Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Cogsworth, engineers toiled day and night, their minds consumed by intricate designs, equations, and the relentless pursuit of progress. The air hummed with the rhythm of machinery, and the streets echoed with the clatter of metal against metal.
Professor Elara, a seasoned engineer, had spent decades perfecting her craft. She was renowned for her innovations—a bridge that defied gravity, a clockwork heart that beat in harmony with the universe. Yet, despite her achievements, a shadow lingered in her workshop. It was the whisper of memento mori, a reminder that time was both her ally and adversary.
One crisp morning, as the sun painted the sky in hues of gold, Professor Elara stood before her latest creation—a colossal steam-powered automaton. Its gears spun, pistons hissed, and its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. The city marveled at her ingenuity, but Elara knew the truth—the automaton was a reflection of her mortality.
She had seen fellow engineers fall—some to illness, others to accidents in the foundries. Their dreams remained half-finished, their blueprints gathering dust. Elara wondered, What legacy would she leave behind?
In the heart of her workshop, she hung a small brass plaque: “Memento Mori.” It bore the weight of her purpose. Each day, as she adjusted cogs and calibrated pressure valves, she glanced at those words. They reminded her that her time was finite, like the steam that powered her machines.
Elara’s apprentice, Ezra, was a bright-eyed youth with a penchant for invention. He admired her work, but he also questioned her obsession with mortality. “Why dwell on death, Professor?” he asked one evening. “Isn’t engineering about progress and creation?”
Elara smiled, her fingers tracing the automaton’s spine. “Ezra, every gear, every joint, carries the echo of impermanence. Our bridges span rivers, but they too will crumble. Our machines churn life into motion, yet they rust and decay. Memento mori teaches us humility—to honor the fleeting nature of our existence.”
Ezra pondered her words. “But how does this apply to engineering?”
“Consider the clock tower,” Elara said, pointing to the city’s iconic timepiece. “Its gears turn relentlessly, measuring seconds, minutes, and hours. Yet, hidden within its mechanism is a tiny skull—a reminder that time devours all. Engineers must build not just for the present, but for generations to come.”
As seasons changed, Ezra absorbed Elara’s wisdom. He designed bridges with hidden inscriptions—lines of poetry etched into stone, urging travelers to pause and reflect. His airships bore delicate glass orbs, each containing a preserved flower—a symbol of life’s fragility.
One stormy night, as lightning danced across the sky, Elara fell gravely ill. Her workshop grew silent, the automaton standing sentinel. Ezra sat by her bedside, holding her frail hand. “Professor,” he whispered, “what legacy will you leave?”
Elara’s eyes sparkled. “Ezra, I’ve built bridges, machines, and wonders. But my greatest creation is you—the engineer who understands that every bolt, every circuit, carries the weight of eternity. Build, my dear apprentice. Build with purpose.”
And so, when Professor Elara breathed her last, Ezra unveiled his masterpiece—a clockwork tree that blossomed with each passing hour. Its leaves whispered, “Memento Mori,” and the city gathered to marvel. They remembered Elara, not as a mere inventor, but as a keeper of wisdom—a bridge between the mortal and the eternal.
And in the heart of Cogsworth, the clock tower’s tiny skull grinned, reminding all who passed: Remember, you must die.
And so, the concept of memento mori became etched not only in stone and steel but in the very soul of engineering. 🌿🕰️🔧.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 11/23/2023
(1) Memento mori – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori.
(2) “Memento mori” doesn’t mean what you think, what this ancient Latin …. https://psychology-spot.com/memento-mori-meaning-origin/.
(3) Memento mori Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento%20mori.
(4) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_mori.
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