A Thought for the Day – 069 – High rise Camaraderie
How are your inner thoughts doing this morning; come on now you know
those thoughts; the ones that you share with no one else but YOU! Be at peace, I
am not asking you to reveal those private details; we are all alike in this. These
are TOP SECRET to everyone but God; and should be. The neighbor next door has
his or her own set of secrets; companions, work associates, brothers, sisters
and relatives; they too have theirs. Don’t meddle with that which is not yours
for such is an evil task; also avoid those who meddle in this evil. Ecclesiastes
4:1-4
Comments and challenges
I
have a friend who is a retired steel worker, he tells me stories of some of the
high rise buildings he helped put together in Hartford, Connecticut. Recently we
played nine holes of golf at a nearby golf course and he told me of a recent
event involving the Freedom Tower being built in New York, New York. The retired
steel workers association had a reunion here in Connecticut recently and my friend
along with his local buddies was invited by the New York brothers to tour the
Freedom Tower being built, which is one hundred five levels. All but five in
his group went to the top.
I
asked my friend; “What is the highest building you helped to erect here in
Connecticut?” His answer: “Thirty five levels”. Didn’t the difference in height
make a difference to you?” I said. “No” was his reply. Myself, I cannot imagine
riding an open elevator to the height over a mile high in a building with no
walls as the air gets thinner. It just does not make a bit of sense to me. He
further explained that even at his age of eighty something, he had waited for
this opportunity like a child waiting for his or her first two wheeled bicycle.
He
said also that the five men who did not go up were in some way physically
unable to go to the top; one did not go at all and the other four went to the
half-way mark. This really brings friendship home as my friend said that the
support of the New York group for the Connecticut group was solid and even more
solid was the friendship and camaraderie of each other. They did not laugh or
make fun of those who could not go the distance.
The
value of a friend is not only seen, but it is lived among those who put their
lives on the line to defend a country and we KNOW THIS. What we seldom know is
the task of men and women who daily fulfill the needs of the private sector,
these are those civilian workers who travel dangers that you and I would not
even attempt; walking on 10 to 12 inch wide beams of steel just to tighten a
bolt or two so that another beam can safely be added. Even six feet off the
ground is too high and dangerous for me.
Ecclesiastes
4:9-12 has a lot to say about the value of friendship; friendship in all labors
is better than money as a reward, a paycheck will not lift you out of a life
threatening moment; but a friend will. If two are in danger of freezing or
burning it is the safety of being together that will help each other to see
tomorrow and not the hope of getting paid for a job well done. Even the thought
of having to contend with the enemy a person at your side to help is better than
reward.
What
is even better than this? Two can get the job done; but the third one if called
upon will be the strong cord will not be broken; there is strength in numbers.
My friend explained that when they went to the evening banquette two of the men
who did not go all the way up to the top of the tower felt as though they had
let their companions down. But soon this thought was dismissed and they all
shared a good outcome. We do not have to go it alone… yet many of us will not
share with the other that they are drowning in a sea of loneliness.
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