The year was 2100 and the earth as we had come to know and live was no longer existent.  It had been a tough decision in determining what artifacts we could carry on this space ship.  We were first more concerned if we would all survive the long journey into deep space to begin anew.  The Earth and most early civilizations on it, measured the passing of time by the phases of the moon other stories regarding the sky goddess Nut above her brother and earth god Geb, the air god Shu gives form to the world.  The mythical separation of sky and earth represented but one explanation of divine creation and here today the Earth with its fury on fire as we viewed from our vessel.<!--more-->

This particular ship had been invented for such a purpose in the event of nuclear disaster; our government had wasted no time in designing a time capsule with "<em>Logitech Advance Aviation Technology." </em>Its interior was composed of startlingly compact white pods whose walls were mounted with every necessity, from a sleeping bunk and desk to a rotary phone, calculator, and reel-to-reel tape player. The hallway doors looked like airlocks. The sole window in each pod was circular.  A towering stack of prefabricated concrete cubes jutting at myriad angles out of a central core and to contrast the white walls were shades of orange and avocado green were used to off set the sterile whiteness.  Evident from the context of late ’70s and early ’80s design, the capsule city almost seemed preordained. Long-haul space flights had introduced the world to confined, multifunctional, technology-intensive living.  I held my breath as we continued to view in awe the destruction of the Earth as we had come to know and live; the realization that I would never set foot there again had not even been a thought in my mind yet.

On flight we had managed to preserve the main four items I felt to be the most important; I was accused of hoarding old artifacts rather than to save the mere 49 people that could have been saved had I chosen not to bring my collection.

Religious scholars believe that the there are four Vedas which are collections of hymns, songs and prayers, and rituals honoring the various gods of the Aryans.  The earliest and most important from this collection is the “<em>Rig Veda, a collection of 1,028 hymns addressed to various Hindu gods.”</em>(65)  Many of these hymns were designed to be sung during specific religious rituals, especially sacrifices and they contain stories about the deed of the Hindu gods.  Hindus believe “that the Vedas were not composed by people, but rather directly revealed, mirroring Christian beliefs about the Bible.”(59)  There have been many translations published for people to read the Rigveda in their native languages.  But like all works of translation the concerns for retaining the original poetic content of the Rigveda continues to prove difficult no different than the various translations of King James Version for practicing Christians today.   Therefore this documentation is of essence for the future provided we would survive life in space and if we did; then it would be those that supersede us that will be the benefactors of 49 lives left to sacrifice today as we launched into space.

Also on board were the royal patrons behind the Parisian “court style” of Gothic art and architecture.  King Louis IX. the grandson of Philip Augustus, Louis inherited the throne when he was only 12 years old. The story of Gothic art and architecture begins in the Ile-de-France around 1140 at Saint-Denis, Paris, Chartres, and elsewhere.  French architects pioneered a new building style using ribs vaults with pointed arches, flying buttresses, and stained-glass windows, French builders constructed towering cathedrals with statue-lined portals in and interiors flooded with mystical multicolored light, it was the stained glass windows and relics that I managed to bring as well as the architects blueprints from centuries past that would help us rebuild it if we ever where able to find a plant like Earth.

Another treasure saved was the frescoed allegories of Good and Bad Government that were painted in 1338-1339.  While the frescoes offer glimpses of what daily life looked like in Siena, they more tellingly convey the Sienese government's sense of itself, its mission and its effect on the town.  Lorenzetti's frescoes show the virtues and vices of two kinds of government and their effects.  The message is that what makes a good or bad government ultimately depends on the society each created and supports and what we know about this society then can read more into the public's realm.  These paintings would give only a glimpse of how the earlier societies learned to live and cope during their times.  I liken these paintings at hand waiting to be experienced again on another level far above the skies as we travel through time.

And finally The Arabian Nights, also known as The Thousand and One Nights and known in Arabic as Alf Layla wa Layla, is a collection of fables, fairy tales, romances and historical accounts of varying ethnic sources, including Indian, Persian, and Arabic oral traditions. While their specific origins are unknown, it is certain that the stories were circulating orally for centuries before they were written down in the fourteenth century in a Syrian manuscript.  “Arabian Nights” is probably one of the most famous literary works of the Eastern civilization, which incorporates literary heritage of different countries united into one literary work. At the same time, the creation of this book perfectly reflects the major political and socio-economic trends during this time.  If anything these stories would help us surpass the time while we are on our conquest to find a place of our own to call our home.

I can still almost hear; each of them whispering to me and their relevance of our future as our space craft flowed through unchartered skies into the dark.  Satisfied with my accomplishments I retired for the evening; yes it had a been a rough launch, probably more emotionally challenging; tomorrow would bring a new day in a new world that we would have to learn to live in.  I was convinced that the people from Earth 2100 would survive and sustain themselves for the generations to come; not least because they came from the proving ground of the Earth but for all those whom were lost and left behind; it was for them we would continue on this journey into the future.

The End.

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<p style="text-align: center">Works Cited</p>
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Cunningham, Dolin. 1995. "For the Honour and Beauty of the City: The Design of Town Halls."  Pp. 29-54 in <em>Siena, Florence, </em>

<em> and Padua: Art, Society and Religion </em>1280-1400, Edited by D. Norman. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Doniger, Wendy. “<em>The Hindus: an alternative history</em>” New York: Penguin Press, 2009. Print

Fiero, Gloria. “<em>The Humanistic Tradition” Vol 1 6e.</em> Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Press, 2011. E-Book

Nevola, Fabrizio. 2008. Siena: <em>Constructing the Renaissance City.</em> New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

White, John. 1987. <em>Art and Architecture in Italy: </em>1250-1400. New York: Penguin Books.

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