Decay & Growth
The Great American Zig-Zag Day 162 | Cumberland, KY
Disclaimer. I had a really great time walking through Cumberland. No matter how this may read, switching my perspective every now and then allows me to maintain a healthy, expansive mindset.
Decay contextualizes growth. The cycle of recycling nutrients, resources, ideas is perpetual system feeding off the old to build the new. Nature is a prime example of the power of decay. A fallen tree lays prostrate on the ground, its once tall branches the first to return to the soil, the trunk existing for decades, providing food for fungus and a hollow home for critters.
Cumberland is a town existing on the crossroads of decay and growth. 3 of every 4 buildings is boarded up, missing bricks, rotting through its wooden beams. Yet there is life in the town. The library is newly renovated and vibrant with a steady stream of community users. The town square is clean, fresh, and has newly installed EV chargers. It is clear Cumberland used to operate at a much higher capacity, but as mining jobs shifted and the national rail traffic reduced, they found themselves shrinking.
I see Cumberland as being the smallest it will be for the forseeable future. In the decay, there exists a passion and desire for growth. For every blank wall of a row-building, there are two others covered in art and decorations. The shops in town are unique and creative. It is unclear how many of them are actually opened, but several building shells were being actively renovated to take on new commerce.
There is a rusted steel rail bridge spanning the creek running perpendicular to main street. It is decayed and depreciated, the rail line running through the town long ago harvested and used either for new rail line or melted down for new steel projects. Yet the bridge remains. Still, silent, rotting. A stoic reminder of the fragility of prosperity. As easy as a town can be built, it can be abandoned.
Today served a valuable reminder of the impermanence of society, civilization, and life. I have an intrinsic desire to fight entropy, but I don’t often stop and consider which fights are worth taking on. It is possible that with state or federal effort, Cumberland could have maintained its vibrant status. But why dedicate the resources? It will either fall to ultimate decay, scatterings its bricks to dust in the stream, or it will find a way to revitalize and adapt to the times.
No matter if we shift to renewable energy or not, the Earth will continue spinning. If AI removes the need for human effort, if an asteroid hits, if all the nukes get launched, if WWIII kicks off, it will all be in service to the perpetual state of decay and growth. It is a self-centered viewpoint that we are capable of destroying the world. We can only ever exist as part of the cycle. No matter how many species we extinct, or warring factions we bomb, or CO2 we vomit into our atmosphere. Cumberland reminds me of the extreme decay that I so easily remove from my brain out of inability to fully comprehend it.
Anything I build will eventually turn to dust. I find comfort in this. It allows me to put my full efforts towards a task. I contextualize my world through an absurdist lens and reminding myself that nothing is as serious as I may think it allows me to publish works with less fear and shame. Cumberland exists without shame. It accepts the abandoned status of its buildings, but continues to fight entropy in its own way.
Thank you Cumberland for keeping the flame going and providing me with a great EV charge.
