I love the dream of building things to last. If humans left earth this instant, what would remain useful in 1000 years? Most of what we use today would perish, so there is a sense of overwhelming disposability or high-maintenance around our lifestyles.

Rather than viewing this disposability as a weakness, perhaps we can see it as an element of wise design. By analogy, the human body leans heavily towards self-repair rather than monolithic permanence. Perhaps it is a good thing that our day-to-day designs depend so much on active use and maintenance. If no one continues to use it, why does it need to keep working?