The Turkey Dilema
Posted on December 7, 2011 | posted by:
A couple weeks ago a very cool holiday was celebrated, “Thanksgiving day”, there´s discussions about if that´s a former Canadian or American tradition butthat´s not the point.
So I had a plan for that day and then that plan didn´t work, and before a classmate saved my night and we ended up with a lovely family I was worried and sad because i was supposed to be alone and not celebrating that night. Now, the interesting point is that I´m Chilean and we don´t celebrate thanksgiving day, then why was i concerned?. Maybe because I´m now part of a new “culture”?, maybe that holiday never meant anything to me until the day that I was immersed in the society that does celebrate it and I was aware that everyone would be eating turkey that night, and maybe I didn´t want to feel excluded.
So of course as a curious person I immediately started questioning myself, how important are cultural rituals and how can or can´t one be or feel isolated in relation to a massive action.
Even though I heard a lot in the previous days that the tradition of thanking for the things happened in the year has vanished and now it´s all about eating ridiculous amounts of money, the family I spent Thanksgiving with decided to make a circle, grab their hands and share with everyone the things they were thankful for and then it hit me… First it was beautiful, the connection, the pureness of being thankful and then…. How can design influence these rituals? Can we as transdisciplinary designers create, shape or modify certain rituals in order to create the environment to foster a more joyful, peaceful and better society and therefore a better world?
I think the answer is YES, i think it needs to start with an accurate research of the cultures and with what things are universal to the human being so we can assess which “instances” can be created in local levels or in global levels. We are of course talking about creating the conditions or concepts for this to happen instead of all baking cupcakes and inflating balloons. The idea that design in this new way we are starting to practice is able to create conditions for social and cultural shifts, acts and maybe revolutions to happen is exciting and motivating.
I still question myself how much should I feel engaged in a culture that is not the one I grew up in but that is mine now and for the next years and how culture is no longer a concept full of boundaries and geographical limits, we should start designing globally and intending to reunite people around concepts and actions that helps us understand the necessity and benefits of being together and to look forward to a common and positive design of future.