like Moses & Vulture's Peak & Jesus & Wu-Tang Shan & Shambhala & Jeremiah 'Liver-eating' Johnson & Jose Marti & Hemingway with Kilimanjaro & Hillary and Norkay & Uyeshiba and so on .... almost as much as a river

I think it's the idea of a commanding view of a gods-eye. There seems to be slightly less, although still substantial worship of the sea

whenever i visit the old country, the 2nd thing i do, is hie down to the Indian Ocean - which lies just half an hour's walk from the homestead.
and walking into it, lying down & letting the warm, green water soak into one's core, feels like (or so i imagine) returning to the womb of the mother.

of course, the last time - i ended up festooned with plastic binders from 6-packs, discarded nylons, and odds & ends of floating litter; plus the corpses of a few dead, sea creatures.

but the Ocean feels the same as it always has. which is why i have no doubt - we evolved from out of the 'big sea waters'.

...when I get to Hawaii. Off the plane and as soon as possible, hit the beach roll in the sand a few times and plunge into the ocean.

The state to which we have trashed the ocean and destroyed its environments is utterly depressing. I think the death of our oceans is going to be a crisis issue even before global warming. I wish more people would talk about it; the issue is so important to our survival as a species. Many depend on it for their health and livelihood. It's an issue I would like to be seen brought to the forefront of the green movement. We aren't doing enough to manage fisheries and advance our ability to clear pollution.

for humanity.

It is a lovely belief...

Aloha.