Cities are ecosystems of constructive and destructive forces: think of bees and flies

CorporateNature No 139

There are two extremes in human behaviour: constructive and destructive. Constructive activities develop and produce new things, e.g. knowledge, infrastructure and all kinds of human structures that reduce entropy (chaos). On the other hand, destructive activities reduce to ruin existing structures and add to chaos - from a human point of view at least (nature would be free to disagree with us what is constructive and what is destructive).

In the animal world, two insects can represent reasonably well these two extremes: bees and flies.

1. THE CONSTRUCTIVE HONEY BEE

Honey bees are notoriously hardworking, disciplined and organised, as well as forming incredibly complex societies. The result of their productivity is complex structures (honeycombs) and sophisticated products such as honey, royal jelly, beeswax and propolis.

2. THE DESTRUCTIVE HOUSEFLY

To a human, the common housefly is the destructive yin to the honey bee’s constructive yang. Flies spread disease and lay eggs that grow into larvae in the dirtiest places in your house. There is a neat way to get rid of flies, though, without getting your hands dirty: all you need to do is open the window and let it fly back to nature, where the destructive/constructive equation is not a given and not clear-cut.

3. CITIES ON THE CONSTRUCTIVE-DESTRUCTIVE SPECTRUM

Just like beehives, some cities are orderly and productive: think of the Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva which consistently rank at the top of global quality of life indices. Other cities, especially in tropical regions and developing countries, are a giant mess, with ghettos and favelas. Even the sprawling southern US cities are not a paragon of orderliness, with their notorious traffic jams in rush hour. Therefore, we should be able to forgive Gandhi for being anti-city, having experienced the squalor of cities in India.

Yet, even messy and squalid cities are more productive compared with nomadic communities or farming communities in the countryside. If cities weren't making good use of their human capital, people wouldn't be living there. Cities create their own ecosystems, just as nature does. The constructive/destructive forces in them form a broad and diffuse spectrum, just as nature accommodates both bees and flies.

Honeycomb (image source: Wikipedia) 

SpaceTime after the Big Bang has parallels with 2020 and post-pandemic life

CorporateNature No 138

In physics, the concepts of space and time are fused together into a single four-dimensional spacetime mathematical model that describes our universe. Einstein’s theory of special relativity has made it impossible to look at space without considering time, and vice-versa.

The idea that space and time are different sides of the same coin can also be useful on a more everyday level. Consider the following:

1. THE CONDENSED SPACE OF THE BIG BANG VS. THE CONDENSED TIME OF MODERN LIFE

According to the big bang theory, all of the matter in our universe started its expansion from one single point. For hundreds of thousands of years, matter was so dense and the universe so hot that only subatomic particles existed (and for short periods of time). What is more, even if we were to go back and observe this period in the history of our universe, we wouldn’t be able to see anything.

As astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explains “in this early epoch, photons didn’t travel far before encountering an electron. Back then, if your mission had been to see across the universe, you couldn’t. Any photon you detected had careened off an electron right in front of your nose, nano- and picoseconds earlier.”

Similarly, 21st-century life in a developed society is typically characterised by an overabundance of condensed time. We easily get swept away by the overwhelming current of day-to-day responsibilities and worries.  Everything has to happen now (even yesterday, if possible). When we are immersed in a constant state of information overload, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters in life. This constant stream of information we receive is just like the electrons knocking photons in our eyes.

2. THE EXPANDING UNIVERSE VS. THE EXPANSION OF TIME DURING THE PANDEMIC

As the universe expanded and cooled down, matter eventually became diluted enough to allow for atoms and different elements to form. This, in turn, led to the emergence of stars, galaxies, planets and, ultimately, living beings. The ideal environment for this creation process was one of less density.

The events of 2020 have forced a similar sort of expansion of our time and dilution of our daily tasks. The state of pandemic lockdown that a large part of the developed world was forced into has given us a chance to slow down. In fact, time during lockdown seems to have almost stopped compared with the pace just a few months earlier.

Living this new reality, we have come to recognise that certain lifestyle choices from the past don’t seem that appealing anymore. Suddenly, all those work emails and conferences have lost their perceived previous importance. Maybe some of us have been put off by the clutter both in our homes and in our previously hectic daily schedules. Maybe others have decided to take a new career path. But hopefully, a lot of us have learned to place greater importance on our relationships with loved ones, rather than on material possessions and social status.

This period of expanded time can be viewed as the catalyst to new opportunities. It has certainly given us plenty of time to think and plan for the future.

***

According to some theorists, the universe will expand to a certain point and then start condensing back to that point before the big bang. This is one of the great mysteries that astrophysicists face today.

What is certain, however, is that as the world returns to normalcy after the pandemic, our time will once again begin condensing into the way it was before. It is ultimately up to us to decide how we want to live once that happens.

Hopefully, we are not too quick to forget the lessons we have learned over the past few months.

Timeline of the expansion of space (image source: Wikipedia)

Selfless and self-serving jobs resemble wheat stalks and rivers

CorporateNature No 137

There are two types of jobs: selfless and self-serving. They have a lot in common with wheat and water in the metaphorical realm.

1. SELFLESS JOBS RESEMBLE SEEDS THAT SCATTER

Professions such as teaching and nursing benefit society: these vocations exist for the greater good of all people. People working in these positions spend their time and energy selflessly, often driven by the conviction that their noble efforts must help those around them. In financial slang, these people "leave money on the table" (for others to pick up), i.e. they create value that is not appropriated by themselves.

Such occupations resemble a wheat stalk that shatters and sheds its seeds on the ground. While this is not beneficial for the farmer who planted the wheat, it helps propagate future generations. 

2. SELF-SERVING JOBS ARE SEEDS THAT DO NOT SHATTER

Bankers work hard, just like nurses and teachers. However, they appropriate most of the results of their efforts for their own benefit. Ironically, they are people who work with money, yet they "don't leave money on the table" as they are better at extracting value for themselves. 

This profession resembles cereal plants that do not shatter and whose grains stay on the stalk after ripening. Although this is good for the farmer who planted the cereals as it allows harvesting the grain,  the natural process of propagating the seeds is put in jeopardy.

3. SELFLESS JOBS RESEMBLE RIVERS THAT DON'T REACH THE SEA

Another example from nature can illustrate this parallel: most rivers reach the sea and deliver their water to the ocean, give or take some evaporation and human consumption. Such rivers are like the “bankers” who keep resources to themselves.

On the other hand, a handful of rivers never reach the ocean, e.g. the Okavango in southern Africa. The Okavango irrigates a vast inland delta and subsumes itself into it. The Okavango disperses all its water into a vast and fertile wetland that creates habitats for myriads of animals and plants, just like teachers and the nurses give themselves away for the benefit of humankind.

Wheat stalk (image source: Wikipedia)