A Digital Archeological Dig

I have a theory. What if Society has been here before and it all evolved into digital footprints and plastic. Hear me out.

As a disclaimer, I have been watching conspiracy videos on YouTube.

Think of all the objects we use to use to perform simple tasks but now use our plastic/silicone phones, laptops or tablets; photos, adding machine/calculator, notepads, and ledgers now live in the cloud.

What physical space do these things hold and how will they be passed on?

Is that what happened in the distant past?

What will be excavated (after we are long gone) on an archeological dig? A handful of Legos, some Keurig pods, a Walmart bag? What if the oil in the Earth isn’t from the dinosaurs but a giant burial ground of plastic water bottles? What will we leave behind and what will it say about us as a people?

Now in a thousand years, if someone dug up my house, I would want them to find; not a bit of plastic, but some old glass Hoosier storage jars with the unmade grounds of my morning coffee. Photos of my kids in frames, art from local artists and new artists, and many Antique canvas portraits of other peoples grandparents. There would be shards of Fiesta dishes, Pyrex, and a couple of cast iron pans. There would be several pairs of Levi’s Jeans (various sizes) and a pair of Doc Martins or ten. I’m not sure the primitive furniture would make it, but my sons iron bed stands a chance.

So, to bring this to a close, what do we want our leftovers to say about us? These items were loved, cherished, used and reused by generations or extravagant, wasteful and selfish. Be a good steward of the Earth, reuse, reduce, recycle and repurpose, and I will lay off the YouTube.