152. Respect for Art

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And I may have some petty criticisms of this museum, but I am deeply grateful that some of the huge quantities of art works that were created by the old people have been preserved so that tourists like me can gawk at them.

Many of the artifacts in this museum are so old it is beyond understanding and yet here they are. There must be some sort of genetic respect or awe for art in some humans at least or none of these lovely things would have been made in the first place and all of them would have been smashed up or melted down by the generations of malicious vandals and careless monkeys that have dwelt in this region of ruins since the artifacts were new.

I wonder what, for example, will be left of the artistic and cultural objects in Washington DC when our young republic crashes as it someday must? Will the passing human generations of our “Chocolate City” be gentler with our public and private treasure than the peasants of the Nile Valley were with theirs? Only let four or five thousand years of time roll over our greatest creations and what will be left for the intrepid tourists of the future to gaze upon--if indeed any of our kind exist to tour?

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