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Mr. Raven's avatar

I love this, so well put.

"The stories of the people who opposed what was happening are largely forgotten. What will history make of us? Who will write the memory of what we’ve made? Between the remnants and remembrance, what are we leaving behind that will survive beyond our days, and who will have the final say?"

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Joyce's avatar

Thank you for your kind comments, Mr. Raven. Much appreciated 🙏💙💫

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Mr. Raven's avatar

It's funny I was actually wondering this morning if my papercuts would last beyond my death, as I have no kids, and I think the computer age my end at some point, they may be my legacy to the world, Physical objects whether they buildings or physical art pieces, or real books are important reminders of those who came before.

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Joyce's avatar

Absolutely right, and whoever buys your papercut art works loves that style and will keep it. It will be your legacy. That, and your care for ‘old’ things, preserving them.

Like you, no kids, no family left, but the hope is that the values we carry along with us will be the seed for others to nurture and grow.

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Ed Boks's avatar

“Shame on those who remain unmoved, whose pace fails to quicken, on entering one of these old habitations, a manor-house falling to wrack and ruin or a desecrated church!” ― Petrus Borel

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Joyce's avatar

Thank you, Ed. They’ve always moved me.

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Richbee's avatar

Cathedrals we’re built on the remains of sacred places that were placed on Ley lines energy vortexes, conjunctions of earth magnetic fields.

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Joyce's avatar

Yes, I know. In order to stop ‘paganism’ churches covered those ancient places of worship.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Shocking... or not probably.

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Richbee's avatar

Yet the sacred and profane remains.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Tell us more pls...

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An K.'s avatar

If we forget where we came from, we are bound to go back and make the same mistakes...

No, they don't want us to remember what happens when a few ego maniacs take over the show and lead us all on a path of distruction.

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Joyce's avatar

But we must remember. What we see in our time, what is left of old days, it needs to be remembered

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An K.'s avatar

As I said... if we foget

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Rolando Andrade's avatar

Agree Joyce.

In war, there are no winners or losers. Everyone loses humanity's two most valuable assets:

- human beings

- cultural heritage

The rest are interpretations of who wins and who loses

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Joyce's avatar

I am not saying there are winners, there aren’t any. I’d rather say that in war all are losers. But I’ve used ‘victors’ in the way they dictacte how history is written, however subjective that may be.

And my essay was primarily dealing with buildings.

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An K.'s avatar

And that is the sad truth!

I just hope that all humans will realize that! And soon!

We can only win one way, together.

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Rolando Andrade's avatar

Yes, I understand that. I was just reinforcing our point of view. And I agree with you

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Rat's avatar

Sometimes I wonder how much extraordinary wooden architecture has been there before photography was invented.

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Joyce's avatar

Much more than we’ll ever know. And that’s a loss for us IMHO.

See fossilissed wood found at some places, or rare remnants of poles.

Just think of the Scandinvian ‘Stav’ churches, descendants of earlier similar churches.

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René Volpi's avatar

Like, like, like, no, love this! ❤️

And like the wise would say, "it's complicated." LOL

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Joyce's avatar

Thank you, Rene 💙🙏💫

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

It is very sad the way they often tear down the unique and the beautiful to be replaced with the generic and the bland. Older buildings have character and a sense of wonder about them. They're full of history, seeping out of every part of them. But most of all, they're full of stories... 😎

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Joyce's avatar

So true, Chris. In older buildings you can feel the soul of builders, people who lived and worked there.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

I liked the reference of old buildings, skyscrapers taking on skylines and does that mean the new is the winner? Intriguing parallels.

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Joyce's avatar

Thank you, Pilgrim. It was more skyscapes (as opposite landscapes) than skyscrapers.

For me, but that’s my view, the old architecture was the real winner.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Old, classic architecture us unbeatable.

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Joyce's avatar

Absolutely true!

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Richbee's avatar

The leavings of yesterday’s sacrificial sites are the foundations of tomorrow built upon history and that history remains, but found only in the sifting sieve of time with bits and pieces fit into a puzzle. Some pieces are missing carried away, erosion has the last say.

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Joyce's avatar

Richard, yours are always the most poetic comments. Thank you 💙🙏💫

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Julie Dee's avatar

Appreciate your reflections.❤️ It’s so true Joyce.

I’ve always thought that it was silly when people talk about ‘war crimes’. The same people would be held up as heroes had things taken a different turn.

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Joyce's avatar

Yes, as I wrote, history is written by the victors, the winners. In a parallel universe it might just be the other side writing history.

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Julie Dee's avatar

I struggle to know why most people don’t see this obvious truth.

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Joyce's avatar

Perhaps because most people are sheeple. History books tells them ‘he’ is the good guy, and ‘the other one’ the bad.

We now know that history as in books, is cooked and stewed, ready to be had

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Julie Dee's avatar

Indeed

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Perry J. Greenbaum 🇨🇦 🦜's avatar

In many places, the historic buildings were replaced with cookie cutter condos and office towers. When these aethestically ugly buildings fall in disrepair, which will happen, I doubt anyone will mourn their loss. As you mentioned, Joyce, history provides the memory as much as the building's uniqueness.

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Joyce's avatar

Well, I won’t mourn the loss of those ugly buildings. I love the old ones, the soul that they breathe, so to speak.

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Jim Davidson's avatar

“Do they speak English in what?”

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Joyce's avatar

What exactly did you mean, Jim?

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Jim Davidson's avatar

Ask Jules from the film "Pulp Fiction."

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Joyce's avatar

Haven’t seen that film so still don’t know.

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