Below, you will find an outline for establishing a historic research/park facility for the benefit of humanity’s past, present, and future. It represents the current form of an idea that I have been developing since it was first conceived in 1985. Please note that this document is protected by U.S. Copyright laws and unauthorized use of any part is prohibited.
THE PREMISE
One of the most frustrating things about human life is its temporary, transitory nature. By the time one gains the wisdom, knowledge, and insight that come with age, one is often too feeble, sick, or just plain tired to do anything with it. The result is that a life's work, experiences, and sensations perish into the dust, leaving scarcely a trace. Curiously, our culture pays homage to our fallen friends and loved ones by going to great lengths to ensure that their earthly remains are preserved for as long as possible. Given this desire to see some part of our loved ones continue on after death, why do so many of their creative efforts such as: writings, photographs, music, and art, get relegated, eventually, to landfills and incinerators? Is it not ironic that the things that most embody the spirit of the deceased are neglected, while their cast off physical shell is treated with great reverence? This seems analogous to throwing away a television set and watching the box in which it came.
We may be reasonably assured that people of the future will be interested to learn how the people of our era lived, what we felt, why we made the decisions we did, what were our hopes for them? Even today, the past is of enormous interest to scholars and history buffs the world over. Anthropologists have even gone so far as to sort through petrified fecal material left behind by our cave-dwelling ancestors, in an effort to gain some insights into the lives of these prehistoric people. Will we be so inconsiderate as to force our descendants to sort through landfills for clues as to what we were like? Their impression is likely to be unfavorable at best.
Our cave-dwelling ancestors had not yet mastered writing so they may, perhaps, be excused. We, on the other hand, have had writing with us for thousands of years, and technological advances have enabled us to record and transmit audio and visual data. Every day, average people do extraordinary things that don't get media attention. Nevertheless, their lives and contributions are important and deserve at least a small footnote in history.
The point is this:
There are people who want to leave something of themselves to be remembered by future generations, and there are (and will be) people who are interested in past generations. Doesn't it make sense to build a bridge between these two groups of people looking at each other across the expanse of time? The Future Treasures Memorial Foundation was conceived in order to ensure that the most important things in a human life: thoughts, feelings, ideas, art of all types, and from the broadest possible social spectrum, are preserved for at least 200 years.
To this end, I propose constructing a facility in which to store a person's writings, photographs, art, music, designs, etc. For this service the contributor would be required to make a nominal donation to the park foundation. Items stored at the facility would be preserved for 200 years, as provided for in the foundation's charter. This means that items contributed to the foundation could conceivably be viewed by the contributors’ great, great, great, great, great, great grandchildren.
THE FACILITY
The storage facility should be constructed of durable materials and utilize earth sheltering as a natural aid to heating and cooling. To preserve the items and artifacts of contributors for the specified period is the prime directive of the foundation and it is a function that must never be compromised by the Board of Directors.
The foundation shall provide an airtight, watertight container of approximately one cubic foot in volume, to be filled by the contributor with any items he/she deems appropriate. Items should fit easily into the container, be non-perishable, and of low dollar value (in order to discourage burglary and/or vandalism of the facility). The contributor will be provided with a personal information sheet, a personal information card, and a personal information decal. The sheet, card and decal are to be filled out by the contributor. The sheet should be returned along with the decal affixed to, or placed inside the filled container. The card is for the contributor's own information and record keeping. Contributor information will be stored in a computer database to provide easy tracking and access. Each parcel will be issued an I.D. number reflecting its exact XYZ coordinates within the facility. For example, 2-10-5 would be located in the second row, tenth column, and fifth tier.
For their part, contributors must make a donation of not less than $200.00 for each container stored at the facility. That comes to a dollar a year — a more than fair fee for insuring that the items are delivered to the doorstep of the 23rd century. According to my calculations, an initial structure of 5,000 square feet would contain 20,000 archival parcels of 1 cubic foot in volume. It could be built for $200,000.00 and generate $4,000.000.00 in revenue from archiving alone. I feel that this figure is extremely conservative, especially when you consider the number of potential contributors. There are well over 30 million men and women over the age of 60, and this number will increase as the "Baby Boomers" age. With the graying of America, our rest homes are filled to capacity with elderly people, many of whom are resignedly awaiting their end, with no hope of further achievement in this world. We could offer our aged citizens an opportunity to regain their sense of creativity and productivity by documenting their lives and recording their perceptions for the benefit of future generations. Families may also wish to perpetuate the memories of family members who have already passed on.
Should certain contributors choose to donate significantly more than $200.00, special provisions may be made for the planting of memorial trees with an engraved plaque bearing the donor's name at their base. Ashes from cremation could be buried beneath the tree to symbolize a return to the earth of the gifts we have derived from it. Other memorial alternatives might include the construction of various improvements such as benches, walkways, ponds, gazebos, etc., in the generous benefactor's name. As the project gains momentum, legacy gifts to the foundation should become commonplace.
Other services that could be offered are audio-visual recordings of contributors on durable storage media (such as optical discs), thereby allowing them to be seen as living, breathing people by future generations of their descendants. Transferring data from less durable mediums to more permanent alternatives (CD-Rom or DVD) is another possible offshoot. As communications technologies proliferate, containers' contents could be scanned and transmitted over phone lines (e.g., faxed) or made available on the Internet, for a nominal fee, to people researching their genealogy or other interested parties who may prefer not to travel to the facility. Eventually, these services could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and provide employment to college students studying various media technologies .
While the preservation of artifacts is the primary objective of the Foundation, it is not the only function. Some of the funds accrued by the Foundation should be utilized to improve the human condition in the present and in the near future.
A portion of the revenue accrued by the foundation should be put into a sort of perpetual care fund in order to ensure that the prime directive (the preservation of contributors' parcels for a 200 year period) is not violated. Revenues over and above those needed to fulfill this obligation could be used for various projects approved by the board of directors. To that end, a research park shall be constructed with funds over and above those needed to ensure the success of our primary objective. It shall operate as an adjunct to the archive facilities. It shall be open to the public and operate in the public interest. Universities shall be notified of the work being done at the facility, and of the foundation's willingness to assist them in various research projects. Internships should be made available to students interested in working at the facility. Input from professors and administrators should be actively encouraged.
The research center should strive to educate and enlighten the public using the grounds as a showcase for work in areas of fundamental need, such as housing, food, energy, recycling, and waste treatment. Children, especially, should be encouraged to utilize the facility because they are our most priceless "future treasures." School field trips should be organized to expose young people to work being done at the facility. Showing kids the exciting and promising experiments and projects being conducted should instill a sense of optimism and pique their interest in pursuing careers in the important fields and technologies demonstrated.
By utilizing the facilities in this manner, we will be setting into motion a dynamic akin to that seen in the forest where, when a mature tree falls, it provides light and nourishment for the younger trees coming up in its shadow. Or, in John Wilmot's words, "Dead, we become the lumber of the world."
These then, are the aims of the foundation:
First, to provide a repository for the knowledge, talent, skills, and insights of thousands of lives already lived — a conglomeration and condensation of millions of hours of hard-fought life experience — a gift to the future should they choose to avail themselves of it.
Second, to educate and enlighten the younger ones with us now, in order that they may be equipped to make wise choices when it's their turn to hold the reins of the future — a gift to ourselves, our young ones, and the future.
Copyright 1995 by J. G. Harper