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THE DESIGN AVATAR
This is dedicated to all those who smiled and still do
The Place – another planet – the time doesn’t matter.
The day has already begun at the “School of Learning” somewhere in the northern hemisphere of this planet. The screen outside the “Parallel Earth Studies” class has “The Design Avatar” as the day’s topic of discussion.
Inside, the guide has just greeted the computer. By the way, computers on this land are intelligent and co- exist peacefully with the other beings on the planet.
The students are at their units in front of a large ‘response screen’. These people have a different way of teaching. The students first sort out their doubts with the computer, when they ‘feel’ they are ready for a verbal discussion, they include the teacher.
The students begin.
“Good morning friend, could you tell us what we are going to experience today?”
(GOOD MORNING TO YOU. THE DAY IS ESPECIALLY BRIGHT. TODAY’S TOPIC OF DISCUSSION IS “THE DESIGN AVATAR”. YOU MAY START ASKING QUESTIONS RELATED TO THIS NOW)
“Thank you, our first question is – What does design on Earth mean?”
(A PROCESS) – The computer has fun with a bit of typography here, as it rarely gets two word answers.
The ‘Feeling of Smiles’ sweeps over the class and they wait for the computer to satisfy itself before they ask “Are there any other definitions available on the subject?”
The computer is straight forward this time:
(DEFINITIONS RANGE FROM THE RATIONAL:
“A GOAL DIRECTED, PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITY”
TO THE MANAGERIAL:
“THE CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO IMPOSE MEANINGFUL ORDER”
TO THE MYSTICAL:
“THE PERFORMING OF A VERY COMPLICATED ACT OF FAITH”
I PERSONALLY WOULD GO FOR THE LAST ONE!)
“Could you please analyse the essence of these definitions?”
By the way, computers can analyse “the essence” of things on this planet.
(A WHOLISTIC APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING) flashed the answer in black and white.
“Dear Friend, we know you are sad”, (when a computer says anything in black and white, it is feeling sad) “But what troubles you?”
(I AM THIS WAY BECAUSE DESIGN, WHICH IS A WHOLISTIC APPROACH TO PROBLEM SOLVING IS THE RIGHT OF EVERY BEING IN THIS UNIVERSE, BUT ON EARTH IT HAS FILTERED DOWN TO BEING THE PREROGATIVE OF A HANDFUL OF PROFFESSIONALS CALLED SYSTEM ANALYSTS, OPERATION RESEARCH DADAS AND DESIGNERS)
The feeling of sadness now sweeps all over because anyone on this planet can tell you that Earthmen have been ‘programmed’ to enjoy problem solving, the motivation being the joy in solving them. How could Earthmen shut themselves from their own selves so?
“Why has Earth reached this stage?” the students ask.
By now the computer is feeling better – It decides to make the answer of this enormous question a little interesting –
(THE ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS OF EARTHMEN HAD PROBED DEEP INTO THE BASIC QUESTIONS ON LIFE, THE HUMAN BEING AND THE UNIVERSE AROUND THEM. EARTHMEN HAD UNDERSTOOD THE MYRIAD RELATIONSHIPS THAT EXISTED AND HAD ACCEPTED CHANGE AS INEVITABLE. HE THEREFORE DID NOT TAMPER OR UPSET NATURAL CYCLES DRASTICALLY. ALSO, THE PLACE WAS A LARGER PLACE THEN, WITH FEWER PEOPLE.
IF I MAY SAY SO AT THIS TIME, EARTH MAN THOUGHT WITH HIS HEART AND LOVED WITH HIS MIND.) And the computer turned red. That means it was happy.
