Masterpiece, the Test of Time

Let’s consider the Empire State Building

in New York City—102 stories, 1250 feet

tall, completed in April of 1931, an impres-

sive structural masterpiece of stone, glass

and steel.

Take the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt,

455 feet tall, built around 2528 B.C., likewise

another astonishing masterwork of mankind

engineering and construction. Both structures

have stood the test of expertise and time.

Imagine it took thousands of workers,

architects, engineers, laborers and suppliers

years to construct these massive structures.

Attention to detail in the construction of

both structures had to be spot-on accurate

and impeccable. One misplaced stone, a

faulty girder or bolt, a malfunctioning cal-

culation by a designer, inspectors or

laborers could result in sheer disaster.

Perfection is key, demanding attention

to every minute detail by the most and

least important contributors of these mag-

nificent structures. Without teamwork of

the thousands involved, none of these

remarkable endeavors would have been

completed successfully.

Now consider a writer and author, one

may say that a man or woman’s literary

efforts whether it be a poem, an essay or

editorial, a short story, a novel or a musical

composition compares to that of the afore-

mentioned constructions.

There are several similarities which

come into play here. Both begin with

a thought an idea, dedication to the

creative process, the application and

development of any given piece.

Every word, each musical note placed

as a girder or stone is fashioned with a

creative and thoughtful expertise. Add

a labor of love and ingenuity, a precise

foundation, and the grand, construction

piece is achieved.

For example, take Shakespeare’s sonnets,

Whitman’ s Leaves of Grass, Hemingway’s

For Whom the Bell Tolls or Beethoven’s

9^th Symphony. Time-tested classics all.

As with the likes of New York’s Empire

State Building and The great Pyramid at

Giza, it takes our involvement. For without

an appreciative you and me where would

the human masterpiece be?

                            -30-

Chris Hanch 4-13-2023