what struck me most

on my return to Australia for a brief 10 days was the emptiness and silence of the streets and homes and yards. There was no-one there. Not in Grafton nor Armidale nor Lismore nor Coutts Crossing nor Ballina nor Lennox Heads. Matt, Mum and I went down for a drink at the South Grafton Services club about 5pm and there was no-one there either. So what a contrast to return to Port Moresby and walk through milling throngs on the walk between the International and the Domestic terminals. Then to get back to LAE and drive past the markets all along the airport road and see yard games of volleyball and basketball going on and people washing clothes in the stream and people just walking. What on earth is happening to western civilisation? I think it was Aelius Aristides writing in about the fouth century of his trip between Pharsalis and Tours bemoaning the neglect of the pagan temples and the deserted roads and towns. What is different? And yet the resident galahs of history repeat the mantra "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."