I am walking along the quays of Aberdeen. The road is on one side, and the supply and service ships for the oil and gas fields is on the other sides. There is a roar from the ships; A deep and almost threatening sound that would make conversations impossible if I was not alone.
This is real stuff, I think. Man made, and man constructed. Why did I not become one of the men who designed and built this?
Like yesterday, when I was at the Falkirk wheel, I am walking in the midst of the optimum of what we can achieve as humans.
The ships, designed to go out to the oil rigs, regardless of weather. The Diving Support Vessel (DSV) which is designed to support the deep sea divers impresses me even more. Men will climb into diving suits at those ships, and be lowered into the North Sea to dive down to 300 meters or more.
The harbor shakes me up. The very concrete functions of those purposefully built ships. The very extreme levels of knowledge and skills it takes to create such complex machinery, that is to fulfill it's work together with even more complex structures.
In Stockholm and other similar cities it’s about design, internet, café culture. Post modern. We are at the centre of the new world. We think. At the height of development. We believe. But what is that compared to an Oil rig, the pipelines and all the support structures around it. Bah!
What have I achieved in life? The first question pops up. Where do I want to be? In the safe harbor, or out at the sea? Another question. What sorts of achievements feel valuable for me? Questions start popping up.
I board the ship to Orkney and within minutes I get a response to my questions. In the brochure stand in the entrance deck, I see the leaflet about Metasaga!
“Orkney Schools Metasaga – Developing leadership skills at all levels” “Inspiration for developing …. Metasaga came from Kate Coutts, who was initially inspired by the work of Leif Jossefson in Tanzania…”
So ideas and conversations can spread over the world, and take new shapes. Maybe one does not have to be a physical builder to make an impact!
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