Forum: 'I need a dollar...'

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We shape our buildings thereafter they shape us. 
Winston Churchill

HI AND WELCOME TO THE MOODLAB!

I remember a story of a teenager that had to study for an important test that was coming up that week.
Her dad said: "Tonight I'll take you to the opera!"
To which the daughter objected, because the test was an important test and she still had some serious studying to do. To which her dad replied:
"No way! In a month you will have forgotten the results of your test no matter if the result was positive or negative, yet the opera.. That memory will remain with you for the rest of your life!"

My point!
We need right-brain things because they make life worth living.

So why do we come up with all kinds of temporary objections 
and forget about the vision, the big picture?
Why do we let ourselves be ruled by lack and fear?

Especially is these times of 'economic disaster' we need imagination and 'Appetite for life' more than ever!
In my hometown there's a great example which illustrates.

I live in a town called Groningen.
We are a the biggest and central town in the ('almost north pole') North of the Netherlands, 
a historically isolated area with high unemployment rates.
We need to be and keep being a great town to attract people to keep things moving.

What is the best way to ensure this in the future?
Well; exponential growth in technology and world population means "we need more right brain skills." says best selling author Daniel Pink. 
"We need art, innovation and imagination", says educational expert Sir Ken Robinson.
And as more and more evidence out of research is piling up, many more experts start to call out for these right brain skills. 

So what have we come up with in Groningen?
The Forum!
As you can tell by the photo I made above, they are building it as we speak.
Here is a picture of the end result: 

Source 

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This 'Forum' raises a few questions -and eyebrows-...

Why do we need a Forum? What will it bring? Goals of this building?
"The Forum' is to be a creative nursery, house profoundness and interaction, hand in hand with entertainment and relaxation. A grand international meeting place for stories, debate, art, multimedia."
(So you're welcome!)
"A sensational building that houses experiment, development and discovery."
"A new concept befitting the Groninger status of second cultural hotspot of the Netherlands."

Great!
A place for imagination, inspiration and creativity!
We're getting ready for the future.


Yet..
'New concepts'..  -read- 'unknown' concepts  -read-  'fear' concepts...
So what say the nay-Forum-sayers...
There is a crisis!!!! How can we afford such a building right now?

And much to my surprise this is the answer of the all new CEO of the Forum:

The new CEO of the 'Forum' stated in a recent article that we need to skip the art 
(I read skip the imagination) and focus more on shops/commerce/celebrities/ sports...; 
According to the CEO we need to focus on current events or we shan't be able to pay for it.
We need dollars...

The newspaper article also stated:
"The role of history is no longer leading in our concept."
...
Art historian Danielle Oteri: 
"We need stories that feed the senses. History didn’t die. History is the story of transformation. "
Pretty current I'd say..


The Forum CEO:
'People can enjoy the historic view of Groningen when they're at the top of the building"
As in 'ByeBye historic department in the Forum'
Really?!? History comes alive by telling stories. INSIDE the Forum...
That's why we choose to build it in the first place...

So I say: this a huge mistake and missed opportunity.
*We've already got a sports stadium. And grand scale cinema's. And shops.
In other parts of our town.
If that's the leading motivation to build this building, we would indeed wasting all that money...
 
* There is also a mental thing going on here.
If you think 'This building will be a disaster? Guess what: it will!
If you think this building will bring good; guess what; it will! 
If you don't know what the future will bring, why not think of it as positive?

*But most important: 
this new policy is a sure way to throw imagination, creativity, empathy, communication, innovation down the drain. 
Thats jobs down the line.
Not too smart in our region I'd say.

We've got a big reputation as a great university town.
Highly educated people like culture.
This is how the plan has come up for The Forum!

It is a classic example of mismatch between what scientists know about motivation/stress-reduction, well-being and what business does.
According to Daniel Pink the world of work is going through a huge paradigm shift due to exponential changes in technology, Asia and the world population.
One of the reasons for the high level of disengagement in the workforce is that people don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing. They’re willing to work hard but they want to make a contribution; they want to know why it matters.

We need the zest in life.
We need stuff that lifts us out of the grey of the ordinary day and that feeds our soul.
We want to feel what matters

Anything you do in life that comes in a sense of lack is a mistake and can only reap havoc.

Let's have the courage to have a vision.
Let's build that Forum
Let's go to that opera
Let's be humans!

 
Dreams are what guide us and what helps us to become the best thing that you could be.
And if you kill dreams, if you squash them, if you 
kill the capacity for dreaming, 
then you de-humanise us in the literal sense"
- Sir Ken Robinson 

Amen!

Niene.nu

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The Appetite for light article is written by Niene.nu andwww.nienesmoodlab.nu
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