And this time: about the burning of our temple and that of the Japanese, what can be learned from nature and biomechanics about fires, and a lecture about hidden strengths.
Burning temples (first conclusion)
Okinawa is the most southwestern province of Japan, in an area one-tenth the size of the State of Israel and with a million and a half inhabitants. It was ruled by the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1429 and was annexed to Japan after an invasion in 1609. Yes, and it is also known because of the Blue Zone - probably because 90% of it is plant nutrition.
In October 2019, Shuri Temple which is the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, burned down. Many valuable objects and items of historical significance were housed inside the site. Efforts to save as many of these objects as possible ended successfully and close to two-thirds of them were actually saved over 10 hours of the fire.
Our second temple was destroyed by Titus, the son of the emperor Espesinos, during the suppression of the great rebellion, on the 9th of the year AD 70. and was not re-established. By the way, Titus tried to save it from burning because in his eyes the temple was a magnificent architectural structure, and the legend says that one of the soldiers did not listen to him, and took a flare and set it on fire himself.
After the fire in both Japan and Jerusalem, there are always plans to rebuild the castles or the main buildings. In Japan, even though 4 years have passed, it has not yet been implemented. And in Jerusalem, even though 2000 years have passed, it didn't work either.
First conclusion - it is easier to destroy than to build, and even when rebuilding, someone will always covet the real estate instead of for other needs.
Biomimicry - learning from nature to restore a fire-damaged area (second conclusion)
Biomimicry is learning by imitating nature. A strategic way of understanding nature in order to create innovative solutions. The forest regeneration process can be studied as a source of inspiration. In nature after a fire, the first step towards its recovery is usually the sprouting of plants called "pioneer species". Plants are resistant to harsh conditions and are the first to settle in damaged or previously damaged ecosystems. The pioneer plants are very important to forest recovery from fire because they stabilize the soil and provide habitat and food for animals that return to the burned forest. They also create conditions that allow other, more sensitive mini-plants to start growing. And what is the use of biomimicry in this context:
- In land management or agriculture - how to plan sustainable and more flexible systems. For example by mimicking the natural succession of hardy and fast-growing plant species to prepare the soil for later and more diverse plantings.
- In urban planning and architecture, lessons on how we design our cities and homes to recover from disasters. For example, planning buildings so that they are more suitable and flexible.
- Inspired by plants - the Australian Banksia plant, its seed pods only open when exposed to the intense heat of a fire, ensuring that the seeds are released while there is no competition.
Second conclusion - from every destruction and fire there is a resurrection if a certain sequence is maintained.
Discovering hidden strengths (third conclusion of the week)
Yesterday I lectured a group of 85 people on how we can acquire strengths that we were not necessarily aware of.
The kind of strengths that, if you were in a stressful event, you may have discovered that you have (such as, God forbid, an illness or an accident or a layoff).
Third conclusion for this week - people have strengths that they are not aware of, and there is a way to reach them without traumatic events. That is, from a choice that is much more "on your terms".
After the lecture, you will also understand how it is related to skiing.