Don’t Make Em Like They Used To

4 October 2021

Nostalgia just aint what it used to be… There is something about old buildings that can take me right back in time, though. I can feel a city or village 300, 400, 500 years back… sense the air of a world without the tech we’ve grown accustomed to, and hear the talk of the politics of the day, as we fight the French, the Spaniards, the Dutch, the Saracens, or whoever. Many older buildings have small doors – because folks back then lacked the nutrients in their diets to be as big as we are today. There are also reminders everywhere of the cruelty and the harshness of life. This building is from a time before human rights were dreamed up (and make no mistake, there is nothing natural and nothing obvious about the concept of basic human rights). This building was built when every people on earth fought for their own empire. When slaves where what everyone in every corner of the world took when they conquered lands to subjugate their enemies. This building saw times when you could be – and most likely would be – burned alive on a pile of wood because you dared to disagree with the church of the day. We’ve come a long way, and our evolution was most impressive…. and also the result of many artificial things combining by chance, the enlightenment… but the old buildings can take you right back. And remind you of where humanity came from. And make you grateful that you live here, today…

Peter van der Walt is a fiction author, although you may find some non-fiction and the odd essay out there. Fans can find his newsletter, posts, updates and developments at petervanderwalt.com. Currently, he is hard at work on his next story. When not writing, he has far too many interests to reasonably keep up with. He lives with his partner in Devon, England.