Einstein was fascinated by Southern California, specifically Hollywood. He loved hanging out with Charlie Chaplin. The greatest of all modern physicists taught for a time at Cal Tech, but he could never see himself living here for very long. Why? Too materialistic and too elitist. He despised arrogance and displays by the privileged.
But might Einstein have been comfortable in the “Old Malibu?” Think of it. His long, unkempt hair. He rarely wore socks and did his best thinking in scraggy, baggy pants and an old sweatshirt. He loved his neighbors, especially the children, even helping with their math homework whenever they asked. He was extremely happy on the water, drifting for hours in his beloved little one-man sailboat.
Forget the “New Malibu.” This sliver of the California Coast still retains some of her natural splendor, but now neighbors turn on neighbors. Lawsuits are threatened over palm trees. Over-indulged, arrogant children throw things at hapless visitors on our beaches. Obnoxious residents sport bumper stickers that say, “Welcome to Malibu. Now go home.” A resident, in a letter to this newspaper, suggested Malibu should be closed to nonresidents.
Why does wealth and privilege so often lead to elitism? Why does entitlement so often lead to an even greater sense of entitlement? Shouldn’t we who live be so thankful, we are glad to share. The coast does not belong to just those so fortunate to live along it. The coast belongs to everyone and we’re all better off enjoying its beauty and healing energy.
The problem for elitism, even for the elitists is that it cannot be universalized. What if the letter writer showed up in Maui to be greet by a sign that read, “Go home. No Haoles. Hawaiians only!”
I wish we all might take a lesson from Einstein, the greatest mind of the past century. A man who earned the right to be held in the highest of human regard. Einstein lived a life of humility, simplicity, graciousness and giving. Why can’t we do the same and, out of gratitude, share this treasure that is Malibu?