Profound moment in a sea of arguments

I have just had a very profoundly moving moment. And it was on the internet… who would have thought?

It has been an argumentative time in Australia this lat year or so. Working in the field of energy efficiency and alternative energy, a lot of focus round this office has been – continues to be – on the Gillard Government’s proposed carbon tax. This is set against a broader argument about climate change itself, and the refusal of so many Australians to engage with it. Indeed, I suspect many are wearying of very subject, but that is another story.

The point here is that into this turbulent scene of pugilism: Red Head vs Red Budgie-smugglers, Bolt vs Garnaut, Fairfax vs and News Ltd/Fox News, a powerful moment of profound peace and unity popped. For years we have heard how the web has brought us into the age of the global village, crushing the barriers of distance, culture, time etc etc. And mostly, it hasn’t actually crushed all that much at all. Maybe a few people’s reputations on facebook!

But what happens when we go to sleep?

I mean – when a human, any human, anywhere, goes to sleep? It is the same experience for all of us, just like how we all bleed when cut, die when shot, laugh when amused. But the act of falling asleep has no cultural taboos, no baggage, no barriers that stop people sharing something about that moment. It is a moment with the potential to unite people, albeit in a very unexpected way.

And what happens when someone writes a song about that moment, and invites anyone from around the world to sing a part of it into their computer? …and the virtual choirmaster then puts all those tracks together as if all the people were in one ginormous theatre?

This – this is what happens.

I will not pretend it didn’t move me to tears. Big brave Aussie bloke with tears in his eyes because 2,500 of his fellow homo sapiens sing a song together??? Yep, you bet. Good onya Eric Whitacre – love ya work mate!!

Then, after I dried my eyes, I read Liz Farrely’s article on the fighty stuff again. And once again we are drawn back to reality that meaning in life is about making things better, because left alone, things always seem to get worse. But that earlier profound moment remains a blessing, and reminds us of what people are capable of, just as Gadaffi reminds us. The extremes of humanity!

So our job at Envirotecture, in the here and now, is to make better buildings. Hopefully no Gadaffis will take up residence in them, but how nice to think of people sitting in front of their computers, singing to the silent gesticulations of a virtual choirmaster on the screen, singing to life itself. Nice.