feeling like a very tiny cuppycake.

DSCN0691, originally uploaded by cuppycake843.

the apartment where i'm staying is very modern, so, just looking around me, it seems like i could be almost anywhere in the modern world. the actual history around me is more evident from ground level. this picture is of an ancient theatre in catania. the picture was taken from a window inside antonio presti's home, which is in the center of the city. the juxtaposition of it all is very interesting. an ancient theatre preserved, but ignored. it is closed off by this little fence, only waist-high. all around it there is busy traffic, streetlights, stop signs, people quickly walking by- a piece of an an ancient era totally surrounded by modern life.

there was no one standing around it, just looking and wondering about the things that took place there... it is barely even noticed. the ancient history of their home is so integrated into the modern sicilians' lives that places like this are, to the average sicilian, nothing special.
back home, nothing is this old. this theatre is literally from MILLENNIA ago. i can't even imagine... my eyes and mind could not be stopped from gravitating to this theatre. this bit of ancient history just sitting there, right in front of me. it was like i was the only one that saw it... all the better for me. like a private viewing of an ancient masterpiece. this theatre, though obviously unkempt now, is still standing. think of all the different things those stones have seen. imagine all of the people who have read those words. the span of my entire life is nothing in comparison to the time that theatre has been there. the feeling i had when i stood in front of this is similar to the feeling i get standing on the beach, looking out at the ocean. a small feeling of insignificance.
though, while the ocean makes obvious my diminutive physical size, this was a little more powerful. this theatre made me very aware of the small scope of impact i can have on the world. for all of the time this theatre has been around, it now means very little. few people even pay attention to it. it really puts into perspective the small amount of time i have to work with here in on earth. hopefully i will still manage to do something "important."