Look, I know there is nothing perfect about us or the world we live in. That’s why, I think, God created Heaven, and why (if you’re inclined to believe) God Himself took human form to live and die as one of us in order to free us from the bondage of ourselves and our sins and the sin of the world around us.

Think about it: what is our purpose in life? Is it to simply create another generation of human beings that will, in their own imperfect way, screw the world up even more than we have up to this point? Or consume everything there is to consume for our own pleasure? Or is it to simply get along and get by without causing too much chaos and harm to the world before our time comes to cash in our chips?

Consider me amongst the latter.

I only ask these kinds of questions because while shopping at the local Petsmart for rabbit litter and Nibble Rings I noticed they now have rows upon rows of dog clothing. Dog clothing! I mean, how freakin’ pathetic is that? There I was, standing in line to check out, and this woman in front of me is excitedly telling her friend about the booties she’s bought her dog for Christmas and how she’s gonna have a stocking just for her little doggie-kins chock full of all his favorite things.

Dog clothing. Designer dog clothing.

This whole thing frightens and sickens me. Think about it: there are millions upon millions of people starving, homeless, and in need around the world, and what are we doing? Clothing our goddamned pets as if they were children? I mean, how pathetic is that? Not only is it sick, but it is the epitome of grotesque consumerism when people think of their animals as extensions of their own families to the extent they’d clothe them as if they were a child.

Here’s a novel idea: rather than clothe your damned dog, how about donating to the local Goodwill, or Unicef, or make a donation to Project Harambee or whatever charity you think would do the most good?

Before you accuse me of hypocrisy, let me just state for the record: I love our rabbits, and we have tried to create for them a nice little world where they can be loved and give love back. But they’re still animals and our pets - nothing more. They deserve to be fed and cared for, but they don’t deserve to be clothed or babied as if they were goddamned human beings.

There’s something about this whole country and this world that is warped and sick in mind, body, and soul. How can any of us look ourselves in the mirror? We treat our pets like people, better than we treat our neighbors and fellow human beings. People treated like animals. Animals treated like people. I just don’t get it, it brings me to tears, and I can’t help but wonder how we’ll all be judged when our time comes.

And you can be sure our time will come - God might indeed love us as His own, but I doubt he suffers the kind of fools and reckless, careless consumers of everything and anything we have become. Our day of reckoning is near. Perhaps much nearer than we all think. Like Bob Dylan once sang, you don’t need to a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

We are cultivating the very seeds of our own destruction as human beings, and worse, putting our very souls in danger. I’m no long-haired guy standing on a street corner calling everyone to repent, but for God’s sake, think about clothing people in need instead of your freakin’ pets. Your soul might thank you for it.

A few thoughts about stuff while we were away:

…Hard for me to feel sorry for Tiger Woods. The guy has a lotta nerve complaining about a lack of privacy when few athletes have used the media so flawlessly in his rise to the top of the golfing world. You can’t have it both ways - you want to rake in millions upon millions of dollars by being the most recognized athlete on the face of the earth, fine, but don’t complain about the media attention when you (as the Italians would say) “sh*t where you eat”.

…Me, I just don’t understand it. If you want to look at girls other than your wife, hang out at strip clubs in Vegas or NYC like A-Rod does. It sure beats engaging in full-blown affairs. Tiger might call that sort of thing a “personal sin”, but make no mistake about it - it’s a sin. Period.

…President Obama’s putrid speech on his Afghanistan strategy is going to boomerang back on him. He should have just told the American people the truth - the only reason why we’re sending more troops to Afghanistan is to cover the fact that we’re petrified of Pakistan’s government collapsing and its nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Al Qaeda.

…Sarah Palin is 100% right: what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. I’ll say it again for, like, the 272th time - no President in our history has been elected by an electorate so ignorant and uneducated about his background as Barack Obama was.

…Can’t wait for the Marco Scutaro era to begin. I got two words for you: Julio. Lugo. Hate to say it, but 2010 is gonna be one long year for the Boston Red Sox.

We’re having a lovely time here in this sub-tropical paradise, and the weather has been perfect. Today officially begins the “off season” but there is still plenty of good weather to be had throughout the winter months. If you’re thinking of visiting Bermuda anytime soon, here are few dos and don’t from someone “in the know” (hat tip: Edgardo the waiter):

DO come and visit during the winter months. Sure it won’t be beach weather, but there’s plenty of shopping, golf, relaxing, and cocktailing for anyone wishing to escape the winter blues and blahs.

DO play golf when you come here, as bermuda has some of the most picturesque golf courses in the world. My favorite is Port Royal, but it’s a little pricey for me, so I’m heading to Riddell’s Bay while my lovely wife does some shopping in Hamilton.

DO drop in to one of the Swizzle Inns for dinner and cocktails. Their rums swizzles are the best, their menu has a little something for everyone, and it’s all good. You can “swizzle out” after a memorable (or, after a couple of pitchers of rum swizzle) or somewhat memorable night (if you know what I mean).

DO NOT waste your time trying to work via the wireless internet at Grotto Bay. While I can get e-mails I can’t send them out, and no one around here seems to know why.

DO visit Tavern by the Sea in St. George’s (pronounced here at St. Georgees) for lunch. One of the most picturesque places to dine on the island.

DO NOT expect to eat on the cheap in Bermuda. It’s an island, you silly goose, so most everything has to be shipped in. Dining is expensive here, but worth it.

DO expect to relax - Bermuda may be sub-tropical, but the people here live on island time.

DO plan a day shopping in Hamilton. Lots of clothes, jewelry, and duty-free shops to stock up your bar. Yes, you can get “the Blue” here, and rather easily.

If you’re staying here at Grotto Bay, DO expect a family of roosters to serve as your morning wake-up call on occasion. If the family - and it’s a large one with dad, mom, and several fledglings - is anywhere nearby, you can expect to hear them starting around 6 AM. They seem to own the whole property and Grotto Bay is pretty large, so the likelihood is you’ll get their wake-up call one or two mornings.

Finally, if you’ve ever thought of coming to Bermuda, DO. It’s as pretty as you’ve heard it, with pink sands on the south coast beaches and quaint villages with houses of every color in the rainbow and then some. We’ve enjoyed our time greatly here and hope to return yet another time.

Tomorrow it’s back to Phoenix via Miami. We have a five-hour stopover, so we’re going to try and find some Cuban food and mojitos for lunch.

See y’all back in the desert Southwest, God willing.