Have you ever just wanted to fix… everything? Just get up, walk off, and set the world right? Things are so easily broken, why must they be such a trial to mend? I think this is because we get caught up in the obstacles between our current situation and the objective.
I enjoy debating the problems that plague our continued human happiness. I sometimes stumble upon a unique perspective that helps me to understand it more deeply or, if not more deeply, more advantageously. These occasionally lead to solutions to these problems that may be invisible to the specialists who have no choice but to focus on the obstacles.
Da Vinci and the Bridge
Obstacles are what this blog is all about… which brings me to the name.
Witten Museum
I discovered one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s concepts for a bridge while visiting Florence, Italy. It could be disassembled and reassembled anywhere from rigid trapezoidal components. I like this idea for many reasons but I use the name here for only one of those.
The purpose of the bridge is to cross from one area that does not further the mission, across a boundary which makes the mission very difficult or impossible, into another area that does further the mission. That is, it is not impossible to get from Manhattan to Jersey City without using a bridge, but it is sufficiently difficult to make one reconsider whether it is worthwhile. The bridge takes an unreasonably difficult obstacle, the bay, and makes it an inconvenience at worst, scenery at best.
Irreconcilable Problems
Issues in our daily lives are similarly obstacles. They can be overcome by navigating the treacherous rivers, cliffs, etc. But they can also be overcome by locating a good site and building a bridge for all who follow to utilize. Thus, an investment in a better option spares those that follow.
There are three important parts to our theoretical bridge. I normally use Texas Hold ‘em terminology to describe them (The Flop, The Turn, and The River) but, to avoid mixed metaphors, let’s call them The Embankment, The Crossing, and The Far Side.
The Three-Part Bridge
The Embankment
The Embankment is the near part of the bridge. It is the foundation and background of the issue. It is everything on this side as we understand it and extends out as far as can be done safely from the bank. This is generally the largest section of the bridge.
The Crossing
The Crossing is the center of the bridge. It is an important perspective that makes crossing the bridge superior to slogging it through the obstacle itself. This section should generally be short and sweet.
The Far Side
The Far Side is, of course, the far side of the bridge. It is the goal set from the start, though it may not have been obvious quite what that meant at the start and could be hard to reach. It is as long as is necessary.
I will present these three bridge segments as three consecutive posts: one post each week or something close to that. And then I get to take a week off! Well, I have no idea what my posting schedule will be like so ignore that last bit.
Posts
In Defense Of The Bayonet
Syria, Meet The UN Marines
Atlas In Relief