Artificial Value

In the accompanying image, taken at 150 Canada Pl Vancouver BC, what do you see?

Okay, so what’s does it symbolize?

A normal answer could have been, The Olympics, more specifically the one which occurred in 2010. The cauldron that ignited the spirit of the world and the games.

The real answer, a cauldron which is lit on special occasions and holidays… What? It’s just a structure made of various metals and plastic designed to make it look similar to ice. Its heart, not the spirit of the Olympics but more likely a spark that ignites natural gas being pumped into the chambers.

Why is it that we take objects, basic or unique and increase their value or worth based on what they symbolize or were a part of? What’s so significant about the mirror Marie Antoinette used when another mirror, much cheaper, serves the exact same purpose?

I’m not saying that man-made objects lack true value, after all, I’m sure the gun that Hitler used to kill himself holds an immense amount of value. Let me generalize it, if you’re having trouble here.

The swastika, this is a better example. To many, it represents Nazism and the reign of Hitler. However, the use of the symbol dates back to 10,000 BCE where it was first seen on a bird placed on the tusk of a mammoth in Mezine, which was a Paleolithic settlement in Ukraine. It has been used in Hinduism where it represents God in a universal manifestation of energy, the four directions of our world as well as the objects of human pursuit. These objects being Dharma meaning natural order, Artha meaning wealth, Kama meaning desire and Moksha meaning liberation. In third century BCE, in ancient Tibet during the rule of the Maurya Empire The swastika was known as yungdrung and represented eternity. Jainism gives the symbol more prominence. It is the symbol of the seventh  tīrthaṅkaram, a person who has conquered the cycle of death and rebirth. It is also one of the aṣṭamaṅgala a sacred suite of eight auspicious symbols in Indian religions. In the early 20th century it was used world wide regarded as a symbol of success and good luck. After being adopted by the Nazi party in World War two, it is now seen as a symbol associated with fascism, white supremacy and of course Nazism, which it is mainly associated with today.

In truth, a symbol is just a simple symbol. Its representation and values being changed through history, re-written as time passes, only some retaining their universal value. Perhaps the cauldron above will always retain its Olympic representation forever… or maybe its meaning will shift to a much darker tone as time goes on.

I mean after all, if there is one thing that we know, when it comes to time and objects… nothing truly has a fixed value, or meaning.