The Adirondack Northway. The State University of New York. The State Office Campus. The Nelson A Rockefeller Empire State Plaza.

What do all these things have in common? They were built in the 1960s, and are increasingly decrepit. Why is this true?

The 1960s were a time of great change in our country. It was a time when our we (our parents and grandparents) believed we could change the world. It was the greatest economy ever, with 20 years of prosperity gone past since the end of World War II. It was a time of cheaper and cheaper material goods, and loose financing.

It was a decade when bigger was better. We built massive concrete buildings and massive highways. Modernity was concerned about using our massive wealth to build massive things are cheaply as possible. And now we are starting to suffer with aging modern buildings that are inefficient and increasingly decrepit.

In this age of innocence, we were completely unaware of the consequences of our actions. We somehow thought we could build bigger and better for ever, and that any environmental problem we faced could be mitigated. We as man were going to overcome as the problems that nature put in front of us.

We were wrong. Natural resources are limited, as is money. Our creativity and scientific knowledge extend these resources by using them more effectively, but they can not overcome the fundamental limitations of nature. Science can also not create environments that as pleasing or inspiring as the natural world. We simply do not understand enough about our world.

Maybe the best way to put it was that we in the 1960s, we believed we understood everything, while we understood relatively little. We understand far more today, but also are far more cautious with our acts and stances. Yet, we also are not as idealistic as we once where—which might just be our downfall.