Submitted for your approval

Last week, I was out at Goldfield’s river park, taking pictures of the dam for a story we ran last week. I was there with Goldfield resident and compulsive jokester Joe Skinner. As we were looking out over the water, Joe drew my attention to the wooden sculpture of a duck that’s been sitting on the banks of the Mighty Boone for a couple of years now.

Some kids (I’m assuming) had recently taken it upon themselves to crudely spray paint a pair of breasts on the duck. Joe said something disapproving. Me, on the other hand, I just smiled. I’m 24, so I’m barely out of my “spray painting breasts on ducks” phase. I understand it, even if I don’t approve of it. I think it’s demonstrative of a fundamental, perhaps even noble, human trait: the desire to leave your mark.

Since the dawn of time, man has sought to leave a legacy for himself. We want to be remembered. We want to leave something lasting. Something that might survive us. 

Read the full article in the Sept. 18 editon of the WCM.