Relating to

 Structural masonry forces us to recognize the simple and profound fact that we are not gods capable of creating ex nihilo. Certainly, everyone knows that we aren't going around creating things out of actual nothingness. And yet... there is a way in which we treat our materials that practically amounts to an ex nihilo mindset. We may not create things out of nothingness, but we warp and twist things until they have nothing good outside of our input. Its unsettling to have anything short of tyrannical mastery over our resources. Relegating away those materials that refuse to conform to every whim and fancy imposed upon it, we are nervous about the idea of having a healthy relationship with our materials.  A mason ought to sculpt and cultivate his block of stone and in turn become cultivated by the stone. In fact, if a mason doesn't listen to his stone he ceases to function as a mason. Turning a deaf ear to his materials he soon becomes little more than "an assembler of Ikea products". We are uncomfortable with anything short of tyrannical mastery over our resources. 

     Perhaps, the real reason, the true motivator behind our abandonment of brick and stone, lies in its nature of permanence. These materials are not temporary, not augmentable, not in need of multilayered support systems of chemicals and plastics to keep it alive... 

We need work with the materials given to us. "With" being the operative word here. We need to work alongside the materials given to us. The stones and bricks are crying out, listen.