Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Washington is spacious with wide well laid out streets that are flanked with impresive imperial statesman like buildings. The grandeur of Washington depicts its status as the capital city of USA where the President lives and government sits.
We had decided to save our legs and be a tourist by hopping on and off a tourist bus to the various sites, but in the end we still managed to walk over 15kms (according to my pedometer). Quite exhausted at the end of the day, even my strapped broken toe was complaing by the evening!
After having a lovely continental breakfast at the hotel we set off for the Lincoln Memorial - about 20 minute walk. My first impression was this memorial looked just like a temple to an ancient God in Greece, Rome or Egypt. Built with huge colonades flanking the enormous square structure, the steps upwards revealed a gigantic marble Abraham Lincoln sitting in his chair gazing out upon the people. We were dwarfed by the enormity of this sculpture, perhaps that was the intent, to be impressed by the enormity of what Lincoln had achieved in his lifetime. The commitment to the abolition of slavery and a united America was an enormous task, a commitment and zeal that created a war that both divided and united a nation. It was a humbling experience to gaze up upon this marble man and ponder his remarkable achievements, achievements which cost him his life but gave freedom to all who followed him, especially as he never lived to experience the fruit of his labour and vision for a country without slavery.
On the top of the steps of the memorial, turning away from Lincoln and gazing out of the building, one was faced with a vision of empirical power. Again I cast my mind back to similar images I had seen in my travels: the great paved colonades of cities in the Roman Empire; the colonades of ancient Egypt and their impressive temples; the Parthenon of Greece. Wherever power and might has ruled grand impressive buildings were erected as a visible sign to the peoples of the world. Facing me from Abraham Lincoln Memorial was a huge grass colonade that was dominated by two main structures: the first, the Washington Memorial an impressive granite obelisk soaring over 550 metres; the second, Capital buildings of neo classical design as the seat of governance. The Mall, as it is known, reminded me of ancient colonades in empires that once dominated the ancient world. USA has been called by some the new Roman Empire, and I can now visually see why this sentiment may prevail. However, I would like to think that the words edged into stone in the Abraham Lincoln Memorial proclaiming justice, equality and freedom for all men and women are abiding truths and ideals that rise above the misuse and abuse of power.
As people still struggle for freedom and peace in our broken world, perhaps it is the vision of Abraham Lincoln we need to glimpse? Perhaps we need his passion to see a united nation and world were we are all equal in the eyes of each other and of God? This memorial does what every good memorial seeks to achieve - causes one to reflect and remember, to dream and to hope.
- comments