In Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, there is a haunting structural reality hidden beneath the grandeur of the Kingsbridge Cathedral. The builders, rushed by time and greed, packed the core of the massive walls with rubble disguised behind a thin, polished veneer of limestone.
It looked like a monument to the eternal. But it was lazy construction waiting for a problem. When the winter gales hit the roof, the walls didn’t just crack, they fell apart. The core turned back into dust, and the roof came down.
We are currently living in the Kingsbridge Error.
For eighty years, we’ve used the “High” consensus of the post-war era as a limestone façade. We’ve enjoyed the perks of a civilization. We emphasized justice, human rights, equality, and comfort while packing the core with rubble.
The emptiness is showing.
We tried to keep the ethics of our ancestors while discarding their foundation.
Maybe we can do better the next time around.
Join me, comment, reach out. I would love to hear from you.
