Dear readers, 

I recently read an LPG article that made its point using the seven wonders of the ancient world and just how little most of us remember about them.  Most people of our age will have come across them. They usually got mentioned when we were at school but I have to say that I am as bad as everyone else when it comes to naming any of them.  

When thinking about this, I got to the internet and I found that there are now quite a few different lists of seven to be found when it comes to wonderful things.  There are the seven modern wonders of the world and the seven natural wonders of the world to name a couple of the others.  

Taking a look at the linked video of the ancient ones left under that message got me wanting to see the more Modern ones and the internet did not disappoint. I also found the list of the seven natural wonders equally awe inspiring in its own way.  Having seen all three, I came to the conclusion that there are so many parts of our world that are worth seeing and, while individual tastes will rate their beauty in different ways, the one overlaying factor that unites them is their size.   

The internet’s version of the top three ‘seven wonder’ lists left me thinking of a few more items that could be added but for the fact that they always seem to have to be lists of seven.  That left me wondering about the significance of that number in this instance.  The internet tells that the first compilation was Greek and, for them, the number 7 is the number that signifies completion and perfection.   It has to be said that the chosen ones are special but having taken another look at all 21 featured items, I felt that the message being offered is ‘big is beautiful’ and I am not sure that I altogether agree.  

The number seven does limit things a bit in my opinion and while the wonders on the accepted planet-wide lists are pretty special, it occurred that they do not account for so many personal lists that the travelled might be able to compile.  I am not one of the world’s travellers but I have a few ideas of my own.  

During my pretty long life I have not been that far from Lewisham borough let alone London but I believe that I have seen some pretty impressive home grown sights.

I noted that there is only one of the ancient wonders still in existence, which proves that everything is relatively temporary and, when it comes to natural wonders, I concluded that beauty can be effective even though smaller and a lot less permanent.  How many times have you seen something that catches your eye before the sight of it is gone forever?  

Awesome wonder can be there for just a moment at times, which has to be why so many artists spend hours trying to capture it on canvas with all the landscape paintings that history has left us. 

I also think that the most profound Natural Wonder has been missed altogether.  The sun has to be just about the biggest wonder we on planet earth have and a glance at it through squinted eyes, from anywhere in the world at just the right time or from just the right place has to be right up there with the other so-called wonders.  It can allow us a view that will most probably never be seen again. This has helped me conclude that sunsets and rises are among my personal favourite wonders. 

Now, so many of us have the perfect way to capture such moments in our pockets at all times.  I did this one evening about a decade ago and got the picture I have asked LPG to include with my message.  I am wondering if any other readers have ever seen a sight so wonderful that they felt the need to get their mobile phone out and take a picture?

TL, Beckenham.

TL shares what he found about those other Wonderful lists…

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