…but lately I have noticed that some of the stuff is really, really GOOD!! Graffiti that is intelligent, witty, deep, artfully crafted, inspiring, controversial…and really, really funny

Suddenly I am filled with a newfound respect for some, if not all graffiti. And an open mind.

Looking into it further, I find that graffiti has been a universal aspect of mankind, like marriage (and some would say taxes).

And, get this…it was once very highly respected, or at least tolerated and expected. People wrote on everything…roadside rocks, the Pyramids, temples, cathedrals, in tombs, in houses, on random walls, any available surface, public or private, and for a vast assortment of reasons.

So what happened? Why did graffiti go from incredibly common and acceptable (come, pilgrims, write your prayers to the saints upon our fair cathedral walls) to degenerate and limited to the dregs of the city and dirty bathroom walls?

Does graffiti have value? Does it tell us anything about the human condition? Should it be thrown in among the rest of the filth of humanity, or does it deserve serious consideration?

Maybe some is trash. But some is really good. It is the often anonymous musings of the masses. The faceless thoughts of the people. In the bathroom, it is an admission that everyone shares the feces condition, that it is not something to be hidden, partaken of in solitude and denial, but just another part of life.

Elsewhere, it may have a much deeper meaning.
No one wants to come into life and fade away into Death without anyone noticing. All want a promise of immortality. All want to be remembered and valued by someone. All want to leave their mark, to say, "I lived!"

The famous man, the rich man, has epics composed for him, or builds a pyramid, or conquers an enemy, or builds a multinational corporation, etc. But what can the poor man, the simple man, the POWERLESS man do? He can make his mark on the imperishable.