Society is Watching Me

It all started with the Sumi-e Society. Then it was followed by the MN State Button Society.
It all made me think; people crave belonging to something. It must be an instinctive, safety mechanism. The "there's strength in numbers" thing. It makes sense I guess. What do you do when you discover something really cool? You run out and tell someone. You share your passion. It's just, normal.
For some people.
I personally do not have a yearning to join a particular group. I don't have just one thing I get excited over. And not anything I love consistently and forever. Well, Crossword Puzzles, but not enough to join a team of cruciverbalists.
None-the-less I am intrigued by the myriad of societies, associations and clubs out there. There's a group for everyone! Any hobby, any nationality, any interest. Here are some of my findings. Some cool, some odd and a few interesting.

American Jigsaw Puzzle Society
The Tolkien Society
The Edgar Allen Poe Society
The Comic Book Society
The Glass Art Society
The Oxonian Society
The Cloud Appreciation Society
The American Dialect Society
The American Name Society
The North American Tiddlywinks Association
National Council for Metal Detecting
The Naturist Society
The Italian Historical Society of America
The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
The Simplified Spelling Society
The Chocolate Society
The American Gourd Society
Chicago Beer Society
The Cacophony Society
MN Dead Runners Society
Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, Inc.
Baltimore Fountain Pen Society
MN Whips and Wheels Carriage and Driving Society

The New 7 Wonders of the World

I remember hearing about the Seven Wonders of the World in school. I even vaguely remember hearing that there were 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the medieval World and the Modern World. Not that I could rattle off any of them. I think it's safe to say, that when one speaks of the Seven Wonders, they are referencing the Wonders of the Ancient World. Of these original seven, only one still stands. One might have been just hearsay. The rest have all somehow been destroyed.

So it seems now, the world is finally ready for a new list. Or so thinks the New7Wonders Society.
The Society has begun a campaign for a new list of wonders. From a collection of 200 possible sites from across the globe, they have narrowed it down to 21 possible new "wonders". Now, it's up to us to vote for the final Seven.

Now, I looked over this list and was a bit disappointed.
When I think of "wonders", I think of something that inspires awe, something amazing, unexplained, intriguing. Basically, a real "wonder". Looking over this list... some of the entries seemed a bit... well, unqualified.

Most of the entries were basically famous tourist attractions. Okay, okay, so were the original entries. But back then, those things were awe-inspiring. No one had ever seen such beauty, such craftsmanship, such innovation. But come on, those guys were limited in their choices. They never made it to Easter Island, heck, they didn't even know about South America. These days, we've got thousands of upon thousands of amazing locations to choose from. We're a bit more jaded. Or, maybe it's just me.

Take a look at some of the possibilities.
The Eiffel Tower. Really? Um, it's metal, put together like most other metal sculptures or constructions. Piece by piece. I'm a little simplistic, but I'm not in awe. Is it impressive? Not really. The same goes for the Kyomizo Temple, the Sydney Opera House, and Neuschwanstein Castle. They're all beautiful in their own respect, they're even innovative in their engineering, or construction, or significance, but I wouldn't sit up at night wondering about them.

Now I don't have anything against the others mentioned. In fact, I am completely
awed by Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. I hope to see it in person some day. Someday during Carnaval maybe? But the other sites are so, normal. Although I understand their significance, their place in art, architecture, religion, etc., they all fall short of that mysterious quality that the word "Wonder" promises me. I know, it's semantics, but damn it, it matters. Call them the Seven Most Inspiring Sites of the World, the Seven Most Impressive Sites of the World, the Seven Must See Tourist Sites of the World, whatever, but don't call them "wonders".

I kind of want to know what the other 179 possible "wonders" were.
Perhaps the Nazca Lines were among some of the rejects. Or maybe more along these lines.

So what are my choices? You knew I was going there, didn't you?
Ok, here goes. In no particular order.

1. Easter Island Statues: Why were they built? What do they mean?

2. Machu Picchu: Here's another mysterious, wondrous site.

3. Stonehenge: How long has this site caused people to "wonder"?

4. Chichen Itza : Ok, I've been here, and yes I was awed.

5. The Great Wall of China: What was the point?

6. Petra: Indiana Jones inspired me.

7. Pyramids of Giza: I'm not a fan of the pyramids, but man has been enraptured by them for centuries.

Maybe I'm getting "mysterious", "awe inspiring" and "wondrous" all mixed up. Maybe anything new and innovative is a wonder. Maybe I'm just a dreamer.

Itsy Bitsy Spider-Man

I'm torn between, "this is cute" and "oh God, what have they done?!"
My poor Spiderman.
Hmm... I need to get my nephew a Christmas present...