Anahita in Love

Architectural Culture: Practically Perfect

| Photo by Matheus Natan on Pexels.com | First, I must ask: is a utopia the opposite of a dystopia? Is it really? Utopia is a term that calls to mind an ideal place – with all the desirable qualities for a wholesome human society. Dystopia refers to “an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.” (New Oxford American Dictionary). Dystopia often calls to mind George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. But since that novel was published in 1949, loads of dystopian science fiction stories and films have followed. Now think of the stories that can be described as “utopian” – how many can you think of? Of course, this focus on dystopian futures must have shaped the way that generations of people in western societies have consciously and unconsciously perceived the world, its possibilities, and human potential. Where did the term utopia come from? Sir Thomas More introduced it in his 1516 novel Utopia, about a fictional island society. And while that society was located in the south Atlantic Ocean, the word utopia translates...

The Map and the Territory

by Anahita in Love

| Photo by Darren Tiumalu on Pexels.com | We are in an era of extremes and with the increasing frequency and intensity of technological advances, natural disasters, and pandemics — and the global impact of conflicts — it feels as if we are all being turned into endurance athletes, with all the exigencies, whether or not we want to be. Meanwhile few have the requisite training, skillset or mindset. Much of the status quo is either violently crumbling or quietly melting away — revealing altered environmental and mental landscapes. These rapid changes can tap into aggressive reactions in many who have grown used to zero-sum competition. This is reflected in and adds to the challenges. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Not only is the map not the territory that is mapped, but we are often holding onto and paying attention to old maps and paradigms while navigating new territory. Sometimes they still correlate but when they do not, it can be more challenging than not having a map at all. And not only are...