Bridges and tunnels
Robert Moses, the road builder, understood that that building tunnels takes just a little longer and costs just a little bit more.
And it turns out that bridges are monuments and create glory for those that find the resources to build them, there in the sky, for all to see.
Those are the two reasons why we end up with more bridges than tunnels. (Same is true with work culture and society at large).
But tunnels allow all sorts of productivity without calling attention to themselves or those that build them. A tunnel creates progress without changing the landscape. Many times, it’s an elegant solution to the problem for someone with the guts and fortitude to build one.
Less glory, more upside.
[Moses made consistent errors in his pursuit of glory, just as he undermined thriving communities, particularly those that involved people of color. It was a shameful use of power at the expense of people.]