A beautiful presentation motto at the BIV 2014 national conference: “Only those who burn themselves can ignite others”. Werkstatt Orange also takes this approach unreservedly, sometimes burning more, sometimes less for the topics that are worth burning and occasionally igniting others. Well, not necessarily because of bathrooms. Or constantly recurring panel facades. Fortunately, there are so many other things worth burning for, or rather igniting, in this beautiful stone world of ours.
However, the question of burning is sometimes assessed completely differently. For example, it is part of the guiding principle of social education training not to get too emotionally involved in issues and to maintain a professional distance. So no burning and certainly no igniting, even for self-protection. It may be boring at times, but it also has its advantages.
It is said to have happened that people have thrown themselves into a project full of enthusiasm, impregnated with fire accelerant, worked together in a blazing frenzy and then collapsed burnt out at the end, together with all the other inflamed people. But then things have gone quite well. Things go much worse when you stand in the flames and realize that you are the only one on fire far and wide, surrounded by pitying and uncomprehending project participants who feel more committed to the aforementioned socio-educational approach and simply don’t want to be ignited. So it should be noted that burning only seems to be worthwhile if, before deciding to light a fire, you have carefully ascertained that you are not the only supplier of fuel. But this again calls the principle of burning into question, as a really nice fire is ideally associated with flames spreading to everything and an inevitable loss of control. All that remains is controlled burning with the potential for ignition. Boring.
Sideways glances from STEIN in June 2014.