Recently, the skeleton of England's King Richard III was discovered under a parking lot (car park) in Leicester. He is the king codified, somewhat incorrectly, in Shakespeare's play: "I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,/Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,/Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time/Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,/And that so lamely and unfashionable/That dogs bark at me as I halt by them."
Richard III was killed in battle in 1485. Presumably, his remains were mellowing ever since. His skeleton shows head injuries as well as his deformed back.
Since discovery of Richard's bones, archeologists have dug into extensive analysis to confirm that the bones, in fact, are perceived royalty. The research has included DNA matches with apparent descendants over the globe, carbon dating of the bones and identification of the man's diet as appropriate for a king in 1485.
The interesting fact, however, is that for centuries people were walking, and more recently driving, on King Richard III. What would the Bard say about that? It seems disrespectful to royalty, and certainly contrary to what my mother admonished me repeatedly: "Don't let people walk all over you."
But, perhaps even more interesting is that Richard's bones are like ground water. We all walk, drive, farm, construct buildings and carry on life's activities on top of water in the earth below--water which serves all of these activities. We know where some of this water exist is, but not necessarily all of its locations. We may not know its age with certainty or how it really got there.
No doubt, Richards bones now will be well preserved for the future. Water is the bones of life. Will humanity preserve it for the future? With no disrespect to the Bard: "I, that I am curtailed of appearance/By earth, rock, blacktop and foundation,/And by wasteful uses and awkward laws,/As without halting, people and dogs walk over me as I slip away under their legs."
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