Thursday, September 16, 2010

Another Brick in the Wall


Pink Floyd sang, "All in all you're just another brick in the wall." In the context of the song, that lyric seems intended to point out the lack of importance of a single individual to the grand scheme of things. That's one way to look at it, I suppose. On a bad day. Usually, I see bricks in a different light.


One brick alone may not be much more than a doorstop or a paperweight, a useful object, but one that won't garner much attention. A lot of bricks together, though, can become buildings: churches, schools, and very sturdy houses (remember the three little pigs). And each individual brick is important to the completion of the building.


It works the same way with us human "bricks." When we stand together, our combined strength can accomplish great social movement. Unfortunately, it's also true that a lot of brick-headed people working together can quickly throw up walls that prevent progress. That's happening a lot in our nation these days. It makes me sad.


I wonder when our leaders and our extremist mobs will recognize that when they build stand-alone walls, they don't have much. A wall that doesn't meet and join with other walls will never be a cathedral. It can only be an obstacle.


I worry sometimes because so many "bricks" in our society seem to be crumbling. And I wonder what kind of mortar it will take to put us back together again.

4 comments:

  1. I love this analogy. If one brink in that brick wall is not laid with precise care, the entire wall will be off course. A tiny fragment of a inch will ruin the wall and it will look ugly, be off balance. and be quicker to crumble.

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  2. I agree, it's a wonderful analogy! And, the bottom photo reminds me that we may be able to paint over bricks but it's what's under the paint that counts. (personally I don't understand why anyone would paint over bricks, but then again I don't wear makeup, so maybe that's why I don't understand.)

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  3. "A wall that doesn't meet and join with other walls will never be a cathedral. It can only be an obstacle." That is so very true. Oh, and the masthead picture of Butch and the flowers? It gave me such a smile!!!

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  4. Sister-Three and Janet, I enjoyed your extensions of my brick analogy. It's so much fun to watch where people's minds go in relation to a single idea.

    Duly Inspired, Butch doesn't do much, but what he does always makes me smile, too.

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