Pyramid Expectations.
I wrote this quite a few years back on the way to a trip to Egypt.
So I’ve started a trip to Egypt, but I’m not there yet.
I’ve been reading and watching documentaries regarding the pyramids, the only ancient great wonder of the world still standing.
They are incredible and show what can be accomplished with sheer will, lots of people, and the long-term end goal in sight.
Think about it…the architects that drew up the original plans did so knowing that they wouldn’t be alive to see their work finished, carved in stone.
And yet they did it anyway because they believed in the power and greatness of their culture and wanted to leave a lasting legacy.
What’s even more interesting is that the pyramids were likely not built by slaves but by regular citizens.
Recent findings have shown that whoever was building the pyramids was treated quite well, with good housing, and they were served meat and beer. Also, there is evidence of medical treatment from setting broken bones to even primitive forms of brain surgery!
Pyramid building was likely a part-time activity for most active citizens, similar to conscription, except this army wasn’t making war; it was building monuments. So, the people who built the pyramids did so by choice, not because they were forced to.
That’s even more impressive when you think about it.
They weren’t just working for the sake of working…they were doing something they believed in and would leave a lasting legacy.
And that’s something we can all aspire to, regardless of whether or not we’ll ever build our pyramids.
Of course, while all the people who contributed to this gigantic effort would not have been able to predict how the world would see their efforts in the future, they must have known that it would have left people in awe of their achievements.
Whether we see it as a great achievement or a stupid waste of resources is for us to explore.
The fact that the pyramids have survived for thousands of years is in itself a testament to their greatness.
