Google has recently published several volumes of photographs from LIFE magazine.  I've spent the last hour looking at many of these fascinating, depressing, and bizarre pictures dating back to the 1870s.  Every picture I see, seems to flood my mind with more blogging ideas than I can possibly write - pictures of the Great Depression and if it relates to current economic conditions - pictures of Congress from decades ago and how odd it is to see no women and all whites - pictures of windmills from the 1800s and how odd it is to think that this "technology" is part of the future - and the list goes on...

The picture that caught my attention the most was of the Washington Monument under construction in 1876.  Construction on the monument began, nearly 30 years prior, in 1848 and the monument was not completed until 1884.  Funding problems and the Civil War were two of the primary reasons for the lengthy construction.

© Time Inc.

For some reason, the picture is calming to me, especially in our country's economic crisis.  It reminds me of the simple adage - plan your work and work your plan.  1876 was nearly 3 decades after construction began on the monument, nearly 1 decade away from the monument's completion and 1876 was not much more than a decade beyond the Civil War, our country's biggest crisis.  There's a lot more pictures and a lot more monuments 132 years later.  However, I can't help but wonder what Americans in 2140 will think of our generation.  Will we leave behind more than shopping malls?

What are your thoughts?

Best regards,
Jay

Jay Allen
MovieVoice
jay@movievoice.net