At 2:15am, we departed via van for Mt. Masada to hike it before sunrise. The sunrise was beautiful; our star rose over the hills, spilling over the Dead Sea, illuminating the sparse desert below us. Everything was sand and rock and sea as far as one could see. Out of sight was Ein Geidi Oasis a few miles away, which we later hiked. After the oasis, we got a chance to float on the salty water of the Dead Sea and to cover ourselves with its mud (supposedly therapeutic). Alas, we headed home exhausted.
Covering yourself in mud and letting it dry on you before washing it off is one of those things that makes you feel really good after it's all over, but perhaps only because you were quite uncomfortable during the whole process. I sometimes suspect this phenomenon enhances the feelings of relaxation and ease after massages too. It's all relative I guess. At a broader life level, there are some people out there that believe we should expose ourselves voluntarily to uncomfortable, but "positively" stressful things in order to improve ourselves, increase our tolerance for stress, and to make normal life seem a little bit nicer. For example, traveling might be conceived of as a positively stressful activity that, in the end, hopefully makes you a little bit stronger.
Sunrise... Mt Masada is famous for being the site of one of Herod's great palatial construction projects (completed just before Jesus's time) that was later destroyed, but it is even more famous for being the site of a mass suicide of Jews resisting the Romans. They were the last resistors, and with little hope left while being starved out of their desert fortress, they all decided to kill themselves (kids and women included) rather than become slaves of the Romans. Whether or not the story is true -- archeological evidence is somewhat lacking -- it has inspired countless Jews for millennia. Israel's soldiers often take their oaths on the mountain.
It was a very peaceful place. Apparently, Christians Monks lived on the mountain for a while too. I could definitely see it as a place with few distractions where one might become closer to God.
On the way down, Mt Masada in the background.
Ein Geidi Oasis near the Dead Sea.
This American church group was at Ein Geidi too. The pastor in the white hat screamed angrily at the group for a good ten minutes about sin and evil in today's world. I don't know what to think of really angry people who are trying to do good. As a gut reaction though, we were all disturbed by the general dynamic and tone of his tirade.
Having a better time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment