Gateway Arch and Graffiti Wall

I've lived close to St. Louis my entire life, so this was not my first trip to the Gateway Arch. It never seems to get old though. I feel very fortunate to live in an area with so much history, culture, and beauty, like the Arch. The light blue sky with soft, scattered clouds made for a perfect picture. My favorite part about this picture is how you can see buildings peeking up behind the Arch. It makes it seem as if the Arch is overseeing and protecting the city of St. Louis.

Looking up at the Arch and taking this picture made me feel so small. It really put into perspective the fact that there is always something bigger and better out there, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just something to think about. It almost looked like the Arch was swaying back and forth in the wind from this angle also, which was pretty scary but awesome at the same time.

After spending some time by the Arch, we headed over to the graffiti walls. This message was not on the actual graffiti wall, but it definitely caught my attention. It proclaims one of my favorite Bible verses: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

We the People. One of the most important messages that we all can and should learn. The artist who completed this painting did a great job of portraying the most important message of this whole piece. It's not about pointing fingers. It's not about always trying to do it yourself. It's not about separating and excluding people. It's about coming together and being unified. This message is so important in today's society, especially with the recent events that have happened in the St. Louis area. I admire this artist for speaking up and promoting what we really need in our society: unity. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." (Helen Keller)

This was such an interesting message to me. The artist has the word "low" crossed out, leaving only the phrase, "No class." Are they trying to say that our society should not be separated by class? Or are they simply stating that St. Louis isn't home to anyone of lower class? I'm still trying to interpret this, and I kind of like how they left it up to the viewer's own assumption and interpretation.

Walking back to our cars, we passed by a fence lined with barbed wire. I'm not sure why this picture was so appealing to me, but it definitely stood out. I feel like a lot of us grow up thinking that nothing bad can happen, and we live in a world that is completely safe. But that's not always the case, and we can't be so naive. To me, the barbed wire pictured here is a symbol of protection. Because even in a city as beautiful as St. Louis, we still have to watch our backs.