Pyre of Ages

This post is in honor of a great national treasure that was recently lost to South Korea as the result of the unforgivable selfishness of a single depraved individual. This month, the great Gate known to most as Namdaemun burned to its foundations after having been kindled by an old man who was angry at the government for not giving him money, or something stupid like that (since there is no excuse for what he's done, I could care care less about the reason behind it).

I was in Seoul at the time and remember seeing the column of smoke. It took the fire department more than 5 hours to put it out because they were afraid to damage it with their water cannons; thus the ancient wooden structure burned like a titanic sacrificial lamb on the alter of irresponsibility. It had stood for over 600 years, enduring all manner of warfare and disaster, only to be mangled by one selfish individual. I think it hit me harder because I was here and I witnessed evidence of the burning, but I was unable to believe it upon seeing it in the news. It was impossible to believe. In a way it still is. I am just glad that the stone portion of the gate remains practically undamaged, but the original wooden tower structure is a total loss.

The Korean government intends to employ artisans to remake the wooden portion of the gate (I would assume by using traditional methods) at a cost of $10,000,000.00 using a process expected to take 2 years to complete. I am not sure why it will take quite so long, but at least they are rebuilding it. Unfortunately, the new gate will be little more than a fancy marker for where the original once stood (for six centuries: from the age of the ancient wars to the age of decadence and laziness).

This random thought is just so that the readers of this blog (as well as myself) never forget the tragedy and the arbitrary nature of the selfishness and stupidity that led to its demise.