The Power of Purpose

I bet you remember the day when you saw the news about the fire. My heart lurched and it reminded me of other international catastrophes. The day was April 15^th, 2019 and I was recently in Paris at the 4-year anniversary of the Notre-Dame fire. On that day back in 2019 I watched and hoped that the rose window would be spared. It was even though the spire and the lead roof fell to the ground. The restoration is proceeding, and the cathedral is expected to open in late 2024.

As I walked around the cathedral reading the information placed on placards surrounding the construction site, I recalled the parable of the three stone masons. Some versions have them as brick layers but the one I recall is about stone masons. I was surprised when my husband said he had not heard the parable and so I share it today as a lesson for creatives.

There once was a traveler who came upon a building site that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Near the road, a number of stonemasons were hammering away, so he stopped at the first one and asked, “What are you doing?”

The first stonemason didn’t even look up, but snarled at the traveler to move on, because he had too damn much to do and it was too damn hot to be answering damn fool questions from damn fool strangers. The traveler moved down the road a bit and came to another stonemason.

Again, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The second stonemason stretched his back and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Well,” he sighed. “I’ll tell you. I’m a stonemason. Basically, all I do is smooth the sides of big blocks of stone, so they can be used for building. It’s hard work and not very creative. Sometimes I think I would like to have been a sculptor, but that takes years of training, and my father couldn’t afford that much schooling for me. And I can’t be pining after that sort of thing now I’ve got a wife and kids to keep. I’m just grateful there’s paying work here, not too far from home. As you can see, this is a big job that will keep us all employed for a long time.”

At this, he picked up his mallet and chisel and returned to his work.

The traveler thanked him and moved on again. This time, he came to a stonemason who was not just hammering away at a block of stone, but also whistling as he worked. The traveler stopped and asked, “What are you doing?”

The third stonemason didn’t answer at once. He put his tools down and ran his hand over the block in a way that seemed almost a caress, then looked up at the traveler with a smile that was so pure and filled with joy that the traveler could only call it beatific. Then, he jumped to his feet and beckoned eagerly to the traveler. “Come, I’ll show you!”

He led the traveler through a maze of stone blocks, wood beams, and tools of all sorts. Everywhere there was a chunk of metal on stone, the rasp and chunk of metal on wood, and the scrape and thump of moving earth. Over it all rang the murmurs and shouts of dozens and dozens of workmen.

Finally, the stonemason stopped and, smiling broadly, gestured in a grand fashion at what, for all the traveler could see, was nothing but a gigantic hole in the ground.

Puzzled, the traveler said, “What?”

The stonemason said, “It’s what I’m doing.”

“But what IS it you are doing?”

“Why, can’t you see?! I’m building a beautiful cathedral that will be here for 200 years and help the lives of thousands of people long after I am gone!”

As creatives, I think we actually embody all three perceptions during the course of creating. We begin with the last of the three stonemasons with a creative vision. We are inspired to create great works of art. We then move to the technical step of creating the work and we dance with the demon of doubt as the very first stonemason who grunted that he didn’t have time for foolish questions.

When you are in the creative flow everything is beautiful and easy but when you run up against the brute of the self-critic you might lose your grasp of your purpose. When this happens step back and recall the power of vision and purpose and know that you will reconnect with the flow.

As I watched the new builders of this great cathedral which had originally begun construction in 1163 and taken almost 200 years to build, I marveled at the technology that was now in place, but I also wondered how the various workers looked at their jobs in the reconstruction of the cathedral. I bet the attitudes ran much the same as they did centuries ago. Yes, it is a parable, but stories are based on human nature. I wish for you a continued flow of inspiration and when obstacles arise, step back and look at the vision of your creation. There is great power in your perception of purpose.