Lazarow World-Hike-About: 53.09 Arizona: Tonto National Forest (449) 'Gates of Wrath' and other tempting delights.

Outside of Arizona, not many people are aware that some biblical commands emanated from this part of the world. Already, you may be on the defensive, fearing you should have known this. Don’t be. It is in the great Sonoran Desert, home of the saguaro cactus plant that we learn of one of the biblical commands or traditions: People should be fruitful and multiply. Clearly, when one looks at the various saguaros, one can relate this to religious orthodox thinking (see below pictorially). Whether it be Muslims, Catholics or ultra-orthodox Jews, these families follow the commandment: To multiply. Hence, large families.

(We submit it’s fair to write that a sizeable majority of the populace seek Heaven, or if not, at least heaven on earth. We further submit that many of us, when we arrive at ‘heaven on earth’, fail to recognize it as such. Our proviso to this is, as we mention from time-to-time, we are often wrong. Nevertheless, we believe we’ve discovered the true, deep significance of the saguaro cacti. We hope that you will at least read our findings following extensive research.)

Before elucidating further, we should mention a renowned book written by a well-known author, Jeffrey Steinbeck, with the title: “The Gates of Wrath and other tempting fruits”. The photograph below illustrates the concept, one ideally suited to the rugged beauty of the great state of Arizona.

Once a person walks through the gate, she faces two choices. One can make a left turn and attempt to reach hell. Along the way, many obstacles present themselves including a sheer climb, limited protection from saguaros (spikes), no set path, and no guide, map or help.

Jenni faces a tough decision: Heaven or hell? Attempting to reaching the top of this peak is the latter.

The last guy who tried the climb thought he was smart. The result below:

From this, we learn the importance of searching for a path to Heaven as well as the concept of a reliable vehicle warranty.

Should one choose the path to the right instead, it heads for heaven which in local terminology is known as Roosevelt Lake. It’s a long walk but then what’s easy in life worth accomplishing.

A taste of Heaven.

Note in the earlier picture, Jenni approaching the gate and then will have the choice to make. Isn’t it an obvious one you might be thinking? Maybe. However, never underestimate the human desire for glory and accomplishment. Reaching the peak would probably provide such reward and satisfaction although at a steep price. Let’s return to the biblical command again.

In respect of the secular side of life, this command, which was formally adopted by most cultures, is eroding. There’s an obvious reason for this which links to the modern age of computers. In fact, historians suggest the first sign came about with the advent of calculators, further exacerbated by the arrival of desktop computers. Prior to calculators, children understood the concept of ‘to multiply’. Today to multiply is to add two or more numbers to an electronic device and await an answer. It’s a literal action. As proof, look to third world countries. Citizens are invariably poor and don’t have resources for computer gadgets generally, but for I-phones. They take the term figuratively and the better the figure, the more positive the result. They get on with it or maybe off with it. Consequently, the birth rates in these countries are much higher than those densely populated with electronic gadgets.

Kids today and over the past years think they have more important things to do than multiply physically. We remember in the early 1960’s, Bobby Darin sang a song: ‘Multiplication’. Even as a kid, I understood he wasn’t promoting good study habits in arithmetic.

Here's where the locals are so smart. People in Arizona took their cue from the saguaros. Have a peek at some of the photographs of these interesting plants which symbolize the results of procreation. We will explain the family tree, so to speak, graphically.

This picture shows a typical religious family from any of the religions mentioned above. The big arm in earlier days represented the male. Today, it could be the wife but it’s unimportant for these purposes. That large arm effectively represents parents. The little arms are the various children. The more orthodox, the more arms or children. The different sizes represent the various ages.

Tight-knit orthodox family. The similar heights of the children explain that the kids are close in age. Notice father protrudes at rear, mother dominates in front while carrying her newborn.

A single arm saguaro represents anyone of a number of types of people. It might be a kid who has left home for college or to go off to work. It also may be an atheist, a damaged plant (person), a rebellious youth or a computer programmer. A typical secular family might have two big arms representing the parents and two little ones, the children—a nice balance.

Below are a number of singles.

This is vaguely familiar. However, we can't seem to get our hands around it. Maybe someone can offer an opinion.

Take a look at this one. Note it has a number of equal arms. We know of this plant’s background symbolically speaking. It’s a Mormon. We have much respect for Mormons. We visit their state (Utah) often and do find a high standard of good manners and decency. However, we do not understand the polygamy aspect that well. The various arms represent not only children but a number of wives, too. There’s the difference. Also notice how tired the big guy looks—like he’s hanging. I have written before that I cannot understand the concept of multiple wives. It is alien to me. However, multiple girlfriends? Now that's a concept!

Because of the number of children in the family, they are housed across the way. Only babies are held in their mom's arms. No structure can support more than eighteen arms.
People ask: Why in Arizona of all places? Firstly, as mentioned earlier, the symbolism of the saguaro is outstanding. However, there’s another reason. It applies to the contiguous states of this country. The people of Arizona have their heads screwed on, (in a manner of speaking), smartly. Why do we allege this? Simple. In Arizona, the locals do not fool around with the clock. The rest of the states change the time twice a year in a concept known as ‘daylight saving’. This creates stress throughout the country. It happens in many other countries, too. People oversleep, struggle to adjust and generally confusion reigns. Then, just when things settle, the clocks get changed back again.

In Arizona, time is constant. You want more daylight, wake up early and take a hike. The extra time and peace of mind the Arizona citizens have available gives them more opportunity to fool around thus allowing for the examples set by the saguaros to have practical implications.

Various saguaros pictured below attest to the symbolism on display in the Sonoran deserts. Even without much imagination, (this covers many of our South Africa friends), a person can clearly deduce the message conveyed by these fascinating plants.

Sentries halt an errant hiker who is off trail and trying the hell-path with his wife.

A family close to completing a course at Weight Watchers.

This is a heroic family ably led by the widowed father. He took bullets to his body but still stands. Two kids salute him with a victory sign. Pretty appalling that people shoot at plants. (Could it be the Russian army?)