Anytime is a good time for a spot of reflection.
It’s a chance to illuminate your murky past, and reassess all that stuff you’ve been carrying around that weighs you down and threatens to slow you down. It’s time for that detox. Time to flush the system of the detriment of the past and make space for some new gunk to be tossed into the mix. And let’s face it, being creatures of habit, you’re going to be back to your old ways.
Look at history. It’s full of repeating cycles of human idiocy that culminates in skirmishes, battles, wars, hair-pulling…just short of total annihilation thus far.
The cartoons of Heng Kim Song capture the wry essence of this behaviour in ink and with a wink and a nod. His eye for humour brings a predicament to the fore and gets the message across efficiently and effectively. It’s like laughing at the bowl of jelly on your lap even as the syrup threatens to join the wobbly mess.
Heng’s cartoons form the basis of this issue’s cover. If you look at it closely, you’ll see just how fractious man can be, and how a few odd sorts behaving selfishly or selflessly can tip the scale either way. But even as we shake our heads and wonder when all this is going to end, the population climbs over the seven billion mark and the eternal optimist in us still seeks out new innovations that strive to make our lives better. And if not that, at least more interesting.
In our Design DNA and Starting Young series, STORM tips its hat at enterprise and the ongoing ingenuity of the clever man and woman as he/she strives to put things together even as others are busy trying to rip things asunder.
In this daft world, their efforts are beacons of light that show how such brilliance can co-exist with awesome stupidity. The contradictions abound and the confusion is palpable. And through it all, we light a torch and work our way through the murk always believing we’ll come out of it — if not unscathed — at least the wiser for the journey.
It’s ultimately about the desire to stay connected. The growth of communication has seen the world take on a different complexion in recent decades. Its ongoing role is a double-edged sword in many ways, and forms one of the “Cs” that will be discussed at the forthcoming STORM THE PLANET session celebrating STORM’s entry into its third year.
Besides Communication, The New 5 Cs will also look at the role of Character, Community, Consumerism and Culture in shaping our future.
Perhaps in one regard Sir William was right. Looking at how society seems to prefer texting and sending messages rather than picking up the phone to talk to the other party, he was prescient in pointing out that the phone as a means of sending voice may become irrelevant in time.
Kannan Chandran
Publisher/Editor
