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Lighthouses

There is much misinformation about lighthouses. In my seventy years of reading books, poetry and having conversations, if lighthouses are in the text they have always had, with no exception, the wrong reason for lighthouses being lighthouses.

“They are on dangerous rocky shores to warn ships to stay clear of the rock and the surf.” This non truth is spoken authoritatively and seems to be accepted by the hearer or reader.

In reality it is a myth.

Here is the correct definition:

“A structure with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators.”

Each lighthouse in the world has its own distinctive signal and its exact location. When that signal is seen, the ship’s navigator knows exactly where he is.

The lighthouse is navigational structure only. It has nothing to do with rocks and safety.

They are beautiful pieces of architecture as seen from the shore. From the sea the signal is the only thing worth seeing. The navigator does not want to see the beautiful building up close. He only wants to know where he is.

There are many other mythical untruths which are beautiful but have nothing to do with life and godliness, where we are, or how to get where we should be. They are not lighthouses.

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