I have been trying to comprehend how far back 46,000 years is. That is the length of time that the aboriginal art, tools, etc was that was destroyed by an Australian mining company a week or so ago. 46,000 years, hhhmmm. The pyramids in Egypt are about 5,000 years. That context really still means nothing. I finally got my head around it by:
- 1 millimetre (about the thickness of a credit card) = 1 year.
- 1000 mm is 1 metre (a bit longer than 1 step) = 1,000 years
- 5 metres (about the length of a large car) = the age of the pyramids
- 46 metres (almost the length of a 50 m swimming pool) = the age of the artwork that got blown up
- That is how i got my head around 1 year to 46,000 years….
All that culture, history, heritage lost forever. For what? Profits? If so, for a very few who will benefit. It may have been legally correct. What about the ethics and morals? I feel we have (humanity has) lost something significant. I can only imagine what it must feel like for those who have a direct connection to the Juukan Gorge in Western Australia.