The British Museum

(7-2-06)

Today I caught the shuttle to London with the hopes of getting a chance to watch part of the Wimbledon. I arrived at Victoria station only to discover that there were no matches today. Instead, went up to Hyde park to have lunch. I have to say that despite all the hype, I was a bit disappointed. It was not even comparable to Central Park or even the Boston Common. Nevertheless, it was interesting to note that Henry VIII used to hunt deer there, and like everything in Europe the history attached to the place is clearly the main appeal. After that, I hopped on the tube to check out the Brittish Museum. After viewing the artificacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the rest of Western Europe, I couldn't help wondering how long America's prominence as the epicenter of civilization would last. Lately there seems to be a lot of discussion about our economic prominence being overtaken by Asia, and from what I hear "The World is Flat" is a must read. After spending a few hours reflecting on the entirety of the history of human civilization, I was struck by how small my role would appear to be in this grand design. It was an excellent lesson in the ability of time to wear away any contribution we may make to the world during our lifetime. As a case in point, probably the one human being that gets the most attention in the British Museum is Alexander the Great. As far as I can tell, if you ask most people today what they know about him, they'll tell you that he was gay and played by Collin Ferrel. I'd hate to think what Alexander would have done to Oliver Stone if he was alive today.