Inside and out

Paris in the morning it is a sight to see, and this building which is very similar to a building in London, was beautiful in the morning sunshine.

Once again architecture is asking us to join the discussion about our internal and external world. This building has all of its pipes on the outside unlike any other building, it is as if it’s wearing it’s emotions on it’s sleeves. And of course, what is on the outside, no doubt exists in the inside too. And yet as architecture goes, perhaps not all viewers will agree that this is a beautiful building. In a similar fashion when we are overtly emotional, we show every state of our inner world on the outside, is often off putting to the people around us.

There is nothing wrong with the building creating it’s architectural beauty from the industrial rugged look, in a similar fashion there is nothing wrong with being emotional in your day to day life.

In our modern world, crying, sadness, anxiousness, are emotions that are not acceptable for some, as they make the other person awkward and unable to deal with it. Our TVs are telling us that happiness is the only state acceptable. If you look at all the adverts you will see that million-dollar smile, the singing, the joyfulness, as if no other emotion is available. And of course, smiles and joy sells, whereas sadness does not, unless it is a love song in which case the whole human race should be on anti-depressants because I am pretty sure we are all loving those love songs.

Our inner world is a rich domain, full of depth and facets and possibilities. It is due to this rich inner world that our world exists, it is due to this rich inner world that we have music, and books, and films, and art. It is through emotions that we connect with the world. And yet it is these very emotions that we are told to hide and burry deep within because it makes the other person uncomfortable.

When was the last time you allowed a friend to just cry in your company, and all you did is hand over the tissues and did not try to make them forget that they were sad? When was the last time you saw a small child cry when they fell over, you told them that it was indeed a time to cry because they got injured or they got frightened? When was the last time you saw a parent comfort a toddler and speak to them instead of shoving a pacifier in it’s mouth for comfort? And when did you last have a good honest cry until you had no more tears left? Are you even allowed to cry? Are you allowed to be upset? Are you allowed to be angry? Are you allowed to mourn the loss of a friendship, or a break-up, or the loss of a job?

An inside out building may be an eyesore for some, and so is seeing someone being honest with their emotions. The building will not go away, the emotions might, but what if next time a friend or a family member or yourself shows emotions, just create a safe space for them to experience it, how would that change their world?

Time to take out your diary and take some notes when answering the questions.

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