Thursday, January 18, 2007

Buckminster Fuller Got It Right

"You never change anything by fighting something that is already existing. To change something, build a new model and make the existing thing obsolete. " - Buckminster Fuller

And the second part, which I will add myself: If you're not willing to build a new model, quit bitching about what already exists.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree about the bitching part. For years I've complained about certain things. I needed to hear myself complain, complain, complain because I wasn't connecting my complaints to my unhappiness. It's like when you write the same plot over and over and over again because you haven't told the story to yourself.

I'm working on building a new model now, because I'd like to continue doing theater. So it's an exciting period of time. :)

Scott Walters said...

Hear! Hear! I'd love to hear about your new model. There was an old joke: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." "Then don't do it." I think it is important to look at the things that cause us pain, and do waht is necessary to stop it. If you don't like the system, make up a new one. Why not? Because we're addicted to the Cinderella Syndrome: that hope that someday a Fairy Godmother will pluck us out of our misery and let us marry the Prince and live in luxury. If we could let go of that particular addiction and instead do the things that matter most to us -- like, say, doing plays -- we'd be so much happier.

Ian Mackenzie said...

I agree with Fuller's comment in spirit. Critical thinking is nothing if it doesn't drive us toward positive change. I might take this statement to task on its push for making old models obsolete. It strikes me as supporting the capitalist paradigm of production-consumption-refinement-replacement, which has us knee-deep in discarded ideas and manufactured goods. New ideas are great, but I'm not sure they need to come at the expense of old ideas.

Anyway. I've just discovered this blog. Great work! We're trying to stay afloat in the choppy waters of Toronto's independent theatre scene. It's good to know the good fight is being fought on all fronts. I'll pass this link along.

Regards,

Ian

A Good Husband said...

I would also like to hear about any sort of new model that could possibly work in the theatre.

Create your own paradigm. As actors, that's what we have to do, or the commercial theatre will eat us alive.

Kate said...

I dunno, Scott. There are a lot of things that need a change, but I'm not sure they all need outright replacing. Of course, all Wesley meant to do was clean up the Episcopal church a little bit, and look what happened.

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