through in the dark. If summers have near 24 hours of daylight, then surely winter must have near 24 hours of darkness. Bzzzzzzzt! Wrong! Winter solstice brings with it 5.5 hours of sunlight (in Whitehorse that is... further north, it is less). Add to this a full hour of sunrise and sunset, that makes for well over 6.5 hours of light (and also makes for amazing skies!!!). Yukon College is located on top of a hill which gives it a fabulous view over the valley and the mountains. On many occasions I have heard colleagues comment on how wonderful the sky was coming into work! I have personally felt awed many times over.... a sort of connection with nature... Life in the north can be harsh but with that comes inspiring beauty. With temperatures sometimes flirting near minus 50 degrees (Celcius, that is), one must give in to Nature's laws. It is impossible to ignore Nature. One must respond appropriately or else face the consequences.I recently attended a presentation offered to future teachers by a wonderful Yukon Elder. He was sharing his knowledge of how his and certain other First Nations used to govern themselves "way, way back". I had never had the privilege of simple sitting and listening to such an elder so I simple let the information seep in. What I remember most from his presentation was that above anything else, the Laws of Nature must be followed. Without Nature, one cannot survive. And within Nature, one must be wise enough to submit to its tenets.
I am currently reading a wonderful book, Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way we Make Things, by McDonough & Braungart (2002). A great summary of the book is written by Hal Clifford: "Take a look at nature, the pair says, and you'll see that growth is not only good, but necessary -- that nature's very abundance is what environmentalists (and the rest of us) depend on and celebrate. The key is the right kind of growth -- and the key to that is better design."
The authors make a strong argument for the need to bring ourselves back closer to Nature's laws. "The Western view saw nature as a dangerous, brutish force to be civilized and subdued. Humans perceived natural forces as hostile, so they attacked back to exert control" (p.25). Unfortunately, the more we have tried to control Nature, the more damaging we have become to it, and by extension, to ourselves.
Being the Psychologist that I am, I cannot help but draw a parallel between
this human tendency to subdue Nature, and humans' tendency to overpower others' proclivities. There are countless examples of organizational structures that are simply not following the laws of Nature. A simple physical example that comes to mind is the Justice Building in Whitehorse, Yukon. It is a beautiful structure, with a large atrium connecting the two sections together. A few years back, in that very same building, I attended a two-day workshop with about eight other people in a room depleted of windows, with neon lighting, and not enough ventilation. The building's windows do not open, so having had windows may not have provided much comfort. Everyone was cooked by the end of each day, even though the workshops were not very demanding. I felt a sense of gloom after having spent only two days in there... I can only imagine what working in a place without windows that open might do to me! So much for a centre of justice that does not follow the natural laws of human beings!Getting back to McDonough &
Braungart (2002), they provide a wonderful example of how working within the acceptable limitations of people (in other words, respecting people's range of tolerance) can bring about amazing positive results. Herman Miller is a furniture manufacturer. In 1995, the company opened a new plant that has become known as the GreenHouse. Looking at this picture, most people would guess it is the front of an Opera Hall before guessing it is the entrance to a furniture factory. And the front is only the beginning. (Click here to see more pictures of that factory). Besides the productivity increases, the authors report that employee retention rates have been impressive. Workers that had left for more paying jobs even returned once the new building was erected. When asked why they would leave a job that paid more, many replied they could not "work in the dark" (p.76). Here again we see that ignoring the nautral laws may seem like a victory for a while, but coming back to them certainly appears to increase many of the variables that are important to everyone.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment