This is a conversation I had with Kylee yesterday morning. As you could probably tell, I'm not a morning person. My desire to see what God, my family and friends have in store for me are what propels me away from the clouds under my cheeks everyday(I value my sleep, so yes, my pillow literally feels like a cloud on occasion). When I'm not having my usual dream of brushing my teeth - my mind tries to trick me in to thinking I'm going about my daily routine in order to get extra sleep, It's a phenomena called Lucid Dreaming, you can read about it here - I usually take a couple moments to roll over, stretch and get it together.
But, every once in a while, I have my mornings where this takes no effort. I have my mornings where I literally wake up smiling. Today was one of those days. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the parfait and grapes I had for breakfast in the courtyard or the fact that I was able to wear my Nike shorts and Mardi Gras t-shirt to our learning site that set the stage for the continuity of my good mood. Regardless of the source, I was all smiles.
Which brings us to...
The Colosseum.
This building was one of my favorites that I studied during the Roman Antiquity era in Art History. As such, I tried to go into this tour without expectations. I find that when you enter a site as a blank slate, absorbing information is your only option. As it turns out, that's exactly what happened.
Antonello - a former engineer turned archaeologist - gave us a private tour of the Colosseum from the ground up. He showed us the storage units below the amphitheater that housed animals and gladiators awaiting battle and served as the workplace for slaves. He painted a vivid image of a working environment drenched with the odors of animals, heat and poor ventilation (to their advantage, the Colosseum did have one of first fully functioning aqueduct systems in the world which I didn't know until today).
As we toured the second and third floors he told us how class and status determined your seat in the theater and the time/money/attention you invested in the activities that occurred on the main stage. Commoners seated in the middle of the high rises were attracted to animal slaughter and grudge matches between warriors while the wives of bankers and city officials sat (probably disinterested) at the very top of the theater. Their arrangements were the equivalent of the sky boxes at Madison Square Garden and, now that I think about it, very likely provided the blueprint for the amphitheaters that scatter the United States.
Dr. Bednarz told us the Colosseum was subject to multiple stages of communal importance, disregard and neglect. Once standing pristine, covered in precious Italian marble and serving as the center for sports and entertainment adjacent to the Forum, the amphitheater has been rumored to have served as a site of martyrdom where the blood of those who were murdered in pursuit of religious tolerance and piety were murdered and even once demoted to a trash collecting facility. These notions were sad, but believable.
Dr. Sebastian had similar remarks during our visit to the Pantheon. This beautiful place that now stands as the final resting place for Vittorio Emmanuel and the artistic great Raphael was at one point in time filled with garbage for nearly 70 years!
I made a remark to Lauren that sacred places are often considered sacred long after those who lived through monumental events have gone. The Vittorio Emmanuel monument - which many Romans consider to be the monstrosity of their city - may be excavated thousands of years from now. The Pantheon now stands as a prominent Catholic church just around the bend from the Trevi Fountain.
When I considered these historic landmarks and their abandonment by the later generations of their creators, I thought of a verse from Paul's letter to the Philippians [4:8] "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
This may sound melodramatic in reference to a building because, in context, Paul was asking for steadfastness and unity from the Philippians during his travels, but each excavation - especially the early Christian art works we've seen - was made with such intricacies and attention to detail from the materials used in their methods. I think this sentiment could be applied to our work, our faith, our pasts and our present. Appreciation for all things created by us and for us. Which is why I opened with that quote. Sometimes we lose sight of our fortunes and underestimate their value.
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