I saw a beautiful forest the other day and I thought, if this were in Ireland I'd be struck dumb with beauty, but I wasn't. Because I was in New Jersey it was merely a beautiful surprise. What perceived mystique do foreign places hold?? Why does foreign beauty seem more potent than local beauty?
After some thought, I realized that this land is not the land of my ancestors, mostly. I'm 1/16th
native American, but the other 15/16ths of my great ancestors spent their lives and energies caring for far away places. There are no hills in America where my ancestors built a castle before the birth of christ. The ancient history of this land is not my history. It is the history of another people who were destroyed a few hundred years ago and replaced by immigrants. We have no Roman Colosseum or Egyptian pyramids, or Great Wall of China. We just have a
trail of tears and
Plymouth Rock.
I think that is what draws me to places like Europe and Asia. They have a strong, uninterrupted connection with the past. Citizens of the old world stand on the same dirt their ancestors plowed 8,000 years ago. They encounter ancient relics of great civilizations that used the same land and gave birth to their grandfathers. There, history runs deep. I can't wait to explore those places for myself.
After some thought, I realized that this land is not the land of my ancestors, mostly. I'm 1/16th native American, but the other 15/16ths of my great ancestors spent their lives and energies caring for far away places. There are no hills in America where my ancestors built a castle before the birth of christ. The ancient history of this land is not my history. It is the history of another people who were destroyed a few hundred years ago and replaced by immigrants. We have no Roman Colosseum or Egyptian pyramids, or Great Wall of China. We just have a trail of tears and Plymouth Rock.
I think that is what draws me to places like Europe and Asia. They have a strong, uninterrupted connection with the past. Citizens of the old world stand on the same dirt their ancestors plowed 8,000 years ago. They encounter ancient relics of great civilizations that used the same land and gave birth to their grandfathers. There, history runs deep. I can't wait to explore those places for myself.
Even I love to explore new places..places with some old-old history truly fascinates me....
ReplyDeletekeep going Jeff..love reading ur blog... especially the posts about new things and new places you visit.
tc