Cave of wonders

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"And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also."
--Numbers 20:10

I have been away from my computer for a few days.
Why?
I was in Petra, Jordan.

What a ride.

What's there to see in Petra?

Well, if you've seen the end of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", you know.
There is a monastery (technically dubbed "Treasury") carved into the side of a mountain.
The exterior is used in Indy 3.
It's where Indy found the holy grail!
("We named the DOG 'Indiana'"
"You were named after the dog?! Ha ha ha!")


But apparently it's more than just a set piece. It's real!

And that's only a small part of what they have in Petra.
There are also camels! and donkeys! and loud hairy men trying to sell crappy jewelery and small, annoying children trying to sell postcards.
A magical place.

My wife bought a blue topaz necklace from one fellow. It was only 1 dinar (or $1.50)! What a deal!
Last night she was wearing it as we walked through the streets of Jerusalem. After 15 minutes I noticed something odd.
"Um, honey," I said. "You're bosoms are blue."
Sure enough, he perspiration had caused the blue coloring from the super cheap necklace to rub off onto her chest, giving her a medical condition I dubbed "Avatartits." She thought it looked like Papa Smurf had done something disgusting on her.
My wife! So traveler tip: don't buy jewelery for less than 2 bucks in Petra.

Anyway, we explored the caves of Jordan and learned stuff, too.
And the sandstone rocks in Petra contain zinc oxide, so the ancient Nabataeans (who lived there) would use it as rouge, eye shadow, as well as antibiotic ointment-- all good for the skin.
Cool!

Experts also say Petra was inhabited as far back as 1500 BCE!
Why?

Well, according to Wikipedia (my exhaustive dedication to research is unparalleled), "the Nabataeans controlled flash floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. These innovations stored water for prolonged periods of drought, and enabled the city to prosper from its sale."
The flash floods came from Wadi Musa, which translated to mean "The Valley of Moses."

Y'see, tradition says that Petra was the site for Moses' impatient rock-hitting, which ticked off God, who then forbade Moses from entering the Promised Land.

"...therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them"
-- Numbers 20:12

Bummer.

Physical violence isn't the answer.
Whether you're throwing chairs at women praying by the Western Wall, or punching your brother in the nose because you feel guilty about the genocide in Rwanda, or if you're Moses and God tells you "speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water"
(Numbers 20:8).

Use your words!

Even if those words are, "Hey, rock! Gimme some water!"

It's an important lesson-- the most advanced creation by humans is language. And when you stop using language... you stop... y'know... doin' stuff... that is good... to do.

Yup.

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."
-- Isaac Asimov, from his novel "Federation"
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