A little illustration for The Wall. Not really a big fan of Pink Floyd, but there you have it — the human condition and all that.
Part of the Weekly Photo Challenge: Cover Art.
I took this photo at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. Something about it struck me … the strength of the wall is still sustaining itself, though it’s been chipped away by time and the elements. It makes me think about the human condition — we are survivors, no?
Yes!
You better believe it. I think this is brilliant!
Wow! thanks for that 🙂
I don’t know why, but Another Brick in the Wall always reminds me of this story from 100 Bible Verses That Changed the World:
“Here’s how it happened. Robert Raikes, a newspaper editor in Gloucester, England, often editorialized about problems in society. He was concerned about prison reform and about poverty and especially about poor children.
Popular opinion said it was necessary to “keep the vulgar in their proper place.” And the proper place for poor children was the factory where they worked all week. The problem came on Sundays when these children released all their pent up energy. A woman once complained to Raikes, “The street is filled with multitudes of these wretches who, released on the Sabbath from employment, spend their time in noise and riot, cursing and swearing in a manner so horrid as to convey to any serious mind an idea of hell rather than any other place.” Raikes had heard the children too, and their language shocked him. But what could be done?
One Sunday morning Raikes started a school in Sooty Alley and hired a woman to run it. He called it an experiment. Between 1780 and 1783 he opened seven or eight schools with about thirty youngsters in each.
After the three year experiment, he decided to publicize the schools and encourage others to try it. That’s when the opposition struck. Members of Parliament were aghast at the idea. A Bill was suggested for the suppression of Sunday schools. Clergymen objected because Raikes was putting women to work on the Sabbath in violation of the Ten Commandments. The archbishop of Canterbury called a group together to see how Sunday schools could be stopped.
Raikes pointed out passages in Matthew and Luke where Christ says it is okay to help an animal if one of them falls into a pit on the Sabbath. He said the children of the cities had fallen into a pit.
At first he had doubts of what Sunday schools could do, because these youngsters were wild and vile. But he began getting clothes for some of them and treating them to beef and plum pudding. He was amazed at the results. “I cannot express the pleasure I often receive in discovering genius and innate good dispositions, among this little multitude.”
The crime rate dropped dramatically. People started thinking maybe Raikes wasn’t so crazy after all. John Wesley encouraged Methodist societies to try it. Within four years 250,000 youngsters were in Sunday schools all across England.”
“Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!…” I have it on my playlist for the gym. It’s great for the elliptical.
Holy smokes, what a story! thanks for sharing.
Lovely symbolism showing that strength! 🙂
What a great choice for the challenge. I enjoyed the philosophy behind the photo as much as the image. Everything clicks!
thanks!
Hello! Have a nice, successful new week.
Nice response to the prompt. Oh, and Pink Floyd made some great music, but sometimes you really, really have to listen to the lyrics to enjoy it. 🙂