Walls Don’t Work
On 13 August 1961, East Berlin authorities began constructing the Berlin Wall—a vast concrete barrier designed to split the city in two. For 28 years, it forcibly divided friends, families, and communities until, in 1989, people on both sides tore it down with their bare hands, driven by the hope of a united future.
I didn't know what to expect when I came face to face with the Berlin Wall. Growing up during the final years of the Cold War, I had always thought of it more as an ideological symbol than a physical structure. So it came as a surprise to find that the Berlin Wall was, in the end, just a wall.
Made of cold, grey concrete and covered in childish graffiti, the remnants of the Berlin Wall today make for a depressing sight. As I approached, I wasn't thinking about its storied history but rather how I could possibly capture an interesting photograph of such a bleak scene. Then it occurred to me—perhaps the purpose of photographing the Berlin Wall is to show just how depressing it really is. After all, this was a wall built to imprison the human spirit behind bricks, concrete, and metal. That is depressing.
Today, the Berlin Wall has all but disappeared, with only a few small sections remaining. Yet its symbolism endures. And as the world once again begins constructing barriers to divide and separate people, perhaps we should reflect on the lessons it represents. Walls don't solve problems—they simply hide them. They have more to do with fear than security. If we fail to confront the fear that created them, we will never find the hope to tear them down.
