The ruins of one civilization lie atop the ruins of another, and below those ruins lie deeper ruins. It’s ruins all the way down. But if you go deep enough, you will come to a layer where there are no ruins because nothing was built above the Earth, though all that was necessary for life could still be found.
The higher you build, the greater the folly. There is no getting above the Earth. There is only the endless shoveling under of what came before you in your effort to fashion the world anew.
Know that the world is never made new through building. The new world lies beneath everything you have made from the beginning, and there is no way that you can destroy it. You can only destroy what you have made.
Everything you build will pass away and be forgotten. But you will not be forgotten so long as you place your feet firmly on the ground. You don’t have to dig to find that ground. It lies within you and all about you. It feeds you and supports you and protects you even now. But to know this in your heart will be the work of many generations. The wisdom of your ancestors cannot be reclaimed in a single day.