field trip

Today I visited the Jongmyo Shrine here in Seoul. What exactly is a shrine you wonder? I wondered the same thing. And honestly, I still wonder a little. It's a strange concept, but here is what I learned today about the Jongmyo Shrine:

Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) where the spirit tablets of its kings and queens are enshrined and memorial rites are observed in respect of time-old confucian tradition.

The buildings in these pictures were reconstructed in 1608 after being destroyed by Japanese troops during the Hideyoshi invasion in 1592.

History amazes me. Growing up in America somewhat limits a person's concept of history. I don't deny that America's past is powerful and meaningful, but America's stories are wrapped up in just a few hundred years. Today I stood on ground that holds a story from long long ago. These buildings are older than my country, even considering that they've been rebuilt.
As I catch these remnants of stories from ancient history, I can't help but to think about my place in the history being created today. What stories will we tell the world hundreds of years from now?