What Life Might Have Been

The stairs stretched up in front of me:  154 of them. The climb is ten stories high.  Some collegiate athletes run up the steps as part of their training. Mine was a measured pace, not just because of age and limited lung capacity, but also as I slowly walked the steps, I was wondering what this would have been like for the builders of this place to ascend these stairs to the top.  At the crest of the mound was a ceremonial court and beyond it the home of the priest.  This historic mound, about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza, is also truly awe-inspiring.

This place was built around the year 900 CE.  It was the capital of the civilization of mound-building people.   We refer to them as Mississippian people whose civilization endured for about 500 years.  Their civilization was built in the area known as Cahokia, with what is now called ‘Monks Mound’ in the center Cahokia was home to 20,000 people. The Mississippian people had an empire that spanned from Texas to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.  This was a highly organized culture with cities and networks of trade. They developed agricultural techniques and crops which remain part of our lives today.

As a culture, they disappeared around 1400 CE.  The reasons that led to the collapse of the culture are not clear.  It’s presumed that the Mississippian people became part of various Native American tribes and helped to found new cultures and tribes. 

As I As I stood on top of the mound and looked out over the landscape, I saw various markers and remnants of the civilization that thrived a millennium ago.  We know so little about these people.  What we know is based on artifacts and burial sites which they left behind. 

In the visitor’s center and museum, I viewed artifacts unearthed in the vicinity of Monks Mound.  There’s also a life-size model of a small village with mannequins dressed in what is believed to be the culturally appropriate clothing.  It’s a glimpse into what life might have been.

Yes, what life might have been.  We really don’t know.  Other than the various mounds of dirt and unearthed artifacts, little is known about these people.  While we can get some understanding of their culture, we really don’t know what the lives of individuals were like.    What were their hopes and dreams for themselves and their children?  Did they have a sense of purpose in life?  Or was having a purpose in life foreign to them?  Did they just want to live day-to-day?  How can we know what their language sounded like, the melodies of their songs, or even the rhythm of their dances? What were the jokes at which these people laughed?

As I think about these things, I reflect on my own life.  Perhaps I’ll live another twenty-five years or so.  What will be remembered about me?  And for how long?  In even one hundred years, will anyone remember what matters to me today or the people who are important to me?  The things I cherish today and the people I love and treat with great care –who will know about them?  What will any of it matter?  After all, our fate will be much like that of the people who lived in the once great city of Cahokia. 

In the end, what difference do our lives make?  Do we have an impact on the world? For all of our inner stirring and striving, is there any reason to be alive?  While it is true that the people of Cahokia and their great culture have passed into history leaving behind mounds of earth and random artifacts, and while it is also true that our legacy will be much like theirs, I affirm that life is worth living.  The worth, the value, the purpose of life isn’t about legacies that last for millennia or monuments that stand as a testament to our achievements.  Instead, what has value is life itself and sharing our lives with others.  When we can look at our lives and see the steps that are leading us towards becoming better people, people who love and are loved, that is the value of life.  While it may not seem like much, it’s really everything there is

Perhaps the best part of Cahokia is found in the visitor center and museum: the staged village made of mannequins.  By that staging of a family in a village we are reconnected with the truth that people lived, they grew, they shared, they worked, they laughed, and they played.  Yes, they embraced the gift of life and together built an expansive civilization which lasted for half a millennium. Their lives mattered because they mattered to themselves and each other.  That is a beautiful thing. I find that more inspiring than the mounds themselves and the artifacts left behind by this once great Mississippian culture.

Photo Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/editor/27832346078 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is located in Collinsville, IL, approximately 15 miles east of St. Louis, MO.  To learn more, visit: https://cahokiamounds.org/