The other day I was poking around on the Internet looking at what is sometimes called “ruin p*rn”—photographs of houses, buildings, amusement parks, and other man-made structures that have been abandoned and left to the elements. Some are well known, like Pripyat (Chernobyl) and parts of Detroit (Michigan Central Station), while others are well known only to those that know them well, like Okpo and Nara Dreamland.
Neglect Leads to Crumbling Structures
Is your relationship in ruins?
I find these ruins photos fascinating. These modern ghost towns speak to me not only as a remembrance of things past, but as a cautionary tale, a glimpse into a possible future. All these places were once bustling hubs of human activity, full of life and everyday drama. No one would have imagined weeds overtaking the lane where lovers once laughed as they strolled arm in arm. No one would have imagined a playground once echoing with the giggles and shrieks of boisterous children would one day have as its only sound rusty swings creaking as they sway in the moaning wind. Abandoned schools, once established to ensure civilization’s march of progress would continue with the next generation, now mock that progress with their peeling paint, broken windows, and crumbling walls.
It is characteristic of man’s hubris to suppose that his works, his monuments, his achievements will endure even long after he himself has returned to dust. The Caesars undoubtedly did not foresee the day when their far-flung empire would succumb and crumble to the barbaric hordes they had once conquered. We tend to think that past performance is indicative of future results, forgetting to take into account the most significant of all variables, the factor of human behavior.
The works of man are not only built up by man, they are brought down by him as well—often through neglect
More often than not, these works of man are not only built up by man, but they are brought down by him as well—not so much through cataclysmic and open destruction as one might suppose, but generally through a more subtle yet ultimately more insidious means—neglect. Properties that are cared for, structures that are maintained do not go to rack and ruin, even though they may be subject to intense use. It’s not the use, or even the abuse that causes these buildings to decay as much as it is the non-use.
In cases like Pripyat, a conscious decision is made to abandon. The beginning of neglect can be traced back to a specific point in time. The land becomes toxic, unsuitable for human habitation. In other cases, the place becomes inextricably linked with some tragedy, some horrific event, and people shy away, fleeing not only bad memories but also the taint of psychic contamination, as though tragedy will seek to destroy any and all who claim some physical connection to the land.
Relationships don’t go to seed overnight.
Sometimes, though, circumstances change and people simply move on. The ghost towns of the American West bear testimony to this phenomenon, as the inhabitants packed up and left when the gold and silver ran out. A similar situation arose again in the 1930s as people living in the Dust Bowl had little choice but to leave what little they possessed and migrate to someplace more hospitable.
Regardless of the precipitating factor, this scenario plays out in the same manner: people leave, and nature takes over. Wind, rain, and sun do their thing to break down the structures, while weeds choke out any cultivation, ensuring the return of the wild, primitive state. Little by little, the traces of mankind are erased as nature reasserts its dominance in shockingly short order.
Neglect Leads to Crumbling Relationships
In layman’s terms, the Law of Entropy states if you don’t take care of your stuff, it will get ruined.
There is a greater principle at work here, sometimes called the Law of Entropy—a closed system goes from a high state of order to a high state of disorder. Energy from an external source must be introduced to the system to counteract the effects of degeneration. In layman’s terms, if you don’t take care of your stuff, if you neglect your stuff, it will get ruined. We can easily see how this is true with abandoned buildings, but we often fail to see this applies to human interactions as well. Enduring relationships don’t just happen, but rather are the result of effort and diligence. A relationship cannot thrive under neglect. Sometimes relationships must be abandoned because they are toxic, but more commonly they deteriorate gradually, victims of neglect rather than outright abuse or destruction. The antithesis of love is not hate as some suppose, but rather indifference. Unless a couple takes the time and effort to cultivate their relationship, it will surely wither from neglect, being damaged by adversity and/or choked by self-centeredness.
Neglect Leads to Crumbling Societies
Society must also be preserved against decay.
The metaphor extends beyond the personal to society as a whole. Society, too, must take care that it does not succumb to indifference and neglect. For what is society but human relationships on a grand scale? A society that does not cultivate its morals, its ethics quickly finds itself sinking into a morass of callousness and barbarism. Neglect of societal values, shortsightedly labeling them “old fashioned,” “extremist,” or “intolerant,” ensures that that society will decay, rotting from the inside out. With minimal scrutiny, the society may appear sound, but closer examination reveals the damaged foundations, the moral rot that ultimately will cause the entire society to implode.
All these things run through my mind as I look at ruin p*rn. Will we let moral rot and decay take over civilization? Or will we wake up and preserve what remains? Have we neglected things to such a degree that rehabilitation is no longer possible? If so, we will have to raze the whole structure and start over from scratch, rising from the ashes like a phoenix.