Staircases: The Best Thing EVER

Six years ago, I discovered the serenity in monumental staircases. We was in DC for a week-long simulation peace conference for the National Peace Essay Contest held by the United States Institute of Peace (one person from each state). One of nights, we did an evening tour of the national monuments. We spent a good bit of time at the Lincoln Memorial so after taking all the obligatory tourist photos, some of us took a seat near the top of the stairs overlooking the reflecting pool and the Washington Monument. It was surreal. Imagine this view, but on a summer night.

Warm summer air greeted you like an dear friend. It was a comfortable warmth. The reflecting pool was a perfectly polished onyx mirror seemingly with a view into one's heart. Around us, tourists were buzzing with activity, but for these precious moments, we were in another place. The three or four of us talked about home, our families, our hopes & dreams. The Earth slowed it's rotation and for a while, we could simply appreciate life.

Technology has ruined some aspects of life. We're too wired, we're too rushed. There's no time to catch your breath and reflect for some perspective. Regardless if it's the Lincoln Memorial, the stairs of Columbia's library, ruins in Macao, or staring at the stars from the academic quad at Rice, the common denominators have always been the same: a sense of serenity and good friends.