The Magna Carta
The U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Bill of Rights
I've seen each of these. When I did, they weren't all that interesting. I was usually more intrigued by the food in the cafe.
But I know why they were worth seeing - not for my sake, but for my kids'. Now, when my students ask questions like -- "Is the real thing still around?" or "What kind of paper did they use?" -- I can say, "Yes -- and this is what it looks like..."
This is why it is worth it to "go see the real thing" (i.e., be a tourist - in England, Mongolia, Nebraska, wherever).
In January, I wrote about the same thing (being touristy) after an evensong at Christ Church in Oxford:
During the service I thought about all the people who had sung the same words in the same building for hundreds of years. I always wondered if "standing in the same place as such-and-such was x years ago" was really as special as tourists say. Actually, it was -- but not because it was ancient or traditional. It was because the words I was singing to God were true, and I believed them, and other people whom I don't even know had also sung them to the same God and believed them. (Wow.)
That was worth it for my sake. Now I have another reason: My kids. Being touristy (in the right way) holds promise for good, not just for me, but for all my students and students-to-be.
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