Saturday, October 01, 2005

The Burden of History

Photo: I'm at Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium.

I felt lighter upon our return to Canada. I don't mean physically, although it would be nice to weigh about twenty kilos less. Europe is interesting and one big reason why is the history. Everywhere you turn, there's a historical building or monument. This makes a trip great for tourists. It seems as if the majority of things by which one is surrounded are old. Sometimes, they're ancient.

I wonder how this affects the young people growing up there. I first remember feeling sorry for kids kicking around a soccer ball in Florence Italy when I travelled there in the 1980's. They were having fun but were confined in the large open space of an ancient plaza. It would just seem to me to be a burden living amongst all the past. Mind you, it's not past from a book, it's past right in their faces, everyday.

I am writing this entry in one of the first cities in British Columbia but I'd be hard pressed to find a civic structure that is 120 years old. Maybe that's why I feel lighter in Canada than I did during the recent trip.


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