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 injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which
resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"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 example 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.
Even the most
distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.