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Alienating History
How long does it take for nature to erase a civilization? Per one article, if you humans were gone, it would take only 500 years for vegetation to reclaim the earth from the poor monuments that modern man has created. Plastics and radioactivity, they’ll be around the longest, perhaps a layer of earth that would be discovered by future intelligence as it digs through layers trying to understand Earth history. Long gone would be the statues, and mile markers of human evolution. Oh, wait. Aren’t we tearing those down?
Why are the noses missing from Egyptian statues? Why did the Victorians remove items from Egypt that were deemed obscene. There were more dick pics in Egypt than you can imagine. Why are people not allowed to see the tunnel, and the hidden rooms in the Sphinx? Bringing down history, especially statues, is just part of the things humans do. Sometimes it feels right. Like, Saddam Hussein coming down in Firdos Square. The statue of Christopher Columbus in Chicago lacked the same emotional appeal.
Did Columbus do some bad things? Probably. Definitely by our standards today. We have learned to be a little more sensitive. We’re a little more caring. I am not smart enough to know when it’s time to burn an effigy or let history stand. Is it necessary to remove symbols? Sure. The Swastikas was once good, but it was…
