Wikipedia Information blog

What Will People Consider Artifacts in 100 years?

Do you ever stop to think  that one day, the life we living now will be considered history? A weird thought because we think
of the past as back in the “olden days” where people had to walk barefoot to school both ways in the snow and they didn’t
have the Internet or radio to keep them company on boring Saturday afternoons.

An interesting thought is what will people consider to be artifacts when they look at us in 100 years? Will they look at
our high tech cell phones and laugh because we were so amused by the simple things in life? Will they look at the war in
Iraq and realize that it was the point when the world really started to break down? Will they curse us for ruining the
planet and the natural beauty of the Earth for them?

Chances are, they will look at our technology, our blogs, our photos and celebrity obsession and take that as the artifacts
from these years of our lives. It is not necessarily a bad thing, we do not know if the world will be in ruin in 100 years
or if it will be this utopia where world peace reins and world hunger has ended. What we do know is what we have here today,
and what we have is not that bad.

We have terrorism, we have war and we have enough violence to last lifetimes. We also have a lot of peace, love and hope
that can serve as lasting artifacts for the future. Future generations can look back at the artifacts we leave and know we
were a body of people who were trying to do the right thing while getting stuck in the mistakes of the past.

Hopefully people of the future will continue to learn from our mistakes and use our artifacts as guides to continually
improve the world. They could also just take a look at the party pictures that we leave and laugh because we at least knew
how to have a good time!

People can sit and hypothesize about the future and remember the past for what it was. What we can do is make our mark for
the future to show others and make them understand what we as people were all about. We worked hard, we played even harder
and we loved to make a difference. In the end, that will be all that matters.

Then, maybe in 200 years, the people will look back at us in history and recognize that this was the time in history when
people were really focused on doing the right thing and creating a better life for everyone in it, including the people of
the future.

Can they get all of this from the artifacts we leave behind? Of course! We have learn from past generations that way,
haven’t we? That is why we leave behind our mark, to show the people of the future what we did and where we are going. Who
knew artifacts told that whole story?

Seashells: Artifacts of the Ocean

I recently took a vacation to the beach. I love the smell of the ocean breeze and the way the sun beats down on me as the
motion of the waves calms my every worry in the world. I could literally spend years on the beach and never regret a moment
of it.

One of my favorite beach activities is searching for seashells. There are millions of seashells in the ocean that come from
a wide variety of creatures. They all look different and each has their own personalities that comes across in the divots
and impressions in the shells.

As I was looking for my seashells, I had a thought. The ocean is a vast body of secrets that has a story underneath that no
one really knows about. So, in essence, each sea shell tells a different, but small, portion of the ocean’s story. They are
truly artifacts of the ocean that show what the ocean has been, is now and will be in the future.

Pretty deep if you think about it. Just like each person has a different story and a different set of artifacts that they
take with them from day to day, so do the seashells at the beach. Each has experienced it’s own part of the story of the
vast ocean and has lived to tell about it. Making it on to the beach is its way of trying to get the story out to the world.

I kept thinking about this as I made my way down the beach with my collection of beautiful shells. Each had a different
shape, color and texture and each was beautiful in its own way.

We have our own stories so in essence, we are like the seashells in the ocean of life. We each carry our own personal
artifacts with us that are a representation of what we have experienced in our lives and we really cannot share our true
experiences with anyone other than ourselves. Other people will see the artifacts on our skin and the laugh lines on our
face, but they will never truly know our story, just like we will never know the story of the ocean or the seashells.

The point was not to be too philosophical, but to realize that people are all unique and we are special in all of our own
ways. People do not take the time to realize that any more and when they don’t realize it, they lose a bit of their identity
each time they forget about it.

So remember you are an artifact of the world and you tell your own unique story in the world, just like seashells tell the
story of the ocean, piece by piece. People don’t feel like they are important enough and thinking about this idealistic
notion will make you feel better about your place in the world and realize that we are all important in our own way.

