Dela-Where?

I am now writing from the beautiful, but very small state of Delaware where I have discovered a wayward computer connected to the wonderful internet. A lot has happened during the past week, and much of it will most likely come up in future posts. For now, these few thoughts will have to be it.

Washington DC was a beautiful city with its immense buildings, stone monuments, and well-dressed people. It was awe-inspiring to say the least, but it started me wondering what the purpose of it all was. Why does our government spend so many tax dollars building impressive monuments? Why do we go visit them? There are several possible answers.

1) Power. A reminder that little people are nothing when they stand up against a big government.

2) Temples. In the Lincoln Monument there is an inscription in the wall right above the head of Lincoln's immense statue. There was really nothing about the sentence that would make it stand out except for the fact that it refered to the building as a "temple." That made me stop and contemplate the meaning of that word. Is it merely a monument to a good leader and statesman, to remind us of the things he had done? Or, is it a place to worship "Honest Abe"?

3) Reminders of the past. It is this last reason that I find the best and most legitimate. We need to remember what happened in history and learn from both the good and the bad. The knowledge of people and what they did and why is important to the decisions that will be made in the future.

Time is running out so that will have to be all for now.