Touched by light from the west

A Friday off once more, as the numbers are up again. Came north, a little late to beat the post school traffic, and much too early to be after the post work crawl on the motorway. Nevertheless it was a pleasant enough trip, and it was as always calming to be here at the beach house. 

Choosing to have a glass of wine with a light snack on the deck as the sun went down, we saw the effects in the eastern sky of the sunset behind us and hidden from view by the neighbours.

Hauturu-o-Toi (Little Barrier Island) was tonight more than a little touched by the light of the setting sun, as were the clouds above it. Caused me to think upon the arrogance we in the self styled west of the world (west of what, I've wondered) show when we admire classical Greco-Roman philosophy, while ignoring the traditions of countries labelled as Eastern.

Hauturu receives light from the west, and then enters darkness from which it emerges with light from the east. With representative democracy arguably floundering as it tries to claim legitimacy with electorates that are increasingly disenchanted as they are progressively disenfranchised by the mega wealthy who pull the levers of control behind the scenes, what claim do we have to being the forefront of the positive development of humanity? Are we actually into the darkness, as the light from western sources as the US and the UK seems much weaker than 20 years ago? Will the world (and hopefully humankind, as I have grandchildren) be rescued by light from the east?

After leaving my bicycle at the workshop for servicing this morning, I walked home, passing through the Symonds Street cemetery on the way. My extra is within the cemetery. I pondered on the probability that the persons under these monuments erected in their memory, are almost certainly long forgotten.