For some unknown reason, we humans love to stack stuff…all kinds of stuff. And we have succumbed to this desire for ages.
Our distant ancestors piled up rocks to mark trails, gravesites, ceremonial grounds or caches of food. These stacks are called cairns from the Gaelic meaning “heaps of stones”.
We continue to heap up stones in these modern times. A current craze of rock stacking has swept through our American parks. Park rangers strongly disparage the practice for a variety of ecological reasons. Here is how one park landscape in Door County, Wisconsin, was radically changed by park visitors. Some view this as an art happening, others as vandalism, akin to graffiti.
Perhaps rock stacking is inevitable, as we are taught to love stacking early in life. Stacking toys are considered to be education toys and numerous variations exist such as these colorful rings on a pole. Plus, no Montessori classroom is complete without the famous pink tower.
Our delight in placing one thing on top of another extends beyond rocks and blocks. One of my favorite examples is a beloved roadside attraction beside Interstate 80 in Williamsburg, Iowa. Kinzie, a farm implement company, has stacked up their grain carts in front of the company headquarters. The stack is made up of four production units, four custom-made models and one 16th scale cart replica on top.
Here are more examples of our penchant for piling. Perhaps we are hard-wired to do this.
Of course, you might prefer to eat your stacks.
Mary – this is SO good – I can’t possibly even express how good I think this is!! Right now I am submerged in stacks of boxes of things as we try to “sort” as they call it and prepare to move from the home we have lived in since leaving that little house we lived in when I first met you. Thank you for the beauty of your Blog!
Thank you, Anne. I remember that little house well. Where are you moving? Be sure to send us your address.