I always thought it would be exciting to be an archaeologist. The idea of wearing an Indiana Jones hat might have had something to do with it. My husband has one of those hats and at one time resembled a young Harrison Ford. In fact, when he worked as an interpretive naturalist, some of the children he guided through nature would refer to him as such. One thought he was Indiana’s father. Another referred to him as Louisiana Jones. He still owns the hat, and even though he is now 82, he’s still my hero.
The truth is, being an archaeologist can’t be nearly as romantic as it seems. I wonder what will be said about our society when scientists start digging up our past. Surely, they will see that we were very wasteful. They will encounter mountains of disposable items such as diapers, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, etc. Not to mention the vast amount of electronic equipment. There will be caches of cell phones, computers, I-pads, I-phones, Eye-patches, fax machines, printers and so on; all of which became extinct within a matter of months. The treasures they uncover will include fake jewelry, rusted out luxury cars, maybe a few pick-up trucks and one or two economy cars. There will be mountains of batteries to operate all those things as well. Huge sporting venues will be revealed, just like the ones that amused the Romans so many years ago. There will be an assortment of houses of worship too. A society is measured by what it leaves behind. I wonder what will be determined about ours. An old idiom says it best, “You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. What a clear picture that we can’t take our stuff with us when we die.
Dear God, remind me of where the true treasure lies. There is no true value in things of this world. Our richest gift is in your hands. You give it to us without any strings attached. You took the sting out of the word “death” and gave us the promise of eternal life. Thank you for this blessing that gives us promise of a future with you. Amen!
