The Pull of the City
The covid-19 lockdown of 2020 caused many of the joys of the city to evaporate. Yes, we live in tiny apartments, streets are crowded, air quality is not great, parking is a nightmare, but think about all those joys we normally have in close proximity! Wonderful dining options, clubbing till dawn, numerous musea with the most amazing art at display, theater, opera and ballet. But, with all that locked down — what remains?
Like many others, I started craving being close to nature. Being outdoors gives great pleasure and is one of the few activities that can continue during a pandemic. I found myself fantasizing living on the country side. I started looking at properties in more rural areas. Wow! Isn’t it great how much value for money you get when you venture outside of the city? Who am I fooling by staying in the city? My eyes were finally openend!
But then I got pulled back to earth. What is important to me in this phase of my life? (And this is personal.) Yes, being outdoors and enjoying nature is high on my list of things that give me great satisfaction. But even more so, I’m looking to do meaningful work, be innovative and creative, and expose myself to inspiring people. Steven Johnson describes it very elegantly and persuasively in his book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation.
“To make your mind more innovative, you have to place it inside environments that share that same network signature: networks of ideas or people that mimic the neural networks of mind exploring the boundaries of the adjacent possible.“
Steven Johnson in Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
Johnson puts forward the idea of liquid networks where people and ideas collide to optimize the exploration and utilization of the adjacent possible.
“High-density liquid network make it easier for innovation to happen, but they also serve the essential function of storing those innovations. Before writing, before books, before Wikipedia, the liquid network of cities preserved the accumulated wisdom of human culture.”
Steven Johnson in Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation
Reading this reminded me of the energy I get from living in vibrant cities. Having lived in places like Amsterdam, Boston, New York, Austin, and Ho Chi Minh City exposed me to an enormous number of awesome people, organizations, communities, and ideas.
City life is not as attractive right now as it used to be. But the pull is yet too strong.
I am staying!
You can find this and other stories on my website www.thalein.com.
