Walls

A brief study - selected art, recommended reading, brief thoughts on benevolent walls, and an original poem.

(Venice) Ruins with a large Arch and Columns by Giuseppe Zais - Galleria Accademia

Walls, metaphorical and physical, have been on my mind lately. (Above) and below are some beautiful walls, Justin Murphy’s note titled Walls as a Service¹, a few brief thoughts on benevolent walls and an original poem. Ponder at your leisure.

Walls as a Service

On Benevolent Walls

View of part of the ruins of Netley Abbey near Southampton, watercolour, dated 1810, by an uknown artist. Courtesy of the British Library, London.

Walls shape and protect who we are.

Walls re-direct.

Walls defuse the primal instinct to take the easy road by creating strategic friction.

Walls constructed of our own volition are the ultimate lever for shaping behavior.

Walls, ancient and old, remain because they have served us well. Examine them.

Walls create a break in the action, a respite for recuperation and contemplation.

Walls make long roads viable.

Walls should be scaled, tunneled through, run around, and smashed down by the vigors of youth.

Walls should be carefully constructed and reconstructed during middle age.

Walls should be a fortress of peace, safety, and solitude in old age.

A non-exhaustive list of benevolent walls

Piazza San Marco 1740 by Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto

1. Religion

2. Marriage

3. Kids

4. Friendship

5. Dogs

6. Homeownership

7. Jobs

8. Rituals

9. Hobbies

10. Reading

11. Writing

12. Running

13. Lifting Weights

14. Eating whole foods

15. Eating seasonally

By engaging in any of the above, you’ve effectively walled off an infinite number of decisions, distractions, and temptations.

A Poem

View of Tivoli with the cascades and Ponte Lupo as well as the Temple of Vesta and the Temple of Sibyl by Ernest Fries 1826

Walls

Walls we shall not pass

Walls impede our path

Looming extinguishers of momentum

Stacked stone by stone

Built brick by brick

Walls we shall not pass

Goliath hulking mass

Part asunder from our past

Walls we shall not pass

1. Link to original