Where do I fit in this world? Part 1
On the weekend of the 25th and 26th May 2019, I and my close ones headed off to Paris, France. We have been talking about travelling to the city for over 3 years and we finally created the opportunity to go and see it in person.
While the weekend was a magical experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life, it is not what I want to address in this article. What I want to address here is what I realised while I was standing on Montparnasse Tower in the French capital, over 200 meters above the ground and what was to follow.
The Observation
Montparnasse Tower is a 59 story skyscraper located on the south side of Paris. It ranges in price between €10 and €18 per person depending on the age. I have had some mixed feelings with heights over the last few years but getting into the escalator where it almost seems like you are floating upwards, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
You get to the 56th floor in no time where you are greeted by a majestic view of the Eiffel Tower and an internal cafe and gift shop. We quickly headed for a few more flights of stairs to get to the 59th level of the tower. This was an open deck, with a fresh breeze, a shocked crowd, and a small bar, that allowed you to see the whole of Paris in a sort of bird’s-eye view.
I wandered around the deck in awe as I saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the canal, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe and various other monuments from this building. As I wandered around, my brain began focusing on 1 question — what makes cities like Paris, London, or New York, so special?
I sat for what seemed like hours to analyse the question in my head and this is what I came up with:
It is all about the community.
Every part of the world was once an open terrain filled with sand, trees, fields, rivers and people. Once human beings began expanding in intelligence and resources, we began shaping the areas that we live in, adding buildings, towers, bridges, transport, sewage systems, and more. But who decided to put the Big Ben in London, or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the Empire State Building in New York?
I believe that it is because of the people who lived in those particular areas that helped shape how those areas looked, how they felt, and their overall development. I believe that the communities, the cultures and the connection between the two are what attracts so much attention, both in the past and the present. Without its residents, locations would only ever be empty, lifeless places.
With people in the picture, locations light up, come to life, get built from the ground up. How else can you be lonely at a high-end party on a yacht, in Dubai, with celebrities and exclusive wine but fulfilled during a family gathering in your garden?
People bring ideas, challenges, problems, conflicts, trials & tribulations, mistakes, and miracles. As people, we seek permission that allows us to be us, to be human. At the same time, each individual member has to be given a certain level of confidence, faith, space and adversity provided to them to be able to thrive. How else can growth individually and collectively happen?
So, looking at how to properly grow a community with values and beliefs and the types of roles you will find in your community, I will touch upon two things:
- The types of people in your community
- The culture of your community
This is a 4 part series that helps you to explore your purpose in the world, and hopefully lead you down the road to living it. You can read Part 2 here, Part 3 here or Part 4 here.
If you enjoyed this, connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn and say Hello!
Warm hugs,
Damian Zabielski