Built to Fail

Obviously I have been slacking a bit in the blog-writing department. But with the weather warming up it is just too tempting to do something outside or hang out with my awesome husband. I have ideas floating around in my head, but I can never seem to spare the few minutes it would take to realize them in text. My brother and his family have also recently moved back here from Louisiana, so I have been soaking up my time with them as well. Time changes all things, so the trick is to enjoy the current change rather than worry about the next.

A couple of years ago a new building was constructed in my city. I wasn't too happy about it from a visual standpoint because it didn't fit in with the other buildings around it. The buildings around it are probably over 100 years old. They have been modernized over the years, but still retain their character. The new building just doesn't fit in. While I know it was built for a purpose, it sticks out like a sore thumb because it is ultra modern and probably twice as tall as any of the other buildings nearby.

Still, I think I could have accepted this new building for it's own style until I read an article that told me more about it. In the article, it stated that the building was expected to last 30 years. 30 YEARS! That's not even half a lifetime! There are buildings around the world that have lasted hundreds or even thousands of years. Yet somehow this building can only last 30?

What happened to the days when things were built to last? Do we really live in such a wasteful world that we are willing to throw away an entire (mind you, not small in any way) building after just 30 years? Maybe I am just not informed enough to make a judgement. Maybe the building is made to be recycled, or maybe it will just need a few touch-ups in 30 years. However, I just can't get over the fact that a brand new building would have a time limit like that.

If anything, maybe this will make us think about what we really need and what we are leaving behind for others. Even if we a recycling, are we still using more than we need to? Are we we truly using something up before we discard it? Most of all, are we using our resources wisely and leaving behind something that can be used for generations?