Response to the article "Walls of Fear"

By Phil Mevert

            Walls are both physical and invisible.  The most effective walls are the walls that exist in the individual’s mind.  The construction of walls in the individual’s are developed over a lifetime and can be modified as surroundings, situations and time change.  The presence of physical walls has an effect on the “mental walls.”

            The material of a physical wall can help control the mental wall.  A wall constructed of sturdy materials such as concrete and masonry can create a mental wall of security and strength.  A physical wall with materials that are more transparent can create mental walls of welcoming and openness.  Not only do the materials of physical walls affect the mental wall’s development, the locations of the walls can have an equal effect as well.

             The location of the physical walls within a building can dictate how an individual moves through the building.  With the combination of materials of physical walls and where they are placed, it could be possible to change and even control how the construction of the mental wall progresses.

             Since the development of the mental walls begin way early in life, it is important to consider where that development takes place.  The same way that the materials of a physical wall can effect the mental wall so can the geographical area of where the mental wall is being developed.  Someone who grows up in a small town or out in the country may be more likely to just wander or create their own paths as they go, where someone from a city could be more accustomed to following the provided paths.  With the development of the mental walls the location can also limits based on the surroundings that particular location has to offer.  Being able to create an environment that has diverse surroundings and with the use of correctly placed physical walls and proper materials, the mental walls can be further developed.