Walls

I've been thinking a lot about walls recently.  There are things that I want to say, but I'm not confident in my ability to say it eloquently or even understandably.  But I feel the need to say something, so I'm going to knock down my own barrier of uncertainty and just write what I feel.  You may agree with what I say; you may not.  In either case, if reading this so stirs you to reply, as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, but ask that you do so respectfully.

Walls are NOT a bad thing.  We need walls to protect us...What are our homes other than walls and a roof?  (The ground/floor goes without saying.)  Of course there is more to it than that, but basically most of us live surrounded by walls.  There are walls in our homes, our offices, our businesses, our schools, etc.  We need walls in our lives.  They are important.

Walls give us privacy. (Think about public bathrooms!  Stall walls are a GOOD thing.)  We all need privacy at times.  (Again, think about those public bathrooms.  You COULD have one/use one without a stall, but would you want to?  You might HAVE to, but I'm betting you wouldn't like it.)  Like all things, however, too much privacy can be a bad thing.  Using walls as a barrier from the rest of the world is NOT good.  Using walls to keep out "the real world" is harmful and can be dangerous.  It's not that the walls are bad or good; it's how they are used.

Walls can keep us safe; to some extent.   Again, our homes have walls to protect us.  But if we are honest, they don't keep us completely safe.  We have doors to get us in and out of our homes.  We don't just shut our doors; we lock them to keep ourselves safe.  Yet even if walls and locked doors, "bad" people can and DO get in sometimes.  Even the "safest" of homes is not impervious to burglary.  Walls alone do not guarantee safety. Certainly locks and other security can be a deterrent, but if someone REALLY wants to get in; they will find a way.  To think that walls can keep you completely safe is naive.  To think that any security systems will keep you safe is also naive.  All this could and should help with safety, but it is NOT a guarantee.

Walls can help keep people out.  Walls can help keep people in. But they are NOT an answer to safety and security.  Walls can be broken down.  (I am dating myself but I remember the Berlin wall coming down and what a JOYOUS time it was as a city/country were reunited.)  Walls can be tunneled under.  Walls can be scaled.  Walls can even be pole vaulted over!  Walls are not an answer.

I like the walls in my life.  I like having 3 walls around me to that I can have my own space to work in.  I definitely like having stalls in the ladies room.  These walls have a good purpose.  They are well thought out.  There is a reason for them to exist.   They provide privacy, not security and it would be foolish to think otherwise.

To put it plainly, I don't think building a wall of nearly 2,000 miles is going to solve a problem.  I see it raising problems such as costs (this is NOT something I'm willing to invest in) and maintenance (nothing lasts forever; I have my own problems with plaster coming off my walls!) to name, but two.  Even we all decided right this second to build a wall, to do so would take a LONG time...so the problem will still exist and not go away.  (To be honest, I see this in the same way I see highway construction; the time the whole project is "completed" they have to go back to the beginning and start repairs. It's a never ending headache.)

Instead of focusing on a wall, shouldn't the focus be on the problem and what can be done long term AND short term to help alleviate it?  (Notice, I didn't say solve.  I'm not sure there IS a solution.)  At least that's what makes sense to me.