Is There Really More to Bricks than Clay, Mud, and A Couple of Other Things?
The brick has been used for thousands of years, helping to build various structures that we use every day. In this sense, the purpose the brick serves in the material world is undeniable. But, when we look at bricks through a different lens, a figurative lens, they serve the community in a whole new way. When viewing the brick a figurative lens, we see the brick as a teacher. It teaches us the importance of following one’s dreams and teamwork to achieve success. And while when we view a brick, we see our future, it also represents and enlightens us on the importance of persistence no matter the obstacle in the way.
“Follow Yellow Brick Road”~ The Wizard of Oz
Growing up the Wizard of Oz was a staple in everyone’s movie diet, because let’s face it who does not enjoy hearing Judy Garland sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” And while that is a fantastic song, an even better one is “Follow the Yellow Brick Road/You’re Off to See the Wizard.” This song is sung as Dorothy begins her journey to meet the wizard who will help her fulfill her dream of going home. These bricks make up the path of her journey, each brick being a step. This “Yellow Brick Road” represents the fact that one must follow their own path one step at a time. This physical path that was present in the movie is present in our everyday lives. Brick paths are things that we figuratively build every day for ourselves. Each step in the path represents one more step that we must take to achieve our dreams. There are often multiple directions that one can build their paths, some will be more difficult than others. For those who take the easy path, they walk brick by brick, step by step until they reach their goal. Those who take the hard path may encounter challenges that they may have not seen coming. Sometimes, there are twists and turns with changes in elevation. When it comes to changes in elevations climb the stairs. A brick staircase is the same as a brick path; they both help you reach your goal. However, if they stick on the path, like Dorothy did, anything is possible.
“Together We Will Succeed”
We stand on bricks every day and they help to hold us up, helping us to achieve success. When one brick is missing the whole structure can crumble. Similar to the brick when a civilization removes one of its key values, teamwork, it cannot succeed. The beliefs that hold nations together are equivalent to bricks that support structures. One of the essential bricks to a society is the belief that teamwork produces higher quality results than working solo. If one cannot simply see this, they can look at the history of brick usage to determine the importance of teamwork. Although buildings were often built by torched slaves, these people did not make the building blocks of these buildings alone; they worked together so that there was less punishment for an individual. And while I am not encouraging slavery, I am encouraging the teamwork that these people put into their work build a successful building. When we look at these buildings, like the Pyramids and the Colosseum we see magnificence. These attractions that bring in millions of dollars to each country’s economy, the incomes are direct results of the teamwork of others. Showing, with teamwork, people can help society progress and succeed. This belief is needs to be shared among people today. October 2, 2017, we witnessed the deadliest shooting on American soil in modern history. We need to be coming together to make America a better place, not dividing it apart. Therefore, we, many different bricks, must come together to form a rock solid foundation, that supports the country and helps it improve. When people are not all onboard with an idea, a compromise needs to be made, because when the foundation is not stable, success crumbles. We need a solid foundation in order for buildings to stand up straight, the same thing must happen when it comes to social issues, people must unite together to unite change and inspire success.
Bricks being used as a symbol for teamwork are instilled in children at a young age. As one looks at the image to the right they see four adorable children playing with Legos, play bricks. The children are learning that by working together they can create a tall, strong, successful tower. This helps to instill the belief in children that if they work successfully with others, they can achieve something great, like a big brick (Lego) tower. When children learn this belief at a young age, they will act on this belief in society, helping to build a united people.
Bricks help to teach people the important of teamwork from a young age promote success, and when this does not happen everything will crumble.
Hitting the Brick Wall-Not as Big a Deal as Previously Thought
I guarantee that all of you reading this paper have driven yourself into a brick wall before, hoping it would crumble, so you could solve a problem. However, it does not budge at all and you think you will die before you get through the wall. Let’s face it we have all been there. However, does something good come from this? When we hit the wall over and over again there is a reason. There is a challenge in the way and we need to overcome it. The issue when comes to brick walls in the way and people keep ramming the car into the wall, not looking for a solution from another direction. In this sense the brick wall represents the tendency for people to not be critical problem solvers because they think their approach is always the right one. This is a common problem in society; people often think there is an easy solution. We have seen this on a national platform a lot this past year when it comes to issues like health care. The Republican Party keeps trying to drive the bill through the wall hoping eventually that it will pass. Instead they should realize that the wall will not budge, and they need to look at the problem critically and look for another way past the wall. A different approach such as collaboration across with the Democrats may help them solve the problem, allowing them to drive around the wall. Thus, this brick wall represents the need to approach problems from many angles with collaboration, and not continuously bang your car into the wall because you think eventually your way will work.
This Brick is Weighing Me Down
When one looks at the brick wall they may see the individual bricks that make up the wall instead of a collection of bricks. Each one of these can pose a grand challenge to a person. While a brick may feel light to someone when they pick it up for a quick second, imagine carrying it around for a long time. It weighs one down and causes them to move slower. When one is overthinking something their mind functions at a slower pace and they cannot get their work done as quickly as they would like. Therefore, the brick represents the overthinking that takes place in the mind of most humans. It weighs them down similar to a brick. It is our civic duty to remove this brick from our minds in order to succeed and function as active members of society.
Bricks…AKA Great Teachers
Bricks remind and teach us the importance of striving to achieve our dreams, work as team, think critically and clear our minds. So next time you see a brick, remember that is much more than a mix of clay and other nuance materials.
***There will be pictures throughout this***