Everytime I've had the great fortune to take a trip to Canada or Europe, I've noted how much more relaxed people seem as compared to Americans. A recent article in The New York Times described a study that concluded we spend twice as much per capita on health insurance as the English, yet they seem to be about twice as healthy as Americans (and the English almost certainly aren't the healthiest Europeans). The article asserted that stress and anxiety could be causes for American health problems. You think?
I watched the documentary "People Like Us" which examines the issue of social class in the US. It provided some interesting food for thought about the myth and reality of the "rags to riches" story, class mobility and self-awareness or images of class. For a nation that claims to be largely free of class distinctions, it's sad to note how much Americans try to differentiate themselves by class. How much stress and anxiety to which we subject ourselves simply because of an obsession with class.
Granville Island in Vancouver is an industrial park. Well, that's far too simple a description. It describes itself as an "urban planning success story." That's an understatement. It's a remarkable mosaic of industrial plants, artists' galleries, crafts makers' stores, a public market, a kids zone, and green, open spaces. All surrounded by water. What I found most amazing about this place was the seemingly contradictory activities and spaces. As I walked around, I kept wondering about whether this type of convergence can really work. It does. Beautifully.
Baltimore is a city with an industrial heart, its heyday defined by steel, ships, and railroads. In many ways, it celebrates this history, but in other ways, it tries to sweep it away. The Inner Harbor is superficially similar to Granville Island. By some measures, the Inner Harbor is a success story, but it does not embrace Baltimore's industrial hearbeat. Most of the tourists, and some of the residents, may not even notice the signs of industry that are still within sight of the Harborfront.
As I observed more, I began to sense that Granville Island is a celebration of diversity. I often seek patterns or themes--sometimes to a fault. Nonetheless, I kept searching for an overarching theme, perhaps because this place seemed so unusual. Finally, I thought..."people working with their hands." Everyone here builds things with their hands. As someone who spends almost all day in front a computer, leading a group that builds digital libraries, there's something really affirming about seeing the creation of real, tangible objects. Initially, I thought that it must be strange for machinists or construction workers to be among artists. Then I thought perhaps people in Vancouver view their "blue collar" workers as artists. What might happen in a place where everyone isn't obsessed with class, but rather see each other as human beings?
I noted someone wearing a hard hat, who was helping well-dressed tourists. And then I noted the flowers in a window of one of the industrial buildings. It's hard to see the machine on the inside, but it's easy to see the appreciation for flowers. As I reflected on this scene, it occurred to me that Granville Island challenged my tacit impressions of class. And that was a liberating feeling. It also helped me tap into the dormant artist within me. But that's a story for another day.
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