PARADISE ALMOST AT COST

When I hear the word paradise I normally get this image of some South Pacific island teeming with half-naked and overly friendly native girls. Ah, it is to dream.

I have no idea what paradise is to other people, but if you’re speaking of anywhere in the known world you can be sure it won’t be a place you can go for free. In fact, with paradise there is almost always an added cost so you understand that you are in a paradise.

What do we do? We fork over the cash gladly to join the horde of other people all paying through the nose in hopes of escaping reality for a few moments. Let’s face it, reality in most places isn’t paradise. It sucks and sucks big time. So we all love the option of pretending there is a place where we aren’t nobodies and someone will lie to us and make us feel special for the right price.

Now the hard part is finding some place you can feel is like paradise that doesn’t cost a fortune. If you are really lucky you find it for just about the same fee it costs to be where things are crappy. Although between the travel agent fee, airline fee, hotel fee and god-knows who else will be standing there with their hand out fee, affordable and paradise seldom go together do they?

I can imagine somebody out there might be assuming that I am building people up to sell them on my idea of a great paradise. One I can get you a chance to visit for the right price. No, I have just opened up the Limburger Travel Agency and am looking for customers.

What I am suggesting is that with the right creative effort one might be able to find paradise at a reasonable fee. It depends on how willing you are to compromise and accept the concept of paradise other than what some people would consider paradise.

Which is why I have come to the simple point of view that what makes paradise actually paradise is that most of what we hate about life is not there. And the largest majority of that is of course PEOPLE. Yep, it can be your neighbor, a relative or co-worker that makes life where you live something other than paradise.

So what I say is make them go to paradise and spend a fortune. Then you can stay home, save all that money and have it be a paradise.

Isn’t that a nice clever option? I thought it was very practical in terms of enjoying your own world better. And if you are really lucky you could end up finding out that pesky person who went to the overpriced paradise bought it in a plane crash. Talk about having a chance to double your pleasure!

But some people might consider that tacky. Let them. From my point of view let them go to the paradise too. It just means more chances for joy while they are gone. Paradise, at a reasonable cost. A great idea whose time has come.