A Thousand Words
Oct 18, 2024
The Beauty of Blight
Time marches on.
Homes and buildings that were once bustling with activity now sit dormant and abandoned. They were put there for a reason. They had a purpose. When humans decided that they no longer served their purpose, they simply left and moved on. On to better homes and bigger buildings. Leaving their predecessors empty.
What happened within those walls when humans occupied them? Sometimes we can’t help but wonder. We see an abandoned home and our mind catapults us back in time to when a family lived there. We imagine children playing outside with the family dog happily tagging along. We see a father doing chores. We see a mother in the kitchen, cooking. What do you imagine she’s cooking when you see her in your mind? Cookies? Your favorite supper? Did your mind automatically insert a smell from your childhood memories into this family’s kitchen? Why did they leave and why does no one live there now?
What about the businesses? What did they do there? We imagine workers coming in every morning. We imagine them anxious to get home to their families at the end of the workday. Why did the owner decide that the building no longer had a viable purpose?
Cars that once rolled off the assembly line, shiny and new and full of potential now sit idle and rusty. They were purchased and driven. They transported families and friends to wherever they needed to go. Eventually the day came when they were driven no more. Maybe the owner couldn’t get the needed parts. Maybe the cost of fixing it exceeded the justification to do the repairs. When they no longer could serve their purpose, it was time for the owner to move on. Now they are worth no more than the sum of each individual part for sale. Like a metal organ donor waiting for the opportunity to give life to another.
Progress demands change. Businesses leave bustling cities for a variety of reasons. If the businesses leave, many residents will soon follow. Following the money. They have people to feed and bank accounts to fill.
Nature takes back the space that humans once worked to modify to their will. Tall grass, wildflowers and trees exist where yards were once mowed and cultivated. Plants make their way through the cracks in abandoned parking lots. Animals take up residence in the buildings that humans gave up on. When humans vacate a space, nature takes back what it owned in the first place. This is the beauty of blight.