In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling
was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with
the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought
that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just
could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He
thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be
done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion
and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming
engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built. Working together for
the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished
and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration,
and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and
began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was
only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John
Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain
damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.
“We
told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild
visions.”
Everyone
had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped
since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be
built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and
still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as
sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his
friends, but they were too daunted by the task.
As
he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the
windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able
to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It
seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit
him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of
it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He
touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her
to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to
tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way
again.
For
13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm,
until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge
stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man’s indomitable
spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a
tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who
was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to
the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the
messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best
examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical
handicap and achieves an impossible goal. Often when we face obstacles in
our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many
others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem
impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what
the odds are.
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