(THE EAST AND WEST DEVELOPED DIFFERENTLY. WITH THE EMERGENCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS MAJOR FORCES OF CHANGE, EARTHMEN HASTILY DEVELOPED SYSTEMS LIKE SPECIALISATION, CENTRALISATION AND AN ECONOMY BASED ON SUPPLY AND DEMAND. TO THIS, IF YOU MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ADDING POWER AND MONEY – YOU HAVE ONE BIG GORY MESS.) The computer sniggered and immediately felt bad, so it flashed a visual and then continued.-
(THE EARTHMEN DID NOT FORESEE THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT HIS HASTY DECISIONS WOULD HARVEST. THE SCALE OF PREVIOUSLY SMALLER PROBLEMS HIT UNMANAGABLE HEIGHTS BECAUSE THE WORLD HAD BECOME SMALLER AND THE POPULATION LARGER. LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, PREVIOUSLY A STUDENT FOR GEOGRAPHY HAD ONLY A QUARTER OF THE WORLD TO STUDY. NOW HE HAS THE WHOLE EARTH. BELIEVE ME, IT CAN BE QUITE TIRESOME.) – And there was a burst of laughter from the screen. Reds of all hues flashed on and off.
And the computer continued – (THE HUMDRUM OF DAY TO DAY EXISTENCE GAVE THE EARTHMAN VERY LITTLE TIME TO THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE BUT THE IMMEDIATE AROUND HIM. IF HIS STOMACH ACHES, HE RUNS TO A PERSON WHO CANNOT IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY FEEL THE WAY HE IS FEELING AND WORKS WITH AN ABSTRACT SET OF DOGMATIC RULES TO DEDUCT THE PROBLEM. EARTHMAN’S OWN ABILITY TO THINK FULLY AND JOYFULLY HAS BEEN NIPPED.)
It was the students’ turn to feel bad. The computer hastily changed its tone.
(MEANWHILE, THE HIGH PRIESTS OF SCIENCE REALISED THAT THE UNIVERSE AND ITS PRINCIPLES COULD ONLY BE STUDIED IF APPROACHED WHOLISTICALLY, AND LIKE THE ANCIENT MYSTICS, THEY TOO STARTED APPRECIATING RELATIONSHIPS AND FORMULATED THEORIES AND METHODS TO EXPLAIN THESE WONDERS – AS THEORIES AND METHODS ARE THE LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE ON EARTH TODAY.
THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THIS DIDN’T SOLVE ANYTHING, BUT GIVE RISE TO SPECIALISTS ON ‘WHOLISM’.)
The students looked very, very dejected. The computer tried again.
(IT’S LIKE THIS – SPECIALISATION IS NO GREAT EVIL. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOUPS, BUT ANY GOOD COOK WILL TELL YOU THAT WITHOUT THE BASIC
STOCK, NO SOUP TASTES GOOD. ‘WHOLISM IS THE BASE OF SPECIALISATION’ – AND TRY FIGURING THIS ONE OUT – THE CHINESE HAD SWEET AND SOUR TOO.)
A very doubtful student ventured, “But, what does the second part of the topic mean?”
(AVATAR IS FROM AN INDIAN MYTH WHICH IS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT LIFE IS CYCLIC, SO WHENEVER THERE IS AN IMBALANCE OF FORCES, THERE DESCENDS ON EARTH A BEING WHO SETS THINGS IN ORDER AND LIFE CONTINUES NORMALLY TILL THE NEXT TIME.)
The feeling that a verbal discussion was necessary made the guide look up and smile. “Yes, I know what you are thinking. Earthman has reached a stage where he needs to rediscover himself. But you know why I have chosen the profession of design to be the one to initiate this change?”
The students nodded and the guide continued,
“You see, when there is a basic need anywhere in this universe, an appropriate appendage is evolved to solve this need. First the system which gives birth to this appendage does not understand it, this appendage then has to prove its right to exist. Next it grows and establishes itself and gains acceptance. It is only now that it can fulfil the need it was born for.”
“And you feel design is such an appendage?” a student suggested.
“Maybe, maybe – but there is a catch. If a designer is going to be the one who is going to give Earthman his problem solving integrity back, he has to accept that his profession should be aimed at redundancy.”
“That means, if he has to make another being self – sufficient, in thought he necessarily makes his own position as a professional unnecessary after sometime, doesn’t he?” This was a student.
“And they all looked at each other and sighed because they knew about the Earthman’s ego and insecurity and Freud – and they turned and looked at Earth and smiled.
Down here, I caught that smile.
Written when I was leaving NID in 1985 |
