Millennia from now we’ll be gone, but symbols from 21st century culture may endure. Perhaps a future civilization will add golden arches to their flag after discovering ruins from McDonald’s. Or rebels will sport uniforms with red octagons and undecipherable ancient script. And a religious cult will worship a green goddess, who bears striking resemblance to the maiden on Starbuck’s logo.
Right now, these are just post-apocalyptic fantasies. But they exemplify a real phenomenon happening today: People turn ancient symbols into modern icons without necessarily understanding the original meanings.
