Golden Rules

One of the multiple festivals running concurrently is the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.  I went along to St John's church at the west end of Princes St to attend one of the events advertised in that particular festival. But outside the church I saw another of their events. The photo above shows Orange Suits and Golden Rules - a Living Installation.  Volunteers spend a day in an orange boiler suit such as the Guantanamo Bay detainees wear and stand outside the church in view of the traffic and people in Edinburgh's main shopping street. So not really like conditions the detainees suffer, but it's an excellent way to make the point that we should not forget about them.

The installation reminded me that I should be grateful to live in a country which does not have the death penalty even though the behaviour of some (almost always violent male criminals) sometimes seems to deserve it.  But also that I live in a country where convicted criminals can be given release on compassionate grounds irrespective of their guilt, in order to spend their last days out of prison/with their family.

Akvani are a trio who sing Georgian songs, in this case ancient healing harmonies to 'sweeten the soul'. It was billed as a 'soundbath of harmony' and certainly lived up to that description.

These songs were originally sung, some as early as pre-Christian times, to appease the Batonebi Spirits and to heal sick children. I'd liked to have heard more about this, and if I can manage it I'll go to another of Akvani's events running this week or next.

In the evening I went to a talk on Women and the Built Environment at Engender.  A real circuitous meander round the need for women's input into living space, in particular places like refuges or social housing. And the way that outdoor space is prioritised for male activities for example five aside football instead of dance or yoga or whatever women want. Of course we don't know what women want as no one asks or listens when we speak up anyway. I can claim this from my own experience of taking part in planning consultations where what I or other women say, never makes it into recommendations, or frequently is not even recorded.

The conclusion from this discussion is that we need more women in architecture, planning, engineering and for those professions to actually speak to each other so we get joined up plans.  The Golden Rule as applied to planning as well as to politics.

What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others. – Epictetus