Georgia Guidestones

Georgia Guidstones

Last week Becky and I took some time off and went south.  The 5 degree temperatures this morning made us wonder why we came back!

We spent some time in Atlanta with friends and one of the things we did was visit the Georgia Guidestones.  The Guidestones are in Elbert County,  Georgia, east of Atlanta.  They’re on a hilltop out in the country and a little difficult to find.  I had read about them in a newspaper article a while back and we’re always looking for interesting things to do while we’re there.  This was a nice drive and an interesting display.

The stones have a sort of manifesto inscribed on them, which appears to be a blueprint for a new civilization after some catastrophic event.  It is carved into the stones in eight different languages.  They read as follows:

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.

They have several precise cuts in the stones that have astronomical significance, such as a hole through which the North Star can be seen and and an aperture in the capstone that allows a ray of sunlight to shine through at noon each day.  One of the other interesting things is that there is a time capsule and some inscriptions that remain unfinished, even though, by all accounts, the work was completed per specifications.

It’s unfortunate that some individuals have taken it upon themselves to deface them.  Whatever their intent, the Guidestones are an interesting feature on the landscape.   It’s probably not something I would make another trip to see, but it was worth one visit.

Wikipedia has an entry on the Georgia Guidestones here.  More of the story about how the Guidestones came to be can be found at the Wired Magazine site here.