My wife and I just got back from Israel. We were there to see my son Zachary play Rugby for Team USA in an International Tournament.
I feel like I need a vacation after this trip. There were so many things to do and see.
Israel is smaller than the smallest state in America ... Yet, consider its importance in the modern world (for example, by looking at the density of its holy sites, historical attractions, technological innovations, Nobel Prize winners, hostile borders, and military presence).
It was fascinating how so many religions consider this the Holy Land. Here is a photo I took of the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem.
It’s easy to feel closer to “something” while here.
Almost everything we saw in Israel is a testament to determination, ingenuity, and faith!
With that said, I started to think about how difficult it was to conceive of many of the things they built (considering how difficult it would be to execute or actually build them in the desert, without electricity, etc.). Many of the sites we visited took decades to build ... but have lasted for thousands of years. Examples include the Fortress at Masada, the Wailing Wall, and the Port of Caesaria. In my mind, I compare these moonshots to many of our current big, hairy, audacious goals (like reading and writing our DNA, autonomous artificial intelligence, or space exploration).
Technologies might change, but human nature has remained surprisingly consistent throughout time.
Onwards!