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Meaning of Life

by Lois Bolin, Ph.D., Old Naples Historian

hat Is the Meaning of Life? Florida Governor Ron
Some say that the meaning of life DeSantis had requested state
W is that which we choose to give it. authorities to find locations
Grok.AI states that the meaning of life refers for temporary (key word)
to the significance or purpose of existence, detention centers in favor of
which varies greatly among individuals. the Trump administration’s
No one would have known this better than fight on illegal immigration.
Viktor Frankl, who, in 1945, within months of his liberation from In a matter of days, he received
a Nazi concentration camp wrote a book in nine days called Man’s approval.
Search for Meaning. Homeland Security
His book, which tells of the unbelievable horrors and suffering Secretary Kristi Noem stated
he endured as a prisoner at Auschwitz, Dachau and other camps, that under President Trump’s
had another purpose: to explore the source of his will to survive. leadership, they are working at
Some see life as a never ending quest for pleasure, while others ‘turbo speed’ to deliver on the
feel life is about the accumulation of power and money. American people’s mandate for
Frankl saw life as a quest for meaning. mass deportations of criminal
So now I ask, what is the meaning of life in Naples? illegal aliens.
It depends. What do we really know
Jet Setting into History about the establishment?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas, author of the enduring We know 1) the facility’s runway can handle large aircraft 2) it will
publication, The Everglades: River of Grass, was known for her detain migrants who have been arrested in Florida and around the
humanitarian efforts before she lent her energies to the cause of nation 3) the National Guard will be present 4) officials will be on
protecting the swamp at the southern tip of Florida. In honor hand to provide due process 5) and “heavy-duty tent” and trailer
of the dedication of the Everglades National Park in 1947, Mrs. amenities will be the main components of the system. Fortunately,
Douglas wrote a fitting tribute to the man to whom all Floridians not a lot of brick and mortar are necessary.
owed a great debt of thanks: Ernest Francis Coe, the Forgotten In order to assist towns housing DHS-released migrants awaiting
Father of the Everglades. court hearings, the initiative, established in late 2022 will help to
Her tribute began with, “He was certainly the prophet, and defray some of the costs. Of course these are not 5 star hotels.
unmistakably the founder, yet he was hard to define. Ernest F. Is that all there is?
Coe, the 6-foot-tall, spare, courtly gentleman without whose Environmentalists and the local Miccosukee Tribe oppose the
startling vision, slow burning passion, steely endurance, and project due to ecological concerns and proximity to sacred grounds.
indomitable will, there would be no Everglades National Park Others are concerned about what pollution will end up in the
today. And, probably, no Everglades. Everglades, other than detainees who would be foolish to tackle this
Fast Forward feat.
The Interior Department commissioned the first Governor DeSantis is Florida born and understands the delicate
environmental impact study ever done in Florida on the “Big balance of the 7,800 square mile area of wetlands and their vital
Cypress Swamp Jetport,” (“Leopold-Marshall Report”) in 1969. importance to drainage and water management, not to mention it’s
The study said bluntly the Jetport, “will inexorably destroy the home to thousands of species of flora, fauna, and animals- excluding
South Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park.” pythons.
Enters the grand lady, 80 years young, Marjory Stoneman He also understands President Trump’s mandate to return 10+
Douglas, along with like-minded people who formed Friends of million illegals back to their home countries within the next 3.5
the Everglades. The group’s long-term goal: protect the unique years.
ecosystem. Its short-term goal: stop the Jetport. Now I ask again: what is the meaning of life in Naples? We all
Stop it they did. Environmental concerns are what shut down are looking for that answer no matter where we live; but one thing
the Jetport plan, with work stopping in 1970. Today with the is for sure: “if there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a
development of Alligator Alcatraz; the concerns are the same meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even
while the need is different. as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be
complete.”
Every Friday, 8 a.m. on 239 LIVE podcast.

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