Never Say DIE Attitude

In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge
connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world
thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done.
It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time
and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone
else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and
coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be
accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and
the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream
bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site
took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain
damage, which resulted in him not being able to talk or walk.
“We told them so.” “Crazy men and their crazy dreams.” “It’s foolish to chase wild visions.”
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the
Roebling’s were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built.
In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete
the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever. He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to
some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room,
with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart
and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do
was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a
code of communication with his wife. He touched his wife’s arm with that finger, indicating to her that
he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell
the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife’s arm, until the bridge
was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the
triumph of one man’s indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It
is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered
mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.