understood, or even thought that in the event of an emergency, quickly and safely evacuating a total of some 4,200 people (passengers plus crew) from the ship is almost an impossibility.  Imagine the scenario of such an accident as the one we saw with the Costa Concordia this week occurring some distance from land.  There would be many more dead and missing persons than we had this time.

Bigger is not always better, and in my humble opinion the cruise industry should seriously consider the wisdom of building these goliath ships in the hope of increasing their profit margin.  They should think of their clients and crew and their safety.  It has been announced that the fact that the Costa Concordia is no longer in service will reduce the Costa Cruise Line profits for the year by over $85-million.  Does that not send a message to these cruise lines that they ought to rethink the path they should take where these goliaths are concerned?  Bigger is not always better.

LET 2012 BRING HOPE

As this is my first post in 2012, I would like start by wishing everyone who is kind enough to read what I write, a very happy and prosperous year - and thank you for taking the time to read my writings.

I am writing this on January 7th so a week of the year has already gone by.  However, January 7th is a very auspicious day here in Cambodia.  It is a national holiday known as "Liberation Day".  It is the day that commemorates January 7th 1979 when the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot was finally crushed and the country was liberated.    On that day, Cambodia was able to start anew and proceed along a path to stability and economic growth.

It is only just over thirty years - a very small amount of time in the history of any country - since those frightful years of the Khmer Rouge rule and yet Cambodia has moved forward and become one of the most stable countries in the region with strong economic growth.  The advances the country has made in those years has astounded many people and powerful countries around the world.  This is due to a strong leadership which many western nations from time to time have classed as "ultra-autocratic".  Be that as it may, such remarks are often made simply because the country never does something just because pressure is imposed by the more powerful nations.  As a result, Cambodia can stand tall among the nations of the world.

In spite of all of the above, Cambodia was not exempt from disasters that hit so many countries world wide during 2011.  Most noticeably was the flooding that occurred where many hundreds of hectares of land were flooded when both the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers rose to record heights.  This caused immense damage to rice crops and some 500 people lost their lives.  But the quick response by the Government and local authorities minimized the damage.

Now we have moved on to 2012 - a new year and what should be a new beginning, not just here in Cambodia, but everywhere around the world.  The beginning of a new year and indeed even the beginning of a new day, brings hope to people - hope that things improve and only good is seen.  For this to happen, we have to sit back a moment and take stock of everything, not just of ourselves and our attitudes and way of thinking, but also that of others whose "doings" affect our lives.

I believe it was in the first blog I wrote in 2011 I quoted a Buddhist monk who was a good friend of mine and with whom I would consult and talk whenever I had problems.  I quoted what he said were three tenets necessary for a happy life: 1) Be at peace with yourself and like yourself for who you are, 2) Understand the next person, and 3) Stop and listen to the Divine Being.   Those were indeed wise words and I have always tried to follow those three things as closely as I can.  The first and last of those three things I find the easiest.  Possibly because I have been extremely lucky in the life that has been given to me and I have a wonderful partner of many years who is always there to help, listen, support and encourage me whenever necessary.   The second tenet is sometimes difficult for me, and yet it is so important as it can help diffuse so many misunderstandings and even feuds.

I have great difficulty in understanding the reasoning of those dictators in the world who kill, mame, imprison and torture their own people.  Unfortunately we have heard of so many during 2011.

I have great difficulty in understanding the reasoning behind so many so-called church leaders today whose focus is just on money rather than the pastoral care and understanding of the individuals who attend the churches, not just to pray but also for comfort, spiritual uplift and also social connections.

I have great difficulty in understanding the reasoning of politicians who are more than happy to spend tens of millions of dollars and in one case over one billion dollars on an election campaign, while paying little or no attention to the millions of people in their country who have difficulty finding enough money to buy food for their families.

I have great difficulty in understanding the reasoning of bankers and business men who have salaries in the millions and still expect to be paid bonuses which are also in the millions with no regard for those around them who are struggling just to find any job to support their families.  How many private jets does one need?

As I have mulled over all these things, I can only think that there is just one set of common denominators that link all the different categories mentioned above - selfishness, greed and power-hungry.

The year 2012 has begun.  I said in the beginning that a new year brings hope to people and it is hope that keeps people going.  Without it there is no future.  My hope is that at some time in the near future - in 2012 - people will come to their senses, step away from the selfishness and greed and the grabbing of power so the world can be a better place and people can live in freedom and be able to put food on their table.

I listened to one of the many analysts on CNN TV who always analyse what other analysts have already analysed and he said time is running out to correct things.  Not so.  The former Bishop of Cuba - the late Right Reverend Jose Gonzalez and his wife were staying with me when I was a Vicar in Oakland, New Jersey.  During dinner one night I mentioned I had so much to get done I didn't know how I could manage it all in time.  The Bishop just looked at me and said "Father - you have all the time there is. You can do it!"  I have never forgotten those words because they are so true.

Everyone can make a difference to the way things are  and even if it seems it is late - then remember we "have all the time there is".  Too many people are hungry, too many people are without jobs, too many people face discrimination.  Too many people are power-hungry, too many people are greedy and too many people are selfish.  We can change that.

So once more I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.