Editorial June 21, 1941 Issue

Impermanence of Material Things

George Shaw Cook

The mistake is frequently made of attaching too much importance to objects of art and architecture, as well as to other things which outwardly express that which is good and worthy in human thought. In this way persons come to venerate or even to idolize that which at best could only be rightly regarded as a symbol of some unseen quality or condition, as, for example, the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.

This tendency is so inherent in the human mind that it may cause one to be shocked and horrified at the ruthless destruction of temples and treasures which have long been regarded with admiration and veneration. But nothing real can be destroyed or even damaged. The ideas which are typified by material structures are permanent and are capable of again being externalized at the right time, perhaps in even better ways. This is illustrated by the fact that cities which have been almost totally destroyed by fire or earthquake have later been rebuilt in ways indicating progress and greater enlightenment.

The impermanence and relative unimportance of material things were indicated by Jesus, who said of the temple at Jerusalem, "Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down," and his prediction has since been verified. So it is not wise to dwell with undue satisfaction on any material structure or object, however beautiful or useful it may appear to be.

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