Percy Bysshe Shelley: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair

'Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
- Percy Bysshe Shelley

The works of man do not endure. Ancient Egypt thrived for thousands of years before its civilization was overthrown by outsiders. America, at less than 300 years, isn't even out of diapers. Security and happiness cannot come from physical things, whether cars, homes, or seemingly indestructible monuments of civilization. Lasting joy can only come from within and from connection with Spirit.