The Walls

Walls are interesting constructs.

Walls have a tendency to be defined in terms of security. They do so by providing a barrier, a separation from what is one side of the wall as opposed to what is on the other side. This leads to an interesting conundrum. In terms of security, no wall is perfect. Most law enforcement people will confirm is that really these barriers are little more than deterrents for law abiding individuals not to enter an area without the proper clearance. They do not and will not always prevent those who wish to enter, for whatever reason, if they have the means to do so.

Walls can be breached by going over, under, around, and even through – if you have the will and the means to. Desperate people will find a way, no matter how you try to fortify the wall. You can confirm this by looking to those who possessing sophisticated security systems and private security guards who have had them breached. The list is substantial. Everything from museums, the rich and famous, and government facilities are far from exempt.

Others build walls to block the view of what they might call objectionable. Junk and scrap yards, garbage facilities, disposal buildings and treatment plants wall themselves in to prevent the accumulation of debris from the public eye. You see this frequently when developers build large facilities or golf courses near older communities that they might consider unsightly. Often times erecting such walls, fences or embankments blocks the view of the newer community from the old but also blocks the older from the rest of the community or views that they have enjoyed for centuries. These walls discern the haves from the have nots.

Others build walls to block sight of what others are doing or others from seeing what they are doing – good and bad. Corporations and governments wall in areas so that secrets and new developments do not escape or could be co-opted by others against them. Labs and refiners have walls to prevent someone from mistakenly wondering in to potentially harming themselves or the processes involved. Criminals, drug dealers, murders, and gangsters of all sorts do the same thing with their walls. Those criminals can be also found within the walls and barriers of corporations, government, religion, education, and non-profit organizations erected from allowing them in.

Walls define an area’s boundaries that maybe in recognition of ownership. They can be totally enclosed so that they can be called a building that provides shelter from the elements. They keep things in as well as keep things out. They provide a screen from people peering in as well as providing a screen for those inside not to see what is undesirable from the outside. They provide barriers and restraints from harmful viruses, germs, diseases, and chemicals from escaping or entering other areas or environments. They can provide a space of helpful, legal, and moral activities to take place in as much as providing a space for the destructive, illegal and immoral activities as well. All is up to the individuals and communities involved.

As individuals we have walls and barriers that we create psychologically to prevent others from truly knowing who and what we are or are potentially up to. They can be the result of being hurt and abused by others. It can be an attempt to protect our emotional capital from harm. We hide behind walls that resemble masks we use in various social interactions that modify our behavior accordingly.

But do these inanimate objects or psychological constructs transform any of the conditions that might cause desperate people from entering. The answer is obviously no.

People who are desperate come in all types. Yes, there are the criminal elements whose only mission is to kill, rob, and destroy. There are also those who are in desperate need to escape the poverty and dire circumstances of their existence on the other side of the wall. The key is that they are both looking for opportunity. The criminal element’s and abuser’s aim are to take the opportunity to take what is not theirs without having to earn it or consideration of the individual from whom they steal. The desperate who breach the walls are looking for opportunity to rise above their circumstances escaping from those who have breached their walls and avail themselves of a better life for themselves and their families.

The difference between them all is that the wall represents different things because of what it may be built from or what the purpose is to be. Physical barriers can be easily corrupted. Legal ones (for whatever reason they were instituted) represent far greater obstacles. But they are still penetrable if you know where to look for the loop holes or can afford to have others find them for you. Psychological barriers are mutable because of need. They move with you and haunt you wherever you go.

The problems that the walls supposedly prevent you from experiencing do not just go away on their own. Often times they escalate because nothing is being done to correct them. That just means that we need bigger and more extensive walls to shield us from what we do not want in our space. The walls become expensive to maintain, repair and improve but never solve the underlying issues of cause.

Yes, walls are needed to slow down the effects and affects of things that will possibly breach them. Walls are great to help prevent the cold from pouring in but only if we heat the space. But we must be sure that when we heat the space the walls have created that we do no destroy or burn down the walls. What is on the inside of the walls can be more destructive than what is outside of the walls. Both must be considered when evaluating the needs.

We must be careful that what we want to prevent us being harmed by does not ultimately harm us. Walls have at least two sides. We must look to what the causes of those effects and affects so we can correct, prevent, and/or improve those things that were meant for possible harm. By doing so we will make the world better not only for ourselves but for all of humanity.

Sometimes a wall is not needed – just better bridges.