I was in Athens, Greece with someone who knew much more about a lot of things in life than I did. As we were strolling in the July heat towards the Central meat market, he noted that most of the buildings in the city were never torn down; just painted over, plastered on top of. Beyond the ancient ruins and historical sites, these streets lined with cobblestone were absolutely falling apart.

Government workers attempting to “fix” these withering structures weren’t doing much of anything other than trying to prove that they were.

A tenth coat of paint doesn’t help if the primer is a couple hundred years old