September 7th, 2008
Existential crisis
A dying blog is a sad and bathetic spectacle. I have abandoned blogs before, better blogs than you, current blog. Nevertheless I would like to push on and transition this space into a more permanent home for the things I’m working on and interested in.
Right now I am traveling in China. There is nothing happening in Beijing that you have not read about in the past six-month explosion of attention paid to the city. Yes, it’s changing at a furious pace. The built environment is futuristic. There are many amazing shopping centers! Traditional architecture is beautiful while the new projects are daring! Will traditional spaces be swept away in the rush to modernize? All around the martial authority of the state is an unseen but potent force! There are websites I can’t access here! All poverty and vice has been shipped out of the city and dissent is invisible!
I have not been able to penetrate this superficial level of common knowledge; I suspect really knowing China is a challenge for a lifetime. I will def. let you know if I achieve that in the next week or so. But I think I’ll save my photos of the temple of heaven for slideshows at home.
Meanwhile, here are some links.
There is a great article in September’s Harper’s about Human Terrain Teams.