Pictures Can Be Artifacts to the Past

Do you enjoy taking pictures and collecting the photographs in scrapbooks, photo albums or online on their own special place?
Of course you do! Most people do and they love to take picture after picture of everything from a random night out with
friends, to pictures of their family and children to photos of their vacations to every corner of the globe.

Why do people love taking pictures so much? Well, look at the reasons why you like taking photos. You like to take photos
because it is a reminder of the good times and of the bad times. In essence, photos serve as your very own historical
artifact to the past and allow you to remember events that have memories that fade with the passing years.

Pictures are personal artifacts that tell the story of you. You can look at other people’s photos and never really truly
understand what they were feeling when the picture was taken. But you can easily take a picture of something and remember
your exact feelings years later.

So, do not miss an opportunity to take photos at every instance you can. You never know when that moment will be snapped
away from you, never to be seen again. Remember the faces of your children and relatives as they grow older and remember
what your parents looked like while they were young. Photographs allow you to do all of that.

Also, pass on the importance of photos to your family and friends. They will most likely already be aware of the importance
of creating photo artifacts, but you will want to make sure that they agree that taking as many photos as possible in life
is a good idea. That way, they will possibly get a picture that you were not able to get and you can share in that memory
with them.

Photo artifacts do not have to be overly mushy either. They can show the raunchy and crazy experiences you have had in your
life and serve as a reminder of the good time along with the happy and sad times.

You can tell your family story through pictures as well. Photos of births, weddings, funerals and other family events will
show a lot about the way you feel about your family members and how they felt about you at a certain point in time. That way
you can remember your crazy Aunt Ruth after she passes away.

Taking pictures is probably one of the rewarding and fun things you can do in your life. Now with different photo editing
software, you can do things to your photos that you never even thought was possible. Take your photo artifacts to the next
level and create a history of your family that can be viewed for years to come by you, your family, your children and anyone
else who would care to see the history of you and your life. Let the photos tell the whole story.

Make Your Own Family Artifacts for Future Generations



Do you remember when you were a child and you found time capsules to be so interesting? I know I did. I can remember looking
at a time capsule filled with artifacts from several decades prior to that time and I just sat and stared in awe of what was
inside.

The artifacts in the time capsule were things like magazines, newspapers, photographs and records dating back to the time
when the time capsule was buried underground for unearthing years later.

Now, if you have kids, think about how much fun it would be for them if you created a time capsule with things that will be
considered artifacts when the capsule is opened in fifty years. You can make it into a fun game where your kids can
brainstorm ideas of what they would want to include in the time capsule that would be good artifacts and examples of this
day in age and a representation of your family.

They will probably come up with a ton of crazy ideas. However, let them figure out what they would like to include and then
whittle the list down from there. Some ideas for artifacts include a current model cell phone, an mp3 player, some photographs,
newspapers and magazines from the current month and possibly some candy that people can look at and compare to the candy in
the future.

The fun will come when your kids will help formulate what you will put in the time capsule and then you can watch the
excitement in their faces when you prepare to bury the time capsule and then cover it for release in 50 years. Be sure to
record it somewhere so your children or their children will be able to open it at that time to take a look and compare what
has evolved between now and  then.

This can turn in to a fun and educational game for your children that they will no doubt remember for the rest of their
lives. They could even do a demonstration of it in their classrooms and maybe inspire other children to pursue time capsules
full of family artifacts of their very own.

It will also be fun doing it together. There are so few activities anymore where kids and their parents can really get into
it and do it together all while having fun at the same time. Your kids grow up so fast that it is important to take the time
to help them grow and learn while spending as much quality time with them as you can.

Before you and your children know it, they will be grown up and have children of their own. Seize opportunities to create
lasting bonds that will last more than a lifetime. When they open the time capsules, they will no doubt remember the good
times you had together and your work as a parent will be done. Then hopefully they will carry on the tradition with their
own kids and grandkids.

Is It Appropriate to Decorate With Artifacts?

