I'm really fascinated by the Marxist concept of "estrangement" as I understand it, specifically as a perspective with which to view large buildings which are demonstrable reifications of how insignificant we are not just in capitalist production, but as an individual in any cultural collective that accumulates technology and products over generations. I could never create something that size alone and even someone who has an understanding of how it is done, or who participates in that form of production for their entire career couldn't make anything comparable alone. Since a lot of my personal identity is tied to my productivity as an individual (not a good idea by the way), looking up at construction like this one reminds me that the physical monoliths that rise around me don't depend on me whatsoever. That makes me feel insecure, but I'm also enamored with the majesty of such structures. Watching a structure reach a stature that demeans my ego is especially arresting because I am stuck in the illusion that knowing how something is done is the same as doing it.

Thanks. I feel the same way. I keep thinking about it.