I had a lot of formative and terrible experiences in high school: my first B, more than one bully, the odd romantic dalliance and countless lunches from 7-Eleven.

The one positive memory I have of that time in my life was history. Through the exemplary work of grossly underpaid educators, I found a love for past events, places and people.

That’s why what is currently going on in Richmond, Va., bothers me so much. It seems our history is under threat.

According to an April 5 report from the Associated Press, city leaders in the former capital of the Confederacy want to build a $200 million dollar baseball complex in Shockoe Bottom, the former site of the cities slave trading markets.

Now, to be fair, supporters of the project have also promised to build a memorial to former slaves that were sold on the site and a $30 million dollar museum. But that is not enough.

When you have any site that has historic significance, things could be buried in the ground in the area. Big or small, they can be of immense value.

According to The New York Times, construction workers at the World Trade Center site found the remnants of an 18th century ship in 2010 while on the job. Had they just paved the area over with concrete after the towers fell, this amazing item would have never been seen.

Pieces that fascinating should never be lost in time. All over America and the world, historic sites are under attack by the forces of development.

I understand people need to build things to keep themselves afloat economically, but sometimes it’s just bad to see.

In Mecca, the Saudi Arabian regime has destroyed several important artifacts from the early years of the Islamic faith. According to the Guardian, the Saudis have demolished the house of the prophet Muhammad’s wife and his grandson as of 2013. In their place, new seven-star hotels have been constructed. That’s shameful.

I have never been and never will be a man of any religious faith – my parents taught me to just be a good man – but I will always be the first one to try to preserve religious items of historical significance.

Mankind always fights over their differences in this area. Maybe if we did not destroy things, we could have peace.

To be fair, the United States and Saudi Arabia are not the only ones destroying the past in the name of so-called “progress.”

In China, The Huffington Post reported that workers on a subway project destroyed a series of 2,000 and 3,000 year old tombs. That is insane. My inner nerd sheds a huge tear for the now lost treasure.

Our history as a species is under threat all over the world. At the local and national levels, cultural heritage is being tossed aside for shiny and gleaming buildings that will not stand the test of time.

In the future, kids will be standing in front of an apartment building and not the Old North Church in Boston if things continue as they are. That would be a horrible sight to behold.

– Evan Pretzer is a junior communication major from from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.