Appreciating the Past

William Faulkner once said, "The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past."

This embodies how I felt as we walked through the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. The entire site felt completely alive, almost as if the stone structures and ionic columns were waiting for the worshippers to enter, just as they did thousands of years ago.

It was an amazing sight, seeing what ancient civilizations could create without modern tools or Ivy League educations.

During this trip, I realized how important and beneficial using the past can be. If the saying is true, and history will repeat itself, then shouldn't we focus a little less on the future and see what has actually happened? I don't know, it may be silly, but I don't see any "Future" majors; I see a bunch of "History" majors, though!

Many temples have been built based on the Agrigento temples, and it occurred to me that leadership, in many ways, is the same. You can look to the past to help with you with the present. Using resources effectively is a major tool to success, and I believe the people who used Agrigento's magnificence as a resource were most likely very good leaders.