Floating Bridges and New Ideas

Gannon's Narrows Bridge

There is a beautiful stretch of water in Ontario called Gannon's Narrows. It joins Pigeon and Buckhorn Lakes near Peterborough. The location was originally a Hudson Bay Post and the old house near the bridge was once owned by John Gannon - no relation of mine! When I first visited Gannon's Narrows there was a short causeway with a floating link to allow boats to pass through. When a car drove over the floating link the water was sometimes up to the hub caps. An attendant would crank the floating portion open to allow the yachts to pass through. It was customary, at least by some, to toss the bridge attendant a cold bottle of beer as a tip! Sometime around 1955 the Hamilton Bridge Company built a new steel bridge to join the two causeways and allow the pleasure boaters to pass under the road.

The first summer the bridge was in position presented my friend and me with a serious contest. I admit we were constantly challenging each other to do risky things, and this time he bet I would not jump off the top rail of the  bridge. Of course, I said I would if he would!

One warm and sunny afternoon we rowed out to the bridge span and climbed the steel beams to the very top. Arriving at our precarious perch we sat and procrastinated, our legs dangling over the hot metal beam.  I finally realized I did not want to face the dangerous climb back down to road level, nor did I want to admit I was 'chicken'.  Making sure there were no boats proceeding up or down the channel below, I simply stood up on the hot beam, closed my eyes and leaped. I hit the water hard and went down into the murky gloom. On surfacing I had a nose bleed. When I cleared the water and blood from my face, I looked up to the top of the bridge. I noticed my friend was still seated on the top beam. I called up saying there were no vessels approaching and why was he not jumping?  He would not be outdone, and pushing himself clear of the steel beam, he came barrelling feet first into the water beside me.

They say it takes 'guts' to change a deeply instilled idea. It is not easy to let go of important and precious customs, beliefs and family traditions. It is like jumping off a high bridge into the waters below, and the consequences that might follow. We are all influenced by what some call the 'Herd Mentality'. As a child, this is a good thing. As we grow we need security and we take our clues from our family first and then from the people around us. Canada it is a very secure place to be these days. It is easy and comforting to stay in that cosy place and not challenge the status quo. Going against deep beliefs is one of the most difficult things we can do as humans so we set up psychological barriers and follow our desire to hang tight.  How often were we told that every question has only one answer!

But as we grow we tend to question things. We all know the struggles a teenager can go through! But what about the immigrant to a new country where the old traditions and customs no longer apply? And what about each one of us as we examine our past to better our life experience and to look into the future?

Politics is often a family tradition for example. Many people, if they vote at all, might vote for the same party as their parents. For some reason this seems to be a greater issue in the United States than in Canada! Then there are the religious beliefs we were taught! To question those "truths" could result in eternal damnation! Jumping off a high bridge is so much easier!

And yet, each of us continue to grow old. We become  octogenarians if we are lucky, and realize that change is probably the most reliable perceived quality there is. Your body constantly reminds us of change. Our modern world questions almost everything, and we find ourselves being challenged, even when we don't want to be confronted.

There now exists a branch of psychology called Positive Psychology. For want of a complete explanation it is the study of what makes life worth while. Most of us desire to live a meaningful and fulfilling life, to improve our experience of love, work and play. As someone once wrote, ' What you put into your life is what you get out of it.' Accepting change and challenging our beliefs and convictions might well improve our well being.

Heraclitus wrote around 555 BC, "Nothing endures but change." Perhaps he had it right, or can change, change?

I don't think I will jump off another bridge even on a challenge! But this I know - one look at the hands typing  these words no longer appear as they once did. Does it really matter if we don't question our beliefs, customs and traditions? For some, probably not so much. But for the rest of us embracing change can be fearsome exercise, but at the same time it might make life even more worth while and fulfilling.

The next time I cross Gannon's Narrows Bridge I will remember that day many years ago, when I had the courage, or stupidity, to leap from the highest beam into the still water below.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week