Well, , dear reader, if looking for a spot to live or move or transfer, you surely know where the Promised land is? A patch of desert or semi arid plain today, mostly called Israel.
Certainly many people want to move or have already moved somewhere to live.
40% of young Americans, and that is the utter irony of the History Trash wave, plan to move outside the ex promised land – the USA.
Many Europeans moved already and many plan to move. Like, to Tuscany if one can afford it or further south Italy. Or Portugal, where millions of EU retired already moved due to tax breaks, lower costs and climate or culture and food. Or Canary islands, parts of Spain, or Thailand or Vietnam, or anywhere cheap like India.
Strangely enough, there is no big outflow from south to north toward Germany or Norway or Holland, the famous European core of civilization, except for work. On the contrary, the northern “Austerians”, the lovers of order and household economy, are fleeing south when they make enough money or when retired, bah, maybe they are masochists?
But there is this special place on Earth where all the Myths and history and the “great Books” blatter, brag about in awe, as a final goal and aim of the whole christian Judaic civilization, a place of miracles and wonder (Paul Simon excerpt) where all big things happened and it is the cradle of the all things important and where milk and honey flow into a gutter, as they are so plentiful.
So, lets start to count the pros and cons on moving and transferring to the Promised Land. Wow , you say, how can we even think about the pros and cons when talking about such a place, the Promised Land? It is the closest thing to paradise on earth and it is a Blasphemy even to count the pros and cons!
But anyway, lets start.
The Promised land is mostly bleak and dull, not even a beautiful desert, like some outstanding parts of Sahara. It is dusty, yes and it is really hot and very boring.. You will need the air condition almost all year around and that comes with a cost. You will sweat many months as a pig. It is dry , no lakes, no real woods , grass plains, or streams worth of mention.
Apart from the Dead Sea which has its charm but as the name says it is Dead, and few short gorges in the Negev, they is really nothing worth of mentioning as a paradise.
And then, there is this wind; Khamsin. A HOT OPPRESSIVE DRY AND DUSTY WIND. Blowing for weeks! It is very well known for a suicide surges in this period, or by the nasty nervous reactions of the populace living there due to the oppressive feeling and everybody gets pretty nasty and has explosive emotional reactions when this oppressive wind blows, or they are all depressed.
The things will get much worse considering the climate disaster wise in the next 15 years, so you will have to plan carefully your living there which bears a big cost of your organizing your life in this dire conditions…
There are also problems with your neighbors. They are pretty violent and from time to time and lately very often, the palestinian inhabitants of the Promised land,Gaza excluded, dissapear at night or are involved in shootings with the promised land new ,or whatever you call them , this settlers.
This will bring your costs pretty high, concerning the safety measures you will have to consider.
As for the towns , they are middle east chaotic and mostly ugly conglomerates of various stages of decay urban-ism except the posh notch areas, all surrounded by top notch wall and surveillance and police and army and private guards and where settlers walk armed in broad daylight and there is even a curfew 24h, all this included, where the elected strata of people live but then in this areas the cost of living is even higher.
So, you have to take in count , if you chose to live in a countryside and thought it is like Spain or Tuscany, that the armed forces , police, shootings will be the norm. Not to mention the fences everywhere and road blocks and checks.
After considering this and including the overall pretty electrically charged if not explosive atmosphere and interaction between the current inhabitants with all types of violence and mayhem and similar characteristics of the Promised Land, here are also some cons:
There are a lot over a million or more of Russians which claim they are Jews. This definitely has a positive outcome: vodka is cheap!
The fashion and food is somewhere in the middle of the pros and cons. You will meet and see a lot of strangely dressed people, bearded ,with black hats and some hair resembling dreadlocks, but they are not Rastafari. Other men will have some cloth around the head. As for the women, it is varied, many are in this black rags with more or less covered faces and you will have to become an expert in distinguishing who is who, if not, you will get into trouble.
As for the food, stick to falafel when dining out and so be on the safe middle ground.
But, maybe you will like the smell of the place and that may be your tipping point of deciding for the Promised land.
Last but not least, considering all pros and cons, desertification included, the IDEA of the Promised Land might be irresistible, whatever this place looks, feels and smells for real.
De gustibus….. Of the Promised Land.
As in the Witchdoctor humble opinion, not needed, this place is outrageous and the name even more. Maybe that is the famous taste for horrific, called also civilization and culture..