It is in our general nature as creatures under one sun to be contentions. All animals, Homo sapiens and other, are inclined to conflict one another. For a numbers of years, this has regulated life on this planet. From class to class, race to race, battles (and even wars) have been fought for a number of different issues. The war between Human and insect has played out in many homes across the world. Alpha males have been victims of cannibalism, although primitive, but because of their status. These battles are often two sided, but what is for certain is there is always a test of will.
During the 20th century, the race for the tallest building in the world was resolved in 1974 with the completion of the Sears Tower. [The next building to take the crown (with a bit of controversy) was Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in 1998; 2004 saw the rise of the current title holder Taipei 101 in Taiwan]. In its simplest form, this is a battle to see who can build the tallest mound. Better yet, who is willing to test their limits? In retrospect, this is merely a human scuffle. On the business side of Architecture, the architect continually battles the contractor in a more intimate engagement. Their difficulty with one another is over the needs and wants of the owner. Human skirmishes can be seen all over; candidates crawling for votes, women crossing blades over a single man, and children throwing hand grenades over religion. You’ve heard it said before, winning isn’t everything. Was that saying always taken (or denied) without thought, ever stop to think about what that meant?
As I said at the beginning of this post, it is in our nature to conflict with one another. The wins and losses can be measured by who or what had the more will. Maybe before we throw our first punch, we should put armour on. Maybe before we shield ourselves, we should open our minds.
