* GIVE ME A PROMISE FOR THE FUTURE
No one will say it out loud, but you can see it in the eyes
of those with whom you work. It comes down to the
following: “What will I be able to do?” … “Is it possible to
make a living out of it?” “Is there any point in learning it?”
Of course, there is no right or wrong answer. You cannot
expect anyone to promise you that. It would be child-like
to do so and unworthy of academic discourse, but, deep
down, we know that this need is genuine, necessary,
human and common to all of us. Regardless of our
position and age. It would be fair to say something.
Being unprepared (which includes cowardice) to meet
expectations, is, in fact, what hurts the most.
This world is meaningless,
One of the key problems faced by modern man is the
question of the meaning of life… the meaning that
is increasingly difficult to find on this damaged and
ravished planet, in an atomized society of individuals
held together by egoism, greed, primitivism and fear…
The question about meaning is raised by us who assume
that every time we press the light switch, lights will
come on, and that every time we turn on the tap, water
will flow. We, who communicate without content, hoard
objects, use technology we do not understand and
uncritically submit to it, raise this question… We who
believe that this world is only ours.
Give me a promise for the future.
Even if we really mean it, feel it, and want it, we tend to
avoid these words. They are binding. They do not allow
us to step back, relativize and stand aside. They call for
answers and action. We do not have an answer to give.
We might be ready for action, but a clear goal, strategy,
courage, will, comrades-in-arms elude us. From year to
year, Fluid topics are becoming “bigger”, more political,
more complex, more painful and tougher to discuss. We
feel that the field where we play with design is too small,
and we need to find allies for answers and the battle.
In this quest for the big and all-encompassing, we often
forget how powerful tool design is. However, we should
first win recognition for ourselves in our field and believe
that our strategies will help in a decisive fight for the
future. And we should do this on daily basis.
Promise me, promise me, promise me, promise me.
There is no room for fear. The future will come. One way
or another. It is not much consolation. Perhaps it would
be wiser to promise ourselves a different world. A world
where the design process and its results will exclusively
be a tool to help make the planet sustainable, shared
and real again. That this and only this will be considered
design. For the real world. The unnecessary rest of it can
be addressed by AI as well.
Give me a promise for the future.
I promise. The future will rely much more on the past.
* Konstrakta, thank you for the lines.
