Beauty is in the Small Stuff

Ok. It is only day 5 and I think I am a little sickish. It is ok though because no matter what I have to keep moving. I did not come all this way to be held back by a few sniffles and a little tickle in my throat.

Today we are visiting the unfinished obelisk, the Aswan High Dam, and the Temple of Auset ( (Isis). The obelisk represents the penis of Osiris, the husband of Auset, who was tricked to his death by his brother Set who wanted his throne. Set tore Osiris’s body into multiple pieces and scattered it around Egypt. When Auset discovered what Set had done, she journeyed around with her sister to find the pieces of his body & found all but one. The unfinished obelisk was supposed to be a monument that was supposed to last for eternity in honor of Auset. It is unfinished due to the fact that while building it a crack developed in the middle of it. The fact that the Egyptians left this great monument unfinished due to this little imperfection proves their great desire and need for perfection. Their constant need to better themselves is proven by this unfinished monument because due to the crack in the structure they felt that it was not good enough to leave as one of their everlasting marks in this world. I feel that the Egyptians strive to be better than the best is something we can all take heed to and attempt to duplicate into our daily lives.

After obelisk climbing, we visited the Aswan High Dam, which was built to help control the yearly flooding of the Nile. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than the vast, blue, serene movement of the Nile.

My favorite part of the day was the temple of Auset. Auset, a very prominent figure in Egyptian history, meaning the wife, was incredible to say the least. The beauty of each inch of the temple is unique. For example, when I observed the columns no one was like another. Every single one had its own different design and every single piece of the temple told a piece of Auset’s story. The carvings are breathtaking and they really make a person appreciate the beauty behind art and architecture. In fact, seeing this and the previous Egyptian pieces makes me want to study more Egyptian art history. It makes you see the beauty in all the small things.