Garret Phipps – Civil Engineering
I like to sit and think about the vast amount of history beneath our very feet here in Florence. Each stone – placed by romans, rubbled during the world wars, and paved over in the modern era. Or each building – a foundation built by Etruscans in the countryside, inhabited by real humans that experience the same love for those close to them, the same fascination with their own history, and the same fear for what is to come. I often thought of these figures of history as legendary or mythical, except for the fact that they are also human, and similarly temporary.
My first “wow” was just this – not only the vast history, but the meditation on what legacy is left of ancestral kingdoms that ruled far and wide. With our program in our first week, we had the opportunity to visit several historic religious and cultural sites across Tuscany. Santa Croce, where the likes of Galileo and Michelangelo are buried (just to name a few!), was overwhelming in its architecture and ornamentation. Outside of the program, we also had the chance to visit Fiesole, the original Etruscan settlement atop a hill overlooking the city of Florence; once Romans arrived, they settled in the valley near the river on the site of the current city. Both of these sites, out of many, have so much influence in our western culture today – imagine life today without Michelangelo’s humanism or Galileo’s heliocentric theories. How would life be different today, and what will my own legacy be? It’s impossible to tell!
Another “aha” I’ve found is on the topic of identity; I find Americans so quick to reject their American identity in favor of their distant, muddied heritage despite having no real lasting connection to that culture. Me, like much of my own family, are similarly Midwestern American and relate much more to the plains and simple life of the Midwest than of our German, English, and bohemian heritage. I come to Italy, however, and even immigrants are proud of their Italian culture and heritage - Italian language, Italian art, Italian food – and I, despite having European ancestry, am still American. It’s fascinating how going so far can internally bring one back to where they come from.
Let’s be real, I’m 20 years old. Don’t be so existential. So much of life will change in the next 6 months, how can I think of my legacy after I die already? The unexamined life isn’t worth living, so I’d rather ponder on these things before it’s too late.
Swanson School of Engineering 