The other day, I was watching a documentary about a treasure ship while on the bus to work. The entire adventure and discovery was extremely fascinating and thought-provoking. It was reported that some random surfers discovered a treasure ship by accident. And then, experts and scholars from all corners of the world were profoundly intrigued. Based on a series of in-depth investigation, they concluded that it was originated from ancient dynasties containing various exquisite and splendid treasures of priceless value.

Maritime anthropologists held the opinion that the sink was actually due to the alteration of voyage route. If the captain chose to return in the same route as they came, they would’ve probably sailed safely back and there would be no wrecks or legacies preserved in this way. However, the captain insisted on returning in a different path and as the story went, they confronted some sort of appalling weather and the ship sank directly to the bottom of the sea right after the disaster.

I couldn’t resist but keep wondering the other alternative of the ship returning in the same route safe and sound. If so, there would be neither causality nor shipwrecks. All the treasures would have scattered all over the markets at that time. The affluent and aristocrats would have flooded there to discern and then pocket them. Nowadays, the treasures could be oceans apart, passed down from families of diverse origins or even preserved in museums on different continents. 

However, in reality, the sailors and the treasures never survived and but sealed side by side unfortunately. Because of some unknown natural obstacle, they were all swept down by the powerful waves and immediately concealed deeply in the vast sea. At that very second, everything on the ship turned into eternity and remained static ever since, until they were unveiled at this moment.

The whole event reminds me of the Pompeii incident. The glorious Roman Empire boasted liberty, wealth and military strength. However, with merely one natural catastrophe, the entire city of Pompeii was buried under the formidable volcano dust all of a sudden. (The fragility of humankind!) From the ruins, we could still observe the real Roman life. Some people were running for life, some bathing in the public bath pool, some hanging washed clothes, some having drinks at a local bar and some fornicating with uncanny pleasure in a prostitute house. If you visit the ruins, you could still see the original status of their life and even the engraved Roman words on the wall at one of the prostitution house, saying “I came and I had a good fuck”.

People, no, I stand correct, lifelike statues, covered with dust and sand, were the most eloquent embodiments of the Roman life back then. They are not words or paintings recorded for different versions of interpretation and understanding. Come to think of it, it is rather unprecedented and astonishing that they were 100% real and alive, only getting caught and deadened at that very moment. And exactly at that split second of volcano eruption, the authenticity and liveliness of a stratified society has ultimately devolved into the stagnancy and oblivion of an enormous historical, cultural ruins site for centuries ever since. Because of that very second, such unseeming possibility did become reality and transform into eternity.

The famous poem suddenly comes to my mind:

to see a world in a grain of sand

and heaven in a wild flower

hold infinity in the palm of your hand

and eternity in an hour

That’s exactly the proper lament to depict the sentiment of events like this. And if you are observant enough, you would come to the realization that every second constitutes eternity. The ticking clock is just a symbol, a substitute, an indicator of time.

However,

The past is forever gone

The future is largely uncertain

Only at this moment

This very second is ever-present

and truly meaningful.

Any second could turn into eternity.