Walls
We are in the midst of a great political debate over the issue of approved and unapproved immigration, and like most things in today’s world it comes down to something as innocuous as a physical barrier at our border. Why is this? My guess is a simple one, the propaganda machines can fit the argument for or against a wall into their 15-second sound bites.
We hear on the one side about the crisis in border security that would be solved by a wall, while the counter arguments span the gamut from “there is no crisis” to a claim the wall is “immoral.” I would like to take a few minutes to review what walls are and can be, and perhaps remove the idea that they can be immoral, for morality is truly a human thing. A wall has no humanity it is just a barrier serving a defined purpose.
Of course, walls can be used to define borders, this has been true since the beginnings of empire. Take the Great Wall of China. It remains today as a testament to the willingness of the Chinese Emperors to define and defend their lands.
Walls can also be expressions of man’s pettiness and incivility to their neighbors.
But walls are also reflections of so much more of the human condition. They can serve to represent the faith of a people in their God,
Or separate some from society.
They can help a nation heal from a tragic war,
Or inspire a people to continue to fight for independence
They can keep a people enslaved by a government that sees them as the property of the state.
Or they can serve as a canvas for an artist's expressions of humanity.
Walls protect us from the noise of our inventions.
Or define the boundaries of our games.
Walls can protect what we hold most important.
Or just keep our neighbors from bothering us.
So, we come down to the final question. Should we have a border wall? I am not sure how to break this to a lot of you, but we already do, the question is not should we have one, but how much of one should we have and maintain?
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7 comments:
I enjoyed your blog on walls. It was well thought out, well researched and the visuals drive home your points.
I wanted to share another example of "wall" that come to mind while I read your blog. Terri has been playing Mah-Jongg with her retired teacher friends for several years. A game resulting in no winner, similar to a stalemate in chess, is called a "wall" game. Maybe that definition comes into play in this political ping-pong game where there seems to be no clear, obvious winners
Time will tell....
You beat me to it! Had these same thoughts but couldn't portray them so eloquently in the time I had allotted. i.e. my first break at work ends in 90 seconds! Happy Belated Birthday, John. May I call you tomorrow a.m. on my day off?
Breck, a good point on the stalemate game.
Mitch, yes, I'll make sure I have my phone with me. I'm planning on playing Pickleball from 0700 to 0900. Anytime after that is good.
John, So sorry that I missed you again these last couple of days. I will update you via phone when we catch up here telephonically tomorrow (Sat. a.m.) I hope.
I re-read this piece tonight, and I must say this is an outstanding essay. I would like to print this and submit to our Catholic School's English Teacher, Ms. Carolyn Nicholson. She teaches a senior-level course on literary analysis, and she is always looking for fresh material. This piece is not only excellent for teaching the fundamentals of analysis for her students, it also involves a hot "topic of the day" that Carolyn is always looking for to keep her students engaged and not lose interest in "analyzing Mark Twain again...." Would you mind if I print this essay and take a few copies to Carolyn at Reicher Catholic High School? It would be my pleasure, but I will hold off until I get express permission from you or the National Football League.....wait....oops!...Let me get another cup of coffee going.......! The rest of my words are truth.
Mitch, you are free to use my blog post as you would like. The only thing I ask is to reference where it came from. Thanks, John.
What fine examples you have given of the variations of function an enclosure or barrier can have. I think it is interesting how infrequently in media commentaries that gates are mentioned. There is nothing so appealing as a beautiful entrance no matter how secure the boundaries may be. When approaching a domain that is not one's own, it is wonderful for there to be clarity as to where, how and when one may be received...unless you are .... a prowler.
First of all hats off to you for gathering all those appropriate pics.
Yes the debate can go on and sometimes I see myself sitting on the fence (wall?) as there is some truth in what both side says.
Like that picture of artist's expressions of humanity. Its real imagination.
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