Not just placed on the ground

When disaster strikes the world goes into shock.  As a society we do not know how to cope with the destruction caused by nature or humans.  Destruction can be unexpected and expected but there is no way of preventing it.  We can prepare ourselves and avoid bigger damages to our environment and life by properly setting up evacuation plans or by teaching people what they should do in a given situation.  Destruction is the beginning of construction that helps one realize how fragile the world can be and gives us a second chance to start all over, adapt, rejoice, and forget the past to start a better future.

I believe destruction is the beginning of construction because when something is already being built for the first time everybody takes it for granted.  It is just a building, a monument, or a house just placed on the cement.  Every day thousands of things are being constructed without the thought of destruction.  But when that day comes and destroys what we took for granted then we truly realize how much it meant to everyone, and how quickly our view of things change.  After we are devastated we start to pick up what is left and try to reconstruct what was destroyed, this construction is the idea of a better future.  Everyone is now involved, and instead of being considered reconstruction it is only construction, it is the beginning for many individuals that never admired the beauty of the first building on the cement.   

After destruction we have a second chance to start over.  We can make things better and express what we feel in a more deeply way.  We want others to know how we truly feel and construct something much more bigly and with a real feeling to it.  For example before the terrible terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City the twin towers were just looked upon as enormous skyscrapers.  Sure people admired how tall these buildings were but they had no meaning to anybody, just to the designer and the people that built it perhaps.  After the planes crashed and the towers crumbled to the ground, everybody was in pain.  We know that their pain could have been caused by the death of a loved one that was stuck in the towers or happened to work close by.  The point is that after all that physical and mental destruction, Ground Zero was constructed with a meaning and hope to all those affected.  This monument gave them a second chance and brought serenity to those in pain.

Even those who lost a loved one or were at the verge of death had a second chance; they learned to live life at their fullest and to let everyone around them how much they love them.  Those who died sadly did not have a second opportunity but might have if one believes in reincarnation and their family members thought about it that way. 

After the construction is done and complete we can adapt to this new meaningful building and admire it completely.  We do not pass by it without admiring the shape, the power, and the memories it holds.  Buildings built after destruction seems to have a deeper connection to people and resemble a stronger relationship to us.  In some occasions there might not be anything left to construct physically or it might not be an option, but in one’s mind we can construct whatever we desire and we do.  We mentally become stronger or build walls around us to protect us; this too is a type of destruction that leads to construction.  This does not mean that people will be closed minded and hate the world just because they build a wall around them, they might be shy and fragile but the sun always rises and so will their smiles. 

Destruction might be bad, come from bad, and lead to bad but the construction after it will always be good and admired.  And in some cases destruction might be viewed as good because it is giving us that opportunity to open the doors to construction and the chance to change our lives. 

This is why we can rejoice and celebrate after construction.  In some occasions it might not be realistic but in the end we look for the good things that something bad offers us.  We rejoice in the sense that something with a meaning is standing for us and making a change in our life.  This new building can become part of our culture, our history and have a story that everyone will always remember and have good memories about it.  After the construction of Ground Zero in New York City all the people were happy, emotional, and full of hope.  They now dream of a better and safer future for their kids, they are also constructing a new idea of happiness and life. 

As a society we can start to forget the past and start a better future now.  We let go of the destruction that clouds our minds and let the sunshine come into us with the first glance on construction.  Destruction is not the state or fact of being destroyed, ruined, or destroying something. (Webster)  It is actually the beginning of a new idea were something that might have been ruined is turned into something better.  Construction should be significant prior to destruction but before destruction no one truly cares about the building standing in front of them, they do not have the curiosity and love for it as people do after they have built something from destruction.

            "Well, they say right when they flood the house and tear it to shreds that like destruction, is a form of creation. They just want to see what happens, when they tear the world apart. They want to change things." (Darko)  Destruction is creation, it is the beginning of construction, a change in life, and the start of a better, stronger future.  We should value our buildings and admire their beauty without the need of doing so after it is gone and feeling sad.   Their more than a building on cement, they construct our world and shape us as human beings.  Destruction will only truly be destruction if we cannot stand up for ourselves or as a society.  If we let the grief take over us and believe there is no possible way to construct what has been destroyed.  Luckily I believe that after any type of unexpected or expected destruction there is always construction both physically and mentally.    

Images Credits

·         Both of Ground Zero Images, page 3, http://restlus.com/2011/08/ground-zero-a-memorial-to-honor-the-victims-of-wct%E2%80%99s-tragedy/, 10/13/11

                                                                  Works Cited

·         Definition for destruction, page 4, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destruction, 10/13/11

·         Destruction is a form of creation, page 4, http://www.masterpiece-movie-lines.com/donnie-darko-movie-lines.html, 10/13/11