America's Stonehenge

I'm a fairly patient guy. So much so that I've waited to get to a backlog of magazines that have been collecting in a pile for more than a year now; interesting magazines like Adbusters, Discover, and my favourite, Wired.

In reading Wired's May 2009 issue (yep, eek!) last night I came across an incredibly interesting and weird (that's "weird" not "wired") article. The issue's theme was focused on magic, puzzles, and some of the strange places found on Earth. Near the back of the issue, I came across an article dedicated to one of America's least possibly heard of attractions. I'm not a world traveller by any means, so I guess it's not unusual that I've never heard of this mysterious structure. Its name: the Georgia Guidestones.

To look at them, they appear to be a backyard version of Stonehenge. While their appeal is likely limited, the messages that are inscribed upon them are meant to be a guide map for after the apocalypse. The ten "rules" for re-establishing world order are even written in seven major languages to assist whoever might still be around to read the inscriptions.

Due to its controversial message, and the fact that the Guidestones are situated in America's Bible Belt, the stones have seen their share of misfortune. There have been calls to destroy the stones as some feel they are tied to the Antichrist, and there has been at least one attempt to pull them down. To date, graffiti has damaged the site the most and the County has tried lighting the site to avoid further damage (Technically, the site is owned by Elbert County where the stones are situated. The identity of the man who financed and arranged to have the stones erected was known by only one man; the lawyer who handled the legal necessities and immediately transferred ownership of the small parcel of land to the County after the unidentified man paid for it).

The most controversial of the stone's messages are the first three. Do I believe they should be pursued? Absolutely not. We can't snap our fingers and turn back to the clock to a time when Earth's population was more manageable. But I find it fascinating (and spooky) that there are people who take any of this seriously. As to the identity of the man who commissioned its construction? That's just good publicity. No single, largely unknown, assembly of stones are bound to upset life as we know it. For the most part, the recommendations on the Guidestones seem pretty rational. Countless structures that convey their own messages have been erected in cities, townships, and villages all over the world. They're called churches, mosques, temples, or any other variant of places of worship. If you hold your own beliefs to be true, it should matter little as to what another person believes. If no one is inciting hatred or being harmed, let it be.

Were the Guidestone's in my hometown, I certainly wouldn't sweat it.