So you just returned from a great trip to Mexico and while you were there, you managed to find several artifacts that you
were able to stow away with you in your bags. You think they are beautiful pieces and would like to display them in your
home so you can see the artifacts on a daily basis while showing your guests what cool items you found on your vacation.

But do you really think it is a good idea to decorate your home with ancient artifacts? Sure, it is a very cool memento of
your vacation, but have you ever stopped and thought of what those artifacts mean to the people of that land. You may not
want to have it in your home after all.

Think of it this way, how would you feel if people from other countries decorated their homes with pieces of the World Trade
Center Towers. Yes, a very dramatic comparison, but to the people of those countries, the artifacts have more history and
meaning in them that you could never imagine or understand.

So, if you are thinking about decorating with artifacts you have found during your travels, take heed. People also feel that
decorating with artifacts can bring bad karma into your house and possibly haunt you. This all depends on what you really
believe in, but is worth it to think about when deciding what to do with the artifacts.

Instead, it may be a wiser move to instead purchase knick knacks or statues from the countries you visit. They would be a
constant reminder of your trip and can complement your home’s décor if you choose wisely. Then, you will not have to worry
about offending future house guests with your artifacts and instead can focus on discussing your past trips and experiences
rather than stick up for your choices.

So, what should you do with the artifacts you already have? Well, you could donate them to a museum or find a way to donate
them to a local college or university that can find the appropriate uses for them and possibly use them in their classes
dealing with the subject matter the artifacts represent.

Donating the artifacts will also show that you are interested in making sure that others can learn from your artifacts and
will be able to see a piece of history up close and personal. That way, you will be looked at as a person who is concerned
with education rather than someone who is only interested in what your home looks like without concerns for other cultures.

Next time, think wisely about what you bring home with you. If you would get offended by it if the tables were turned, do
not do it. It goes back to the old adage, treat others like you would like to be treated. That goes for ancient people as
well. They still have ancestors who are looking out for them today and still want to give them the respect they deserve.

Ancient Mayan Artifacts in the United States Today


If you paid any sort of attention in your World History classes in school, you would remember that the Ancient Mayans were a
civilization in modern day Mexico. Well, you might not have even had to have paid attention in your classes to remember that
bit of history.

However, you may find it ironic that many Mayan artifacts that have been recovered from the ancient civilization’s land is
now for display in the United States. Say what? Yes, many are here in the United States with others on display throughout
the world in places you would never have imagined.

Why? Well, the answer is simple really: educational purposes. Many people learn about the Ancient Mayan civilization in
school but cannot go to Mexico to visit the ruins for themselves. Therefore, the powers that be decided that sending ancient
artifacts on a tour of the United States was a great idea.

It can be, as long as the artifacts are handled nicely and are not damaged. It does gives children and others a chance to
see the artifacts from the land they have only read about and gives them a true visual to go along with their course studies.

Mayan artifacts have been on display in different locations throughout the United States for several years now and some are
even on permanent display in some prominent museums. Opponents of these actions wonder why it makes sense to put something
on display that did not even happen in America, but in Mexico. They do not understand the idealism behind it.

However, there is no idealism behind it. Exhibits of all types have traveled throughout the world for years without trouble
and it brings history to the people. We want to educate others and let the children become global citizens. If they do not
have the money to travel, this gives them they way they can see it for themselves, up close and personal.

As long as the education exhibits are being cared for properly, the touring exhibits are a great educational piece that
should continue to travel around for years to come. The United States should also look in to make traveling exhibits of
some of our finest documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. That way people throughout the
country and world can see it without having to take a trip to Washington D.C. Many people, even people in the United States,
would love to see these things up close but cannot afford a trip to do so. Who knows, it may even inspire some children to
pursue political careers. That would definitely make it worth it.

The educational benefit of these artifacts far outweigh any sort of problems that they bring along with them. It is a great
way for kids to learn, for adults to share and for researchers to show off their work. It is a win-win situation for all
where people learn more than the thought they could.