New and old. Or old and new. Which way do you want to look at it? What replaces something existing is considered new, in a sense. But does "new" always mean better? Is progress truly progress? Or is it, in some contorted way, a form of regression?

This thought often plagues my mind. Like many other questions, I never seem to find a satisfactory answer. My mind dances around, nomadic, always posing intriguing questions but never settling on even a half-satisfactory answer.

The point in reference now is my old house versus the new one.

I don’t remember, as is often the case, if I’ve narrated this incident before. One day, just before the demolition of our old house was to begin, my wife and I took a final, loving look at the building as we were leaving. At that moment, two ladies passing by remarked, "What a lovely house!" Imagine the pain that caused.

What was wrong with the old house? The only real issue was that it had sunk below road level. And we certainly weren’t responsible for the road level rising over the years. Otherwise, the house had a good vibe, an old-world charm.

These days, there are new technologies that allow an entire house, along with its foundation, to be lifted. Floors and some parts of the building might suffer minor damage, but they can be fixed. Unfortunately, this technology wasn’t available when we decided to rebuild.

The materials used back then also seemed better to me. River sand was easily available, though it’s a tricky business—you can’t keep mining river sand without disrupting the ecosystem. The alternative now, which I think is quarry dust, doesn’t seem to bind as well. The bricks used for the old house were sourced from a trusted brick kiln owner, and they were quite strong. Now, I see bigger-sized concrete or hollow bricks being used in construction. It’s claimed that using larger bricks reduces the amount of cement needed for walls.

When the demolition of our old house began, the contractor kept saying how difficult it was to break down the walls and ceilings. "They’re so strong!" he repeated. What were we getting into with the new construction?

Continued in 174. Gaps In The Horizon - Part 2