Photo by Janina Steinmetz via Getty Images
Working with our hands keeps us sane in a digital world.
I’m building a fence to keep deer and groundhogs out of my vegetable garden. That’s my primary goal; I’m tired of having my lettuce and tomatoes vanish just as they’re ready to pick. But building a project like this has benefits far beyond practical utility. After all, if I were trying to be practical, I wouldn’t have a garden in the first place. I can buy vegetables at the store with much less fuss.
My fence is no modest undertaking. Supported by steel poles sunk in concrete, it stands nearly eight feet tall. Its tough plastic mesh is held up by a steel-core monofilament line and anchored with stout rebar stakes. Any critter that manages to break into this walled garden deserves a role in the next “Mission Impossible” movie. All that’s missing are some laser-beam motion sensors.
Why do people like me go to all this expense and trouble? Because working with our hands is part of what makes us human. No other animal has the dexterity—or the brain power—to conceive and build complex structures. Don’t talk to me about birds’ nests and spiderwebs. That’s genetic. Just as it is satisfying to master a challenging sport, there is something deeply rewarding about using your skills, your mind and sometimes your strength to build a useful thing.
Continue reading the entire piece here at the Wall Street Journal (paywall)
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James B. Meigs is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a City Journal contributing editor.