Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A monument forever after ...

As I write tonight, I cannot help but wonder why monuments have captured the imagination of the human race since times of old. Every monument claims scale, awe, and symbolism. I truly appreciate the effort spent in conceptualizing and building them. But more than that, I want to know something else. Where does the conviction stem from? Who or what moulds the belief? How does the perseverance stay true? Just by looking at these marvelous creations, I struggle to fathom the complete emotion behind their existence and their continued halo.

Forever after. These two words have driven men crazy. Though you know that nothing lasts that long, you want to believe in it. You strive to create something like that. You desire to perfect something like that. Yes. Forever after. Every monument was born out of a simple thought. I don't know if I can state it just as precisely as I am thinking about it. But here is my feeble attempt. To celebrate one's love of an ideal. Every monument celebrates the existence or the desire of one's most heartfelt emotion. The Pyramids represent the search for a higher power. The Stonehenge stands witness to the promise of return. The Taj glows with the flame of undying love.

You can infer a genuine feeling of admiration and affection in every monument. How can it not be? After all, to come up with something like that needs unwavering commitment and fierce dedication. I do not know if there is any one monument that can be considered greater than all others. But I think that all of them share the same foundation. That of celebration and lesson. In every monument, each generation leaves behind its story. In each monument, every generation celebrates a story. In each and every story, the love for some ideal shines.

1 comment:

  1. what you say is probably true for most monuments in DC...not so much for the ones "Mayawati" builds for herself....the by foor tour was a good idea...since it gives an idea of the symbolism behind the monuments

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