How did they build the Empire State Building?
It’s tall as heck. And according to Wikipedia, it was constructed and opened on May 1st, 1931. That’s like almost 90 years ago (if my math is correct)! Without the aid of technology to boot.
At its peak, it involved around 3,500 workers. The amount of teamwork, communication, expertise, engineering to construct a building that is now a staple of the New York City skyline. Amazing.
Props to all of those that poured their hearts and souls into this amazing building. And after 90 years, it is still a staple of our NYC skyline. One of the must-see tourist spots till this day.
I’ve been to the very top of the building, and I have to say the view is amazing of New York City. From the north side, you can see Central Park in all its green glory. From the south side, you can see downtown Manhattan and the “new” World Trade Center.
Speaking of the One World Trade, have you ever took the elevator to the top of the building? It’s a scenic ride that goes through the difference changes in the NYC skyline over the course of its history, as you ascend to the top. It’s state-of-the-art technology.
And once you get to the top, you similarly get treated to a 360 view of New York City - this time from the Downtown New York perspective.
How did they build One World Trade? Who built it? Who commissioned it? What’s the reasoning behind its unique architectural glassy design? Who and which companies work in there?
I don’t know. I have absolutely no idea.
So shifting gears from construction to another topic that I similarly have no clue about: farming.
How in the world do farmers here in the States produce the things that they produce? What is wheat exactly? What’s the difference between wheat and grain and barley?
What type of machines do they use to grow and harvest the crops? Which types of fruit and vegetables are popular to grow in the USA? Which regions are the best places to farm? How tough is the typical life of a farmer in the States?
As you can see, I’m a city boy. The amount of knowledge and the amount of hard work farmers need to put in on an annual basis must be admirable.
Also, the fact that they need to depend on the fortunes of the weather in order to have a successful harvest. Not easy. Major props.
What about planting fruits? There are apple trees, and orange trees. Farms that grow blueberries and strawberries. Kiwis. Tomatoes. Pears. Peaches. And on and on as I start to salivate.
All the food that I eat every day is pre-determined by so many stakeholders (for lack of a better word).
Seriously, thank you so much to the farmers, the warehouse owners, the truck drivers, the wholesalers, the retailers, the cashiers, and everyone else that played a role in putting food on my table.
Thank you all.
I seriously have no idea about how the farming, trucking, wholesale, and retail businesses operate, but I must say, they play an integral role in keeping me from going hungry.
Thank you all again.
I went to school at PS 144 - one of the top elementary schools in my community. In high school, I went to a popular specialized school called Stuyvesant. Then, I got into Cornell University’s highly respectable Engineering School to study Operations Research and Industrial Engineering. A couple years later, I took my talents overseas and pursued an international MBA in France and China.
All that education. All that knowledge accumulated over the years. And yet, all of it is minuscule compared with the things in this world that I do not know.
I don’t know the right way to farm and harvest apples. I don’t know how buildings in Manhattan were constructed. I don’t know the best highways in United States for truckers to drive on coast-to-coast. I don’t know plenty of things. And I’m proud of it.
I can go on and on and on about the things that I don’t know in life. But this post will probably end up being a gazillion pages if I do. And I know that you guys have stuff to do. Things to enjoy. Life to get to.
So I guess I’ll just end by saying that I have plenty to learn. But regardless of how knowledgeable we are (or we think we are), we simply can’t go thru life without being indirectly dependent on the wisdom of others.
We are connected to them whether we are aware or not. We just need to realize that in the grand scheme of things, we are small individual beings playing our parts in this wonderful game of life.
And if we don’t know something, it’s okay. We should just allow that sense of wonder and appreciation to play out for the things that we don’t know.
And appreciate the men and women that know things that we don’t. Because someone, somewhere, will always know something that you don’t. And that is wonderful in its own different way.